While the United States has 55 percent of its population who are overweight, England isn’t very far behind. With nearly 51 percent of people living in London carrying around those extra pounds, QVC decided the time was right to offer its most popular health product — Lite Bites — repackaged especially for English consumers.
Marvin Segel, whose firm, Segel Associates, initially introduced the Lite Bites Fat Fighting System to QVC more than five years ago, also serves as the on-air spokesperson for the product. According to Segel, Brite Bites’ sales are exceeding QVC’s projected estimates when QVC London first introduced the product in October 1999.
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“We decided to introduce the British version of Lite Bites on QVC because of the tremendous success we’ve had here in the United States,” Segel said. “Our programming in London is similar to what we offer here, and we were pleased that the product completely sold out three shows earlier than expected.”
Since Segel and QVC London began featuring Brite Bites on the air, more than 750,000 bars have been ordered, generating 750,000 British pounds sterling in sales. This compares to the $10 million of Lite Bites sold last year in the United States.
Segel attributes the initial interest in Brite Bites among English consumers to flavor, consistency and performance.
“We’re finding that the product is a perfect complement to the revered English tradition of afternoon tea. Our English customers seem to enjoy the taste and texture of Brite Bites and, of course, the dietary advantages,” Segel added. Segel, who lost 80 pounds as a result of using the Lite Bites himself more than four years ago, anticipates continued growth in England as well as in the United States.
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By GlobalData“Our message to anyone who wants to lose weight is to adopt a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, exercise and a positive attitude, as well as overcoming the feeling that being fat means being a failure. It’s obviously a universal message, and we look forward to communicating it in England and eventually other parts of Europe, as well.”
Segel added that QVC viewers in London have begun writing him letters, many of whom responding to his message that “unhealthy diets, not the dieters themselves, are the failure.”
Lite Bites® premium nutrition bars are specially formulated with a fat-fighting custom herbal blend and 22 important vitamins and minerals. They are sold as part of a total lifestyle system for weight management, come in 12 flavors, and have a well-founded reputation for excellence in taste. Lite Bites® is a registered trademark of AMBI Inc.(Nasdaq: AMBI – news). AMBI develops and markets proprietary nutrition products.
QVC, Inc., a $3 billion company, is an e-commerce leader, marketing a wide variety of brand name products in such categories as home furnishing, licensed products, fashion, beauty, electronics and fine jewelry. QVC reaches over 73 million homes in the United States. Its international universe is 35.2 million combined homes with QVC UK and QVC Germany. Other divisions/subsidiaries include iQVC, Q Direct, QVC Publishing, Q Records, QVC Local, QVC ProductWorks and Pioneer Studios. The QVC Studio Tour is located at the company’s world headquarters in West Chester, PA.
Segel Associates, headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is a marketing consulting firm that provides product positioning exclusively for QVC. For the past five years, the company has helped large corporations, medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs brand their products to appeal to QVC’s national and international consumer audience.
