Ballard Designs

Ballard Designs is an omnichannel retail company that designs and sells globally sourced home furnishings with a European influence.[1] Its parent company is Cornerstone Brands and it is a subsidiary of HSN Inc. (NASDAQ: HSNI).[2] There are currently six retail stores: Two in Florida (Tampa and Fort Lauderdale), King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Natick, Massachusetts, Atlanta, Georgia and Tysons Corner, Virginia.[3] There are also three outlet stores: one near its corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, one near its distribution center in West Chester, Ohio, and a third in Margate, Florida.[3][4] The company also operates a design blog, HowToDecorate.com, as a resource for ideas, inspiration and expert advice on interior design and entertaining.[1] Customers are able to shop in-store, online or through a catalog.[5]

History

Ballard Designs was founded in 1983 [6] by Helen Ballard. Ballard got her start in the retail industry after winning Metropolitan Home magazine's home decorating contest. When the photos of her Ansley Park condo were published, more than 500 readers contacted the magazine asking where they could buy Ballard's furniture and accessories, especially a dolphin-based table. A year later, Ballard quit her job, sold her home and started Ballard Designs.[1] The first catalog was a two-page black-and-white brochure featuring a replica of the dolphin-based table from her home. It became Ballard Designs' first big seller.[6]

In 1996 Ballard Designs merged with Cornerstone Brands,[6] publisher of several home and apparel catalogs, including Frontgate, Garnet Hill and Smith+Noble. Cornerstone Brands was acquired by IAC/InterActive Corp in 2005 and later became a subsidiary of HSN, Inc.[2] In 2007, Ballard Designs opened its first retail store in Tampa and expanded less than a year later to Jacksonville.[7]

Ballard continued to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Ballard Designs until she retired in 2002. She also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Brands.[8]

In 2010, the company partnered with award-winning designer, Suzanne Kasler, to create its first-ever designer collection.[9]In December 2012, Ballard Designs launched the Ballard+ app, an augmented reality shopping application developed by Marxent Labs which allows consumers to interact with the Ballard Designs catalog using their iOS device.[10] Two years later, celebrated interior designer and entertaining expert, Bunny Williams, became the second major designer to offer a signature collection under the Ballard Designs brand.[11][12]

Today, Ballard Designs circulates more than 65 million catalogs annually.[1]The company's retail expansion continues with new locations opening in Garden City, New York and Charlotte, North Carolina in 2017.[3][13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "About Us". Ballard Designs. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Cornerstone Brands part of IAC spin-off". Business Courier. August 21, 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Retail & Outlet Locations". Ballard Designs. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  4. ↑ "Retail Profile: Ballard Designs | Home Accents Today". www.homeaccentstoday.com. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
  5. ↑ "Order Information". Ballard Designs. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 Leslie, Katie (August 10, 2008). "Ballard Designs Celebrates 25 Years of Offbeat Home Décor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Del Franco, Mark (July 23, 2007). "Ballard Designs Opens First Store". MultiChannel Merchant. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "Helen Ballard Weeks". Forbes. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "Suzanne Kasler for Ballard Designs collection to debut in August | Home Accents Today". www.homeaccentstoday.com. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
  10. ↑ Dave Larsen (22 December 2012). "Marxent launches “tap-to-buy” catalog app". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Bunny Williams Launches a New Collection for Ballard Designs | Architectural Digest". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
  12. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/jura.koncius. "Bunny Williams and Ballard Designs join forces". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
  13. ↑ "http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/05/10/new-southpark-retailer-to-offer-home-goods-decor.html". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2017-06-29. External link in |title= (help)
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