Valuations & Acquisitions: For Smaller Mailers, 2008 Forecast Calls For Pain

The end result sent most mailers into the all-important fourth quarter on unstable footing. There was little testing time to figure out prudent courses of action. Granted, few businesses rely solely on print catalogs these days. But the printed page remains the fuel for the multichannel machine.

Most mailers weren’t very jolly this holiday season, with sales flat or down. Then there’s the economic mess from the mortgage crisis and consumers who’ve overextended credit card debt. And has anybody seen gas prices lately? Couple that with declining home values and things could get ugly.