Page 70 - AVN August 2015

PLEASURE PRODUCTS
XR Brands Streamlines Its Team
With promotions for two key staffers and a couple of
newer hires, XR Brands has just completed a strategic
restructuring that the company says has streamlined
the sales, marketing and branding team in preparation
for a summer sales surge.
The restructuring includes the addition of two
established sales executives with a combined quarter-
century of business experience and the directorial
promotions of Rebecca Weinberg and Michael Merrill,
who will helm the company through a planned
growth phase. The staff moves took place following
the retirement of General Manager Randy Alvstad.
Stepping into the role of director of sales, Weinberg
will oversee the entire sales team with a focus on
international and domestic growth. She will work with the creative team to
innovate and develop new product lines while managing the company’s strength
within key market regions. Having worked with some of the largest accounts in
America, Weinberg will bring to bear her market knowledge, intelligence and
professional work ethic to expand XR Brands’ retail reach.
“I have a strong knowledge of this industry and an extensive background in
product design, production coordination, and adult industry sales strategies—all
skills that I’ve honed to a tee while working with XR Brands over the last few
years,” Weinberg said. “I’m proud of my high success rate and history of account
service and growth, and it’s a pleasure to use these skills in my new role.”
As the director of brands, Merrill will manage the full range of mainstream and
trade promotions that support the success of XR Brands’ vast range of product
lines. Merrill has played a key role in the company’s marketing, design and
merchandising—deploying his invaluable pop-culture perspective—since he first
joined the team in 2010 and now will put his signature protocols in place as part
of his top-level position.
“I’ve successfully brought a mainstream-friendly perspective and fresh visual eye
to some of XR Brands’ most successful product lines, and this new role will allow
me to be even more hands-on with the way XR Brands
is perceived and sold within the adult retail market,”
Merrill said. “Our packaging, merchandising and
pricing has made it easy and profitable for customers
to introduce product categories they never ordinarily
would have stocked. This lasting effect on our
customers’ bottom line will continue to be a driving
force as we move into this new evolution.”
New to the team are Key Account Executive Lynda
Mort, Operations Manager Gerardo Ramos and Sales
Assistant Laura Priebe. Bringing a wide range of talent
and experience to the team, each new staff member is
tasked with working together to make the sales and
development process even more efficient.
Mort comes with more than five years of experience in private brands, licensing
and mass market sales with an additional 10 years at a Fortune 500 company as
director of strategic partnerships—some of the same partnerships she currently
specializes in within the adult world. New recruit Priebe will assist Mort will all
areas of her day-to-day routine.
Ramos brings more than 10 years of experience specializing in product
sourcing, research and development, quality control, trend forecasting, and
marketing support. Ramos will work directly with the XR Brands team to maintain
current lines while developing new brands with a focus on specialty products
and cosmetics. He also will play a significant role in exploring and opening new
opportunities in Spanish-speaking countries.
This new foundation comes following the recent retirement of Alvstad, who
helped establish XR Brands as a market leader in an ever-competitive industry.
“Randy was an important member of our team and we thank him for the
invaluable efforts he put toward developing our company into what it is today,”
said XR CEO Ari Suss. “I and the entire XR staff wish him the very best as he
embarks on the next step of his life.”
To view the full XR Brands lineup, visit XRBrands.com.
Xgen Adds New Peekaboos Pasties
Xgen Products presents
20 new SKUs from
Peekaboos Pasties, a
collection of premium
fabric nipple covers.
“As a fashion utility
or sensual add-on,
the demand for nipple
pasties is immense, but
what sets Peekaboos
Pasties apart is the
quality of form and
function,” explains Xgen Products President Andy Green.
“Top-of-the-line self-adhesive technology and fabric
composition is what keeps customers coming back, and
we are proud and excited to offer new items from this
bestselling line.”
The new Peekaboos Pasties collection includes 20 SKUs of
fresh, graphic designs like Hot Kisses, Money Maker, Trucker
Girls, and Schoolgirl, with premium Neon 3-Packs at an
exceptional value.
Retailers interested in the new Peekaboos Pasties items, as
well as Peekaboo’s lines of Body Crystals and Nipple Jewelry,
can contact an Xgen representative, visit XgenProducts.com
or call (877) 450- 9436.
CalExotics and Jopen Open Online Portal
Pleasure product manager
CalExotics and its sister
company, Jopen, have introduced
a co-branded learning forum
presenting educational
components for product sales
training.
Susan Colvin, president
and CEO of both CalExotics
and Jopen, explained, “We are
extremely excited to launch this
online learning platform. Based
upon many research studies we
understand that consumers are
greatly influenced by information available at the
point of purchase. The endeavor aims to provide
sales professionals with the education they need
to understand our products.”
CalExotics Institute brings best-in-class
educational segments combined with tests
that allow sales professionals from the novelty
industry to familiarize themselves on the newest
products from CalExotics and Jopen, and also the
latest sales techniques.
CalExotics Institute will begin with a course
catalog covering CalExotics collections Booty
Call, Embrace, Impress, Jack Rabbit and
Silhouette, and a Jopen course catalog covering
Vanity, Lust and Envy.
Courses will be added
regularly.
As part of the companies’
commitment to customers,
the portal issues certifications
at the successful completion
of each product education
segment allowing companies
to validate training has been
completed. Certifications can
be printed upon completion,
and then turned in to
management for filing. Each
certification comes with a one-year expiration
and users will be automatically notified for
renewal.
Jackie White, Vice President of CalExotics and
JOPEN, says, “CalExotics Institute is a great way
to train new and existing employees. They can
take the courses on their own time and at their
own pace. Plus we are offering a ton of prizes
throughout the program. Make sure to sign up
today.”
Retailers are encouraged to link directly to
the site at CalExotics.com/Institute or to join
the CalExotics Institute visitCalExotics.com or
Jopen.com.
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