A.C. Moore Arts and Crafts, the specialty retailer operating 135 brick and mortar locations across the East Coast with global headquarters in New Jersey and China, today announced two major investments that will fuel groundbreaking digital initiatives in the coming year. Nicole Crafts LLC, parent company of A.C. Moore Inc., has acquired e-commerce company Blitsy, a leading online retailer of arts and crafts products, and secured an exclusive partnership as part of a major investment in handcraft marketplace Zibbet. These investments will propel A.C. Moore to the forefront of creative digital commerce globally.

The acquisition combines A.C. Moore's best-in-class product sourcing and in-store shopping experience with Blitsy's proven e-commerce capabilities to better serve the needs of creative consumers worldwide. Blitsy will operate largely as an independent subsidiary of Nicole Crafts LLC and remain based in Chicago, focusing on its current business strategy with access to A.C. Moore's infrastructure and scale. A.C. Moore will leverage Blitsy's e-commerce expertise and relaunch acmoore.com in 2018, providing an industry-leading omni-channel customer shopping experience.

"We are joining the A.C. Moore family because there is a huge opportunity to utilize each other's strengths and move faster toward our vision of delivering a truly rewarding and holistic experience to customers, teammates, and brand partners," said Ross Petersen, Co-Founder and CEO of Blitsy. "Together we will drive value, excitement and innovation that the arts and crafts industry has never seen before."

Zibbet is one of the fastest-growing peer-to-peer marketplaces supporting more than 50,000 independent creatives under the leadership of founder and CEO Jonathan Peacock. He noted, "We're very excited for what we will achieve through our partnership with A.C. Moore. Our company values are tightly aligned and I have no doubt that together we're going to change the face of creative commerce. This is great news for the industry as a whole."

"A.C. Moore is entering a period of unprecedented growth," added Anthony Piperno, Owner and Chief Marketing & Merchandising Officer at A.C. Moore. "These dynamic additions to our company can rapidly accelerate adoption of our proprietary product across a global audience of creative consumers and position our family as industry leaders among arts and crafts enthusiasts everywhere."

About A.C. Moore: A.C. Moore is a specialty retailer offering a vast selection of arts, crafts and floral merchandise to a broad demographic of customers. Established in Moorestown, N.J. in 1985, A.C. Moore has since expanded to more than 135 stores, located in the Eastern United States from Maine to Florida. A.C. Moore is devoted to being the first choice for product selection, value and service that inspires and fulfills unlimited creative possibilities. For more information visit www.acmoore.com/about.

About Blitsy: Founded in 2011, Blitsy is an innovative e-commerce company changing the way creative people worldwide buy arts and crafts supplies. For more information visit blitsy.com

About Zibbet: Zibbet is a marketplace powered by a global community of independent artists, crafters and vintage collectors. It's a place where you can buy the most amazing, unique and inspiring products that can't be found anywhere else. For more information visit www.zibbet.com

A.C. Moore was advised on both transactions by EGL Holdings, an Atlanta-based boutique investment banking company. For more information visit www.eglholdings.com