Paul Barbagallo

Lillian Vernon, the Rye, NY-based gifts and housewares catalog company, was sold to Ripplewood Holdings, a private equity fund, and ZelnickMedia, a media management firm, for $60 million. The deal is expected to be complete by July 31. Founder Lillian Vernon will retain a 5-percent ownership of the company, and will continue in her role as company spokesperson, although she will step out of the day-to-day catalog operations, said David Hochberg, her son and an executive at the company. Hochberg will remain in his position at Lillian Vernon, he told Catalog Success. Ripplewood Holdings, which will own a majority share in the catalog,

By Paul Barbagallo, assistant editor, Target Marketing & Inside Direct Mail The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) unveiled Monday new guidelines regarding the sending of commercial solicitations by e-mail and the posting of Web site privacy policies, a shift in the organization's policy from several years ago. Initially, The DMA deemed it acceptable to prospect to an e-mail address unless its owner has requested otherwise. But the new guidelines prohibit prospecting with non-permission-based e-mail lists. According to The DMA, the new guidelines are part of a continuing effort to promote higher ethical standards among marketers. "Responsible marketers want to build trust with their customers