Eddie Bauer Files Chapter 11, Plans Sale to Private Equity Firm
After a few weeks of rumors swirling about its fate, apparel cataloger/retailer Eddie Bauer Holdings today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware....
DineWise Acquires Home Bistro Foods
Gourmet foods merchant Home Bistro Foods has a new owner: ...
The End of Eddie Bauer?
The buzz this week has been that Eddie Bauer Holdings is close to filing for bankruptcy if it can’t sell itself or restructure. ...
Tough First Quarter For Talbots
First-quarter sales at women’s apparel merchant The Talbots dropped 26%, to $306.2 million from $414.8 million last year....
Golden Gate Gets J. Jill
Private equity firm Golden Gate Capital announced today that, through an affiliate called Jill Acquisition, it has acquired all of the J. Jill assets from women’s apparel merchant The Talbots for $75 million....
May Sales Roundup
May showed little signs of an economic recovery, at least for the retailers tracked by Multichannel Merchant....
Rough First Quarter For Williams-Sonoma
The harsh economy and grim real state market continue to take a toll on home goods merchants. First-quarter sales for cataloger/retailer Williams-Sonoma fell 21.8%, to $621 million, from $782 million last year. ...
Net Income Up 17% for Jos. A. Bank
Jos. A. Bank Clothiers posted another solid quarter, with gains in both the top and bottom lines. The men’s apparel cataloger/retailer’s sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2009 rose 11%, to $161.9 million, up from $145.4 million for the period in 2008. ...
Toys ’R’ Us Buys FAO Schwarz
Toy and baby products retailer Toys ’R’ Us announced yesterday it has acquired upscale toy merchant FAO Schwarz. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ...
Delia’s Trims Net Loss
First-quarter sales at cataloger/retailer Delia’s increased 11.3%, to $52.1 million, compared with $46.8 million for the same period last year. For the 13-week period ended May 2, net loss was $3.6 million, compared to a net loss of $5.9 million after the first quarter in 2008....
Ups and Downs for Staples’ First Quarter
First-quarter sales for office supplies catalog/retailer Staples jumped 19%, to $5.8 billion for the period ended May 2. ...
Live From the National Postal Forum: The Economic Freefall is Over
That thud you just heard was our downward spiraling economy hitting rock bottom. ...
Direct Sales Slide 11% for Eddie Bauer
First-quarter direct sales at apparel cataloger Eddie Bauer Holdings fell 10.7%, to $56.9 million for the period ended April 4. ...
Sales, Net Income Fall for Penney
First-quarter sales for J.C. Penney Co. decreased 5.9%, to $3.8 billion, down from $4.1 billion for the same period last year....
Venus Founder: No Layoffs Yet
Daryle Scott, founder and president of Jacksonville, FL-based swimsuit and sportswear merchant Venus Swimwear, says some published reports announcing layoffs of 240 employees at his company are inaccurate....
Yankee Candle Sales Fall 11% in First Quarter
First-quarter sales for The Yankee Candle Co. decreased 10.8%, to $125.7 million....
Systemax Wins Bid for Circuit City
Computers manufacturer/marketer Systemax has won a bankruptcy auction for the e-commerce business and intellectual property of Circuit City Stores....
Sales Up Nearly 10% for Harry & David
Third-quarter net sales at Harry & David Holdings increased 9.7%, to $74.9 million for the 13 weeks ended March 28. The food gifts merchant’s sales for the same quarter last year were $68.3 million. ...
Former Vermont Teddy Bear CEO Buys Cycling Catalog
Elisabeth Robert, former president/CEO of the Vermont Teddy Bear Co., is getting into cycling. Robert announced April 30 that she has acquired a majority interest in sports and apparel merchant Terry Precision Cycling....
Fallow First Quarter for PC Connection
First-quarter sales at Merrimack, NH-based PC Connection decreased 23%, to $326.2 million, down from 423.7 million for the same period in 2008. For the period ended March 31, the company posted a net loss of $1.6 million, compared to net income of $4.8 million last year. ...
Office Depot Sales Slip 19%
First-quarter sales for Office Depot decreased 19%, to $3.2 billion for the period ended March 28. The office supplies merchant reported a net loss of $55 million, compared to net income of $69 million for the same period in 2008. ...
ACMA to Hold Forum Next Month
There’s going to be a whole lot of postal going on in DC next month. Just after the four-day National Postal Forum wraps up on May 20, the American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA) will hold its second National Catalog Advocacy & Strategy Forum May 20-21 in Washington....
L.L. Bean to Lay Off 200 to 240 Workers
L.L. Bean, the Freeport-ME-based apparel, outdoor gear and home goods cataloger, plans to lay off 200 to 240 workers due to declining sales, according to the Associated Press....
Talbots Adds CIO Position
Women’s apparel merchant The Talbots has named John Kovac as senior vice president, chief information officer. In this newly created position, Kovac will oversee the company’s information technology initiatives and will report to chief operating officer/chief financial officer Michael Scarpa....
Direct Sales Up 9% at Coach
Third-quarter sales for luxury leather goods cataloger/retailer Coach slipped 1%, to $740 million, down from $745 million for the same period last year. For the period ended March 28, net income declined 24%, to $123 million, from $162 million. ...
