Oxford Pulls the Plug
Failing health has prompted Oxford Health Plans to discontinue its Living Balance catalog.
“It’s a simple story, really,” says Madeline Hardart, a spokesperson for Norwalk, CT-based Oxford. “There were not many orders.”
Latching onto the coattails of the trend toward alternative medicine, the catalog launched in the fall of 1997, offering an earthy blend of dietary supplements and other natural remedies at 10% to 25% off the suggested retail price.
Hardart says orders had dropped as low as 10 to 15 per month before the decision was made to close down the catalog in September.
“It was an interesting concept that Oxford tried but doesn’t make sense to continue,” she adds.
The initial mailing had targeted 200,000 of its 1.8 million members and plans were under way to offer the catalog to the general public this year.-PO
