Scotts, TerraCycle settle lawsuit
Scotts Co. and TerraCycle, a small vermicompost manufacturer, have agreed to settle a legal dispute regarding false advertising claims and trade dress infringement. According to a statement from Scotts, TerraCycle agreed to change certain advertising claims and its package design, and Scotts agreed to dismiss the lawsuit. TerraCycle will also shut down suedbyscotts.com, a Web site the company set up initially disputing Scotts' claims. Advertising Age (subscription required) reported that legal costs were beginning to weigh down TerraCycle, which is struggling with its school-based bottle collection and recycling program. Students collect used soda bottles that the company uses to package its product. The program has been enormously successful, resulting in surplus packaging and increasing costs for the company. TerraCycle is launching a new, modified program to deal with the problem.

Economist sees 'challenging' holiday season
Nat.'l Retail Federation predicts holiday sales will rise 4% this year to $474.5 billion, below the 10-year average of 4.8%. It would represent the slowest holiday sales growth since 2002, when sales rose 1.3%. "Retailers are in for a somewhat challenging holiday season as consumers are faced with numerous economic obstacles," said NRF chief economist Rosalind Wells. "With the weak housing market and current credit crunch, consumers will be forced to be more prudent with their holiday spending."

Retailers' e-mail marketing efforts improve
Retailers are getting better at e-mail marketing, according to Silverpop's 2007 Retail E-mail Marketing Study. The e-mail service provider found a dramatic increase in the number of companies requesting nothing more than an e-mail address to register for updates. In 2005, only 37% requested just an e-mail address, compared to 61% in 2007. With more e-mail programs blocking images, the popular postcard-style layout has fallen from favor. In 2005, 44% of e-mails reviewed by Silverpop were postcard-style. This year, 26% were postcard-style, 30% were designed like letters or newsletters and 19% featured a single pane of text and art with rows or columns below.

George Little Management acquired by dmg
Dmg world media announced last week that it has taken full ownership of George Little Management (GLM). GLM manages many major gift shows including the California Gift Show, New York International Gift Fair and Vancouver Gift Show. Dmg also announced plans to sell its 40 consumer home shows.

Gift and Home Channel makes online debut
Gift and Home Channel, an online community for independent retailers, launched last week with a series of short video segments. More than 200 episodes are available discussing a range of topics including customer service, visual merchandising, accounting basics and electronic marketing. Much of the content comes from other successful retailers. Retailers must sign up for a free membership to access content on the Gift and Home Channel.

Christmas tree growers form eco-alliance
Holiday Tree Farms Inc. of Corvallis, Ore., and Yule Tree Farms of Canby, Ore., have formed the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers. The group will promote the importance of live trees and sound growing practices. The coalition also introduced a grower certification program that will be audited by an independent party. The program will evaluate growers on erosion control/soil conservation, integrated pest management and tributary protection.

New $5 bill unveiled
A new, more secure $5 bill will enter circulation in early 2008. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing released details about the new design last week. The new note features two watermarks: a large number 5 located to the right of Lincoln's portrait and a column of three smaller 5s positioned to the left of the portrait. The bill's embedded security thread is now located to the right of the president's portrait. The thread glows blue when held under ultraviolet light. Free education materials are available to help train cash handlers. See what the new bill looks like here and here.

View from a blog
Fashion in Bloom report: Newest Knock Out unveiled. Open Register.

Worth a visit
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