By Jeff Blumenthal – Senior Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal
Qurate Retail Group will relocate HSN from St. Petersburg, Florida, to the expansive West Chester campus that houses its sister home shopping brand QVC.
In an announcement Wednesday, Qurate (NASDAQ: QRTEA) said it remains committed to the HSN brand as an important part of the company’s portfolio and that it will continue to have a distinct voice, focus and customer base from QVC.
The consolidated operation is expected to activate over the coming months, with HSN beginning live broadcasting from West Chester’s Studio Park campus sometime in the third quarter.
Qurate, which in November announced plans to rebrand as QVC Group this year, said centralizing broadcast operations and content production capabilities gives HSN access to what it termed the “world-class studios and technology” that exist at the QVC campus in West Chester. In addition, Qurate said it is building a next-generation content engine in West Chester that can quickly capture content to deploy on social media, streaming platforms and more for both HSN and QVC.
HSN will continue to operate its TV channels HSN and HSN2, as well as digital properties HSN.com and the HSN mobile app.
“The HSN brand will continue to be an integral part of Qurate Retail Group as we activate our growth strategy and position the company for sustained success moving forward,” said Stacy Bowe, president of HSN brand & U.S. merchandising. “We have the deepest appreciation to the state of Florida and the St. Petersburg community for their support and dedication over HSN’s 47-year history. We look forward to continuing to delight our customers as we make this transition to our new home.”
It’s unclear how many jobs will be eliminated in St. Petersburg or added in West Chester as a result of the move. At one point, HSN had thousands of employees at its sprawling Florida campus, which encompasses roughly 369,000 square feet and includes a massive TV production and digital operations studio.
Qurate acquired HSN, QVC's longtime rival, in December 2017. The next year, about 350 HSN jobs were eliminated in St. Petersburg.
Studio Park, Qurate’s global headquarters at 1200 Wilson Drive in West Chester, is a 720,000-square-foot property. It is home to the company's corporate offices as well as the U.S.-based broadcast studios for QVC.
In 2021, Qurate sold a 256,500-square-foot office building in West Chester for $17.5 million and moved out of the facility, having determined it no longer needed the space. The following year, the company executed a sale-leaseback for another building on the campus.
Despite that, Qurate Retail CEO David Rawlinson said in a January 2024 interview with the Business Journal that the company could ultimately expand in West Chester if it emerges from its Project Athens turnaround plan with revenue and profitability at certain levels.
Full story: http://tiny.cc/ha88001
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.