Hulme bought by Eden Prairie company

  • 2019-12-07
J.W. Hulme, a 114-year-old brand that specializes in selling leather goods, has been purchased by iMedia Brands Inc.

iMedia is based in Eden Prairie. It is known for running a popular shopping network called ShopHQ. Hulme was added to iMedia’s list of assets when iMedia struck a deal with Olympus Capital Investments. Olympus got 2.9 million shares from iMedia, and iMedia is now the sole owner of Hulme.

The plan for Hulme is to give it its own show on ShopHQ. The leather company's current supply-chain setup will be used to increase the productivity of other brands listed with ShopHQ. Hulme has physical stores in St. Paul and Edina, however most of its sales are made online and through Catalogs. Brochure printing is often used to advertise such companies’ products.

J. W. Hulme was founded in 1905 by John Willis Hulme. Back then, the company specialized in manufacturing tents for the US Army and later moved into dealing with leather Bags and briefcases for men.

Hulme had been held by the private equity firm for more than 10 years. This purchase is a part of iMedia’s goal of adding several high-profile names to its portfolio. One of the company’s other high-profile signings is a deal it made with basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal to host a weekly cooking show. Chief executives at iMedia are confident that his brand will help the company reach its target of $200m in sales.


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