Cross Channel News
Orchard Brands Acquires Linen Source; Thompson Group to Focus on Cigar Biz
Orchard Brands, a multititle mailer of catalogs that target consumers over age 55, has acquired home goods title Linen Source. Investment bank Tully & Holland, which initiated the transaction and acted as the exclusive investment banking adviser to Linen Source, announced the deal on March 15....
ONCAP Acquires Sport Supply Group
Sports equipment merchant Sport Supply Group announced today it entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of ONCAP Management Partners, the mid-market private equity business of Onex Corp....
Live from NEMOA: Keeping Up With The Changing ConsumerLive from NEMOA: Keeping Up With The Changing Consumer
The consumer is changing—are you? That was the title of Wednesday's opening session at the NEMOA conference. Marketers need to keep up with the ever-changing consumer landscape...
Live from NEMOA: Why Your Brand Should Be Like Elvis
Do you want to make your brand relevant in today's mercurial consumer market? Then set yourself apart. Find one simple truth. Specialize. Be consistent. And be origina...
Sales Up at Systemax
Sales at manufacturer/marketer Systemax were up for the fourth quarter and full year ended Dec. 31. ...
Staples Sees Sales Tick Up for 4Q, Fiscal ‘09
Fourth-quarter total sales for Framingham, MA-based catalog/retailer Staples increased 4%, to $6.4 billion for the three months ended Jan. 30. ...
Bachrach’s Assets Sold for $5.25 Million
B&B Bachrach has acquired the assets of Bachrach Acquisition, which owns the men’s apparel cataloger/retailer Bachrach, for $5.25 million. ...
Penney Ends 2009 Above Plan
The final numbers are in for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2009 for J.C. Penney Co., and while they aren’t impressive, they did exceeded the company’s expectations....
Fingerhut Becoming Bluestem Brands
Fingerhut Direct Marketing is no more. The general merchant announced today that it has changed its corporate name to Bluestem Brands...
Auction Set for Bachrach
Bachrach Acquisition, which owns the 133-year-old men’s apparel cataloger/retailer Bachrach, has scheduled an auction to sell the assets of the bankrupt merchant on Feb. 22....
Updike Named President of Miles Kimball
Gifts cataloger Miles Kimball has promoted Vicki Updike to president, effective Feb. 1. ...
January Sales Roundup
The start of 2010 was fairly inspiring for the companies tracked by MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT. ...
Q&A With Eugene Raitt: Times Change, And So Will DMA
New DMA chairman Eugene R. Raitt pledged increased transparency on issues such as membership numbers, financials and event attendance figures at the Oct. 18 board meeting. MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT senior writer Tim Parry caught up with Raitt to find out what's going on with the search for a new president/CEO, what DMA will do to restore faith among its members, and whether catalogers are still important to the association....
Third-quarter didn’t bring relief to merchants
THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2009 DIDN'T BRING MUCH RELIEF for those expecting an economic rebound. The financial results of the profiled companies show further...
Sticking my head into the lion's mouth
Every year it gets harder. No, it doesn't get harder because we have fewer catalogs. It gets harder because it's more difficult to isolate catalogs that...
A little more action: Holiday sales robust in 2009
Perhaps the best thing that can be said about holiday 2009 is that merchants get to compare it to holiday 2008 the worst season for retail sales in decades....
Sheplers Names Bob Myers CEO
Western apparel merchant Sheplers has named QVC executive Bob Myers as its new CEO. Myers is the permanent replacement for Mark Syrstad, who left the company in September....
Nancy Kerrigan to Endorse Oriental Trading
Oriental Trading Co. has entered into an endorsement agreement with former U.S. figure skating champion Nancy Kerrigan for 2010. Kerrigan is the multichannel gifts and novelties merchant's first-ever celebrity endorser....
Pure Play Sees Value of Direct Mail
XSportsProtective.com has been an online seller of action sports equipment since president Jim Bartlett founded the company in November 2005. But if the ROI on its two holiday season postcard mailing campaigns are as good as he thinks, Bartlett says he may go multichannel. ...
Sharper Image Hiring Brookstone Execs
The newly relaunched SharperImage.com is hiring talent away from its rival Brookstone. The high-tech gifts and gadgets brand announced Jan 21 it’s hired Steve August as senior vice president/chief marketing officer. August had been Brookstone’s operating vice president for customer marketing....
Cabela's Promotes Six
Hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor gear merchant Cabela's has promoted six executives. ...
Burpee Gets a Boost from New Year's Resolution Garden
Seed merchant saw a 5% spike in sales between Christmas and New Year's with an e-mail and public relations campaign....
Golfsmith's Direct Sales Sputter
Multichannel golf equipment and apparel merchant Golfsmith reported soft sales – particularly in its direct channels – both for the fourth quarter and fiscal year....
Live from NRF: Consumers Want Cross-Channel Synergy
As a merchant, you may consider yourself to be multichannel. But the customer views your bricks-and-mortar stores and Website as one entity, according to a survey shown Monday at the National Retail Federation's Annual Convention and Expo....
Urban Outfitters Holiday Sales Up 16%
It was another solid holiday season for Urban Outfitters. The lifestyle apparel and home decor cataloger/retailer says that total company sales for the two months ended Dec. 31 increased to $452 million....
