When trying to figure out where you’re going, sometimes it helps to look at where you came from and how you got to where you are today. With that in mind, we’re taking a look back at the companies that made up the first-ever Catalog Age 100, which appeared in our August 1993 issue.
Happily, 52 of the original 100 remain independent catalog or multichannel businesses. During the past eight years another 20 businesses were sold but remain viable catalog businesses. Twenty-three of the companies shifted focus, either getting out of the catalog business (for instance, Gateway, Deluxe Corp., and Damark International) or deemphasized catalogs (such as Sears and Day-Timers).
Perhaps most gratifying — and somewhat surprising — was that only five catalogers are out of business altogether or fell off our radar screen. (Does anybody out there know what ever became of Infotel or Mac and Moore?)
All in all, we came away from our research with one overriding conclusion: Despite the troubles and travails of the past eight years, cataloging as an industry has grown and solidified. And that’s something to keep in mind during the inevitable troubles and travails ahead.
THRIVERS & SURVIVORS
| 1993 rank |
Company | 1992 sales# ($ millions) |
Recent sales# ($ millions) |
Market segment | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.C. Penney Co. | $2,992.7* | $3,933.0 (2000) | general merchandise | slow growth but remains a steady force |
| 4 | Dell Computer Corp. | $1,610.4 | $31,888.0 (’00) | computers | has become the number-one cataloger in the U.S. |
| 6 | Spiegel | $1,322.0 | $1,711.2 (’00) | general merchandise | recent two-year profitability run |
| 8 | Lands’ End | $697.0* | $1,355.0 (’00) | apparel | rapid growth during the mid-’90s leveled off |
| 9 | L.L. Bean | $662.0 | $1,100.0 (’00) | outdoor gear, apparel | like Lands’ End, saw mid-’90s sales growth slow appreciably |
| 11 | Hanover Direct | $586.6 | $603.0 (’00) | apparel, home goods | built stable of nearly two dozen titles but now in divestiture mode |
| 13 | J. Crew Group | $475.0* | $284.8 (’00) | apparel | de-emphasizing catalogs in favor of retail and the Web |
| 15 | Premier/Farnell (Newark Electronics) | $436.3* | $626.0 (’00) | industrial electronics (Newark only) | thrived through a local, then regional catalog/phone/field sales approach |
| 17 | International Business Machines Corp. | $400.0* | $7,575.0*(’00) | computers | expanded its direct division to include catalog and Internet sales |
| 19 | Henry Schein | $360.0 | $2,381.7 (’00) | dental, medical, and veterinary supplies | foreign expansion, acquisitions fueled rapid growth throughout ’90s |
| 22 | McMaster Carr | $308.0 | $415.0* (1999) | industrial electronics | solid growth serving old-line plumbing industry |
| 27 | Sara Lee Direct | $265.4* | $208.0* (’99) | apparel, accessories | spun off Coach catalog last year, sold its interest in it this year |
| 30 | Neiman Marcus Group | $237.0 | $381.7 (’00) | apparel, gifts, home decor | strongest growth in recent years from Horchow and Chef’s Catalog |
| 31 | New England Business Service (NEBS) | $234.6 | $520.6 (’00) | office and warehouse supplies | made a number of acquisitions during the past few years |
| 32 | Bass Pro Shops | $220.0* | $325.0* (’99) | outdoor sporting goods | expanded further into retail, opening 10 huge tourist-driven stores |
| 33 | Bear Creek Corp. | $210.0 | $450.0 (’00) | food, gardening, gifts | continues to rely on Harry and David and Jackson & Perkins books for its steady growth |
| 38 | Foster & Gallagher | $178.0 | $325.0 (’00) | gardening, gifts, children’s products | developed a kids’ division that has struggled in recent years — and which it plans to sell |
| 39 | CDW Computer Centers | $175.0 | $3,800.0 (’00) | computers | meteoric growth spurred by CRM, multichannel marketing, and huge product assortment |
| 41 | Lillian Vernon Corp. | $171.5 | $246.6 (’00) | general merchandise, personalized gifts | founder Vernon has periodically sought the right person to continue her legacy, but has yet to find one |
| 42 | WearGuard/Aramark Corp. | $162.5 | $550.0* (’99) | work apparel, public safety supplies | parent firm Aramark bought police/firefighter supplier Gall’s in 1996 |
| 43 | Global DirectMail/Systemax | $152.0 | $1.686.0 (’00) | computers, industrial supplies | manufacturing problems have hurt bottom line of late |
| 44 | PC Connection | $150.0 | $1,450.0 (’00) | computers | enjoyed 40% compounded annual growth since 1995 |
