Internet Gift Registries Inc. (IGR), an online gift
registry and retailing
company, is merging with Ucopia, an Internet wedding gift registry
service.
The merger adds depth to Denver-based IGR’s The Wedding Network, which
already incorporates more than 35,000 products and services and captures
registrations from more than 1,200 engaged couples each month. Financial terms
were not disclosed.
Through its equity partnership with PRIMEDIA, The Wedding Network is the
official online registry and reseller for Modern Bride magazine and
its 12
regional publications, Modern Bride Connection.
“Ucopia has had tremendous success at developing a diverse retail network
that includes creative, locally-based services that generate increasing per-
customer revenues from their Web site,” said Stephen Cunningham, IGR CEO. “The
combination of Ucopia’s marketing expertise and extensive retail relationships
with IGR’s technical expertise and. . . alliances will drive our success as
the leading gift
registry on the Internet.”
Using The Wedding Network, engaged couples can register for gifts ranging from
fine china and crystal to whitewater rafting trips. Wedding “guests”–anyone
wanting to purchase a gift for the engaged couple–can log on, view the
desired gift
choices and make a purchase.
“It is clear that Ucopia and Internet Gift Registries complement each other in
a number of ways,” said Dave Gulezian, president of San Francisco-based
Ucopia, which launched only last March.
Founded in 1995, IGR specializes in online gift registries and related
retailing services centered on life events and holidays. The company has also
launched BabyTalk and Shop in
partnership with BabyTalk Magazine, published by The Parenting Group, a
division of Time Inc.
