Dayton Hudson to Buy Direct Marketer

Dayton Hudson Corp. said it will pay about $120 million for direct marketer Rivertown Trading Co., a move that will give it access to high-income home shoppers who buy products tied to public broadcasting programs. The department store retailer said it hopes to use Rivertown’s database-marketing expertise if it decides to focus more on sales via catalogs and the Internet. Rivertown is expected to generate about $195 million in sales this year through its Wireless, Signals, Seasons and Circa catalogs. Rivertown’s 400 employees will remain with the company, Dayton Hudson said. Rivertown is a unit of St. Paul, Minn.-based Minnesota Communications Group, which also owns Minnesota Public Radio. Shares of Minneapolis-based Dayton Hudson fell $1 to close at $84.06 on the New York Stock Exchange.