Penney Direct Sales Down in December
J.C. Penney Company reported that total direct sales for the five weeks ended Dec. 31, 2006, including catalog, outlet stores and Internet sales, decreased 1.4% from the same period last year, falling from $417 million in 2005 to $411 million in 2006. But Internet sales alone during the month were 15.2% higher than last year, and store sales were up 4.2% over December 2005 to $2.9 billion.
CEO Steps Down at Lenox
Susan Engel has stepped down as chairwoman and CEO at tabletop and giftware retailer Lenox Group. Marc Pfefferle, a partner at Carl Marks Advisory Group LLC, will take over as interim CEO. Engel cited failure to meet fourth-quarter sales expectations as the reason for her resignation. Lenox sells its Department 56, Lenox, Dansk and Gorham brand products through independent and company-owned stores and through catalogs, direct mail and the Internet.
InfoSpace Names New Execs
Fresh from a restructuring that saw the company reducing its investment in mobile content, InfoSpace has appointed executive vice president Steve Elfman to oversee its mobile business unit. Executive vice president Brian McManus will head the company’s online business unit. InfoSpace has been transitioning out of the mobile entertainment business following the announcement that a major carrier would set up direct relationships with recording labels and has been moving to emphasize its online and mobile businesses.
MIVA Swaps Yahoo! Ads for Google
Search marketing network MIVA will end its pay-per-click ad relationship with Yahoo! and take up with rival Google as of Jan. 27, 2007. The network will place Google ads on the applications and sites managed by its subsidiary, MIVA Direct, which produces white-label toolbar and Web search applications.
JoS. A. Bank Direct Sales Up 20% for December
Combined catalog and Internet sales at JoS. A. Bank Clothiers were up 20% compared to the same month in 2005, the company reported Friday. Total sales for the month increased 12.1% to $102.1 million, compared to $91.1 million in December of last year.
NBC Video Exec Jumps to Google
Micahel Steib, NBC Universal’s general manager of strategic ventures, will join Google to help the company ramp up its video ad sales. A company spokesman said Steib has not been given a title yet but will work under the direction of time Armstrong, Google’s ad sales director.
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