Cross Channel

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.

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

It was definitely the dog days of summer for most of the publicly traded companies tracked by MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT. With few exceptions, August sales increases were scarce or nonexistent.