| Global retail industry news |  | | |  | - New chief plans to expand Woolworths across Africa, online
Ian Moir, who has just taken the reins at South Africa's Woolworths Holdings, is planning to sell a wider variety of products online and expand into more African countries. "We are considering where we are with our Africa strategy," Moir said. "In the longer term Africa will be a very important market for us. It does take time to get to critical mass, but unless you make the commitment now you will not achieve that." Moir previously spent a decade as chief executive officer of the company's Australian division. Bloomberg (18 Nov.)       |  |  | | Free Webinar: "The Playbook for a Global Facebook Strategy"
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 - Retail sales in UK are up as consumers spend on games, gear
Retail sales in the UK rose 0.5% in October compared with September, according to the Office for National Statistics. "Looking ahead to November and December we should probably see at least the same pace maintained as people are spending ahead of the VAT hike," said Hetal Mehta, an economist at Daiwa Capital Markets Europe. Growth in retail sales will slow "in the longer term as householders are incredibly constrained and heavily indebted. Discretionary expenditure will be kept to a minimum." Bloomberg Businessweek (18 Nov.) , The Guardian (London) (18 Nov.) - Karstadt's recovery runs ahead of schedule
Karstadt is getting help from Germany's economic recovery, according to Thomas Fox, the retailer's managing director. Germany's retail federation recently said it is expecting the holiday season to be the sector's best in five years. Meanwhile, several German retailers, including Takko, are on the block. Metro has also indicated that it is willing to sell Kaufhof as it is not seen as a core business. Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (17 Nov.) - US fashion retailer Forever 21 to open London outlet
Forever 21 has acquired the lease on a large store on Oxford Street in London from HMV for almost £14 million. The American fashion chain plans to open its first store in London next year. Forever 21 has locations in Birmingham and Dublin, and is striving to develop 100 stores across Britain. The Independent (London) (18 Nov.)  | Sell smart and boost revenue. Find out how better sales intelligence can help put your sales organization on top. LexisNexis® can help you gather the business intelligence you need to support your selling process, find better leads, close more deals, and grow your business. Click here to learn more. |
 - Best Buy aims to help Chinese retail industry
Best Buy plans to invest CNY1 million next year to establish a research programme on retail-management technologies in China. The effort is part of a broader agreement with the China Chain Store & Franchise Association in Nanjing. Best Buy has agreed to create an education and training fund for the retail industry in China. ChinaRetailNews.com (19 Nov.)  | Xerox® ColorQube® solid ink printers, starting at $699.
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 - Gap plans to open store in Santiago, Chile
Gap is planning its first foray into South America through a franchise deal with Komex. The company, which also includes the brands Old Navy and Banana Republic, will open a Gap store in Santiago next year. Gap has been expanding its reach over the past year, having recently opened stores in China and preparing to open its first location in Italy. Reuters (17 Nov.)  | Gain Control of Your Most Expensive Resource
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 | E-commerce Spotlight |  | | | - Alibaba.com seeks to enhance security, assess merchants
Alibaba.com, an e-commerce operator, is striving to bolster revenue by improving the security of its site and the quality capabilities of merchants on the site. Intertek, a London-based solutions provider, will assess Alibaba's online merchants and help the company deal with quality issues. "More than 74.5% of online buyers don't believe the information given by the suppliers," said Peng Yijie, vice president of Alibaba.com. People's Daily (China)/China Daily (17 Nov.) | Spotlight on Fashion | | | | - Arcadia is cautious about outlook as sales growth cools
UK fashion retailer Arcadia Group, which is owned by billionaire Philip Green, said same-store sales growth in its home market has slowed from 1.3% in the year that ended 28 Aug. to 1% in the first 11 weeks of its new fiscal year. Green said he plans to expand Arcadia this year. The company has more than 3,000 owned and franchised stores in dozens of countries. Bloomberg (18 Nov.) | NRF News | | | | - Online holiday shoppers' 2 magic words? Free shipping
Online consumers have signaled that free shipping offers -- both outbound and return -- are a big draw this holiday season. Based on the findings from this year's eHoliday survey, Shop.org Head of Research Fiona Swerdlow details exactly what consumers are looking for when it comes to shipping deals and how retailers are altering their strategy accordingly. Read more.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | A house that does not have one warm, comfy chair in it is soulless."
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American poet and novelist  |
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