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04.05.2012

A federal judge rules Colorado’s online tax law unconstitutional

A Colorado law that required online retailers without a physical presence in the state to inform Colorado customers of their use tax obligations and also report that information to the state’s Department of Revenue has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal court judge.

The Colorado law, passed in 2010 but never enforced, required retailers with $100,000 or more in annual sales to Colorado residents to provide those consumers with a report of their past year’s purchases and notify them of their responsibility to pay use tax—essentially the equivalent of the state sales tax—on those purchases. The law also required the retailers to provide the state with an annual report listing the names, billing addresses, shipping addresses and the total amount of purchases for each of their Colorado customers.

In his ruling late last week, Judge Robert Blackburn, of the U.S. District Court for the district of Colorado, wrote that the Colorado law placed unique burdens on out-of-state retailers and were discriminatory. “The Act and the Regulations [of the Colorado law] directly regulate and discriminate against out-of-state retailers and, therefore, interstate commerce,” wrote Blackburn. His ruling cited a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision from which was born a requirement that states can’t tax online purchases from e-retailers that don’t have a physical presence in those states.

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04.05.2012

Pactiv Facility Closing: Molded Fiber Plant in Griffith, Ind.

In an effort to better serve customers through consolidated and streamlined operations, Pactiv intends to phase out all operations at the Molded Fiber facility in Griffith, Ind. before the end of 2012. All product production and equipment at Griffith will be transferred to other Pactiv facilities based on the needs of customers and the business.

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04.05.2012

Survey ranks the 10 most ‘relevant’ retailers

Amazon.com is America's most relevant retailer, followed by Target, according to Brodeur Partners’ Retail Relevance Top 10 ranking. The study asked shoppers to look at 21 of the nation's top retailers and select the "most" and "least" personally relevant retailer in four specific areas: practicality, values, sensory appeal and social appeal.

"These are four ingredients of relevance that you look for in everything, from a Google search to a product, candidate, cause, or place to shop," said Brodeur Andy Coville, CEO, Brodeur Partners, Boston. "Amazon.com has clearly cracked the code when it comes to being relevant to American shoppers."

It is striking, the company noted, that shoppers gave Amazon.com the highest ranking in the area of practical value considering it has no real-world storefront shoppers can visit.

Target came in second in the relevance ranking largely because shoppers found it the most appealing to the senses.

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04.05.2012

Kirkwood Acquires Nu Graphics Etc.

Kirkwood Holdings has acquired Nu Graphics Etc., an advanced digital print solutions company. Nu Graphics Etc. joins renowned commercial printer Kirkwood Printing (Printing Impressions 2011 Top 400 ranking: #111 with $43 million in sales) and direct marketing communications leader Kirkwood Direct in serving a sophisticated domestic and international clientele. Perrone Group, which is also under Kirkwood Holdings’ umbrella, offers extensive direct marketing expertise to the higher education and nonprofit marketplace.

“The purchase of Nu Graphics Etc. is a growth-based acquisition designed to meet our clients’ rapidly growing demand for high quality variable digital and large format printing,” says Robert Coppinger, president and CEO of Kirkwood Holdings. “We are poised to take Nu Graphics Etc. from a strategic partner to a member of the Kirkwood family, retaining the same exceptional management and services.”

According to Stephan Duncan, president and general manager of Kirkwood Direct, “The acquisition of Nu Graphics is extremely positive and will continue to ensure that our clients receive a full roster of services unmatched by any other company.”

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04.05.2012

Stein Mart, Inc. Reports March 2012 Sales

Stein Mart, Inc. today reported comparable store sales for the five-week period ended March 31, 2012 decreased 0.3 percent. Total sales for the period were $127.5 million, an increase of 0.4 percent from $127.0 million in the same period in 2011.

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04.05.2012

Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports March Sales Results

Costco Wholesale Corporation today reported net sales of $9.13 billion for the month of March, the five weeks ended April 1, 2012, an increase of 10 percent from $8.33 billion during the similar period last year.

For the first thirty-one weeks of its reporting period ended April 1, 2012, the Company reported net sales of $56.34 billion, an increase of 11 percent from $50.79 billion during the similar period last year.

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04.05.2012

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. Announces March Sales

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. today announced comparable store sales for the five weeks ended March 31, 2012 decreased 0.1%. Total sales decreased 0.1% to $254.1 million for the five weeks compared with $254.5 million for the prior year period.

Year-to-date comparable store sales increased 0.3%. Year-to-date total sales increased 0.3% to $453.5 million compared with $452.2 million for the same period last year.

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04.05.2012

Walgreens March Sales Decrease 4.3 Percent

Walgreens had March sales of $6.02 billion, a decrease of 4.3 percent from $6.29 billion for the same month in fiscal 2011.

Total front-end sales increased 2.5 percent compared with the same month in 2011, while comparable store front-end sales increased 1.2 percent. Customer traffic in comparable stores decreased 1.0 percent while basket size increased 2.2 percent.

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04.05.2012

Limited Brands Reports March 2012 Sales

Limited Brands, Inc. reported a comparable store sales increase of 8 percent for the five weeks ended March 31, 2012, compared to the five weeks ended April 2, 2011. The company reported net sales of $840.9 million for the five weeks ended March 31, 2012, compared to net sales of $863.0 million last year.

The company reported a comparable store sales increase of 8 percent for the nine weeks ended March 31, 2012, compared to the nine weeks ended April 2, 2011. The company reported net sales of $1.495 billion for the nine weeks ended March 31, 2012, compared to sales of $1.534 billion last year.

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04.05.2012

Verso Paper Corp. announces price increase

Effective with all orders entered immediately and all orders shipping on or after May 1, 2012, Verso Paper Corp. is increasing the transaction price of all Coated Freesheet, Coated Groundwood and Supercalendered grades.

