Media giant Hearst is diversifying with an e-commerce website dubbed as The Tower.
The name behind ELLE, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town & Country partners with Ken Downing for the venture. Downing was the Senior Vice President and Fashion Director at Neiman Marcus before he became Triple Five’s, Chief Creative Officer. At Hearst, he holds the title of Chief Brand Officer.
The Tower will be an “integrated, contextual e-commerce marketplace made up of four individual stores with one cart, one platform, and shared back-end technology” from the four publications aforementioned.
Hearst Magazines’ chief business officer, Kristen O’Hara released this statement: “Within a few years, digital will be the dominant channel for luxury purchases. Companies that deliver content, curation, and customers to luxury brands will lead this commerce transformation. The Hearst Luxury Collection is poised to do just that. With Ken’s leadership, deep understanding of the luxury consumer, and ability to identify trends and items that excite them most will turn our vision for The Tower into a reality.”
On the other hand, HLC senior vice president and publishing director, Carol Smith, had this to say about the project, “We are creating a truly bespoke shopping destination for our audience, one that authentically reflects our rich portfolio of luxury brands.”