Integrate Your Marketing Efforts

| MCM staff

Jim Coogan thinks great strides are being made by merchants to become truly multichannel. Still, marketers could be doing a better job using catalogs and Web strategies to drive business.

Scrip Buys New Life Systems

| Mark Del Franco

Looking to bolster its presence in the spa and wellness market, Scrip Companies acquired New Life Systems, a manufacturer and catalog distributor of massage and spa products on Aug. 17. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Direct Sales Fuel Staples’ 2Q

| MCM staff

Total sales at Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) increased 11% to $4.3 billion compared to the second quarter of 2006, the company announced Aug. 21. Net income for the Framingham, MA-based merchant rose 11% year over year to $179 million, and earnings per share, on a diluted basis, increased 14% to 25 cents, from the 22 cents achieved in the second quarter of last year.

Net Loss for Talbots in 2Q

| MCM staff

Apparel cataloger/retailer The Talbots (NYSE: TLB) announced a net loss of $13.3 million, or $0.25 per share, for the second quarter ended Aug. 4. The company lost $3.9 million during the same period in 2006. Total same-store sales fell 4.8%. By brand, same-store sales decreased 4.9% for Talbots and 4.3% for J. Jill.

Direct Sales Rise for Talbots

| MCM staff

Apparel cataloger/retailer The Talbots (NYSE: TLB) announced total company sales for its second quarter of $572 million, which is flat compared to last year

Making the Most of Your Co-op Prospecting

| Michelle Farabaugh

With the postal increase now in effect, mailers are asking themselves how they can drive increased performance and possibly reduce circulation. One approach is effectively integrating your prospecting strategy with the cooperative databases.