Contact:
Christine Mushinsky
NewRoads, Inc.
410.604.1572
cmushinsky@newroads.com
Collectible Trading Card Manufacturer Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Online Offering; NewRoads to Track, Store and Ship Player Trading Cards
GREENWICH, Conn. — June 18, 2001 — NewRoads, a business process outsourcer of fulfillment services that enable retailers and manufacturers to deliver their products more efficiently to their customers, has been chosen to handle all fulfillment aspects of Topps’ new online sales initiative. New York-based Topps is a leading marketer of sports and entertainment-based trading cards, and confections such as Bazooka Bubble Gum, Ring Pop and Baby Bottle Pop. This year, Topps is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its first baseball trading cards and launching a unique online trading card program called etopps later this summer.
With etopps Initial Player Offerings, or IPOs, collectors can buy trading cards for their favorite All-Star or an up-and-coming professional athlete; track the value of the card in an online portfolio; trade cards through a joint partnership between etopps and eBay; and store cards in a secure, climate-controlled facility specifically designed to ensure the collectible cards stay in mint condition. NewRoads will handle all the fulfillment and warehousing aspects of this important project, from tracking inventory, storing cards or shipping cards to collectors who buy or trade them online.
“For a venerable and trusted company like Topps to tackle e-commerce, we had to ensure that everything was done right,” said Steven J. Katz, co-director of Topps’ Internet Group. “When we evaluated the full scope of the project, we knew we had to find a fulfillment partner that had the e-commerce expertise, secure facilities and logistics experience to take care of these valuable cards, and more importantly, our customers. The professionals at NewRoads have proven they can deliver.”
The combination of special needs – climate-controlled storage facility; high levels of security; fully automated inventory tracking systems; packaging the cards with security and certification stickers; and shipping and logistics – made Topps’ decision especially tough. According to Katz, there are few fulfillment companies able to handle such a multi-faceted project. In NewRoads, Topps also found a partner with the scale to grow its physical and technical systems to handle Topps’ expanding online card registry.
“NewRoads understood from the beginning that not only are we responsible for Topps’ inventory, but we’re also taking care of their customers’ inventory,” said Michael Shelton, NewRoads senior vice president of sales and marketing. “One of NewRoads’ key differentiators is the company’s ability to work with the leading brand names in the business and ensure a high level of quality and customer care. We take this responsibility very seriously. When you’re handling a brand name that has been around since 1938, you need to protect and appreciate that brand. NewRoads is honored to count Topps among our more than 200 clients.”
About Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: TOPP) is an international marketer of entertainment products, principally collectible trading cards, confections and sticker/album collections. Founded in 1938, Topps created Bazooka bubble gum in 1947 and marketed its first baseball cards in 1951. For additional information, please visit the company’s Web site at www.topps.com. For more information about the etopps IPO initiative, visit www.etopps.com.
About NewRoads
NewRoads provides business process outsourcing solutions that enable retailers and branded manufacturers to enhance their brand image while fulfilling customers’ needs more efficiently. NewRoads integrates back-end technology systems with warehouse-fulfillment capabilities to deliver products, information requests and rebates to customers who order over the telephone, via the Internet, mail or by catalog. Based in Greenwich, Conn., NewRoads operates a nationwide network of 20 facilities serving more than 200 clients, including Victoria’s Secret, Restoration Hardware, Godiva, Avon and Procter & Gamble. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.newroads.com.
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