DM NEWS, 2 March 2009: While the past few months have been punishing for consumer catalogs, business-to-business catalogs are faring better by comparison, a trend one analyst says has held true in past economic crises.
Williams-Sonoma Inc. recently reported that net revenues for the eight-week period ended December 28 dropped 22.6% while comparable store sales decreased 24.2%. The company, which publishes the well-known Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn catalogs is not alone in this malaise. With consumer confidence at record lows, many consumer catalogers are posting dramatic sales declines, making cutbacks and even exiting ancillary businesses.
While b-to-b catalogs, like most today, haven't been untouched by the current economic downturn, the picture from them is slightly different, however.
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