Unicorns, confetti — and three-quarters of a billion dollars in sales in the past year.
Columbus-based direct-sales powerhouse Thirty-One Gifts brought 15,000 members of its independent sales force together yesterday at Nationwide Arena with the fervor of a rock concert to celebrate a banner year and introduce products.
It served as the opening session of the company’s national conference that continues through Sunday.
Cindy Monroe, the company’s founder, president and CEO, fed the frenzy, strolling onto the stage and declaring “We’re all really passionate — and we love to hug,” drawing a roar.
Clearly, the sales force is likewise enthusiastic about its products: personalized bags and home decor, mostly sold through in-home parties. Thirty-One Gifts sales consultants held 1 million parties, served 8 million customers and reported $740 million in sales, senior staff member Anthony McIntosh told the crowd.
While the top sales consultant averaged $11,664 per month and the company’s top sales team sold $2.4 million of merchandise, the typical house party sells $600 worth of merchandise, and the average item sells for $25, “which means we sell a lot of bags,” spokeswoman Sara West said.
The numbers made Thirty-One Gifts the 17th-largest direct-sales company in the world, according to Direct Sales magazine. Sales during the past four