Almost two years ago, L.L. Bean began to move investments from infrastructure and staffing to prospecting and advertising. The results are just now coming in

By Reported Donna Loyle

Fuller: Once upon a time, Bean was the only game in town. We were the most well-known direct marketer in the country. But now there are a lot of good competitors, Lands’ End for example, and smaller catalogers, too. Web sites are growing in number, and there’s been tremendous growth in the U.S. retail industry.