Jim Tierney

Lillian Vernon close to a sale

| Jim Tierney

Lillian Vernon Corp., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 20, has reached a tentative agreement to sell the company, according to documents filed in March in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, DE.

Hallmark Flowers ditching direct

| Jim Tierney

Hallmark Flowers, a subsidiary of Kansas City, MO-based Hallmark Cards, plans to shut down its direct-to-consumer flowers and gifts business by the end of April.