Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports October Sales Results

Subject to Bankruptcy Court approval, a joint venture composed of the holders of the Company's 8.0% Second Lien Secured Notes due 2021 and Great American Group, LLC and Tiger Capital Group, LLC will acquire the inventory and certain other assets of the Company. A hearing by the Bankruptcy Court to approve the sale and wind-down of the Company's operations is scheduled for April 18, 2018. Bill Tracy, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "While we are disappointed by this outcome and tried very hard to identify bidders interested in operating the business as a going concern, we are committed to working constructively with the winning bidder to ensure an orderly wind-down of operations that minimizes the impact of this development on our associates, customers, vendors and the communities we serve. We are incredibly grateful to all of our associates for their dedicated service to Bon-Ton and to our millions of loyal customers who we have had the pleasure to serve as their hometown store for more than 160 years." Click Read More below for additional information.

Hearst - Steven Swartz has issued two statements pledging his company’s commitment to supporting “a fairer and more just society,” which he stated was “a core principle” of the company. In his second memo, he also announced the company’s fundraising initiative to support the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Equal Justice Initiative. In addition to already donating $500,000, the company is pledging to match up to another $500,000 from employee donations. Reader’s Digest Foundation - The Reader’s Digest Foundation is committing $2 million to United Through Reading, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting military families with the experience of shared storytimes. Seeker - Group Nine Media’s science publication is releasing a free educational offering for home education, “Seeker Learning.” In addition to offering access to its library of content, Seeker will open up a dialogue between the brand, teachers and parents looking for specific content.

1. The rate increase. There is no way to get around it or ignore it — perhaps the single biggest topic of conversation at this years’ event was the postal rate increases. 2. Mail is becoming a luxury item. On the heels of the rate changes, many are noting that brands are beginning to see the mail component of their marketing campaigns as more of a luxury line item. 3. Design is critical. While certainly not a new phenomenon, the design of the mail piece is only becoming more critical. 4. Postal discounts are more critical than ever before. Speaking of postal discounts, there are a lot of programs out there that brands and mailers could — and should — be taking advantage of, and those discounts are shifting and changing. 5. Direct mail works. Direct mail is still the single marketing channel that gets the most return on investment of every platform — multiple sessions noted that ROI for direct mail sits at around 40%, which is significantly higher than any other channel.