Hot Business News Today

Blyth Quarterly Sales Down From $118 Million To $103 Million

 
Blyth, Inc. (NYSE:  BTH), a direct-to-consumer company and leading designer and marketer of candles and accessories for the home and health, wellness and beauty products, household convenience items and personalized gifts sold through the direct selling and direct marketing channels, today reported sales and earnings for the first quarter of 2015.
Net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2015 decreased approximately 12% to $103.7 million from $118.2 million for the comparable prior year period.  Sales for the quarter were negatively impacted by the strengthening U.S. Dollar, particularly against the euro, by approximately 9%, or $10.7 million.
Commenting on the first quarter results, Robert B. Goergen, Jr., Chief Executive Officer noted, “While our Catalog & Internet segment sales gained over the prior year period, our Candles & Home Decor segment sales were negatively affected by the increasing strength of the U.S. dollar

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Javita Celebrates New Diamond Club Leaders

 
Javita welcomes Romichelle and James Del Rosario to the Diamond Club.
The Del Rosario’s reside in Buena Park, CA and joined Javita in September 2013. Although this is the couple’s first business endeavor in network marketing, they have been steadily climbing the ranks, achieving Diamond in a little over a year.

“Since my husband, James, and I joined Javita we have been sharing this incredible opportunity with everyone we know. Now, it has become a family business, with my parents and two brothers and their spouses also having successful Javita businesses.”

Romichelle arrived to America from the Philippines in 1990 to seek a better life with her parents and four siblings. “We all shared one room and we struggled to pay the bills, and yet, my parents still managed to put us through school in

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Medifast CEO Named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Finalist

 
Medifast, Inc.  a leading United States manufacturer and provider of clinically proven weight-loss and healthy living products and programs, today announced that Michael MacDonald, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, was named a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award in the Maryland Region.
The 29th annual awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.  A panel of independent judges selected the 24 Maryland finalists. 

“Without our passionate executive team and dedicated employees who truly embody the Company’s entrepreneurial spirit, this honor would not be possible,” said Michael MacDonald, Medifast Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of many who remain focused on helping our customers live healthier.”

At

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Amway Appoints New CFO, Recruited From Apple

 
Ada-based direct selling giant Amway Corp. announced today that it hired Mark Stevens as its new chief financial officer, according to a statement.
Before his appointment, Stevens was responsible for a $153 billion portfolio as the vice president of worldwide sales finance for Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL). Prior to working at Apple, Stevens spent 21 years of his career in Asia working for large technology companies such as Motorola Solutions Inc. and Dell Inc.
Stevens replaces Mike Cazer, Amway’s previous CFO who was appointed the role of COO in 2014.
About Amway
Amway is an American company using a multi-level marketing model to sell a variety of products, primarily in the health, beauty, and home care markets. Amway was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos.

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Avon Having Trouble Getting Rid Of North American Business, Sales Plummet

 
Avon shares slid by more than 7% on Tuesday to around $7.53 a share.
Last month, the stock surged by more than 15% after the Wall Street Journal reported that it is exploring “strategic alternatives” for its North American business, meaning the company is looking for ways to improve its competitiveness.
The initial report from WSJ said the company is looking to sell some or all of this unit. But according to a New York Post story published late Tuesday, this process isn’t going very well.
The Post reported that companies interested in buying out Avon are losing interest because they are struggling to finance an offer.

The Post quotes one hedge fund investor as saying: “All in all, I don’t see a deal happening unless Avon basically gives away its North America business for essentially nothing.”

Avon also reported weak first-quarter results last

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CVSL Company Longaberger CEO Resigns

 
Tami Longaberger, who led The Longaberger Co., a direct seller of home and lifestyle products, since her father died in 1999, has resigned as chief executive officer and director of the company.
Longaberger parent company CVSL announced that John Rochon Jr., vice chairman of CVSL and son of the CVSL chairman, will take over as Longaberger chairman, president and CEO.
The company Dave Longaberger founded in 1973 became a $1 billion business in 2000, when it employed more than 8,200 people.
Tami Longaberger became president of the company in 1994, while her father remained as chairman. She took more of a leadership role as her father battled kidney cancer in his final years.
The Newark-based company has struggled for more than a decade, with sales plummeting to roughly $100 million annually and employment dwindling to 230

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Herbalife Reports Quarterly Revenue At $1.11 Billion – Beating Wall Streets Expectations

 
Nathan Vardi at Forbes reports: 
Herbalife , the controversial nutritional supplements seller, delivered a blow to its adversaries on Tuesday by reporting first-quarter earnings that suggested its business model was not as broken as some had predicted.
Herbalife reported that in the first three months of 2015 it earned $1.29 per share on an adjusted basis, beating consensus estimates on Wall Street that had called for the company to earn $1.01 per share, the bottom of the company’s first quarter earnings guidance of $1.00 to $1.10 per share.
In addition to the earnings beat, the company raised its earnings per share guidance for 2015 to a range of $4.30 to $4.60 per share. The previous range Herbalife had given investors was $4.10 to $4.50 per share. Herbalife posted revenue of $1.11 billion in the first quarter of 2015,

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