QVC Issues Statement Regarding North Carolina Fulfillment Center Fire
ENGLEWOOD, CO (STL.News) On Saturday, December 18, 2021, QVC, Inc. (“QVC” or “the Company”) experienced a fire at its QVC Rocky Mount, Inc. fulfillment center in North Carolina. At this time, the Company is focused on the safety and well-being of its team members and is taking steps to provide them with support and resources. The building will be closed until further notice. QVC will continue to pay the salaries of all team members unable to work due to the facility closure at least through the end of December and is evaluating other options to help them.
QVC is working to assess the financial and business impacts of the incident and evaluate alternatives to normalize operations as soon as practicable. Rocky Mount is the Company’s second-largest fulfillment center processing ~25-30% of volume for both QVC and HSN businesses and is the Company’s primary returns center for hard goods, which creates significant challenges to a prompt resolution. However, over the last 48 hours, the Company has taken a number of steps designed to protect the operational integrity of the business and the customer experience notwithstanding this tragic event. QVC has engaged in a preliminary review of salvageable inventory at the facility, diverted inbound orders to other parts of the ecosystem, and begun evaluating secondary facilities that could be employed to supplement fulfillment and returns demand while Rocky Mount remains closed.
In addition, the Company carries customary insurance that includes protection for fire damage, and the applicable carriers have been notified; no additional information about the Company’s insurance coverage is available at this time.
QVC is working with state and local authorities as they investigate the source of this incident.
We are immensely grateful for the support we received from the first responders, as well as state and local authorities, who all worked diligently to address and contain this devastating situation.
QVC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail, Inc. (Nasdaq: QRTEA, QRTEB, QRTEP).