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It's back-to-school season, which means another article about Ikea's fall catalog. Since the Swedish furniture retailer's catalog was first introduced in 1951, consumers have eagerly awaited the beautifully designed book/catalog, showcasing the brand's unique and well-designed products.

Sascha Bopp, Crate & Barrel's CEO, has resigned. Sources confirmed that the announcement was made to employees at the end of the business day yesterday. Bopp, 44, has been CEO since spring of 2012. He joined the company in 2009. He was only the third CEO in the Northbrook, Ill.-based retailer's 52-year history. Gordon Segal, who co-founded the company with his wife, Carole, ran it until 2008. He handed the reins to Barbara Turf, a longtime Crate & Barrel executive who joined the original Crate & Barrel store in Old Town as a part-time sales clerk in 1967.

Chic apparel and accessories retailer Tory Burch is leveraging digital channels to fuel its dynamic growth. In addition to its thriving e-commerce business, the retailer has opened company-owned brick-and-mortar stores in growing markets such as Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore, not to mention its wholesale presence in leading department stores such as Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom. Yet there's one constant within all these different channels: a commitment to providing customers the best experience possible.

Experian Marketing Services, a global provider of integrated consumer insights and targeting, data quality and cross-channel marketing, today announced the release of its global holiday email study. The study includes an examination of more than 100,000 email campaigns sent by more than 1,000 brands across 10 markets, including Australia, China, France, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, between October 2012 and the end of December 2012. For many retailers, the holiday season generates the highest amount of revenue.

JOHANNESBURG ( ) - Australian clothing retailer Country Road, a unit of South Africa's Woolworths, will buy local rival Witchery Group in a $181 million deal that broadens its offering in upscale apparel. Witchery Group, which is being sold by by private equity firm Gresham, operates 210 stores under the Witchery brand and 96 bag and jewellery stores under the Mimco brand. Country Road, which is 88 percent-owned by Cape Town-based Woolworths, said on Wednesday it would fund the 172 million Australian dollars deal through debt and equity. It will borrow A$92 million from banks and raise a similar

Coach Inc.'s (COH) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 24% as the maker of high-end leather-goods topped sales expectations and improved its margins. But shares were trading 8.8% lower at $55.25 premarket as Coach described fiscal 2013 as "an investment year" in which it will accelerate the acquisition of domestic-retail operations in key Asian markets, including those in Malaysia and Korea. The stock has fallen 6.2% so far this year through Monday's close. "Our goals remain unchanged," said Chairman and Chief Executive Lew Frankfort. "We're committed to achieving double-digit top- and bottom-line growth over our planning horizon. We have a business