The increase applies to all Coated Freesheet, Coated Groundwood and Supercalendered grades including but not limited to the following brands: The prices for Influence®, Influence Soft-Gloss®, Velocity® will increase by $1.50/cwt ($30/short ton). The prices for Liberty®, Advocate®, Advocate EHB®, Advocate Roto®, Advocate Roto Hi-Bulk® and Clarity® Plus will increase by $3.00/cwt ($60/short ton).

The increases apply to all grades, basis weights, bulks and finishes.

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04.04.2012

Consumer Confidence Continues to Rise in March, According to Discover U.S. Spending MonitorSM

Consumer confidence rose again in March, spurred by brightening attitudes toward the overall economy and sustained confidence in personal finances. The Discover U.S. Spending Monitor, a 4-year-old daily poll tracking economic confidence and spending intentions of nearly 8,200 consumers throughout the month, climbed 1.6 points to 96.5. The Monitor is at its highest level since October 2007, and has jumped 19.5 points during the past six months.

In March, a quarter of respondents said their personal finances were improving, and 35 percent said that the overall economy is improving – the highest figure since April 2010. At the same time, 50 percent responded that the economy was poor, which is the lowest figure since April 2010.

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04.04.2012

Verso Paper Corp. Announces Completion of Tender Offer for Certain of Its Outstanding Debt

Verso Paper Corp. announced today the completion of the tender offer of two of its subsidiaries, Verso Paper Holdings LLC and Verso Paper Inc. to purchase any and all of the Issuers' outstanding 11.5% senior secured notes due 2014.

The Tender Offer expired at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on April 3, 2012. As previously announced, the Issuers received tenders from the holders of $270,573,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes prior to the early tender payment deadline of March 20, 2012, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, which represented approximately 85.9% of the outstanding Notes. On March 21, 2012, the Issuers accepted for early payment, and paid for, the Notes tendered prior to the Early Tender Date. After the Early Tender Date and prior to the Expiration Date, the Issuers received no additional tenders. The tenders for all Notes received by the Issuers prior to the Expiration Date represented approximately 85.9% of the outstanding Notes. The Issuers intend to redeem the Notes that remain outstanding after completion of the Tender Offer at the applicable redemption price, plus accrued and unpaid interest, on April 30, 2012.

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04.04.2012

B-to-B M&A: What investors are looking for

Mergers and acquisitions are on the rise for b-to-b companies in 2012 as companies look to grow and branch out into new areas. Some of these include the acquisition of TransUnion, a provider of information management and risk management solutions, by Advent International and GS Partners for $3.3 billion and the QuinStreet acquisition of Ziff Davis Enterprise. Merger and acquisition activity for the business-to-business media sector picked up slightly in the first quarter of 2012, with nine transactions at a total value of $63 million vs. only four transactions for a total value of $15 million in the first quarter of 2011.

Notable deals in the most recent quarter included: Briefing Media’s acquisition of UBM’s Medical and Agricultural Divisions for nearly $16 million; Urban Expositions’ acquisition of Airport Concessions, a magazine, tradeshow and data source company serving the airport industry; and Seguin Partner’s CFO Publishing acquisition of Innovation Enterprise Group, a B2B multichannel media brand for finance executives, according to The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI). But what are companies looking for when deciding on whether or not to go forth with a merger or acquisition? John Wickersham, Partner at Atwood Capital Partners; Managing Partner Reed Phillips III from Desilva and Phillips Investment Banking; and Richard Mead, Managing Director, JEGI, offered their input as to what is making mergers and acquisitions more attractive for b-to-b media.

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04.04.2012

Cascades Broadens its Market Presence in Ontario

Cascades Inc., a leader in the recovery and the manufacturing of green packaging and tissue paper products, announces today that its Norampac division has acquired Bird Packaging Limited's converting and storage facilities located in Guelph, Kitchener and Windsor, in Ontario. The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

According to Marc-André Dépin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norampac, “This acquisition is beneficial to Norampac and Cascades as it will allow us to broaden our market reach in Ontario by integrating plants that benefit from an excellent reputation amongst their customers. In addition to a well-established customer base, Bird also has state-of-the-art equipment, a team of skilled people and a vast line of products and services that complement Norampac's product offering”.

This investment is part of Norampac's development strategy which aims at expanding its geographical presence in Ontario and relying on productive assets. Furthermore, Bird's packaging products represent a compelling add-on to Norampac's portfolio and will increase our competitiveness with an improved product offering.

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04.04.2012

USPS expects Senate action on postal bill

Despite Congress's political gridlock, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) expects action on a comprehensive postal bill to address its financial issues on the Senate floor “within the next two weeks,” said Ron Stroman, deputy Postmaster General at the USPS, during the executive briefing session at the National Postal Forum (NPF) in Orlando, Fla.

Stroman singled out Nevada Senator Harry Reid as a major supporter in the USPS's efforts to push the bill to the Senate. “We have a good shot of getting the House to take action,” Stroman said. “If we get that done, we can get to a conference. In that conference I think we can resolve a lot of our differences.”

Stroman identified three issues within Congress that account for the current indecision.

“The Senate tells us we have to move slower. The House tells us we have to move faster,” Stroman said. “Trying to navigate between those two has been a major stumbling block for us.” He added that political consensus is necessary for the USPS to move forward.

The second problem, Stroman said, is that ironically the USPS might not have enough of a financial crisis to spur Congress into action. “All we hear about is: ‘When will you run out of money? At what date? That's when we can get something done,'” Stroman recalled.

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04.04.2012

Oil Falls a Second Day on Supply as Fed May Halt Stimulus

Oil dropped for a second day amid rising crude stockpiles and speculation the Federal Reserve may refrain from more monetary stimulus to boost the U.S. economy.

Futures slipped as much as 1 percent in New York, extending yesterday’s drop. An American Petroleum Institute inventory report after the market closed showed an increase in crude supplies three times larger than analysts expect a separate report from the Energy Department to show later today. Federal Reserve minutes from a March policy meeting showed it plans to hold off from increasing monetary accommodation unless economic expansion falters.

