Direct Sales Up 19% at J. Crew

| MCM staff

Apparel cataloger/retailer J. Crew had plenty of good news to report from its second quarter ended Aug. 4. The New York-based company

Orchard Brands Buys Two More Books

| Mark Del Franco

In its quest to become the one-stop destination for consumers age 55+, Orchard Brands on Sept. 14 acquired gifts book Gold Violin and undergarments title WinterSilks. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

Sour Quarter, Tasty Year For Harry & David

| MCM staff

Food gifts mailer Harry & David might have ended its fiscal 2007 on a down note, but results for the year made up for it.
Fourth-quarter net sales at Harry & David Holdings decreased 3.1%, to $62.9 million for the 13 weeks ended June 30. Officials for the Medford, OR-based merchant attributed the slight decrease to fewer catalog and Internet sales from the direct marketing segment, as well as the timing of the Easter holiday, which resulted in more third-quarter sales than fourth quarter.