Hooray For Merchandising!

In its third-quarter report, MSLO touted significant gains in its merchandising division: this segment of the company made $9.6 million this year, compared to $8.9 million the same quarter last year.

The gain is attributed to the following:

+Continued strength in the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's, led by sales in the soft home category (textiles, bedding).

+ The successful launch of the lower price point Martha Stewart Essentials program.

+ Strong performance of the Martha Stewart Living line at The Home Depot, driven by sales of a new carpet program. The cabinets, countertops and hardware program launched in the quarter and a holiday décor assortment began rolling out in early October and have proven to be highly successful thus far.

+ Expanded distribution of Martha Stewart Crafts, including shipments of seasonal Halloween products into Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts, and Stewart's HSN products, which debuted in July.

+ A "robust debut" of Martha Stewart Pets at PetSmart; the line is expected to expand in Spring 2011.

+ Double-digit wholesale sales growth in Chef Emeril Lagasse's core partnerships.

These candy-cane gift boxes with labels and dividers from Martha Stewart Crafts at Michael's are just one example of a multitude of new holiday craft products launched by MSLO this year.

Charles Koppelman, executive chairman and principal executive officer, said, "For the past five years, we have been focused on diversifying and expanding our Merchandising business for long-term growth and we are seeing our efforts bear fruit in this quarter's results. We are applying the same aggressive mindset to our Broadcasting business with our slate of new programming on Hallmark Channel. Broadcasting has been challenging due largely to the remaining run-off results from syndication in the quarter. Our Internet business continues to perform very well and our Publishing business had a solid quarter."