STRICTLY BUSINESS: SPENDING IN CATALOGS INCREASES BY DOUBLE-DIGITS

Consumer catalog revenues are expected to rise 12 to 14 percent, to an estimated $76 billion in 1994, and Sears Roebuck & Co. wants to be back in on the action.

Sears has re-entered the catalog market with four new speciality books -- Workwear, a men's catalog; Big & Tall, large-size men's clothing; My Team, offering athletic apparel; and Leather Connection, selling leather garments and accessories.

Sears, which earlier re-entered the catalog markets through a licensing agreement with cataloger Hanover Direct, is also testing eight other specialty catalogs, which brings its total number of speciality catalogs to 21, helping to fill the void of its money-losing "Big Book," which was discontinued more than a year ago.

The Hanover Direct agreement permits Sears merchandise to be offered through three current catalogs -- Show Place, Great Kitchens and Beautiful Style -- and the two companies are also testing six other specialty catalog concepts this year.

As time-conscious consumers look for more convenient shopping alternatives, catalog companies are striving to offer faster delivery, better service and prices competitive to retail, said Maxwell Sroge, president of Maxwell Sroge Co., a catalog consulting company headquartered at Evansville, Ill.

Casual apparel, says Sroge, is doing well, as evidenced by double-digit sales gains during the first half of the year -- Spiegel (27 percent), Lands' End (19 percent), Talbot's (19 percent) and J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (13 percent) -- but overall, total catalog apparel volume is off about 5 percent.

The overall drop is due primarily to the exit of Sears' Big Book from the catalog business last year.

It was in January 1993 Sears announced it would discontinue its "Big Book." Sears, which produced its first general merchandise catalog in 1896, published its final "Big Book" for the spring 1993, claiming that the U.S. catalog operation had after-tax losses ranging from $135 million to $175 million during the years of 1990 through 1992.

Sears was founded in 1886 by Richard Sears as a watch sales and repair service. Seven years later Sears expanded into general merchandise, and in 1896 Sears produced its first general merchandise catalog. Sears was the No. 1 retailer in the nation for 98 years, to 1991 when it fell behind Wal-Mart.

Penney's and Fingerhut Cos. have filled the gap left by the demise of the Sears Big Book, which had generated annual revenues of about $3.3 billion.

The "Top 10" catalog marketers sold more than $11.4 billion worth of merchandise, according to the Sroge company, which compiled a catalog research report for Advertising Age, a weekly newspaper of marketing.

Penney's led the 1993 list with catalog sales of $3.5 billion, and was followed by the Fingerhut Co., with $1.6 billion, and Spiegel, with $1.5 billion.

Rounding out the Top 10 in catalog revenue were: The Limited, $916 million; Lands' End, $860 million; Hanover Direct, $642 million; L.L. Bean, $745 million; J. Crew, $625 million; Blair Corp., $520 million; and Chadwicks, $420 million.

There are hundreds of catalog companies, and with the Christmas season near, consumers can expect their mailboxes to fill up over the next month, with offerings of everything from jewelry to educational toys and wrinkle-free clothing to exercise equipment.

New on the business scene

GORDONVILLE -- Becky's Fashions & Gifts recently opened at Gordonville.

The business, just north of the Route 25-Route K intersection, also includes "Sun-U-Buns," a tanning salon.

"We offer a wide selection of clothing and gift items, including accessories, purses and jewelry," said Becky Henley, owner of the two new businesses.

Henley served as secretary for Prairie Farm Dairy four years before opening her businesses.

"I was involved with home shows for clothing the past year," she said.

Hours for the businesses are Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Rainbow Cleaning Systems Sales and Service recently opened in Cape Girardeau, at 837 N. Kingshighway.

Marge Mattingly of Poplar Bluff, owner-distributor of the new business, has been working in the Cape Girardeau area selling Rainbow vacuums for seven years.

"The Rainbow business merits a Cape Girardeau office," said Mattingly, who will move to the Cape Girardeau.

A sales force of six to 15 people will eventually work out of the local office, which will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Elsewhere:

SIKESTON -- The Family Dollar Store opened here recently.

The new business is in the Mid-Towner Village Shopping Center.

Norm Braunschweig, district manager of the Family Dollar Store, and Jim Cabell, regional director for the group, were on hand for ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

SIKESTON -- Construction is under way on a 14,400-square-foot building that will house Sikeston's Fashion Bug and Fashion Bug Plus.

The new store will be at 1303 S. Main St.

Charming Shoppes Inc., headquartered at Bethlehem, Pa., operates more than 1,400 Fashion Bug and Fashion Bug Plus stores.

POPLAR BLUFF -- Cheryl Withers, a teacher in Memphis, Tenn., for 15 years, has been named director of the Poplar Bluff Community Development Corp.

Withers was a volunteer with the Beale Street Development Corp. at Memphis in 1990, and helped salvage that area, which has become a downtown Memphis tourist attraction.

PERRYVILLE -- Brewer Insurance Services has opened at Perryville.

Helen Brewer, owner of the new company, has more than 20 years experienced in the insurance field.

PERRYVILLE -- Five Perryville employers conducted their second "job fair" last week.

Gilster-Mary Lee, Perry County Nursing Home, TNT Plastics, Solar Press and Manpower Temporary Services conducted the second job fair at the Econo Lodge at Ozora, 13 miles north of Perryville alongside Interstate 55.

The purpose of the fair was to provide information about the companies and take job applications.

The same group conducted a job fair at Carbondale, Ill., in October.

Perryville, with an unemployment rate of less than 4 percent, has a shortage of workers.

Spartech completes a purchase

Spartech Corp. announced this week it had completed its purchase of Pawnee Industries Inc. Extrusion and Color Divisions.

"This purchase is of strategic importance in strengthening our national rigid sheet and rollstock group, Spartech Plastics, while also enhancing the capabilities within our Spartech Compounding segment," said Brad Buechler, president and chief executive officer.

The St. Louis-based Spartech has two large operations in Cape Girardeau -- Spartech Plastics at 2500 Spartech Drive and Spartech Compounding on Nash Road.

Pawnee's two rigid sheet and rollstock plants, in Paulding, Ohio, and Wichita, Kan., will operate as Spartech Plastics facilities, expanding the group to 10 extrusion plants. Pawnee Color, based at Goddard, Kan., will adopt the Spartech Compounding banner.

Spartech, says Buechler, now has total annual production capacity of more than 450 million pounds, with projected annual sales over the next 12 months of about $325 million.