Babyage.com moves corporate
headquarters from New Jersey to the Wilkes-Barre
area
11/4/2004
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and
Industry recently welcomed BabyAge.com to the Hanover
Industrial Estates in Hanover Township, PA. BabyAge is currently
in the top 3 retail infant and juvenile ecommerce stores. BabyAge
will create 76 jobs within three years by relocating
from New Jersey to Hanover, PA and expects to begin operations
at the end of December, 2004.
According to BabyAge owner Jack Keifer, the 50,000 square-foot
facility will house the corporate headquarters and the
company’s main distribution facility. A six-year-old
company, BabyAge markets new born and expecting parents,
providing a variety of baby products available on the
Internet.
"We are pleased to be announcing our relocation
into the Greater Wilkes-Barre area, which offers BabyAge
many attractive advantages," said Keifer. “This
new facility is an important part of our continuing commitment
to provide value to our clients and our new community.”
"This community's economic renewal and prospects
for growth were central to our decision to locate here,
as well," he adds. "We are looking for quality
and dedicated workforce to be involved with the exciting
growth of our company.”
Luzerne County Commissioner Chair Greg A. Skrepenak
adds, “This great news is a clear indication that
industries outside Pennsylvania are recognizing that
Luzerne County offers the complete package: a talented
workforce, a business friendly environment with well-developed
industrial centers, government that’s willing to
partner toward success, and a great quality of life.
Luzerne County and every other group fighting for new
economic development here is committed to spreading that
word, and bringing more business and jobs to our area.”
Stephen M. Barrouk, President and CEO of the Greater
Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, welcomes
BabyAge to Hanover Industrial Estates.
"BabyAge is an example of what the Chamber has
been working to do - locate quality, highly skilled jobs
in Northeastern Pennsylvania," Barrouk said. “We’re
proud to have been a part of locating such an exciting,
progressive company to the Hanover Industrial Estates.”
The Chamber thanked the partners who helped to make
the key job creation project possible, including: the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Office of the Governor,
Governor's Action Team, Team Pennsylvania and the Department
of Community and Economic Development), the area's legislative
delegation, Senator Musto, Representative John Yudichak,
Congressman Kanjorski, Senator Specter and Senator Santorum,
the Luzerne County Board of Commissioners, and site developer
Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services
Luzerne County Commissioner Todd A. Vonderheid concludes, “BabyAge
obviously looked at different locations, and chose to
move its operation from New Jersey to Hanover Township,
bringing with it 76 brand new jobs. That never would
have happened if Governor Rendell and DCED Secretary
Yablonsky didn’t realize that it takes incentive
to get outside industry to invest in a region. It
also never would have happened, if the Greater Wilkes-Barre
Chamber of Business and Industry hadn’t worked
tirelessly to create an environment that allows new companies
to locate in our area, and hit the ground running.”
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry
and its affiliates are community, economic development
and business service organizations charged with the mission
of collaborating with community and regional partners
to create quality employment and business opportunities
and improve the area’s quality of life through
strategic planning, programs and investments in our community.
About BabyAge Inc.
BabyAge Inc. (BA) is a privately held distributor of
baby products. It services the Baby Products industry
through its B2B (Today’s Baby) and B2C (BabyAge.com)
channels. Today’s Baby services “mom
and pop” stores in the US and Central and South
America, and BabyAge.com sells consumer’s direct
internationally.
Their mission is to consolidate and control the flow
of baby products to all non-mass merchant retailers and
consumers in the U.S. through exploiting web-enabled
technologies. BA is focused on exploiting the market
opportunity that exists in the distribution of hard and
soft baby products from a fragmented group of manufacturers
to online consumers and specialty stores.
On average, 3.5 million babies are born each year. Families
with an income over $60 thousand per year spend almost
$12 thousand per year per baby. There are approximately
1,500 specialty baby product stores in the United States
with estimated annual purchases of $2 million, creating
a market in the United States alone of $3 billion per
year.
BabyAge is currently in the top 3 retail infant and
juvenile ecommerce stores. BabyAge is recognized
in the infant and juvenile industry as a leader in innovation
and marketing. BabyAge will continue to execute
on its marketing plans and will continue to develop and
promote the brand while realizing better efficiencies
in buying and pick/pack and shipping.