“I don’t think we really have a problem with supply right now,” said Sintje Boie, an analyst at HSH Nordbank in Hamburg who predicts Brent crude will stay at about $120 a barrel until the middle of the year. “We’ll only see oil prices between $130 and $150 if there’s an escalation in the conflict with Iran. But I think we’ll get some kind of diplomatic solution.”

Oil for May delivery declined as much as 99 cents to $103.02 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $103.24 at 11:10 a.m. London time after losing 1.2 percent yesterday.

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04.04.2012

Hearst Magazines Receives Ten Nominations For National Magazine Awards

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) today announced the finalists for the 2012 National Magazine Awards. Known as the Ellies—for the Alexander Calder stabile “Elephant” given to each award winner—the National Magazine Awards will be presented on Thursday, May 3, at the New York Marriott Marquis.

The May 3 gala will include the presentation of the Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame Award to Terry McDonell, who as Editor of the Time Inc. Sports Group oversees Sports Illustrated. The Hall of Fame was established in 1995 by ASME to recognize the editorial achievements and career-long accomplishments of leading journalists and honors distinguished service to the magazine industry. Click here to read the announcement of Mr. McDonell’s election to the Hall of Fame.

New York and The New Yorker Lead 2012 Finalists

The 2012 National Magazine Award finalists include 52 titles in 20 categories. Twenty-six magazines received multiple nominations, led by New York and The New Yorker, both with six.

Magazines receiving multiple nominations include: The Atlantic (3 nominations), Bloomberg Businessweek (3), ESPN The Magazine (2), Esquire (3), Field & Stream (2), Garden & Gun (2), Glamour (2), GQ (5), Harper’s Magazine (3), Interview (2), Los Angeles (2), McSweeney’s Quarterly (2), Men’s Health (2), National Geographic (3), New York (6), The New York Times Magazine (3), The New Yorker (6), Real Simple (3), Rolling Stone (2), Texas Monthly (2), TIME (3), Vanity Fair (2), Virginia Quarterly Review (3), Vogue (2), W (2) and Wired (4).

Group publishers with multiple nominations include: Atlantic Media Company (3 for The Atlantic); Bloomberg L.P. (3 for Bloomberg Businessweek); Bonnier Corporation (4 for Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Saveur); Brant Publications (2 for Interview); Conde Nast (24 for Bon Appetit, Glamour, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue, W and Wired); Emmis Communications (4 for Los Angeles and Texas Monthly); Hearst Magazines (10 for Country Living; Esquire; Good Housekeeping; House Beautiful; Marie Claire; O, The Oprah Magazine; Popular Mechanics and Redbook); National Geographic Society (3 for National Geographic); New York Times Company (3 for The New York Times Magazine); Rodale (3 for Bicycling and Men’s Health); Time Inc. (7 for Real Simple, Sports Illustrated and TIME); and Wenner Media (3 for Men’s Journal and Rolling Stone).

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04.04.2012

HSN Acquires Chasing Fireflies

Crosschannel retailer HSN has acquired upscale children's apparel seller Chasing Fireflies, and will make it a part of the Cornerstone Brands operating segment. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but HSN has said Chasing Fireflies will continue to operate as an independent brand.

Chasing Fireflies was founded in 2006 by former Nordstrom and Celebrate Express executives Dina Alhadeff, Amy Grealish and Lori Liddle, and sells children's apparel, costumes and gifts online and via the Chasing Fireflies and Wishcraft catalogs. The Chasing Fireflies co-founders will continue to run the business and oversee day-to-day operations from their office in Seattle, while working closely with Cornerstone CEO Mark Ethier, HSN said in a press release.

Chasing Fireflies, which won a Silver in the 2010 MCM Awards children's catalog category, did nearly $20 million in business in 2009. Those net sales nearly doubled to $39 million in 2011.

Chasing Fireflies joins Ballard Designs, Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Grandin Road, Improvements, Smith + Noble, The Territory Ahead and TravelSmith as members of the Cornerstone family. Cornerstone distributes more than 300 million catalogs annually, operates eight separate digital sales sites and operates 19 retail and outlet stores.

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04.04.2012

IFS adds Hardcover book technology

Finishing equipment supplier IFS has moved to meet a growing demand for hardback book manufacture by adding Photobook Technology to its vendor arsenal.

IFS has become the exclusive UK supplier for the Swiss manufacturer, which produces equipment for the photobook and prestige publication sector.

The range includes the the Mitafold, which automatically creases, folds and presses sections, ready for turning into lay-flat bookblocks by the Mitamax section glueing machine.

IFS will also supply the Mitabook, a compact, fully automated hardcover casing-in system designed specifically for the short-run sector.

Joint managing director Tony Hards said: "These exciting products offer printers significant growth potential in premium and niche sectors; they are an ideal complement to our range of market-leading finishing solutions for both litho and digital print.

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04.04.2012

US Box packaging market to exceed $36bn by 2016 - report

The demand for US corrugated and paperboard boxes is projected to exceed $36bn (€27bn) in 2016, driven by an economic recovery and expanded food and beverage output, according to a research study.

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04.04.2012

Introducing the New Click-N-Ship

Last week the U.S. Postal Service launched its latest redesign of the popular Click-N-Ship online tool, making it easier and faster for customers to manage and ship their domestic and international packages. Customers using Click-N-Ship will see a cleaner, more streamlined design that reflects the features of usps.com.

“Returning Click-N-Ship customers will experience a new and improved usps.com, while new shippers giving Click-N-Ship a try will find an innovative and smart and super-fast way to ship with the U.S. Postal Service,” said Kelly Sigmon, vice president, Channel Access. “It’s the simpler way to ship and can be found right on your desktop at Click-N-Ship,” she added.

One of the most exciting features of the new and improved Click-N-Ship application is the four-step progress bar that allows customers to easily track where they are in the “Print a Shipping Label” process. There also is an easier-to-navigate home page that provides quick access to the Shipping Cart, and the Shipping History landing page where users can immediately view their labels produced in the previous 30 days, and the new Address Book which can store up to 5,000 addresses.

