Thursday May 20, 8:05 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Keystone Fulfillment Partners With New Retail Concept
Hanover Direct's E-Commerce Back-End Services Subsidiary Selected As Provider of Fulfillment
Services for Mercata, Inc.
WEEHAWKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 1999-- Hanover Direct, Inc. today announced that its Keystone Fulfillment subsidiary has been selected as
the exclusive fulfillment services provider for the e-commerce site and retail concept, www.mercata.com, recently launched by Mercata, Inc. Mercata, Inc., a
privately held company, has pioneered a new way of buying on the Internet called the PowerBuy(TM), allowing consumers the opportunity to secure great deals on
a wide variety of premium name-brand products for home and play. Where Mercata has fulfillment responsibility, Keystone Fulfillment, a 'one-stop shopping
solution' for companies entering into retailing via e-commerce, will provide Mercata with a wide range of fulfillment services including customer service, warehousing
and shipping.
''We are delighted that Keystone Fulfillment was selected to partner with Mercata in this exciting new venture. We believe that together we can use the power of the
Web to transform traditional retailing, a belief that is shared by Mercata,'' stated Rakesh K. Kaul, President and CEO of Hanover Direct, Inc.
''Keystone Fulfillment and Mercata have a shared vision of how to make Mercata's We-Commerce(TM) a success,'' states Dennis Shepard, COO of Mercata, Inc.
''By utilizing their strength in systems management and expertise in direct marketing we are confident Mercata can revolutionize retailing.''
Mercata has pioneered a new way of buying on the Internet called the PowerBuy. A PowerBuy is a limited-time buying opportunity during which the price paid for a
product drops over a period of several hours to several days. As more consumers participate in the PowerBuy, they drive the product price down through their
collective purchasing power. A broad range of product categories will be offered including consumer electronics, high-end sporting goods and equipment, power
tools, lawn/garden products, specialty gifts and home/kitchen products. Four hundred products are currently available in the site, with thousands of additional
products and categories expected to be added in the months to come.
''Keystone Fulfillment was selected as a preferred Internet fulfillment brand because of its core competency in servicing these types of franchises and products. The
Keystone 'one stop shopping solution' for companies entering into retailing via e-commerce is a perfect fit with the products offered in Mercata's 'PowerBrands'
program,'' stated Richard M. Metzler, President & CEO of Keystone Fulfillment, Inc.
Through the 'PowerBrands' program, products are supplied either directly from manufacturers or through leading distributors who work with Mercata in the same
way they would a traditional retailer, accessing new customers, extending their brand awareness and creating direct marketing relationships with them. Mercata has
created relationships with more than 150 leading manufacturers and distributors through this program.
As the centerpiece of Hanover Direct's web services division, Keystone is able to provide robust, easy-to-install e-commerce solutions services to other companies
wanting to enter into e-commerce. These include 'front-end' logistical services required by e-commerce companies such as telemarketing, order processing, credit
card transaction processing, customer database management and systems programming support plus a comprehensive range of fulfillment, order management and
web marketing. Through its association with the Hanover Direct portfolio of catalogs and associated web sites, as well as a growing roster of third-party clients,
Keystone has obtained expertise in a broad range of product categories such as home fashions and home improvements, men's and women's apparel, and gifts.
Hanover Direct, Inc. (AMEX: HNV - news), and its business units, provide quality, branded merchandise through a portfolio of catalogs and e-commerce platforms
to consumers, as well as a comprehensive range of Internet, e-commerce, and fulfillment services to businesses. The brand marketing division is comprised of the
Company's catalog and e-commerce web site portfolio of home fashions, apparel and gift brands, including Domestications, The Company Store, Colonial Garden
Kitchens, Kitchen & Home, Improvements, The Safety Zone, Silhouettes, Tweeds, International Male, Austad's, Undergear, and Gump's By Mail. The Company
also owns Gump's, a retail store based in San Francisco. Each brand can be accessed on the Internet individually by name. The web services division is comprised
of the Company's Internet marketing services group, systems platform, fulfillment and telemarketing and third party fulfillment service vendor, Keystone Fulfillment
Inc. (www.keystonefulfillment.com). Information on Hanover Direct, including each of its divisions, can be accessed on the Internet at www.hanoverdirect.com.
About Mercata, Inc.
Mercata, Inc., founded in September 1998, is a privately held company with funding from Vulcan Ventures Inc. Mercata is a next-generation interactive retailing
company established to provide customers with a quick, simple and secure shopping experience unlike any other on the Web today. Mercata aims to revolutionize
retailing through new business models such as the PowerBuy(TM) and patented technology including We-Commerce(TM).
Mercata, We-Commerce and PowerBuy are trademarks of Mercata, Inc. All other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their
respective owners.
Contact:
AGG International, Public Relations, New York
Paula Zwerdling
Managing Director
212/869-8230 |
