Direct Sales Up 19% at J. Crew
Apparel cataloger/retailer J. Crew had plenty of good news to report from its second quarter ended Aug. 4. The New York-based company
Marketing
Orchard Brands Buys Two More Books
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
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.
Sharper Image Sales Slump, Will Close VA DC
Fiscal problems continued to shadow gifts and gadgets cataloger/retailer Sharper Image during the second quarter ended July 31.
Dynamic Resource Group Founders Killed In Auto Accident
The director emeritus of Dynamic Resource Group, Arthur Muselman, 77, and his wife Gloria Muselman, 76, died tragically in a two-car accident in Reiffsburg, IN, on Aug. 30.
Redcats USA Acquires United Retail Group
New York-based multititle cataloger Redcats USA announced Sept. 11 it bought United Retail Group for $198.9 million, or $13.70 per share in cash. United Retail Group is a specialty retailer of plus-size women
Modeling Toward True Optimization
How can you optimize more of your customer contacts? Try the new technology of state machines with a technique called the Markov Decision Process.
The Pitfalls of E-mail Marketing
When it comes to e-mail marketing, the biggest mistake is trying to convert a prospect. Merchants should be trying to attract a qualified prospect. What’s the difference?
The Importance of Knowledge-based Customer Recognition
Poor customer recognition can have a direct, negative impact on your customers
Sometimes One More Mailing Can Be Too Many
To prepare for peak season, Lenser recommends that highly seasonal businesses maximize the number of contacts to the house file, mailing separately versioned catalogs every four weeks and perhaps even every three weeks. But one of its clients, a multichannel school supply retailer, bucked the trend during back-to-school 2006.