Customers can also try the new fast path to Priority Mail Flat Rate Shipping and send their packages with fewer clicks. And, the “Ship Again” feature allows customers to recreate labels from their shipping history cutting the number of clicks by more than half.

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04.04.2012

New Plastic Package for PLANTERS Peanuts is Worth the Weight

For Planters, America's favorite snack nut brand, sustainability has been a core part of its business for some time. In order to reduce Planters' impact on the environment through packaging changes, the brand turned to Hartsville, S.C.-based packaging and sustainability leader Sonoco, one of the largest diversified global packaging companies. In conjunction with the launch of the "Naturally Remarkable" campaign in 2011, Planters introduced a completely new plastic package to further its heritage of sustainability.

Given the weight of glass as a packaging material, Planters 16oz. and 20oz. glass peanut jars were candidates for an update. The challenge for Sonoco was developing a lighter package that would not compromise Planters' targets for quality, capacity, clarity and shelf life.

Sonoco responded by delivering a durable, light-weight plastic option that weighted 84 percent less than the original packaging - while still meeting the Planters brand's stringent quality targets. The significant reduction in packaging materials led to several benefits, including a 25 percent reduction in the number of trucks required to transport Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts. Additionally, Planters new plastic packaging is 100 percent recyclable and BPA free.

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04.04.2012

QuadDirect Advances Inline Direct Mail Printing with New Modular Press System for Higher Response Rates and Improved ROI

QuadDirect, a division of Quad/Graphics, Inc. is completing installation of a new “Press-Plus” solution for inline direct mail production that promises higher response rates and improved ROI. Its modular component approach allows clients greater direct mail capabilities and flexibility, while retaining the speed and efficiencies of inline production. The system can be customized to produce more sophisticated direct mail pieces using the latest response-driving ink-jet and finishing techniques. Inline mail sorting helps shorten production cycles and lower costs overall compared to prior systems.

“Our newest press installation redefines inline direct mail printing by building in the newest component capabilities required to produce increasingly personalized, targeted and engaging direct mail promotions,” said Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President & CEO of Quad/Graphics. “This press system reflects Quad’s continuing commitment to innovation, technology and leadership in inline direct mail production.”

Steve Jaeger, President of QuadDirect, added that Quad’s end-to-end inline solutions create finished mail-ready direct marketing pieces in a single, continuous production workflow. “Traditionally the efficiencies of inline production came at the expense of feature and format flexibility,” he said. “With this innovative Press-Plus design solution in our Pewaukee, Wis., location, we are able to customize and configure the press to deliver a much greater range of direct mail formats, features and solutions, while helping control both production and mailing costs.”

Typical applications include press-pasted booklets, self-mailers with single- or double-card applications, self-mailers with unique pocket designs, inline envelope packages with multiple components and much more.

The 12-unit, six-color, double-web offset press configuration is equipped with inline ink-jet, inspection, sorting and mailing technologies. Folding, perfing, cutting and gluing options provide a wider range of page size and page count flexibility. Varnishes and spot colors, UV coating, high-speed label application, and advanced ink-jet addressing and personalization are additional features that give direct marketers even more options in creative design and format execution.

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04.04.2012

52 Magazine Launches, 12 Closures in Q1 2012

2012 started off strong with 52 new titles launched and only 12 folds, according to online database MediaFinder.com. Niche magazines replaced regionals as the most fertile launch category in the first quarter of this year, with new restaurant, hunting & fishing and lifestyle titles hitting newsstands.

While the number of launches fell slightly from the first quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012 (down from 54 to 52), closures fell dramatically. The first three months in 2011 saw 24 closures, while the same period in 2012 only had 12 magazine shutters. Among those titles is Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade and Spa in the consumer sector; b-to-b media lost Pharmaceutical Representative and Heat Treating Progress.

New titles include five DiningOut guides, produced by Pearl Publishing, and four books from J.F. Griffin Publishing in the hunting & fishing category. It’s been a lucrative quarter for lifestyle/luxury titles as well, with Bloomberg Pursuits’ debut and the return of TIME’s Style & Design.

The business-to-business category added eight new titles, including Professional Yacht Broker.

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04.03.2012

RR Donnelley Investment in CoffeeTable Expands Digital Service Offering to Multi-Channel Retailers With Exclusive Marketing Relationship

R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company today announced that it has taken an equity stake in San Francisco-based Real Valuable Corporation, maker of the CoffeeTable iPad catalog shopping app (coffeetable.com). CoffeeTable offers a discovery-based tablet shopping experience for consumers to browse and shop across multiple retailers and provides a comprehensive set of data analytics to help drive retailers' multi-channel marketing strategies.

"This new relationship continues to expand the range of our digital service offering," said Thomas J. Quinlan III, RR Donnelley's President and Chief Executive Officer. "In virtually every customer segment that we serve, we offer a compelling digital service that complements our other capabilities. We serve retailers, catalogers, and other direct response marketers with an array of resources. The addition of CoffeeTable enables us to craft even more extensive end-to-end solutions for our customers."

The catalog industry uses a variety of media for customer acquisition, engagement, and conversion. The CoffeeTable iPad app connects the inspiration of traditional catalogs with the instant gratification of e-commerce. CoffeeTable offers usage data to deliver catalog analytics to aid retailers' channel planning, complementing RR Donnelley's expertise and end-to-end capabilities.

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04.03.2012

Grainger Enters Brazil Through the Aquisition of AnFreixo, a Votorantim Company

Grainger today announced it has acquired 100 percent of the shares of AnFreixo S.A., effective April 2, 2012. With 2011 sales of approximately $37M USD, AnFreixo is a leading broad line distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies in Brazil. The company had been a subsidiary in the Votorantim Group, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Latin America with 2011 revenues in excess of $20B USD. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Moving forward, the company will operate under the name Grainger.

