Bluefly, Inc. Nasdaq: BFLY Branch: Internet Shops & Markets

Profile:
Bluefly (formerly known as Pivot Rules) launched its professional internet shop in name brand clothes in August 1998. Pivot Rules started as a company targeting the golfing generation. The website has nothing to do with golf anymore, instead they offer brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Prada and Tommy Hilfiger at 25%-75% off retail prices. It's one of those companies that offers merchandise that many analysts said people would never buy online. Well we've all seen before how wrong those analysts can be. It's possible to personalize your own online fashion catalogue. And even the famous George Soros invested $10 mln in Bluefly in July 1999. What will his discount at Bluefly be?

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 Management:
Ken Seiff is the CEO and founder of this cool clothing store. Is he the live Ken that plays such a big role in Barbie's life? In that case he knows his fashion. But like the doll Ken, this Ken hasn't shown any aggressive marketing strategies that web companies really need. Maybe he should call Barbie for help?

Started: 1991
IPO: May 16, 1997

Bluefly on the Web:
main page: http://www.bluefly.com
investor relations: click here
current stock price: click here

Cool !

Not so cool...
  • We spent a lot of time on the website, so it must be cool!
  • Low barrier of entry
  • Brand name not that great

Competitors:

 

Propus personal view:
We like the site a lot, but that doesn't always mean it has the potential to become THE online clothing shop. Thus far we're a bit disappointed at the performance of Bluefly. The site has a lot of potential and needs the alliance of a big name or a portal to really build a brand name. We would also welcome a merger or the acquisition of Bluefly by a big online name like Amazon.