Vera Bradley has more than 3,500 retailers nationwide and owns 25 stores throughout the country.

Press Release

(Fort Wayne, IN) - December 9, 2009: National Trade Magazine, Gift Beat names Vera Bradley, vendor of the year. According to the December/January 2009 issue of the gift publication, "This award is for the vendor that contributed the most to a store's bottom line."

Gift Beat's Magazine: Vendor of the Year/2009 list

1) Vera Bradley

2) Demdaco

3) Brighton

4) Yankee

5) Ganz

6) Enesco

7) Pandora

8) Grasslands Road/Amscan

9) Evergreen

10) Virginia Candle

As quoted in the publication: A New Jersey retailer says," For such a mammoth organization, they are structured with built-in reassessment and constant improvement. The company makes its retailers feel so much a part of the greater organization."

"It is quite an honor to be awarded nationally as the company that contributed the most to the bottom line of gift stores across the county," says vice president of sales, Cheri Lantz. "Last year, we were number three on the list; It feels great move up to number one!"

About Vera Bradley: Vera Bradley handbags, stationery, travel and eyewear are everywhere! Vera Bradley products have popped up on: Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, According to Jim, Samantha Who and in more than 20 feature-length films, as well as in celebrity gift lounges surrounding the 2009 Tony Awards and 2009 Daytime Emmys. With an award-winning float in the 2009 Rose Parade, 3500 retailers and 25 corporate-owned stores across the nation, the Vera Bradley story is a testimony to the American Dream; friends Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller founded the company in 1982 with just a $500 investment. Visit verabradley.com for more information.

The popular handbag designer opened four more stores this fall in Ohio, Virginia, Illinois and Florida.

Source: Vera Bradley