Multichannel marketer Orchard Brands has signed Alliance Data Systems Corp. for private label credit services across its newly acquired specialty catalog brands.
The catalogs included in the service agreement — Old Pueblo Traders, Bedford Fair, Willow Ridge, Lew Magram, Brownstone Studio, Intimate Appeal, Monterey Bay Clothing Co. and Coward Shoes — target men and women age 55 and older. Alliance will provide branded credit cards, account acquisition and activation services, card authorization, statement generation, marketing and customer services.
“With our experience developing private label credit programs, and our understanding of what makes an attractive customer or cardholder for the brand, we will be developing programs that will attract [customers] to not only the brand but also to the credit card,” said Karen Wald, VP of corporate communications for Alliance. “Our view is that the credit card is an extension of the client’s brand, so the experience they have when using the card should be similar to the experience with the retailer or cataloger.”
The catalogs, recently purchased from Charming Shoppes, join Orchard’s Blair Corp., which is already an Alliance private label credit client. Under the agreement with Charming Shoppes, Alliance will pay close to $40 million for the private label portfolio.
Orchard Brands also owns Appleseed’s, Draper’s & Damon’s, Gold Violin, Haband, Norm Thompson, Sahalie, Solutions, Tog Shop and WinterSilks. The company reported more than $1 billion in revenue last year.
Orchard Brands declined to comment for this story.
