Third-Quarter Deals Hold Steady
The Third Quarter was a Busy One with 16 deals, compared to 13 last year. Many transactions were strategic in nature, including Harry & David Holdings...
Gardens Alive! Revives the Paragon
The Industry had a Dose of Good News when it was reported last month that Gardens Alive! had purchased gifts cataloger The Paragon, which had closed when...
Gardens Alive! Says No Paragon Catalog til 2009
Although horticultural mailer Gardens Alive! last month bought gifts cataloger The Paragon and restarted its Website, it’s in no rush to bring back the brand’s print catalog...
Financial Reports: DWR, Golfsmith
Third-quarter direct sales for modern furniture cataloger/retailer Design Within Reach fell nearly 27%, to $8.7 million, compared to $11.8 million for the same period last year...
Penny Pinchers: Early fall sales for multichannel merchants
If you thought last fall was the worst of times, based on the hefty postal rate hike of May 2007 and the slowing economy, perhaps you were mistaken. On...
Woeful Report From Williams-Sonoma
If there was any doubt lingering that multichannel merchants were in for a rough holiday, consider the comments of Howard Lester, CEO for kitchenware/home decor cataloger/retailer Williams-Sonoma. ...
PRC Chairman Predicts 5% Rate Hike for 2009
Although the 2006 Postal Reform law restored a semblance of normalcy to annual postal rate increases, many catalogers are wondering what they can expect in terms of a rate hike in May 2009...
Fraser Papers Aims to Reopen Greener Maine Mill
Fraser Papers, which operates the Katahdin Paper Mill in Millinocket, ME, announced plans in May to shut down the venerable mill due to the high energy costs of running it. But now there is talk of a reopening next year...
Tasty Relaunch for Chocolates Cataloger
Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate, which relaunched its print catalog last year after a four-year hiatus, is thrilled with the effect its catalog has had on its business....
Multichannel Movers and Shakers
Ed Krell CEO for Mothers Work; Justin Seamonds new Dean & DeLuca CFO; Axel Pfitzenreiter appointed supply chain director for Henry Schein's Central European operations; Eddie Bauer Holdings hired Scott Hutsenpiller as vice president, outerwear design...
Jackson & Perkins Staffing Up New Contact Center
Here’s a sign of life in a grim economy: Horticultural gifts cataloger Jackson & Perkins Co. is looking to hire more than 100 workers for its new 24-hour contact center in Greenwood, SC...
Layoffs for Oriental Trading
A spokesman says the novelties, toys, party supplies and home decor merchant is cutting jobs to streamline operations and eliminate overlapping services in the "challenging economic environment." ...
Get Out Your Wallets: Here’s Neiman’s Christmas Catalog
Yes, the economy’s still tanking, but Neiman Marcus is banking that someone out there will drop $500,000 on a 530-square-yard end zone from Texas Stadium...
Bill Means Merchants Must Report Credit Card Sales To IRS
If You're Running a Small Business and are sloppy with administrative processes, get ready to clean up your books. Buried deep in the Housing and Economic...
Boca Java Buys Cafe Belmondo
Boca Java, an Online Gourmet Coffee Marketer, has Acquired several key assets of Web coffee merchant Caf Belmondo from The Thompson Group. Terms were...
Orchard Brands Buys Crosstown
The Orchard has a Few New Branches Multititle mailer Orchard Brands, a Golden Gate Capital company, last month agreed to buy most of the Crosstown Traders...
Circ Cuts Yield Savings for Sonoma
Kitchenware/home decor cataloger/retailer Williams-Sonoma has launched a catalog circulation optimization strategy to reduce costs and refine its marketing focus. And it’s working....
Delia’s Sells CCS to Foot Locker
Cataloger/retailer Delia’s announced Monday it sold its extreme-sports gear merchant CCS to Foot Locker for $102 million in cash....
Fingerhut Investor Raided by Feds
Federal agents raided the headquarters of Petters Group Worldwide, a minority stockholder of general merchant Fingerhut Direct Marketing, on Sept. 24....
More Merchants Choosing Catalog Choice
Catalog Choice—a year-old online service that allows consumers to create a list of catalogs from which they want to receive no or less-frequent mail—announced Sept. 25 a partnership with several multichannel merchants....
Financial Reports: Neiman Marcus, Harry & David
Direct marketing sales for luxury goods merchant Neiman Marcus Group, which mails the Neiman Marcus and Horchow apparel and home decor catalogs, increased 3.4%, to nearly $170.7 million for the fourth quarter ended Aug. 2. In addition to the flagship retail chain, the company owns New York’s high-end Bergdorf Goodman store....
Athleta Catalog a Fit for Gap
Apparel retail giant Gap announced Monday it is acquiring women’s sports apparel cataloger Athleta for about $150 million in cash. Athleta’s CEO Joe Teno will become president of the brand, reporting to Toby Lenk, president of Gap’s direct division....
Movers & shakers
Healthcare products and services provider Henry Schein has promoted Mark Mastroianni to director of marketing communications and programs in the company's...
Systemax acquires CompUSA
Computers manufacturer/marketer Systemax has entered into an agreement to purchase the CompUSA brand, trademarks, and e-commerce business. The direct...
Not the finest quarter
Reflecting the weak national economy, the third quarter wasn't so kind to the publicly traded consumer merchants tracked by Multichannel Merchant. Despite...
