- Peruvian Connection
Infobox_Company
company_name = Peruvian Connection Ltd.
company_type = Private
foundation =1976
location =Tonganoxie, Kansas
homepage = [http://www.peruvianconnection.com/ www.peruvianconnection.com]Peruvian Connection Ltd. is a retailer of high-end women’s and men’s clothing and accessories. Originally started as a
mail-order catalog , the company now also sells online and through four outlet stores.History
Peruvian Connection was founded in 1976 by the mother and daughter team of Biddy and Annie Hurlbut. The impetus for the company grew out of trips Annie Hurlbut took to
Peru . It was there that she bought a fittedsweater with an alpaca fur-lined collar for her mother’s 50th birthday. Biddy later showed the sweater to a local buyer, who wanted 45 more. [Gaynair, Gillian: [http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2007/10/15/story12.html"Mail-order sweater biz finds cozy home in D.C.,"] Washington Business Journal, 2007-10-12, retrieved on 2008-01-07.]The business grew slowly but steadily until a style writer from
The New York Times did an interview with Annie for what would turn out to be a quarter-page article in the paper's Style section. Within three months, Peruvian Connection had 5,000 requests for a catalog.With continued growth in the late 1980s, Hurlbut and her mother opened outlet stores to sell leftover inventory, and now has stores in Perryville,
Maryland ;Santa Fe, New Mexico ; Manchester,Vermont ; andHenley-on-Thames ,Oxfordshire ,England . AUnited Kingdom fulfillment center was opened in 1996 to serve customers in the United Kingdom andEurope .Today, the company has about 200 employees in the
United States ,South America and the U.K. Peruvian Connection catalogs are printed in English with prices indollars orpounds sterling , and in German with pricing inEuros . European orders are fulfilled through the United Kingdom branch, with call center operators speaking English or German.Peruvian Connection is among Working Woman magazine's Working Women 500, a list of the largest women-run businesses [ [http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2001/06/04/daily13.html"Local owners make national list of largest women-run businesses,"] Kansas City Business Journal, 2001-06-05, retrieved on 2008-01-07.] , and is ranked #391 in Internet Retailer’s Top 500 online retailers [ [http://www.internetretailer.com/top500/list.asp"Internet Retailer's Top 500 Guide 2007 Edition,"] Internet Retailer, Summer 2007, retrieved on 2008-01-07.] .
Merchandise
Peruvian Connection focuses on women’s apparel made from the luxury fibers of alpaca and
pima cotton . Most items are original designs produced by Peruvian Connection staff designers and handcrafted by artisans inPeru . "We continue to work with the same cottage industries," Hurlbut said. "Many of those have invested in their businesses; a lot are women-owned. We have relationships with our supplier base that go back 25 years, and we buy season after season from them."The line includes alpaca and Peruvian pima cotton sweaters for men and women, as well as dresses, jackets, coats, skirts, blankets, shirts, and a selection of accessories, jewelry, and home décor items.
References
External links
Official Peruvian Connection websites:
* Blog: http://blog.peruvianconnection.com
* US: http://www.peruvianconnection.com
* UK: http://www.peruvianconnection.co.uk
* Germany: http://www.peruvianconnection.de
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