After 28 years of sending customers out into the field as direct sellers to peddle its shiny wares, jewelry business Lia Sophia has announced it’s shutting down by the end of the year, with all operations ceasing early in 2015.
Much like Avon or Tupperware, Lia Sophia worked on the basis of a network of sellers organized into zones, with independent sales reps working to move jewelry at a 30% commission rate, reports the Chicago Tribune.
The company’s creative director Elena Kiam announced the end of the Lia Sophia era in a blog post on liasophia.com, saying that “given the challenging business environment, we made the painful decision to wind down Lia Sophia in the United States and Canada by December 31, and cease operations by the end of February.”
Her husband Tory Kiam is the CEO, and together the couple took over the business from his father — Victor Kiam, who used to own the New England Patriots and president of Remington Products — changing the company name from Lady Remington to Lia Sophia in 2004.
From now until the end, Lia Sophia is selling thousands of items for up to 50% off when purchased through its reps.
Lia Sophia going out of business [Chicago Tribune]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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