Catch up on this week’s industry chatter with these click-worthy links:
- Amid ongoing reports of a possible sale of Avon’s North American business, The Wall Street Journal said Thursday that the company is in talks with Cerberus Capital Management LP(paywall). Terms of any potential deal are unknown, but the company would face one hurdle in the form of an activist investor group, Barington Capital Group LP, which holds a stake of about 3 percent in Avon. In a statement released Thursday, the group claimed the beauty company is undervalued and proposed a restructuring plan in lieu of selling off the North America business.
- As companies like Jamberry, Younique and Ever Skincare wield social media platforms as powerful customer acquisition tools, inquiring minds are weighing social selling’s potential in the fashion category. The Business of Fashion spoke to industry leaders and investors about the strengths and weaknesses of the model and fashion startups dipping their toes in the water.
- The New York Times went behind the scenes at a trunk show for jewelry company Chloe & Isabel for a piece on the growing wave of direct selling activity in big cities.
- Lori Bush joined Rodan + Fields in 2007 as the skincare company pulled out of high-end department stores and implemented a direct selling model. In a cover story for Smart Business, the President and CEO shares lessons learned as she helped to build a salesforce of more than 50,000 and launch the company’s e-commerce platform.
- Marketing-focused outlet The Drum took a look at the untapped potential LinkedIn holds for B2B companies. Chris D’Alessandro, Chief Digital Officer at LegalShield, calls the professional social networking platform a key tool for any organization that needs to get its product in front of the right person at the right company.
