Database marketing technology provider Harte-Hanks Data Technologies announced last week that it had secured accounts with Gap Inc., San Francisco, and Stage Stores, Houston, a family apparel store chain. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
Harte-Hanks, Billerica, MA, will complete a customer database for two Gap divisions, Banana Republic and the new Gap Online Store (www.gap.com). Stage Stores, Palais Royal and Bealls will use Harte-Hanks' new database for marketing, customer modeling and research.
“The acquisition of these two important accounts shows the acceptance of our database tools into the retail community,” said Ralph Holt, senior vice president at Harte-Hanks.
In other news, Harte-Hanks Communications Inc., San Antonio, announced that its first-quarter 1998 earnings per share increased by 125 percent, to 18 cents vs. 8 cents per share for the first quarter of 1997.
Operating revenues were $177.7 million, a 28.4 percent increase from $138 million for the same period last year. The company also reported that operating income had increased to $19.1 million, from $12.4 million for the 1997 first quarter. Net income nearly tripled, to $14.1 million from $5.9 million for the same period last year.
Also, the number of Internet transactions was up to 1.2 million, a 70 percent increase over first-quarter 1997. Harte-Hanks owns and operates shoppers that are zoned into more than 750 separate editions reaching more than 9 million households in five states every week.
