Milestones

QVC Milestones

1986

• June 13

  Joseph M. Segel, founder of The Franklin Mint, creates electronic retailer QVC, which later sets a record in American business history for sales of a new public company.

• November 13

  QVC signs an exclusive agreement with Sears, to sell their products on-air.

• November 24

  QVC broadcasts live from its studios in West Chester, PA with hosts John Eastman and Kathy Levine.

1987

• January 1

  QVC programming expands to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• September 1

  QVC's 100,000 square foot Lancaster, PA distribution center opens.

• October 15

  QVC's first Outlet store opens in Rockvale, PA.

1988

• September 12

  QVC’s Chesapeake, VA Customer Service facility opens, with space for 500 customer representatives.

• October 8

  QVC acquires the manufacturing facilities, proprietary technology and trade name rights from MSB Industries, Inc. for Diamonique®, a line of simulated gemstone jewelry, which accounts for $18 million in sales that year.

• October 22

  Another QVC Outlet store opens in Frazer, PA.

1989

• June 12

  QVC opens its 120,000 square foot, Centerville, PA., distribution center, eventually shipping 100,000 packages daily.

• October 12

  Another QVC Outlet Store opens in Drexel Hill, PA.

• October 31

  QVC acquires CVN Shopping Channel.

• November 26

  QVC records its first $10 million day, during which 125,000 phone orders are taken.

1990

• August 15

  The Suffolk, VA., distribution center expands to 750,000 square feet, shipping 80,000 packages each day.

1991

• October 1

  The QVC Fashion Channel — a service devoted exclusively to apparel, fashion accessories, jewelry, and beauty products — begins its first live broadcast.

1992

• June 29

  QVC’s San Antonio, TX Customer Service facility, with 850 operator seats, takes its first phone call.

1993

• January 18

  Founder Joseph Segel retires. Barry Diller is named chairman and CEO.

• October 1

  QVC teams with the UK’s BSkyB to launch a London-based QVC. The Shopping Channel initially reaches 2.7 million homes.

1994

• January 30

  QVC sells more than 6,000 Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Champs tee-shirts, seconds after the 1994 Super Bowl ends.

• June 17

  Q Direct, QVC's new joint ventures division, partners with ESPN Enterprises to air Stadium Stand on the sports channel, following live coverage of select World Cup soccer games.

• September 26

  The QVC Morning Show debuts, with hosts Pat James–DeMentri and Dan Hughes. The show blends shopping and product previews, with news and weather courtesy of USA TODAY.

• September 29

  The QVC Local, QVC’s first custom–built state–of–the–art mobile studio, hits the road from outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Housed in an oversized motor coach that’s decorated with the world’s biggest U.S. road map, the studio’s first assignment is aptly titled The Quest for America’s Best–QVC’s 50 in 50 Tour.

• November 12

  Coach Fine Leathers sells more than $750,000 in merchandise, making AM Style® the best accessories hour ever.

1995

• January 3

  The Quest for America's Best — QVC's 50 in 50 Tour premieres from San Antonio, TX with its first of 50 specials. The year–long search to discover one thousand of the best new products from American entrepreneurs — twenty from each state, are televised from QVC’s mobile studio, The QVC Local.

• February 10

  The Comcast Corporation and Tele–Communications, Inc. acquire QVC.

• March 1

  QVC handles just under 250,000 phone calls in one day.

• March 15

  QVC ships its 200 millionth package (that's one package for every adult in America).

• August 17

  On Klondike Gold® Rush Day, gold jewelry sales exceed $19 million.

1996

• September 15

  QVC launches its internet shopping site, iQVC.

• December 1

  QVC launches QVC in Germany.

1997

• January 7

  The Presidential Inaugural Committee announces QVC as the "Official National Retailer for the 53rd Presidential Inaugural".

• January 28

  QVC broadcasts live from Super Bowl XXXI. Green Bay Packer fans order 30,000 championship locker room caps in 20 minutes.

• March 1

  QVC takes more than 750,000 phone calls during Big Bonanza Silver Day.

• September 24

  QVC begins broadcasting live from Studio Park with a celebrity gala.

• September 29

  iQVC boosts its online leadership as a featured anchor store in AOL's premium shopping areas.

• October 29

  QVC achieves an industry revenue milestone with $2 billion in sales within a 12-month period.

• December 31

  Online holiday shoppers ring in a record $5 million in December on iQVC.

1998

• May 16

  QVC goes live from the Cannes Film Festival in France for the inaugural Cure by the Shore televised benefit. Proceeds from the event are given to the National Women's Cancer Research Alliance.

• July 10

  QVC Publishing launches. It is a division of QVC responsible for creating and marketing books to QVC customers and for developing continuity programs in the publishing industry.

• September 23

  QVC hosts the first QStar Conference and Awards Ceremony at Studio Park. More than 300 vendors participate in the conference, which serves as a platform to exchange strategic business plans and also recognize small businesses and entrepreneurs for their contributions to QVC.

