eHobbies.com Acquires NextPlanetOver

Posted on May 26, 2000

eHobbies.com, an online destination for hobbyists, has announced it has completed a deal to acquire NextPlanetOver (NPO), whereby NPO becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of eHobbies. The acquisition allows eHobbies to expand its online hobby presence into comics and action figures. The NPO.com site will continue to run independent of the eHobbies.com site and is also accessible through eHobbies.com's new Comics & Action Figures icon.

``This acquisition furthers our mission to bring the absolute best hobby experiences to our members and we see comics & action figures as an amazing expansion opportunity,'' said Brad Sobel, CEO/co-founder, eHobbies.com. ``NPO has become the preeminent brand on the Net for the entertainment hobbyist -- with the best features and products -- and it makes perfect sense for the two companies to join efforts and create an even more compelling experience.''

``eHobbies is the ideal partner for NPO -- we've been able to build the online comics and action figure business tremendously in the last 10 months and eHobbies will be able to bring NPO to the next level,'' said Milton Griepp, departing CEO, NPO. ``Our company's philosophies are extremely similar -- we've both taken the destination approach -- and it makes sense to bring the strengths of the two companies together to build a unique experience for hobbyists.''

The addition of NPO to the eHobbies family allows eHobbies to enter the $19 billion comics, action figure, and related products industry. The acquisition comes on the heels of the online destination's addition of three new hobby categories -- astronomy, birding, and comics & action figures. eHobbies plans to expand into multiple hobby categories throughout the year. eHobbies.com features articles, tips, reviews, how-to's and an online community, in addition to auctions and products in the store.