"...we don't stop playing because we get old;
we get old because we stop playing." ™
we get old because we stop playing." ™
What is Firebox.com?
Wouldn't life be a little dull without a few weird and wonderful things to play with along the way? After all, getting old is inevitable, but growing up is optional.
That's why Firebox scours the world, looking for the very latest gadgets, toys, games and other cool stuff. We search high and low for things with a twist. Products that are inspirational, quirky, bizarre and downright fun.
We're very selective though - so only the most original, most exciting products get picked.
From Las Vegas to Los Alamos, Tokyo to Tashkent, we scour the world looking for the 'next big thing', then make it available through our award-winning website and mail order catalog.
The end result? You’ll find interesting new things at Firebox long before they make it to the mass market. It is our mission to always be first with the latest hot stuff.
How did all this happen?
Firebox.com began life across the Atlantic in early 1998 as "hotbox.co.uk", a British internet retailer founded by college friends Michael Smith and Tom Boardman. Initially operating out of the loft in one of their parents' homes, the company grew rapidly due to the huge success of Michael and Tom's (since much-imitated) invention, the Shot Glass Chess Set. In the summer of 1999 the company moved to London, England and relaunched as Firebox.com.
In 2007 the company set up the wholly-owned subsidiary Firebox.com, Inc (which operates this very website), and opened dedicated warehousing and customer service for the U.S. market.
Initially purely an online business, Firebox has successfully moved into the Mail Order/Catalog, Corporate and Wholesale/Trade sectors:
- Website - The Firebox.com website attracted nearly 10m visits in 2008 and served over 50m page impressions
(source: Google Analytics);
- Email Newsletter - sent every two weeks to over 650,000 recipients globally;
- Catalog - Published several times a year with an global annual circulation exceeding 7m copies
- Corporate - Firebox has provided corporates such as Yahoo, Oracle and Yamaha with innovative solutions for incentives and promotions
- Wholesale - Firebox provides a range of branded products to retailers looking to expand their stock with our exciting and exclusive product lines.
...and along the way we have grown rapidly from the initial partnership of the two founders to a core team of over 40 employees. In 2006 the business turned over $20m and has been profitable since 2002.
In fact, our growth has been so spectacular that in late 2004 Firebox was listed by the British newspaper Sunday Times Fast Track 100 as the 13th fastest growing privately owned business in the UK.
Firebox on TV
A BBC (UK TV) film crew tracked the early days of Firebox.com's history in a television documentary originally broadcast in July, 2000. You can sometimes catch re-runs on obscure cable channels around the world. Or click here to watch online!
Firebox on the Internet
- BBC News: "Dotcoms Bounce Back" - click here
- Real Business: "The Perfect Dotcom" - click here
- Revolution Magazine: "Firebox signs equity deal with Channel 5" - click here
- Revolution Magazine: "Firebox makes high street debut" - click here
- 7 Steps to Setting Up Your Own Business - click here
- BBC News: "E-tailers get their just e-wards" - click here
Anything else to bear in mind?
Firebox.com is committed to maintaining excellent customer service alongside a high quality and enjoyable shopping experience. If you have any questions, suggestions, or problems (or just want to see what our team all looked like as kids) please check out our contact us page. For more information on ordering, head to our help page.
