Chief Marketer Staff

• Sears Sells Credit and Financial Products Business to Citigroup for $32 Billion

  Sears, Roebuck and Co. has reached an agreement to sell its Credit and Financial Products business to Citigroup for $32 billion. The boards of directors

• Short Cuts

  Patriot Communications LLC, a telecommunications service provider in Culver City, CA, has formed a new division to specialize in customer-relationship

• Sales, Consumer Volume Slip for Catalog and Online Merchants: Abacus

  Consumer catalog and online spending dipped from $19.3 billion in 2001 to $19 billion in 2002, according to the spring 2003 trend report on catalog activity

• Coca-Cola Says Feds Are Investigating

  Coca-Cola revealed last week that a federal prosecutor has begun investigating accusations by a former employee that the soda pop giant had tampered with

• Illinois Sets Rules for Unsolicited E-Mail

  E-mail marketers face new restrictions when targeting consumers based in Illinois: According to a new law, all e-mail must contain a toll-free telephone

• USPS Sponsorships Draw Flack from Inspector General

  The United States Postal Service is drawing criticism for mismanaging millions of dollars in sports sponsorships. The USPS spent $48 million on sports

• Agencies

  Yoo-Hoo Heads Back to School with The Simpsons

  To many kids it seems like summer has just started, but Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink this week kicks off its Back 2 School with The Simpsons Sweepstakes. From

• Sears Sells Credit and Financial Products Business to Citigroup for $32 Billion

  Sears, Roebuck and Co. has reached an agreement to sell its Credit and Financial Products business to Citigroup for $32 billion. The boards of directors

• Worldata Manages Pocket PC Magazine File

  Worldata has been tapped to manage the 105,015-name Pocket PC magazine list. The file is priced at $170 per thousand. Pocket PC magazine is a paid circulation

• List and Database News

  Strategic Leadership Forum Through the Strategic Leadership Forum, the 12,054 U.S. members of the International Society for Strategic Management receive