IMC Acquires Shoppe Object and Shoppe Online

TRADE SHOWS

International Market Centers announced it has acquired design-focused trade show Shoppe Object, and its B2B e-commerce platform Shoppe Online. The show has grown from 100 brands at its inaugural event to feature over 500 brands and emerging makers. 
Image: IMC

International Market Centers announced it has acquired design-focused trade show Shoppe Object, and its B2B e-commerce platform Shoppe Online. The show has grown from 100 brands at its inaugural event to feature over 500 brands and emerging makers. Image: IMC

As of Tuesday, February 8, 2022

International Market Centers announced that it has acquired Shoppe Object, a design-focused home and lifestyle trade show and its Shoppe Online B2B e-commerce platform.

Shoppe Object co-founder Jesse James will join IMC as vice president and show director and will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Dorothy Belshaw. Other Shoppe Object co-founders, Deirdre Maloney and Minya Quirk, will remain with the company as consultants.

Shoppe Object was launched in 2018 by James, founder of the creative-consultancy and sales agency Aesthetic Movement, and Maloney and Quirk, who founded the international trade show Capsule. The show has grown from the 100 brands at its inaugural event to over 500. In 2020, Shoppe Object entered the digital space with the launch of Shoppe Online, which enables buyers to preview, browse and purchase from Shoppe Object year-round.

“This partnership makes strategic sense because IMC recognizes the significant value in Shoppe Object’s core origins,” James said. “Shoppe Object embodies a community spirit and was born out of a need for change. IMC appreciates Shoppe Object for that and is committed to maintaining our brand integrity, disciplined curation and forward vision.”

After debuting the B2B online marketplace JuniperMarket in early January, IMC acquired the e-commerce platform Dough, which supports women-owned companies. The acquisition of Dough marked the first major step in a series of initiatives to grow IMC’s brands and expand with social impact in mind. Dough co-founder and CEO Vanessa Bruce joined IMC as the new vice president of social impact.

James will work with Bruce to showcase and identify values-based resources at IMC’s physical markets as well as on JuniperMarket. His efforts will focus on growth through diversity, equity and inclusion among buyers and sellers.