Welcome Wagon is a business in the United States (and formerly in Canada) that contacts new homeowners after relocation, providing them with coupons and advertisements from local businesses. The company's full name is Welcome Wagon International, Inc. The company was founded in 1928, by Thomas Briggs in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Briggs later established the Thomas W. Briggs Foundation in 1957. When the company was founded, Welcome Wagon "hostesses" would visit new homeowners with a gift basket containing samples, coupons, and advertising from contributing businesses. These home visits continued for over 50 years until 1998, when then-owner

Cendant Cendant Corporation was an American provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, it broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses. Although it was based in New Yo ...

laid off the "hostesses", saying that changing demographics meant few homeowners would be at home when representatives called. Welcome Wagon Canada, a separate company, continued to offer home visits until its closed in May 2020. It also operated events for people planning a wedding or expecting a baby. Welcome Wagon in Canada was founded in 1930 and was run for many years by Pauline Hill, who first became a Hostess in 1953 and advanced to be head of the company as CEO (1962–1990). Welcome Wagon Ltd. became a wholly Canadian-owned entity in 1979 when a group of Canadian managers purchased it outright from the US owners. Its head office was situated in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Hostesses were subsequently known as representatives. Welcome Wagon International has had several owners. In 1995, CUC International Inc. which subsequently merged into Cendant acquired Welcome Wagon. In 2001, Homestore Inc., later known as Move, Inc., bought Welcome Wagon. Move, Inc. announced in August 2008 that it was putting Welcome Wagon International, Inc. up for sale. On June 26, 2009, the South Florida Media Group, publisher of South Florida-based local publications, acquired Welcome Wagon International, Inc. In 2014, Welcome Wagon was sold to coupon company Money Mailer. Welcome Wagon International, Inc., originally based in Memphis, Tennessee, moved from

Westbury, New York The Incorporated Village of Westbury is a Village (New York), village in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. It is located a ...

Plainview, New York Plainview is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located near the North Shore of Long Island in the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 27,100. The Plainview post office has t ...

in 2004. The company had local representatives throughout the United States. Welcome Wagon still markets to new residents through mail and

telemarketing Telemarketing (sometimes known as inside sales, or telesales in the UK and Ireland) is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products or services, either over the phone or through a subsequent f ...

calls, and online. The company is now based in

Coral Springs, Florida Coral Springs, officially the City of Coral Springs, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. C ...

References

External links

Welcome Wagon U.S. site
* *http://www.thomaswbriggsfoundation.com/history.html *http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/06/prweb2575624.htm {{Authority control Companies based in Memphis, Tennessee Companies based in Broward County, Florida American companies established in 1928 Coral Springs, Florida 1928 establishments in Tennessee Goodwill ambassador programmes