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Ascena Retail Group CEO David Jaffe has pledged to preserve the jobs of 7,500 employees at soon-to-be-shuttered Fashion Bug stores, as well as 600 workers at the headquarters of Charming Shoppes, according to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Ascena, which owns the Dressbarn, Justice and Maurices banners, acquired Charming Shoppes — and its Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherines brands — on June 15. Jaffe said that Ascena is committed for at least three years to the Bensalem, Pa., facility that houses executive and administrative offices for Charming Shoppes. 

Choosing a Web site host is an often overlooked piece of e-commerce strategy. Because it’s such a specialized portion of the e-commerce puzzle, many catalogers are unprepared to make an informed decision regarding Web hosting. Following are tips to help you make the right decision when choosing your Web host or considering a change to your current provider: 1. Understand the distinctions between different hosting options. As the e-commerce business has matured, hosting offers have split into several distinct categories, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. * Shared hosting allows you to share server space with other companies. The host manages the server almost

The new hours of service rules for truckers will influence the loading times at your dock. You will have to build and store pallets in order to get truckers back on the road quickly. —Phil Godden, vice president of process improvement, Fortna, West Reading, Pa.-based consultancy specializing in catalog fulfillment

Sweater snags, off-spec measurements, unglued sock liners in sneakers, moldy wooden toys, and incorrect care, content or country-of-origin labels — poor-quality merchandise can make a cataloger reluctant to buy again from a particular manufacturer or vendor. The quality issue has long plagued merchants, says Doug Easly, national sales and marketing director at Quality Corrections and Inspections (QCI; www.qualitycorrections.com), a Duncansville, PA-based firm that salvages and refurbishes goods for some of the largest catalog companies. What can you do when your goods arrive in less-than-top-quality condition, and how can you ensure that the problem never surfaces again? Easly offers the following

Merchandise: Product-qualityAssurance By Donna Loyle Sweater snags, off-spec measurements, unglued sock liners in sneakers, moldy wooden toys, and incorrect care, content or country-of-origin labels — poor-quality merchandise can make a cataloger reluctant to buy again from a particular manufacturer or vendor. The quality issue has long plagued merchants, says Doug Easly, national sales and marketing director at Quality Corrections and Inspections (QCI; www.qualitycorrections.com), a Duncansville, PA-based firm that salvages and refurbishes goods for some of the largest catalog companies. What can you do when your goods arrive in less-than-top-quality condition, and how can you ensure