• October 1

  QVC UK officially launches its Internet site — www.qvcuk.com.

1999

• March 8

  Financial Expert and best–selling author Suze Orman secures her place in QVC history by selling nearly 23,000 copies of her latest hardcover release, The Courage To Be Rich, in one hour.

• May 15

  QVC’s second annual "Cure by the Shore" raises $650,000 dollars for the National Women's Cancer Research Alliance.

• July 1

  QVC UK achieves 100 percent distribution on the UK's top three cable systems — Cable & Wireless, NTL and Telewest, reaching more than 7.2 million homes in the UK via cable and satellite systems combined.

• November 4

  QVC begins construction on its new distribution center located in Rocky Mount, N.C. When work is completed, Rocky Mount will be a 1.1 million-square-foot warehouse.

• November 28

  iQVC has its first million dollar day.

2000

• August 15

  QVC's Rocky Mount, N.C. distribution center ships its first order — an Abslide Rolling Torso — to a customer in Malvern, PA.

• August 24

  Independent internet research firm Forrester Power Ranking ranks QVC number one in the general merchandise category.

• September 22

  Joan Rivers celebrates 10 years with QVC.

• September 24

  QVC becomes the Official U.S. Olympic team shopping channel; it is the only electronic retailer permitted to broadcast from Sydney, Australia.

• December 19

  QVC reaches the $1 billion mark in net sales for the fourth quarter, twelve days before the year's end. QVC is the first company of its kind to reach that mark.

2001

• January 1

  iQVC officially changes its name to QVC.com

• March 1

  In a precedent-setting move, QVC teams with Target Corporation to distribute Diamonique® Jewelry in all 991 Target stores nationwide.

• April 1

  QVC Japan premieres at 8 AM to 2.5 million SkyPerfect satellite homes and 1.2 million cable homes, broadcasting live for 15 hours each day.

• June 11

  QVC reaches the 80 million U.S. household mark, ranking it among the Top Ten basic cable networks for market penetration.

• August 8

  The new 2,500 square foot QVC@THE MALL flagship store opens at the Mall of America, replacing the previous test store.

• October 29

  QVC ships its 500 millionth package.

• December 5

  QVC.com wins the prestigious CIO Web Business 50 Award™ from IDG’s CIO magazine. The award honors 50 outstanding Web sites across business, government, and non-profit platforms.

2002

• June 16

  QVC U.S., UK, Germany and Japan join together for a remote broadcast of Vicenza Style from the International Jewelry Fair, the world's premier jewelry trade show in Italy.

• March 8

  QVC raises more than $2.3 million for September 11 charities through the sales of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion for America Mended Heart T–shirt and the American Pride Goldtone Enamel Ribbon Pin.

2003

• January 25

  QVC Germany's Hückelhoven distribution center becomes fully operational. The 600,000 square foot, completely paperless facility can ship more than 50,000 products a day.

• April 25

  Fox Television's American Idol, one of reality TV's hottest shows, launches its second season compilation CD on QVC. A special live performance from two of the finalists is part of the QVC broadcast.

• June 9

  At QVC UK, QVC Active launches on Telewest Broadband. For the first time on digital cable television, QVC viewers are able to browse through more than 13,000 products while still accessing the channel in the top right corner of the screen.

• July 3

  Comcast Corporation sells its stake in QVC, Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of Comcast, for approximately $7.9 billion to Liberty Media Corporation.

• October 15

  QVC celebrates 10 years of the FFANY Shoes on Sale® broadcast, the annual event benefiting breast cancer research and educational programs. The off–air fundraiser is held at NYC’s American Museum of Natural History. "Sex and the City's" Kristin Davis hosts the evening's gala and singer Natalie Cole performs.

2004

• January 24

  QVC’s California Gold Rush® generates $35.3 million in sales.

• March 30

  Celebrity chef and star of NBC's reality show "The Restaurant", Rocco DiSpirito launches his new line of cookware.

• April 4

  Hollywood makeup artist Scott Barnes, premieres his cosmetics collection on QVC, selling out eleven items.

• May 7

  Five candidates present a product live on–air for their final audition on QVC "America's Host Search". Two days later, top vote getter Dave James is named the winner.

• May 20

  QVC Japan launches its new 24–hour live programming schedule.

• June 11–13

  QVC hosts its first–ever Red Carpet Weekend at Studio Park for 250 of its most loyal customers and their guests.

2005

• January 5

  QVC customers and employees in the United States aid the victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia by donating more than $54,000, which was matched by the company for a total of more than $108,000, to the American Red Cross. In addition, QVC employees throughout the international sites raised $354,135 for this effort.

• April 25

  QVC vendors outfit the cast of the Broadway musical comedy hit "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". Costume designer Gregg Barnes selects about 100 jewelry pieces from QVC’s vast selection, including some from Joan Rivers®, Kenneth Jay Lane, and Nolan Miller. Additionally, Rivers, Lane and Miller create eight new pieces specifically for the show, including the extravagant "Royal Ring" worn by John Lithgow.

