Firecrown Media Acquires Railroad Fan Magazines From Kalmbach Media (mediapost.com)

Sur La Table is slashing its store footprint as it seeks to prosper under new ownership. The nearly 50-year-old, upscale kitchenware retailer said it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after considering the "rationalization of its national store footprint and “certain store closures to prosper in the current retail environment.” On its FAQ page, the privately held Sur La Table said it has decided to close over 50 of its 121 stores (see list at end of article). Great American Group LLC and Tiger Capital Group LLC will conduct the liquidation sales, which are expected to last eight to 12 weeks. “We have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reduce the company’s expenses and recover from the financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis,” the company stated on its FAQ page.

A summary of results for the third quarter ended October 30, 2021 as compared to the third quarter ended October 31, 2020: *Net sales of $905 million, up 10% as compared to last year and up 5% as compared to pre-COVID 2019 third quarter net sales. *Digital net sales of $413 million increased 8% as compared to last year and increased 55% as compared to pre-COVID 2019 third quarter digital net sales. *Gross profit rate of 63.7%, down approximately 30 basis points as compared to last year and up approximately 360 basis points as compared to 2019. The year-over-year decline is driven by approximately 300 basis points of higher average unit cost from freight inflation and efforts to offset supply chain issues, almost fully offset by higher average unit retail on lower promotions. *Operating income of $73 million and $79 million on a reported and adjusted non-GAAP basis, respectively, as compared to operating income of $59 million and $65 million last year, on a reported and adjusted non-GAAP basis, respectively.

Savvas Learning Company, a next-generation K-12 learning solutions leader, today announced the acquisition of Pointful Education, a provider of innovative, online career and technical education (CTE) courses that prepare students with the industry knowledge and skills needed for future careers. Specializing in career-focused courses and certification exam preparation for middle and high school students, Pointful Education offers a wide range of virtual and blended learning solutions that engage students in career exploration and prepare them for the workforce. Its robust catalog features 55 courses that are aligned with nationally recognized career clusters. The courses offer engaging instructional design packed with interactives, videos, projects, language translations, and text-to-speech functionality.