Our annual compilation of the year’s best tactics and tips in the catalog/multichannel business

46. Stay fresh or follow Lillian Vernon and Sharper Image.
With The Sharper Image and Lillian Vernon, once-great merchandisers grew stale by focusing on incremental optimization of SKU mix, maximizing contribution per square inch in the short term. The method lost merchandising flair and excitement over time, and became stale to consumers.
David Solomon, Lazard Middle Market
Valuations & Acquisitions column by Mark Del Franco, “The 5 Cs for Better Gross Margins,”
May, Catalog Success