1-800-Flowers.com Reports a Loss

| MCM staff

Due to increased operating expenses and lower gross profit margin, Westbury, NY-based flowers and gifts marketer 1-800-Flowers.com (NASDAQ:FLWS) posted a net loss at $2.0 million for the quarter ended March 27, compared with net income of $1.9 million last year.

A Clean B-to-B Database Reaps Almost Instant ROI

| MCM staff

Building and maintaining your business-to-business house file can be daunting, says Bernie Goldberg, president of Yardley, PA-based Direct Marketing Publishers. The problem is often compounded by the use of different databases throughout the business. These multiple databases frequently have no common link, making it all but impossible to exchange information among departments.

Amazon.com Acquires BookSurge

| MCM staff

Seattle-based online retailer Amazon.com has acquired BookSurge, an on-demand book printing and fulfillment company based in Charleston, SC.

New Movers: Get ‘Em While They’re Hot

| MCM staff

Whether they?re businesses or consumers, new movers are in need of numerous products and services. Consumers require the offerings of banks, pharmacies, interior decorators, cable and satellite TV companies, auto repair shops, and home improvement centers, says John Bagnasco, senior account executive with Pearl River NY-based list firm Walter Karl. Businesses on the move as well as new businesses also seek out banks, as well as companies offering postage meter equipment, payroll administration, office equipment, office remodeling, and security services, among other offerings.

JH Partners Takes a Stake in AmeriMark

| Mark Del Franco

San Francisco, CA-based private equity firm JH Partners is at it again: On March 18, JH Partners recapitalized Cleveland-based AmeriMark Direct, a marketer of women

Cable Access

| Mark Del Franco

Will The Garnet Hill Hour be sandwiched between Rug Gallery and Gold Wardrobing on cable-TV shopping network HSN’s prime-time schedule? Perhaps, once

The SPIN DOCTORS

| MCM staff

TODAY’S CONSUMER is beset with uncounted retail choices, many of them unpleasant. For the curmudgeonly shopper, namely me, significant acquisitions are

Successful Seasonal Hiring HELP WANTED

| Penny Reynolds

A mere 275 shopping days until Christmas! While you may have a while before you need to address your holiday cards, the time is approaching rapidly for