Discount Home Shoppers' Club
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | E-commerce, Affiliate marketing, Loyalty programs, Hospitality |
| Founded | June 1997 |
| Founder | Richard Burke |
| Headquarters | Englewood , United States |
Key people | Richard Burke (CEO) |
| Products | ClubShop Mall, Glocal Income, Glocal Generation, DHS Club Kids, Ducks Nest Retreat, ClubShop Rewards |
Discount Home Shoppers' Club, Inc. (known as DHS Club) is an American enterprise headquartered in Englewood, Florida, established in June 1997 under the leadership of CEO Richard Burke.
DHS Club encompasses various divisions such as ClubShop Mall (an e-commerce platform), Glocal Income (affiliate marketing initiatives), Glocal Generation (networking activities), DHS Club Kids (a charitable organization), Ducks Nest Retreat (offering cabin accommodations), and ClubShop Rewards (a customer loyalty scheme).
History
Richard Burke founded DHS Club in 1997, initially operating out of a garage apartment before relocating to a formal office in Englewood, Florida. Early on, Burke recruited his son Will Burke and Paul Spence to serve as independent sales agents (VIP Members), providing opportunities for residual earnings via referrals along with discounts on goods and services.
The company’s initial product lineup featured discounted Web TV services. By the year 2000, DHS Club had launched the ClubShop Mall, an online shopping portal offering cashback incentives to its members. Leading retail partners included Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Dell.
By 2001, the online mall and affiliate marketing program attracted over one million participants. The following year, DHS Club rolled out ClubBucks Rewards, an offline loyalty initiative collaborating with various merchants. Additionally, the company purchased land in Southeast Tennessee for use as a corporate retreat and cabin rental location.
In December 2006, DHS Club and its ClubShop Mall received exposure on the television program The World's Greatest. By late 2007, the ClubShop Malls had expanded internationally to regions including the Netherlands Antilles, Malaysia, and Suriname.
Transition from DHS Club to Clubshop
In 2009, all company operations were unified under the single Clubshop brand.
Significant international expansion occurred in countries such as Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
The membership count grew to nine million individuals.
Thousands of retailers both online and offline worldwide joined as Clubshop Rewards Merchant Affiliates.
In 2018, Proprofit Worldwide Ltd., a marketing firm established in 2013 by Fabrizio Perotti and Giuseppe Francavilla—who served as Executive Directors for Clubshop and were instrumental in developing DHS-Club and Clubshop brands in Italy between 2001 and 2012—acquired ownership of the Clubshop brand.
Since this acquisition, efforts have been underway to restructure the company with the goal of restoring operational performance and growth levels reminiscent of the early 2000s.
Controversy
During the early 2000s, DHS Club permitted VIP members to enroll others without charge, which led to unauthorized sign-ups. This practice caused DHS Club to be blacklisted by anti-spam organizations such as Spamhaus, resulting in a revenue decline of approximately 70%. To address these issues, DHS Club implemented a strict anti-spam policy and introduced a double opt-in procedure in 2002 to verify member consent.