Doug;
HNV - News
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
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