The acquisition of AnFreixo provides Grainger with a solid entry point for physical operations in Brazil, the largest MRO market in Latin America. "We're excited to enter Brazil through the acquisition of AnFreixo," said Mike Pulick, Senior Vice President and President, Grainger International. "Many of Grainger's customers have operations in Brazil and they're looking to Grainger to help them keep their operations running efficiently and keep their employees safe on the job. This acquisition is a great step forward in our continued focus on meeting the needs of businesses throughout the Latin American region."

AnFreixo serves more than 2,000 customers from its distribution center in Sao Paulo and a team of sales professionals. Today, a significant portion of AnFreixo's sales are to affiliates of its parent company, Votorantim Industrial. As part of the transaction, Grainger announced it has entered into a long term supply agreement in which the Votorantim Group will continue to purchase MRO products from AnFreixo.

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04.03.2012

Bloomsbury Announces Acquisition of Fairchild Books

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc ("Bloomsbury") announces that its US subsidiary, Bloomsbury Publishing Inc, has today completed the purchase of Fairchild Books from Fairchild Fashion Media, a unit of Conde Nast, for $6,500,000. The consideration will be paid in cash from existing cash balances in three equal annual installments, commencing at completion.

For the year-ended 31 December 2011, Fairchild Books generated net profit before tax of $706,000 and as at 31 December 2011 had gross assets of $7,567,000.

Fairchild Books, based in New York, is a market-leading publisher of textbooks and educational resources for students of fashion, merchandising, retailing and interior design. It has a strong history dating back to the nineteenth century and a world-class reputation for producing student materials for the fashion and design industries.

The Fairchild Books list is highly complementary to Bloomsbury's existing academic list in the Visual Arts, which was bolstered by the acquisition of Berg Publishers in 2008, the launch of the award-winning Berg Fashion Library www.bergfashionlibrary.com in 2010 and the acquisition of a fashion photography archive in 2011.

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04.03.2012

Oil Drops After Biggest Gain in Six Weeks on Supplies

Oil fell after the biggest gain in six weeks as a forecast for rising supplies in the U.S. signaled demand may be easing in the world’s biggest crude consumer.

Futures slid as much as 0.8 percent in New York. U.S. crude stockpiles probably rose for a second week, to the highest level since August, according to a Bloomberg News survey before an Energy Department report tomorrow. Prices advanced yesterday after U.S. manufacturing in March expanded at a faster pace than estimated. Oil has climbed this year on concern that tension with Iran will disrupt global supplies.

“There’s no immediate shortage of supplies,” said Andrey Kryuchenkov, an analyst at VTB Capital in London, who predicts U.S. oil will struggle to rally beyond $107 a barrel. “Today there’s small-scale profit-taking after last night’s rally. The upside is also limited on demand concerns.”

Oil for May delivery dropped as much as 81 cents to $104.42 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $104.56 at 10:40 a.m. London time. It climbed 2.2 percent yesterday, the most since Feb. 21, to $105.23. Prices are 5.8 percent higher this year.

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04.03.2012

USPS pushes technology to improve services

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) maintains an ongoing push to use better data and technologies to improve services amid digital competition, said Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General and CEO of the USPS, during the keynote at the National Postal Forum in Orlando, Fla., on April 2.

“I don't think we're old school, nor do I think we can afford to be,” Donahoe said. “We need to change and evolve. I think of mail as a data and technology center.” He added that mail, unlike other marketing channels like digital, print and television, is chiefly about driving ROI. “When it's targeted,” he said, “it gets to every household. It is the best way to drive a consumer purchasing decision, the best way to get people to go to the website, and to connect with customers to strengthen brand relations.” In a video presentation on direct mail at the USPS booth at NPF, the agency claimed that 98% of consumers bring mail in every day and that 77% look at their mail immediately.

Because mail is a tactile medium, it is a fundamentally different way of communicating than other channels, Donahoe said. He emphasized that it is important to keep that key differentiator, while at the same time integrating services with other communication channels. He alluded to Apple's continuing work developing smart television sets. “But what if your mail can interact with a smart TV?” Donahoe asked. “What if it can interact with your brand? What if people can manage their mailing information on a smartphone?”

To drive these changes, Donahoe said the USPS is focusing on four key business challenges: strengthening the business-to-consumer channel by promoting to businesses the value consumers see in mail; growing the package business by improving scanning and adding services, such as product returns for retailers; becoming “leaner, faster and smarter” with technologies such as the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB), which enhances tracking information; and improving the customer experience by investing in training and adding new, technology-based capabilities.

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04.03.2012

USPS officially announces gopost pilot

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) officially announced at the National Postal Forum in Orlando, Fla., the pilot program of its gopost parcel delivery and drop-off lockers, which the USPS began implementing in Northern Virginia late last year, said Susan McGowan, senior manager of public relations at the USPS.

The current pilot phase has seven existing lockers throughout Northern Virginia with plans to expand throughout the Washington, D.C., area, McGowan added.

While customers typically have packages delivered either to their homes or their work addresses, gopost, situated in areas with heavy foot traffic, provides a third option. Customers sign up for the service online, decide which gopost location they want to pick up their package, and are given a keycard and PIN to open the locker when the package is delivered. Customers are notified of the package's delivery through text or email.

McGowan added that eBay, the recipient of the USPS' Partnership for Progress award, was particularly excited about the gopost program.

Though an analogous solution exists in Europe, American consumers behave differently, said Paul Vogel, president and CMO at the USPS. The current pilot program, Vogel added, is designed to test American behaviors and measure foot traffic and rotational time to determine the success of the gopost lockers. The USPS is also working on ensuring customers do not simply use the lockers as a storage area.

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04.03.2012

MPA Maps Out Voluntary Metric Guidelines for Tablet Editions

MPA, along with a bevy of C-level consumer magazine executives, released a set of voluntary guidelines to help standardize advertising within tablet editions. Publisher reps from Bonnier, Conde Nast, Forbes, Hearst Magazines, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Meredith and Time Inc. are included in the MPA Tablet Metrics Task Force.