| 45 | The Talbots | $147.6 | $269.0 (’00) | women’s and children’s apparel | after failed merchandise shift, returned successfully to more conservative apparel |
| 46 | Insight Enterprises | $139.8 | $2,041.1 (’00) | computers | phasing out catalogs in favor of direct telesales |
| 50 | Starcrest Products of California | $125.0 | $287.0 (’00) | apparel | developed stable of apparel tearsheet-catalog mailers |
| 53 | Cabela’s | $122.5* | $500.0* (’99) | sporting goods | bought rival catalog Gander Mountain in 1996 |
| 54 | Black Box Corp. | $121.6 | $500.0 (’00) | computer networking equipment | acquired more than 60 small regional distributors since 1998 |
| 55 | Lab Safety Supply/Grainger | $120.0* | $4,977.0 (’00) | industrial supplies | includes Grainger and Lab Safety Supply catalogs |
| 56 | Nasco International | $120.0* | $200.0* (’99) | farm and educational supplies | steady growth |
| 57 | Ross-Simons | $115.5 | $225.5 (’99) | jewelry, gifts, home decor | expanded to 13 stores; bought Geary’s catalog in late ’90s |
| 58 | ABC Distributing | $115.0* | $400.0* (’99) | low-end wholesale gifts | maintains mom-and-pop business approach |
| 59 | Williams-Sonoma | $112.4* | $685.2 (’00) | housewares, home decor | Pottery Barn has become company cash cow |
| 61 | Childcraft/Walt Disney Co. | $101.0 | $206.0 (’99) | toys, gifts | sold off the Childcraft and Playclothes catalogs in the mid-1990s |
| 63 | The Swiss Colony | $97.0 | $330.0* (’99) | food, gifts | added Seventh Avenue and Country Door titles, among others, to expand counterseasonal business |
| 64 | Reader’s Digest | $94.1* | $30.0* (’00) | audio, video, gifts | exited catalog business in the early 1990s, then bought Good Catalog Co. in 1999 |
| 65 | Bloomingdale’s by Mail/Federated Department Stores | $93.0 | $1.940.0 (’00) | apparel | in 1999, parent firm Federated Department stores bought Fingerhut Cos., 2000 sales include Fingerhut, Macys.com, and Arizona Mail Order titles |
| 68 | Tiffany & Co. | $89.5 | $155.6 (’00) | jewelry, gifts | has expanded corporate catalog |
| 69 | Northern Hydraulics/Northern Tool & Equipment | $89.4* | $347.8 (’00) | tools | b-to-b now makes up 50% of company’s sales |
| 70 | Warshawsky/J.C. Whitney | $85.5* | $265.4* (’00) | auto accessories | dropped Warshawsky name in mid-’90s |
| 73 | Executive Greetings | $82.0* | $115.0 (’00) | business greeting cards | built up a stable of b-to-b titles in stationery and promotional products |
| 80 | Norm Thompson | $77.0 | $208.0 (’00) | general merchandise | remains privately held |
| 81 | U.S. Sales Corp. | $75.0* | $150.0* (’99) | general merchandise | steady sales growth |
| 83 | Golfsmith International | $70.0 | $140.0 (’99) | golf equipment | has built up retail chain |
| 88 | Hammacher Schlemmer | $68.0 | $160.0* (’99) | consumer electronics | sticking to its guns in offering high-end gadgets |
| 89 | Central Purchasing/Harbor Freight | $68.0 | n/a | hardware | operates the Harbor Freight catalog |
| 91 | Kaiser & Kraft/K+K America | $66.5 | $295.0 (’00) | industrial supplies | has built up stable of b-to-b books, including Conney Safety, Browncor, Hubert, and C+H Distributors |
| 92 | Nature’s Bounty/NBTY | $65.0 | $174.0 (’99) | vitamins | has fought off numerous charges questioning the validity of claims on its nutrition products |
| 94 | Orvis | $62.1 | $140.0* (’00) | apparel, sporting goods | steady growth, retained private ownership |
| 96 | Omaha Steaks | $60.0 | $284.0 (’00) | food | moved beyond steaks into gourmet meals through multichannel offering |
| 98 | Sport Supply Group | $57.4 | $111.5 (’00) | sporting goods | steady growth in institutional sporting goods market |
| 99 | Austad’s | $56.5 | n/a | golf equipment | bought by Hanover Direct in 1995, sold in ’99 to Mammoth Golf; former owner Dave Austad bought back the rights in ’00 and relaunched the catalog this past April |
| 100 | Multiple Zones International | $56.0 | $634.0 (’00) | computers | went public in 1996 |
| # catalog and Internet sales only; *estimates | |||||
CLOSED OR MISSING
| 1993 rank |
Company | Market | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | DAK Industries electronics | housewares, folded in 1994 | grew too rapidly |
| 51 | Misco | computers | bought by Global DirectMail in 1992; operations were merged into Global’s catalog business |
| 74 | Fastmicro | computers | went out of business in 1993 |
| 79 | Infotel | computers | off our radar screen |
| 84 | Mac and Moore | computers | off our radar screen |
UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP
| 1993 rank |
