Sales and Earnings Down at Martha Stewart

New York--Looks like home decor doyenne Martha Stewart isn’t immune to the economic slowdown. Second-quarter net income for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE:MSO) slid 13%, to $5.2 million from $6.0 million last year. What’s more, Martha’s Web/direct commerce business--which includes catalogs and the Internet--lost $6.5 million, a 20% greater loss than the previous second quarter’s $5.4 million loss. Total company revenue for the quarter ended June 30 was $69.7 million, up slightly from $69.2 million last year. But revenue in the Internet/direct commerce division decreased 10%, to $11.8 million from $13.1 million. The company attributes the decline to lower catalog circulation.