www.alwaysinstyle.com Launches, Offering Free, Personalized Fashion and Style Services to Consumers
As a Consumer Infomediary, New Service Combines Free Personal Profiles and Style Advice with Retail Partner Merchandising

WEEHAWKEN, NJ, January 26, 2000 - Always in Style, LLC today announced the launch of www.alwaysinstyle.com, a unique consumer service that provides personalized style advice and product recommendations in a free, easy-to-use format. The new service features the Always In Style® Personal Profile, a time-tested automated software package which establishes a personal relationship with each customer by delivering free, 'user-friendly' fashion, style and home decorating image profiling and advice for women, men and teens. Each Personal Profile includes personalized product recommendations that will link to a broad retail partner network of leading apparel, jewelry, cosmetic, fragrance, furniture and accessory e-tailers.

In November 1999, Hanover Direct, Inc. (AMEX: HNV) announced that it had taken a majority equity stake in Always in Style, LLC. Rakesh K. Kaul, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hanover Direct, Inc. stated, "Personalization and customization have been identified as the number one consumer needs on the Internet, and Always In Style® is a unique service that responds to those needs."

The Always in Style Fashion, Style and Home Decorating Profile
Doris Pooser, President & CEO of Always in Style, LLC, developed the Personal Profile®, a software package that automates the fashion and style analysis logic embodied in Always In Style®. Each profile is based on a three-step process:

  • Users are asked to answer a series of questions about their appearance, style and personal preferences;
  • The data is quickly analyzed using Always In Style®'s proprietary algorithms and logic; and,
  • Users are returned, at no charge, in-depth, personalized style and image analysis and advice, with unbiased customized product recommendations available for purchase directly through the Always In Style® Retail Network.

Each Always In Style® profile is based on Pooser's proven, multi-tiered algorithm that reflects data gathered from thousands of users. Because of this 'time-tested' algorithm, the personal advice, and product recommendations contained in each Personal Profile are genuinely unique. Pooser's system has been used to train more than 4,000 retailers, personal shoppers and direct sales representatives in over 15 countries worldwide.

"The services offered at www.alwaysinstyle.com allow us to establish an intimate connection with each consumer, giving advice and recommendations based on a wealth of personal data volunteered by the user. Our unique profiling system allows us to quickly provide in-depth information in real-time and at no charge. As the site grows, we will ultimately be able to utilize the accumulated data to respond to an even broader range of customer wants and needs than what is included in the web site today," stated Pooser.

More than 100,000 Always In Style® Personal Profiles have already been delivered worldwide to men and women, who purchased them by mail from Always In Style® for $35 each. An earlier version of the Always In Style® system has been a popular feature on the iQVC web site, where tens of thousands of profiles have been completed by shoppers. "With the growing popularity of the Internet, we can now reach a much wider audience of men, women, and teens interested in receiving advice that is crafted specifically for them. Based on the encouraging results at QVC, we expect heavy traffic and repeat visitors," Pooser added.

The Always In Style® Retail Partner Network
Always In Style® personalized product recommendations will be based on products offered from well-known brands and retailers. Over two hundred brands from a broad range of merchandise categories will be included spanning apparel and fashion accessories to color cosmetics, fragrance, skincare and hair care to home fashions, furniture, decorative accents and collectibles. The consumer will be encouraged to register their profile through a series of free gifts and coupon offers from the retail partners.

Always In Style® as Infomediary
Always In Style® is sensitive to the intensely private information given by customers, and will not divulge any customer Personal Profile information to any party at any time for any reason. Always In Style® will act as an infomediary between Profile patrons and members of the Always In Style® Retail Network, contacting customers directly to inform them of follow-up customized product offers that are based on their profile information. While Always In Style® believes that this is an important and valuable ongoing service, customers can, at any time, choose to have their names removed from the list.

The Always In Style® Magazine
www.alwaysinstyle.com offers Always In Style® Magazine, a weekly online publication providing news on the latest trends, hot style tips, and product information from the fashion, style and home decorating industries. Readers can click from articles directly to e-tail links offering related products.

"Each week the Always In Style® Magazine will bring something fresh, new and important to our customers. We'll bring information that to this point has only been available through expensive industry publications, and share it free of charge with our customers," stated Pooser.

Experienced Management and Structure
Always In Style® was founded by Doris Pooser upon the introduction of her first book, Always in Style. Since its initial publication in 1985, Always In Style has been translated into ten languages, and along with two later books, Secrets of Style and Successful Style (for men) has sold over a half million copies worldwide. Pooser also publishes the Always in Style Portfolio; a bi-annual fashion and beauty forecast distributed in six countries. She has had a long relationship with QVC, which has included on-air appearances, the development of a line of accessories, as well as the development of 'My Style Advisor', a popular feature on the iQVC web site for the past 2 years.

Always In Style® benefits from the shared resources of Hanover Direct, Inc. and its business units. Through Hanover's Desius System Services subsidiary, the result of its Joint Venture with RS Software India Limited, Always In Style® will receive ongoing support from 70 trained programmers and 3 dedicated project managers in the United States and Calcutta, India. In addition, Always In Style® retail partners requiring e-commerce solutions will be directed to Keystone Internet Services, a Hanover Direct subsidiary specializing in this area.

About Always In Style®
Always in Style LLC is a joint venture between Hanover Direct, Inc. and AIS Marketing Services, Inc., with a majority stake owned by Hanover Direct. The Always In Style® trademark, copyright and other intellectual property have been licensed to Always In Style LLC by AIS Marketing Services, Inc., a New York corporation owned by Doris Pooser.

About Hanover Direct, Inc.
Hanover Direct, Inc. (AMEX: HNV), and its business units, provide quality, branded merchandise through a portfolio of catalogs and e-commerce platforms, as well as a comprehensive range of Internet, e-commerce, and fulfillment services to businesses. Hanover Brands, Inc. is comprised of the Company's catalog and e-commerce web site portfolio of home fashions, apparel and gifts. erizon, Inc. is comprised of Keystone Internet Services, Inc.
(www.keystoneinternet.com), the Company's third party end-to-end, fulfillment, logistics and e-care provider, and Desius, LLC, the Company's joint venture with RS Software India, Limited, offering 24/7-web shop services and e-commerce systems development. Information on Hanover Direct, including each of its subsidiaries, can be accessed on the Internet at www.hanoverdirect.com.

* For B-Roll footage and visuals please contact kelly@aggintl.com or call (212) 869-8230.  

CONTACT:

Paul Scott
AGG International, Account Executive
500 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1650
New York, NY 10110
Phone: (212) 869-8230
Fax: (212) 869-8360
email: paulscott@aggintl.com

AGG International, Public Relations
Paula Zwerdling
Managing Director
(212) 869-8230

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