Company | Market | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Fingerhut Cos. | general merchandise | bought by Federated Department Stores in 1999 |
| 10 | The Limited | apparel | broke out Brylane catalogs (including Lane Bryant and Lerner New York) and Intimate Brands (Victoria’s Secret) in 1993 |
| 18 | Viking Office Products | office supplies | sold to superstore chain Office Depot in 1998 |
| 20 | Quill Corp. | office supplies | sold to superstore giant Staples in 1998 |
| 21 | Inmac | computers | sold to MicroWarehouse in 1996 |
| 23 | New Hampton (Newport News, Brights Creek) | apparel | Spiegel bought Newport News in 1993; Brights Creek closed that year |
| 24 | Chadwick’s of Boston | apparel | sold to Brylane in 1996 |
| 26 | MicroWarehouse | computers | sold to a private investor group in 1999 |
| 35 | Zeos International | computers | merged in 1995 with computer hardware manufacturer/cataloger Micron Electronics |
| 36 | Arizona Mail Order | apparel | bought by Fingerhut Cos. in 1998 |
| 37 | Reliable Corp. | office supplies | bought by Boise Cascade Office Products in 1997 |
| 66 | Bedford Fair Industries | apparel | filed for Chapter 11 in 1997; bought by Fingerhut Cos. in 1999 |
| 67 | Rivertown Trading | gifts | sold to Dayton-Hudson Corp. (now Target) in ’98 |
| 72 | The Company Store | coats, linens | went into Chapter 11 in 1992; bought in mid-’90s by Hanover |
| 78 | MidWest Micro | computer equipment | bought by Systemax/Global Equipment in mid-1990s; now Systemax Manufacturing Co. |
| 82 | Walter Drake & Sons | gifts | sold to Foster & Gallagher in 1997 |
| 86 | Artistic Greetings | stationery | sold to Taylor Corp., which also bought the Current and Paper Direct catalogs |
| 87 | Miles Kimball | gifts | became independent in a management buyout from Toronto-based Torstar in 1997 |
| 90 | The Pleasant Co. | dolls | bought by toy manufacturer Mattel in 1998 |
| 95 | Saks Fifth Avenue | apparel | bought by the department store chain formerly known as Proffitt’s in 1998 |
SHIFTED FOCUS
| 1993 rank |
Company | Market | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sears, Roebuck & Co. | general merchandise | closed general merchandise book in 1993, but continues to market through specialty books |
| 3 | DEC Direct | computers | exited catalog business in 1997; remains manufacturer/distributor |
| 7 | Gateway | computers | stopped mass mailings of catalogs in 1998 in favor of retail and Web |
| 12 | Omega Scientific | industrial electronics | exited catalog business in 1993 in favor of direct distribution |
| 14 | Deluxe Corp. | checks | sold off its Current and Paper Direct catalogs and phased out its namesake book in 1998 |
| 16 | Everex Systems | computers | shifted to a direct sales approach in 1993-’94 |
| 25 | Damark International | general merchandise | exited the catalog business last year to focus on its buyers’ club business |
| 28 | CompuAdd | computer components | stopped mailing catalogs in the late ’90s, but still manufactures and distributes components |
| 29 | AARP | pharmaceuticals | no longer an active mailer |
| 34 | Borland International | computers | abandoned the catalog business in the mid-’90s |
| 40 | Apple Computer | computers | backed away from catalogs in the mid-1990s |
| 48 | Gander Mountain | outdoor sporting goods | catalog bought (and folded) by Cabela’s in 1996; remains an independent retailer |
| 49 | Day-Timers | business planners | focuses more heavily on direct mail than on catalogs |
| 52 | Northgate Computer | computers | manufacturer/distributor now sells to TV shopping channels and catalogers |
| 60 | America’s Pharmacy/Iowa Retired Person’s Pharmacy | pharmaceuticals | bought by AARP in 1997; no longer an active mailer |
| 62 | Egghead Software | computer software | dropped print book in mid-’90s, then closed stores in favor of the Web |
| 71 | Moore Business Systems | business supplies | phased out catalogs in late 1990s |
| 75 | CareerTrack | seminars | absorbed by Fred Pryor Seminars, which no longer relies on print catalogs |
| 76 | Suarez Corp. Industries | general merchandise | no longer dependent on catalogs |
| 77 | Safeguard Business Systems | checks | phased out catalog in mid-1990s in favor of direct sales |
| 85 | Myron | business supplies, apparel | closed Comfortably Yours catalog in mid-’90s; markets primarily through solo mailers and telemarketing |
| 93 | Scholastic Books | educational materials | phased out catalog in the early 1990s |
| 97 | Barnes & Noble Direct | books | direct sales come primarily from Website now |