Babyage.com moves corporate headquarters from New Jersey to the Wilkes-Barre area

11.04.2004


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.