With the help of MPA and input of seven advertising agencies, the Force solidified the following as the first five recommended metrics for quantifying the digital publishing field:

1. Total consumer paid digital issues; 2. The total number of tablet readers per issue; 3. The total number of sessions per issue; 4. The total time spent per reader per issue; 5. The average number of sessions per reader per issue.

These metrics also come with a recommended reporting time: the release of metrics to advertisers 10 weeks from newsstand on-sale dates for monthlies; and a recommendation of seven weeks for weekly publications. These time frames allow for four weeks to collect data, and two weeks to analyze the results.

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04.03.2012

Hearst Magazines to Release Tablet Metrics on Its Paid Digital Copies

Hearst Magazines will start releasing metrics on its paid digital copies, specifically its iPad editions, today announced David Carey, president, Hearst Magazines. These metrics will include total paid copies, total time spent per reader per issue and average number of sessions per reader per issue. Hearst will begin sharing data with advertisers about its total paid copies per month immediately, followed by the other two metrics as soon as possible for those titles that are currently able to track.

With these new metrics, both Hearst and its advertisers will get further insight into the engagement of these purely paid subscribers and single copy readers of the company’s digital editions. As the still-nascent tablet landscape expands, Hearst expects that measurement will increasingly become more stable and accurate, which will enable both publishers and advertisers to learn more about how consumers interact on this medium.

Hearst is following a business model focused on paid digital circulation and is not offering free access to print subscribers. “We believe that consumers are willing to—and do—pay for great content on multiple platforms and, with over 500,000 paid digital subscriptions across our portfolio so far this year, we have seen that play out,” Carey said.

Hearst recently announced that Cosmopolitan surpassed the 100,000 mark for paid digital subscriptions and the company expects to reach or exceed 1 million paid digital subscriptions by the end of 2012.

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04.03.2012

Bright future for forest certification in India

The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) signed an historic agreement today at FSC’s Bonn, Germany headquarters. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between QCI, India’s national quality facilitation and accreditation organization, and FSC, the world’s global standard for responsible forest management, is aimed at promoting responsible forest management in India and facilitating international trade in forest products.

TR Manoharan, FSC’s National Representative in India, sees the MoU as a positive step forward: “Collaboration between QCI and FSC is a significant achievement and this will help to bring the benefits of FSC certification to the fast-growing Indian economy, people and the environment"

The agreement aims to support the development of FSC programs in India by strengthening the credibility of independent third party auditing, providing technical support and training, and fostering the exchange of information between the two organizations.

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04.03.2012

Focus Direct to close S.A. site

Direct-mail company Focus Direct LLC is closing its San Antonio production facility and eliminating 78 jobs.

The terminations are expected to start May 14 and will take no longer than two weeks, according to a letter the company sent to the Texas Workforce Commission last week.

Focus Direct is diverting the work done in San Antonio to larger facilities in Iowa and Virginia, said Fred Lederman, a consultant to the company. Employees in San Antonio can apply to transfer to those facilities, he added.

Focus Direct is part of Iowa's dmh Marketing Partners, a direct-mail company that mails more than 800 million pieces a year, according to dmh's website.

About nine workers in Focus Direct's customer service and data processing may continue on in their jobs for an indefinite period of time at the 108,000-square-foot facility it leases at 9707 Broadway St., near the San Antonio International Airport.

Lederman blamed the plant closing on a combination of factors, including changes in the company's market. Much of its work has centered on mailings for fundraising organizations, which have seen a drop-off in donations since the economic downturn, he explained.

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04.03.2012

Sappi Fine Paper North America's eQ Journal 004: Taking the Guilt Out of Paper Sets the Facts Straight

Sappi Fine Paper North America today announced the release of eQ Journal 004, an in-depth, myth-busting look at sustainable forestry. Grounded in facts and science, this edition of eQ Journal presents how sustainable forestry protects air and water quality, supports biodiversity of plants and wildlife and results in healthier forests.

This edition also challenges the assumption that the best thing for a forest is to leave it in its natural state. It illustrates that in fact, sustainable forest management creates biodiversity in age classes which helps support a wide variety of bird and animal species, as well as the long-term vitality of the forest. To examine the true benefits of a well-managed forest, eQ Journal 004 draws on thought-provoking expertise from Sappi foresters, an academician, a conservationist and a third-generation logger. This edition also shares insights from Hans Wegner, chief sustainability officer of National Geographic Society, regarding how his organization is supporting sustainable forestry.

"As a global leader in the forest products industry, we want consumers to understand the environmental, social and economic benefits of working forests," said Laura Thompson, Ph.D., director of technical marketing and sustainable development, Sappi Fine Paper North America. "Sustainable forest management practices are utilized to help deliver on society's demands for wood products while preserving forest health and biodiversity," added Thompson.

eQ Journal 004 also reveals details about Sappi's best practices at its mills in Cloquet, Minn. and Skowhegan, Maine, including routine visits to harvest sites to ensure plans comply with Best Management Practices- criteria essential to securing chain of custody certification for the company's products. To learn more about sustainable forestry initiatives at Sappi's Cloquet Mill, watch "Taking the Guilt out of Paper."

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04.03.2012

UK paper recycling rate reaches 78.7% in 2011

The rise from 75.1% in 2010 to 78.7% last year ensures that the UK surpasses the target set in the revised ‘European Declaration on Paper Recycling (2011-2015)’ to “maintain current high levels in countries where it already reached levels of above 70%”. However, CPI sounded a note of caution by highlighting that the rise in the recycling rate could be attributed more to a decrease in paper consumption than a signifcant increase in the amount of paper collected for recycling.

Stuart Pohler, CPI Recovered Paper Sector Manager, commented, “Whilst the increase in the recycling rate is welcomed in principle, it is important to qualify the apparent performance improvement. UK collection of used recovered paper in 2011 was just over 8 million tonnes - an increase of 0.4% on 2010 - whereas consumption of paper and board products which entered the UK waste stream reduced by 4.2% compared to 2010. With lower volumes available for collection, and only a modest increase in tonnage collected for recycling from existing sources, ensuring recycling performance is maintained in future will mean additional sources will be required. This will have a significant knock-on effect for cost and quality control for collectors, and may become increasingly difficult if demand from global paper mills falls; further suppressing collectors income”.

