One of the major positives from the early days of internet trading was the diversification of products. Plus-sized people, who'd historically been ignored by high street fashion brands, suddenly founds companies marketing directly to them. FullBeauty.com was a leading light in that field, owned by the same holding firm who also managed Woman Within, Jessica London, Kingsize and Brylane Home.
The trouble for such brands began when much larger companies, for example, Amazon, realized there was money to be made by targeting the plus-sized market. With Amazon's marketing resources and basement pricing, FullBeauty's share of the market was rapidly ripped away. Their sales fell 30% in quarter 1 of 2017, which would be unsustainable for a business twice their size. In response, they appointed three new directors to the most senior positions within the firm and have promised that they will return to growth in the near future. It's unclear how they plan to do that.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.