Photograph by Juntung Wu
The Encore Group, a diversified gift and specialty marketing company announced its purchase of the gift division of Russ Berrie Company, located in Oakland, NJ, forming a new corporate entity, The Russ Companies. Effective immediately, Encore Group will operate as The Russ Companies, Inc. The company will sell products under the Russ name and have exclusive use of it, as well as all related names including Applause. The newly combined sales force will begin selling the Russ gift line immediately.
The Encore Group is a privately held giftware corporation based in suburban San Diego, California, with East Coast offices in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In just over a decade, Encore has become a leading designer and marketer of gifts and collectibles, home décor, and specialty products, including some of America’s foremost names in licensing such as the NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA and NASCAR; along with Disney and Warner Bros.
The founder of Russ Berrie, Russell Berrie, died in Oakland, NJ in 2002. At the time of his death he was described as the king of impulse item buying. He had become the master marketer of things people never needed, but had to have. Sentimental, soft, but always cute products that usually cost under ten dollars and made perfect gifts for any occasion. He was the classic American success story growing up in the Bronx, a college dropout, he made his own way founding the company in 1963, with five hundred dollars; making sales of $60,000 the first year, $250,000 the second, and $750,000 the third.
Russell Berrie acted as representative of various toy manufacturers trying to find a market for low cost items, and Berrie was able to identify what would attract buyers–and include a few of his own inventions. The simplicity and brilliance of his business plan can probably be summed up in a quote from an interview the day before he died.”We give you value, and we put a smile on people’s faces.” It was not just the cute gift items, the bears, the sentimental coffee mugs, or the famous trolls which brought happiness to people, but also the man himself. Berrie donated tens of millions of dollars to charities, hospitals and universities including the Russell Berrie Medical Science Pavilion and the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University, and The Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for Performing Arts at Ramapo College. In 1998, Fortune Magazine listed Russell Berrie as one of the Top 40 Most Generous Americans.
The Russ Berrie company purchased the Applause brand in 2004, adding this respected industry icon to its product offerings. Other licenses include Curious George, Raggedy Ann & Andy, Scooby Doo, Corduroy, and The Simpsons. In the near future, Russ Berrie and Company, Inc. will announce a new corporate identity more reflective of their position in the Infant & Juvenile market. They have also announced the creation of a new international division which will advise buyers on relevant lines to be sold in airports for international and domestic travellers.