By: Teresa Day Craighead
Founded: 1973
Executive: Bob D’Loren
Location: Dresden, Ohio
Website: Longaberger.com
SSN: What motivated you to acquire Longaberger last year?
At Xcel brands, we were looking for something in the home sector to diversify our category offering and reach the consumer directly, and I saw the opportunity to acquire the company. I’ve always been excited about iconic brands. I like to say that icons live forever. Sometimes they just need a little bit of tender, loving care to get people reengaged with the brand.
By: David Rauf
“Direct selling is no different than any other form of distribution of goods today. All consumer sectors of business have been evolving dramatically over the last 5 years, and most of it is driven by technology. We looked at this as a good time to enter the market.”
—Robert D’Loren, CEO, Xcel Brands
One of the core tenets of this new world is accessibility.
—Terrence Moorehead, CEO, Nature’s Sunshine
The direct selling channel has been pressed and pressured by a variety of factors over the past two to three years—largely unrelated to each other but all significant in bringing change to the channel.
By: David Rauf
“I caution you to stay on the straight and narrow because now, more than ever, this is a top enforcement priority for me, and I hope, the agency.”
—Noah Phillips, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
A commissioner with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voiced a tough message for the direct selling community at a recent online event, saying the regulatory agency will remain aggressive in its approach to policing the channel.