So, you think print catalogues are dead, huh? Just don't say that to Richard Baker, whose Hudson's Bay company shelled out $USD2.4bn last year to acquire the 90 year-old Manhattan icon Saks 5th Avenue.

Canadian hubris aside, this seemed like a very ballsy call to take on a department store in these days when department stores seem so out of favour, even if it's one with such a great pedigree.

Baker didn't just roll out new point-of-sale and change the drapes, though. 

He hired Mark Briggs, a 20-year veteran of store image at Harrods, to launch a range of initiatives including new packaging, re-designed retail spaces and a personal shopping service.

But what caught my eye in particular was their directional change with catalogues.

Instead of the product and price style of previous years, Saks is now turning to content-rich catalogues with contributions by guest editors from Conde Nast and Hearst.

"We do have a more editorial catalog. We're driving a message to engage the customer...The editorial content of those books, their different pace, makes them much more of an experience. Some people will use them as coffee-table books. As we move forward into the next year, they'll get bigger." said Briggs to AdWeek.

I can't wait to see the results!

To read the full story and interview click here