Hayneedle.com Continues Growth, Opening Expanded Omaha-Based Customer Care Center This Summer

OMAHA, Neb., June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Hayneedle.com, a leading online retailer of home furnishings and lifestyle products based in Omaha, today announced plans to open a new, expanded and state-of-the-art Customer Care Center on June 28, 2010.  The new Hayneedle.com Customer Care Center will be located at The Chalco Tech Center, 13831 Chalco Valley Parkway, Omaha, NE 68138.  

The new, 28,000 square foot Hayneedle.com Customer Care Center doubles the company's sales and service capacity, which is currently located at Hayneedle.com's Corporate Headquarters on I Street in West Omaha.  The new facility will feature the industry's most advanced technology and optimal working environment, marking a significant investment by Hayneedle.com in both the infrastructure of its Customer Care Center as well as a long-term commitment to its hometown of Omaha.

"Hayneedle.com has experienced tremendous growth over the past 12 months and our new 100% Omaha-based Customer Care Center will ensure we remain focused on delivering an exceptional experience with our brand," said Tammy Van Donk, Customer Care Center Director, Hayneedle, Inc.  "We continue to invest in the local economy because we believe in the strength of the Omaha employment market.  Strong customer satisfaction ratings have been key to our growth and as we work to help our customers furnish and decorate their homes, we are very proud to continue to invest and grow in the city that we call home."

Hayneedle.com recently hired 40 new summer associates for its Customer Care Center. When operational in late June 2010, the new Hayneedle.com Customer Care Center will flex from non-peak season employment of 100 sales and service associates— dubbed "Hayneedle.com Variety Experts" — to more than 250 full-time and seasonal associates during the company's historically busy fourth quarter holiday shopping season.  Unlike other retailers who outsource some or all of their contact center operation, Hayneedle.com operates a 100% Omaha-based Customer Care Center, centered in the city the company has called home since its founding in 2002.  The service provided by Hayneedle.com's dedicated Variety Experts enabled the Customer Care Center to achieve a greater than 50% increase in revenue contribution last year as the company continued its tireless commitment to deliver an exemplary customer experience.

The Chalco Tech Center building is owned and managed by Lincoln, NE-based NEBCO Realty Group, a subsidiary of NEBCO, Inc. CB Richard Ellis|Mega negotiated the lease on behalf of Hayneedle.com and NEBCO.

About Hayneedle.com

Hayneedle.com offers "variety, sweet variety" for the home and more through its 200-plus online specialty retail stores.  Established in 2002, Hayneedle.com offers an extensive variety of high quality home and lifestyle products, far surpassing what is available in the traditional retail world or from other online retailers. By providing a rewarding shopping experience, exceptional service, true product variety and the right content to buy with confidence, Hayneedle.com helps customers find what they love and love what they find. The company has been recognized by Internet Retailer and Inc. Magazine as one of the top online retailers and fastest growing companies in America. With more than $200 million in sales, Hayneedle.com is privately held and funded by Insight Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital. For more information, visit www.hayneedle.com.

SOURCE Hayneedle.com