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04.03.2012

Ripon Printers Acquires Sells Printing

Ripon Printers, a leading printer of catalogs, publications, manuals and soft-cover educational products, has acquired certain business interests and assets of Sells Printing (New Berlin, WI). The combined annual sales of the two companies total approximately $55 million (Printing Impressions 2011 Top 400 ranking: Ripon - #134, $36.59 million; Sells - #168, $29.1 million).

This acquisition unites two market leaders, bringing greater resources and a broader range of services to both companies’ clients. The name of the combined companies will be Ripon Printers and Andy Lyke, president and CEO of Ripon, will continue serving in that role.

“This is an exciting time for our customers and for Ripon Printers,” Lyke said. “Sells Printing is well respected in the Milwaukee market and beyond. It’s commitment to meeting and exceeding it’s customers’ expectations makes it a perfect match for Ripon Printers. We look forward to continuing this fine tradition—providing customer delight to all of our customers.

“We anticipate the synergy created by the combining of these two companies will create more employment opportunities, particularly at our main plant in Ripon. This is good news for our employees, company and the Ripon community.”

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04.02.2012

UPM’s sale of RFID business to SMARTRAC concluded

UPM's sale of RFID business to SMARTRAC N.V. was completed on 31 March 2012 following clearance by all competent authorities. The RFID business consisting of three companies in Finland, the United States and China, has been transferred to the new owner. The deal was published on 22 December 2011.

UPM will become an indirect shareholder of SMARTRAC with a 10.6 percent economic interest through the company OEP Technologie B.V., a holding company controlled by One Equity Partners and one of the major shareholders of SMARTRAC.

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04.02.2012

Ahlstrom's ownership in Jujo Thermal to increase to 50%

Ahlstrom, a high performance materials company, announces that its ownership in associated company Jujo Thermal Ltd. will increase to 50% from the current 41.7%.

Jujo Thermal has decided to redeem the shares of its minority shareholder Mitsui & Co. Ltd. As a result, Jujo Thermal's remaining shareholders Nippon Paper Group and Ahlstrom Corporation each own 50% of the company. Ahlstrom will continue to include Jujo Thermal's financial figures in its consolidated financial statements as an associated company.

Jujo Thermal is one of the world's leading suppliers of durable direct thermal papers for label, tickets and tags and point-of-sales use. The company is based in Kauttua, Finland.

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04.02.2012

Resolute Reduces Minimum Tender Condition and Extends its Offer for Fibrek to April 11

AbitibiBowater Inc., doing business as Resolute Forest Products, today announced that it has reduced to 59,502,822 shares the minimum tender condition of its offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Fibrek Inc. Presently, 59,502,822 Fibrek shares are committed to Resolute's offer pursuant to the previously disclosed lock-up agreements, representing approximately 45.7% of shares currently outstanding. The Company also announced that it has extended the expiry time of its offer to 11:59 p.m. on April 11.

As of the close of business on March 30, approximately 60.3 million common shares of Fibrek had been deposited to Resolute's offer, representing approximately 46.4% of the currently outstanding shares.

In the event that the cease trade order imposed by the Bureau de décision et de révision (Québec) relating to the special warrants is not in full force and effect at the expiry time, the minimum tender condition will instead be 81,197,780 Fibrek shares. "Special warrants" refers to the Fibrek securities issuable to Mercer International Inc., as disclosed by Fibrek and Mercer on February 10.

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04.02.2012

Crude Declines in New York Amid European Growth

Oil declined in New York as economic contraction in Europe countered signs of growth in the U.S. and China, the world’s largest consumers of crude.

West Texas Intermediate fell as much as 0.6 percent, erasing an earlier gain of 0.5 percent. Euro-region manufacturing contracted for an eighth month in March, London- based Markit Economics said today. China’s Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to a one-year high of 53.1 in March, according to a government report yesterday.

“High oil prices, while superficially benefiting producers, may yet be a curse for the economic recovery,” said Christopher Bellew, a senior broker at Jefferies Bache Ltd. in London, who correctly predicted Brent crude’s rise to more than $120 a barrel this year. “It’s far from clear in which direction the market will break out of this range, but right now it looks as if people are betting on a move lower.”

Oil for May delivery slipped as much as 62 cents to $102.40 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $102.43 at 11:28 a.m. London time. It dropped to $102.13 on March 29, the lowest since Feb. 16. Prices fell 3.8 percent in March.

Brent oil for May settlement fell 48 cents to $122.40 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark contract’s premium to New York-traded WTI was at $19.97, having settled at $19.86 on March 30, the most since Oct. 24.

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04.02.2012

AF&PA Releases 52nd Annual Survey of Paper, Paperboard, and Pulp Capacity

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) today released the 52nd Annual Survey of Paper, Paperboard and Pulp Capacity, reporting that U.S. paper and paperboard capacity decline slowed to 1.4% in 2011 to a level of 89.7 million short tons.

Last year's decrease was smaller than the 3.1% reduction recorded in 2010. Total paper and paperboard capacity is expected to decline 1.0% in 2012 and then register increases of 0.6% and 0.5% in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Containerboard and tissue paper capacity expanded in 2011, while the packaging & industrial convertingand boxboard categories held approximately stable. Newsprint and printing-writing papers registered the largest 2011 capacity declines.

Several mills and machines were removed from the survey base during the 2011-2014 period because they have closed, plan to close, or have been idled for some time with few indications they will be restarted in the near future. However, several new tissue paper machines either started operating or will start operating by 2014, and a new recycled linerboard mill is scheduled to come on line in mid-2013.

The survey reports U.S. industry capacity data for 2011 through 2014 for all major grades of paper, paperboard, and pulp, based on a comprehensive survey of all U.S. pulp and paper mills. Survey respondents represent about 90% of the U.S industry capacity.

