Hammacher Schlemmer acquired by ex-Woot leadership team

New stewards aim to restore company's status as America's innovation store

- Stores.com announced today it has acquired Hammacher Schlemmer, aiming to reclaim the 178-year-old brand's mantle as the place for curious shoppers to discover "The Best, The Only, and The Unexpected".

"Every Christmas season, there was one catalog I couldn't wait to get my hands on: Hammacher Schlemmer," says Matt Rutledge, CEO of Stores.com and founder and ex-CEO of Woot.com. "Now it just blows my mind that I've got the keys to the brand. And I can finally score one of those little ride-on trains!"

In its heyday, from the 1930s through the 1980s, the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog first brought new innovations like the pop-up toaster, the microwave oven, the electric blender, the Mr. Coffee machine, the electric toothbrush, and the cordless phone to American homes.

Rutledge's previous company, the daily deal originators Woot.com, made waves during the early years of ecommerce in the 2000s. Rutledge and much of the original Woot team exited in 2012 after it was acquired by Amazon, soon regrouping at Stores.com.

While Rutledge and Stores.com still run the madcap daily deal store Meh, he's quick to clarify that Hammacher Schlemmer will not be about discount deals, but about recapturing the sense of wonder and discovery that made it so legendary.

"We're revitalizing a revered brand known for 'The Best, the Only, and the Unexpected' with a team known for 'The Mediocre, the Cheap, and the Irreverent'," Rutledge says. "What's crazy is, I think we might just be the right people to do it."

A key piece of Hammacher Schlemmer's 178-year (!) heritage is its famous Lifetime Guarantee of Satisfaction, which will be honored for purchases at the new Hammacher Schlemmer.

"In an algorithmized, commoditized, throwaway era, when most retailers are nickel-and-diming customers on return policies, a Lifetime Guarantee of Satisfaction borders on absurd in the best possible way," Rutledge says. "We're keeping that promise alive. If future generations are going to understand what great service feels like, someone has to keep saying 'we'll make it right' long after everyone else has moved on."

The new Hammacher Schlemmer is live at hammacher.com, with more changes to come.

Looking for a juicier angle for this story? Try one of these readymade pieces:

• If you cover innovation, Kickstarter, and new products:
  Hammacher Schlemmer's new owners vow to turn it into "Kickstarter without the risk"
  "All the excitement of discovery, none of the broken promises," says Stores.com
• If you cover trends in ecommerce:
  Hammacher Schlemmer rises from the ashes to defy ecommerce enshittification
  "Algorithms, shmalgorithms" sneer new owners, including founder of Woot
• If you just hate us:
  Are the guys who sold out Woot about to destroy another beloved brand? 
  Hammacher Schlemmer becomes latest victim of serial ecommerce bunglers

0% of this press release was written by generative AI.

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SOURCE Hammacher Schlemmer