OpTree

The Parent company of Creative Memories, The Antioch Company has officially sold the Antioch Publishing Company to an Indiana-based business, Trends International LLC, last week. The Creative Memories brand will branch off into its own company. The Publishing side of the Company only comprised about 5% of the total company business.

While Trends International is located in Indianapolis, the company said it will maintain the employees and operations facility in Yellow Springs, according to company president Lee Morgan.

In the early 90’s Creative Memories, the company’s photo album business saw a huge rise in sales and expanded at a fast rate. As of this past year, the Creative Memories division comprised nearly all of the company’s business. focus on Creative Memories’ most rapidly growing business, custom framing and digital scrap-booking. The company currently employs 850 people in the U.S. and eight other countries and reports annual revenues of $250 million.

The Antioch Company was started in 1926 by Ernest Morgan who’s son, Lee, runs the company today. Creative Memories is a direct sales company that uses representatives to sell their products. This differs greatly from the retail sales method used by the publishing division. Morgan hopes that this sale will enable the company to focus solely on the direct sales portion of the company, Creative Memories and continue to build and grow the company.

The sale will have no effect on current distributors and the company’s headquarters will not be moved.

We recently profiled a story on scrapbooking and how the sector continues to grow.  The company’s decision to just focus on this area is something we imagine was well thought out.  With a growing number of direct selling companies now involved in the space (Close to My Heart, Topline Creations, Scrapinasnap, and others) , it is getting more and more crowded to companies like Creative Memories are facing increased competition.  

Popularity: 2% [?]