• May 5

  QVC President of U.S. Commerce, Darlene Daggett, makes a cameo appearance on "The Apprentice", offering Donald Trump her insights and observations on the candidates she thinks should make it to the finals.

• July 23

  QVC features Ojon hair care line’s Ojon Restore, Hydrate and Shine four-piece Collection as the Today’s Special Value®. Nearly 65,000 units are ordered in the 24-hour period. A combined one-day sale of the TSV, along with other Ojon products featured that day, surpasses the single-day sales for any other brand in QVC’s competitive hair care category.

• September 19

  QVC raises more than $3 million for the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. With generous support from its vendor community, QVC offers its customers the opportunity to purchase hundreds of products, with a portion of the sales supporting the relief efforts. QVC also makes matching vendor contributions. In addition to the $3 million already raised, QVC adds another $265,000 for the American Red Cross through an employee–matching donation initiative.

• October 17

  The QVC gift card debuts, just in time for holiday shopping.

• October 25

  Michael Kors makes his debut on QVC and sells out of 4,200 handbags, shoes and other accessories in 14 minutes.

• October 28

  Mike George is named President and CEO.

• November 9

  Candidates from "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" take a turn at selling products on QVC. The winning team sells an air pump, raising $14,295 in 10 minutes. The other team sells a hose retractor, raising $11,000.

2006

• January 9

  Acclaimed dermatologist Patricia Wexler makes her debut on QVC.

• March 8

  QVC teams up with OPEN from American Express^(SM) and Count Me In to support women entrepreneurs with the Make Mine a $Million Business Program, designed to help women grow their revenues past the million–dollar threshold by offering a combination of money, marketing and mentoring opportunities.

• April 21

  Savor — the QVC Jewelry Lounge — opens in the South Park Mall, Charlotte, N.C.

• June 13

  QVC achieves its eighth highest sales day ever, with sales more than $37.2 million. QVC.com also sets a record in volume of traffic to the Web site, with 23,915,348 page views or "hits".

• September 14

  Heidi Klum makes her debut on QVC and in 36 minutes, 14 of her 16 styles sell out. Overall, more than 11,000 pieces are sold during the show.

• September 23

  Fashion designer Dana Buchman introduces her collection for QVC. Key items in the "Diva by Dana Buchman" line include a leopard print knit jacket with suede trim and notch collar, a silk chiffon carwash skirt, and a fluid matte jersey tunic with elongated side slits and adjustable retro belt.

• October 13

  Elton John makes his QVC debut live from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with his latest project, "The Captain & The Kid". During the one-hour broadcast, John performs a selection of songs and offers viewers insight into story behind his new release, based on the 39–year songwriting partnership between John and Bernie Taupin.

• October 21

  Barry Manilow, performing live from Chicago, breaks a QVC record for the highest single–hour music sales event. More than 43,000 units of his album "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties" are ordered.

• December 1

  QVC, Inc. president and CEO Mike George hosts his first online chat, with a record-breaking number of customers participating.

2007

• January 5

  Grammy®- and Academy Award®–winning singer–songwriter Carly Simon debuts on QVC with her children Sally and Ben Taylor. The family performs a selection of songs from her recently released CD, "Into White".

• February 2

  QVC partners with Oprah Winfrey in her Search for the Next Big Idea, designed to find the next great product inventors and turn them into potential millionaires.

• February 26

  Tacori, the legendary fine jewelry designer known for its exquisite platinum settings and sparkling diamonds, joins forces with QVC to offer shoppers the Tacori "touch". The 14 items in the scheduled one–hour show sell out in just 18 minutes. Overall, nearly 30,000 units are ordered.

• March 10

  Renowned makeup artist, author and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown makes her debut on QVC and, within 45 minutes of the one–hour broadcast, the line completely sells out, marking the largest single–hour cosmetic launch in QVC's 21–year history.

• March 22

  QVC ships its billionth package in the United States.

• July 11

  QVC celebrates the opening of its 1.4 million square foot distribution center in Florence, S.C. The facility expects to ship 1.8 million packages in 2007.

• July 26

  World Wrestling champ and reality show star Hulk Hogan makes his QVC debut, offering shoppers a specially packaged Hulk Hogan™ Ultimate Grill as the Today’s Special Value®.

• July 28

  Kelly Ripa promotes the inaugural QVC Presents Super Saturday Live to benefit The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, appearing in print and television public service announcements.

• August 16

  QVC and Liberty Media declare that they will acquire an equity stake in one of QVC’s best-selling brands: BORBA. Since BORBA is one of the most highly respected brands in this growing sector of the health and beauty business, QVC will experience even greater success with this strategic partnership.

• September 6

  After entering into a strategic alliance with the NFL and GSI Commerce Inc., QVC becomes the NFL’s "official television retailer" and begins hosting NFL–themed shows (including the playoffs and Super Bowl) as part of its television programming, offering NFL–licensed products.