MOSCOW, April 23, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Russia's leading independent media company CTC Media and KupiVIP.ru (Private Trade, LLC), Russia's largest online retailer, announce the launch of an online shop "Sweet me", new women's clothing brand. The debut SPRING/SUMMER 2014 collection is already presented on the website www.sweetme.ru and in online shops of the KupiVip.ru holding – www.kupivip.ru and www.shoptime.ru.
"Sweet Me" brand is focused on today's inspiring women aged 25-50 living in big cities of Russia. The SPRING/SUMMER 2014 collection will consist of over 150 articles of women's clothing ranging from Russian sizes 42 to 50 that are created taking into account the experience of stylists working at the CTC Media's television projects on beauty make-overs. It provides an opportunity to adapt international brands to the needs of the Russian women and issue collections that will help the consumers to create fashionable looks for real life. The clothes combine well with each other to form a total look.
"Sweet Me" is a first joint project of a media company and one of the e-commerce leaders in Russia. The business plan of "Sweet Me" includes investments of up to $10 million for three years, including brand's promotion on CTC Media's television channels and digital platforms.
Yuliana Slashcheva, CTC Media's Chief Executive Officer: "The decision to create an own brand of women's clothing corresponds with CTC Media's long-term strategy to diversify revenue and create new opportunities for monetizing the Company's main business. We prepared an attractive proposal for customers throughout Russia taking into account in-house creative expertise and experience of KupiVIP.ru, one of the leading Russian e-commerce companies. We will be able to optimize investments for efficient promotion of a new brand using opportunities of Domashny channel with loyal female audience and our own digital platforms."
Oskar Hartmann, Chief Executive Officer and the founder of KupiVIP.ru: "I am happy to be the part of this forward-looking project. There are many world examples of successful partnership between media and commercial companies creating powerful and mutually-beneficial projects. We are looking forward to the development of this innovative partnership."
Expected average basket sale is 4000-5000 rubles; expected purchase frequency is once in a month. "Sweet Me" will develop based on conventional laws of fashion industry and present season collections on a regular basis.
The agreement regarding the joint creation of a new brand of women's clothing was signed in December 2013. KupiVIP.ru has organized production, developed an online shop and will provide sales support and delivery service, as provided under the agreement. CTC Media will handle the new brand's marketing and promotion.
The main promotion platforms will be Domashny channel projects and own digital platforms of the Holding. "Sweet me" brand is well integrated into "Style or Exile" and "The Ideal Pair" fashion shows; integrations into other channel's project are planned in the future.
The Russian e-commerce market showed dramatic growth rates in 2013. E-commerce market size has grown by 35% and amounted 550 billion rubles, according to the data of the Association of online retailers. Clothes are the second segment of goods in terms of volume that has sustained annual growth.
About CTC Media
CTC Media is Russia's leading independent media company. The group of companies controls three television channels in Russia: CTC, Domashny and Peretz, as well as Channel 31 in Kazakhstan and a TV company in Moldova, with a combined potential audience of over 150 million people. The international pay-TV version of the CTC channel is available in North America, Europe, Central Asia, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Middle East, as well as live in Kyrgyzstan. An international version of the PERETZ channel is also available in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. CTC Media has a number of digital entertainment media assets: videomore.ru, domashniy.ru, ctc.ru, peretz.ru. The Company's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol CTCM. For more information on CTC Media, please visit www.ctcmedia.ru.
KupiVIP.ru was founded by Oskar Hartmann in 2008. The company transformed into a financially strong holding company for 5 years; now it is one of the largest e-commerce players in Russia. It includes KupiVIP.ru's shopping club which offers over 1,500 brands of fashionable clothes, shoes, and accessories with discounts of up to 90% in closed sales (offers), the online store ShopTime.ru with a permanent variety of products for the whole family, as well as KupiVIP E-Commerce Services. The holding also has a subsidiary KupiVIP Germany in Germany that seeks for new best European brands for online sales: it allows the company to be an exclusive representative of some European brands in Russia and CIS. KupiVIP.ru is a member of the Association of online retailers. The holding performance has earned many recognized e-commerce awards: KupiVIP.ru is a winner of "The Pro Fashion Awards" contest in the "Best virtual retailer in 2009" category; the "Best online shopping club 2011" according to "Best Brand Awards" contest; the "Best online store of clothes, shoes and accessories 2011" according to "Online Retail Russia Awards"; "PureTrend Fashion Awards 2011" award holder; the "Best foreign online store" according to "Online Fashion 100" international rating.