Jim Tierney

Wal-Mart revamps its Website

| Jim Tierney

After a comprehensive overhaul that took about 13 months, discount retailing giant Wal-Mart in late October unveiled a new and improved Website. The Bentonville,

R.R. Donnelley’s DOMINATION

| Jim Tierney

The Oct. 31 announcement that printer R.R. Donnelley & Sons had agreed to acquire competitor Banta Corp. had some industry watchers unsure whether to

Winterthur, NWF join BlueSky

| Jim Tierney

BlueSky Brands, parent company of gifts catalogs The Paragon and Bits and Pieces, in November signed licensing agreements to manage the catalog and Internet merchandising businesses for a pair of not-for-profit groups: Wintherthur Museum & Country Estate and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Double the deals

| Jim Tierney

Sixteen mergers and acquisitions took place during the third quarter, double the number of transactions that occurred during the third quarter of last

Plow & Hearth’s new city address

| Jim Tierney

Having established its niche as a seller of country living products, Plow & Hearth is now going after city slickers. The Madison, VA-based cataloger/retailer