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04.02.2012

Euro-Graph Publishes European Mechanical Paper Statistics

Total European shipments of newsprint fell 1.5% vs. Feb 2011 and are down 3.6% year-to-date. Total European shipments of SC-Magazine grades increased 0.9% vs. Feb 2011 and are up 4.7% year-to-date. Total shipments of Coated Mechanical reels fell 2.5% vs. Feb 2011 and are down 0.7% year-to-date. Total European shipments of Uncoated Mechanical (Improved and Others) fell 4.3% and are down 4.0% year-to-date.

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04.02.2012

SCA Achieves First Zero-Waste-To-Landfill Manufacturing Plant in North America

SCA announced its first zero-waste-to-landfill manufacturing plant in North America. The plant, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, manufactures SCA’s Tena line of incontinence products.

The facility, which opened in 1988, had programs in place to recycle about 90 percent of its waste. In 2011, SCA reviewed waste streams left over from its existing programs to find additional efficiencies. In September 2011, the plant implemented plans for the zero-waste-to-landfill program, the company said.

The zero-waste-to-landfill recycling program consists of segregating manufacturing, office, distribution and maintenance waste into three basic categories; combined recyclable materials, compostable materials and engineered fuel.

The zero-waste facility comes as SCA updated its global sustainability targets. SCA said it will reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and from purchased electricity and heating by 20 percent by the year 2020, from 2005 levels, and SCA will increase wind power production on its forest land to 5 TWh by 2020. The company said it will triple production of biofuels from the forests by 2020 from 2010 levels.

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04.02.2012

Flint Group North America Raises Prices on Spot Color Inks, Varnishes and Pressroom Chemistry for the Print Media Market

Flint Group North America has announced an 8% price increase on spot color inks and overprint varnishes used in sheetfed and heatset applications. In addition, they announced price increases of US/CAD$0.75 - $1.25 on press washes used in sheeted and offset web applications. The increases take effect April 1, 2012, subject to existing contracts.

“The global raw material market continues to suffer from an imbalance in supply and demand,” explains Doug Labertew, Vice President, Sheetfed. “This is continuing to drive up costs of key raw materials and oils used to manufacture and deliver inks and pressroom chemicals.”

In 2011, raw material costs were greater than their peak in 2008. This upward trend has continued in 2012, with crude’s rising and volatile cost a key factor. “The cumulative effect of all this cost pressure,” notes Michael Kellen, Business Director, Pressroom Chemicals, “has had a tremendous impact.”

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04.02.2012

Euro-Graph Publishes European Fine Paper Statistics

Total European shipments of Coated Woodfree papers fell 5.3% vs. Feb 2011 and are down 5.8% year-to-date. Total European shipments of Uncoated woodfree papers fell 0.2% vs. Feb 2011 and are down 2.3% year-to-date.

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04.02.2012

Hudson News Takes Minority Stake in Comag

According to several sources, Hudson News president James Cohen is taking a minority stake in Comag Marketing Group.

The deal is effective today and along with his stake in Comag, Cohen will become vice chairman of CMG's board. Michael Korenberg, managing director and vice chairman of the Jim Pattison Group, which bought Comag from Condé Nast and Hearst in January, will remain chairman. Comag president Jay Felts will remain in his position as well.

The deal signals another major shift in the magagzine newsstand supply chain, bringing once disparate players closer together. The Jim Pattison Group already owns wholesaler The News Group and with Cohen's minority buy-in, that puts two wholesalers in much closer proximity with each other and a national distributor—effectively closing the middleman gap.

While the Comag/Pattison arrangement is said to remain operationally separate, there's likely to be some degree of an "opening of the books" between the groups. And now Hudson News appears to be gaining from that arrangement as well.

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04.02.2012

Hearst Corporation Acquires 20% Stake in Stylus Media Group

Hearst Corporation today announced that it has acquired a 20 percent stake in Stylus Media Group, which provides business intelligence to consumer companies. The announcement was made jointly by Frank A. Bennack, Jr., CEO of Hearst Corporation, and Marc Worth, CEO and founder of Stylus. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Stylus tracks consumer behavior and cultural shifts across consumer industries, including automotive, technology, media, retail, fashion and hospitality. Stylus (Stylus.com) is used by design, marketing, branding and business development departments inside companies to stimulate new ideas about consumer products and services.

As part of the agreement, Kenneth A. Bronfin, president of Hearst Interactive Media, will join the Board of Directors of Stylus. The Interactive Media group will manage Hearst’s stake in Stylus as it does with its numerous portfolio businesses.

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04.02.2012

Fry Family Network Member Godengo, Inc. Acquires Texterity

Fry Communications is pleased to announce that Godengo, Inc., the largest provider of content management systems for magazine publishers and a member of the Fry Family Network™, has acquired Texterity, a leading provider of digital magazines, mobile applications, and a virtual newsstand.

“Together Godengo and Texterity will provide a next-generation unified platform for Web, mobile, and app publishing,” said David Fry, Chief Technology Officer of Fry Communications. “This is exactly why we invested in the Fry Family Network™ - to provide the best available technology and services to our customers. The welcome addition of Texterity to the Fry Family Network™ extends the digital publishing options available to our customers, to meet the full spectrum of workflow and functionality requirements.”

“The publishing industry has been looking for a true partner that can meet the full scope of needs in cross-platform digital and mobile integration, and now it has one,” said Peter Stilson, Godengo’s President and CEO, who will lead the combined company as CEO.

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04.02.2012

MM Packaging announces closure of Liverpool plant

Mayr-Melnhof Packaging today announced that it is to close its packaging plant in Liverpool.

In recent years, the team in Liverpool has worked hard to improve the plant’s competitiveness, in order to keep production at the site. However, the economic situation, latest market developments and the demands of MM-Packaging’s customers have finally led to this difficult decision.

The factory in Liverpool has most recently employed a total of 109 employees.

Customers are not affected by this measure as they are now being supplied by other parts of the European MMP production network.

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