Airgas Acquires Two Local Distributors

| MCM staff

Welding metals and gasses distributor Airgas completed its 10th and 11th acquisitions of its fiscal year, which began in April.

The Times, and List Firms, Are A-Changing

| Mark Del Franco

In March 2004, Radcliff, KY-based U.S. Cavalry was planning on getting its catalogs back into the mail after a nearly 18-month hiatus. The cataloger of

Critical Issues & Trends

| MCM staff

Catalogers continue to agonize over the need to reduce costs without reducing offerings or services. Among respondents to Catalog Age’s exclusive Benchmark

People Who Need People

| MCM staff

In reviewing the results from Catalog Age’s exclusive Benchmark Report on Critical Issues and Trends (see page 30), I was surprised that one-third of

Chef’s Catalog Sold to Private Equity Firm

| Mark Del Franco

JH Partners, a private equity firm in San Francisco, has acquired Chef’s Catalog from Dallas-based Neiman Marcus Group. The $75 million kitchenware title

Henry Schein Acquires Northeast Dental Distributor

| MCM staff

Looking to bolster its presence in the Northeastern U.S., especially in the Boston area, Melville, NY-based medical dental and veterinary giant Henry Schein (NASDAQ: HSIC) acquired $20 million Windsor, CT-based Barton-Cyker Dental Supply.

HSN Improvements Buys Alsto Catalog

| MCM staff

St. Petersburg, FL-based HSN Improvements, the catalog subsidiary of cable-TV shopping giant HSN, is acquiring the Alsto catalog and Web business from cataloger/retailer Dick Blick Holdings.