Book 'Em, Spiegel

After 10 months of bankruptcy protection, Spiegel Inc. (Downers Grove, Ill.) has said it is overhauling its struggling 99-year old home and apparel catalog.

The Big Book's rebirth will be backed by TV ads for the first time in a decade and aided by a “dream team” of advertisers including model Lauren Hutton.

The revamped 400-page catalog, which features spring 2004 merchandise, will be mailed to more than 3 million consumers starting this week, a million more than received the fall 2003 catalog. As part of the launch, the company will spend nearly $5 million on print, Internet, direct mail and television advertising.

The “new-school” catalog, said to blur the line between catalogs and magazines, will feature a catalog-within-a-catalog from fruit provider Harry & David and will also have tie-ins, for the first time, with Lobster Gram, Sephora, Royal Caribbean, Servicemaster and Women & Co.

The company, which also owns the 500-plus-unit Eddie Bauer apparel chain, has restated that its goal remains to emerge from bankruptcy early this year.