 | November 18, 2010 | News for the retail industry |  |  | | - Retailers focus on capturing larger share of customers
Retailers may be more focused on competing for customers than significantly changing consumers' shopping patterns this holiday season. Chains including Wal-Mart have ramped up free-shipping offers to compete with Amazon, and J.C. Penney is hoping its exclusive apparel lines will rival those of competitors Macy's and Kohl's. "We knew the consumer was not going to help us much this year; we had to create our own growth," said Penney CEO Mike Ullman. Reuters (11/17)       - Macy's CEO: 4 things customers seek this season
 Macy's customers are budget-conscious and seeking fashion, newness, quality and value in their holiday purchases this year, said Chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren in this wide-ranging interview with NRF's Ellen Davis. Lundgren also shares his thoughts on the state of department stores in general, the success of his company's "My Macy's" strategy and the aura of wonder that surrounds the annual Thanksgiving Day parade. NRF Blog (11/18) - Cheap and chic work for Target's bottom line
Target released its third-quarter results, showing net income of $535 million, compared with $436 million in 2009. Net income was up 22.6%, because of changes in its credit card and debit card business and growth in the food category. "We're encouraged by recent signs in the broader economy that may signal somewhat stronger and more stable sales in the coming months," said Target President and CEO Gregg Steinhafel. TMCNet.com/The Associated Press (11/17) , The Wall Street Journal (11/18) - Chico's quiet transformation pays off
Women's apparel retailer Chico's hit maturity three years ago and quietly began making changes in its quest to remain profitable and fight the impression that its clothing was too dowdy for today's women. The company, which also operates White House/Black Market and SOMA Intimates, increased its focus on higher-margin jewelry and accessories and instructed designers to create more form-fitting fashions, moves that have paid off in higher sales and profits. BNET/Style Inc. blog (11/17) - Howard Lester, former Williams-Sonoma chairman and CEO, dies at 75
Howard Lester, the executive credited with transforming Williams-Sonoma from a struggling luxury kitchenware retailer into a $3.4 billion company, died Monday at age 75. Lester had two successful software companies under his belt when he met Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams in the mid-1970s. Lester paid $100,000 for the company in 1978, and eventually added new brands including Pottery Barn and West Elm. The Wall Street Journal (11/18)  | Get key demographic and market facts about any location in the U.S. on the go with the Business Analyst Online app. Download the free app now and instantly evaluate an area on-site. | - Small merchants do Black Friday their own way
Small shops and boutiques can't compete with big chains when it comes to Black Friday "doorbusters," and most don't even try. A number of Atlanta independents have carved out their own traditions to officially kick off the shopping season, from midmorning coffee and brownies to adding personal touches such as calling or e-mailing their best customers in advance with alerts on the weekend's sales. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (free registration) (11/17) - Shoppers head online to research Black Friday deals
Consumers aren't waiting until the last minute to plan their Black Friday buys, and merchants are meeting them online with advance details on "doorbusters." Dozens of websites tracking Black Friday deals are seeing increased traffic, as shoppers research upcoming bargains such as $100 Nook e-readers at Best Buy and 40-inch HDTVs for under $300 at Target. The Wall Street Journal (11/18)  | In "How The Vitamin Shoppe Answered the Inventory Question," Tony Truesdale (President & Chief Merchant) and Jason Scheffer (Director of Inventory) discuss how the company quickly raised turn & in-stocks while also reducing working capital needs prior to The Vitamin Shoppe's successful IPO in October '09 — the first retailer to do so in almost two years. | - Best Buy adds free-shipping offers
Best Buy said this week it plans to offer free shipping on hundreds of thousands of items through Dec. 21. Target and Wal-Mart have launched similar offers, as the mainstream merchants ramp up the competition with Amazon.com. The Wall Street Journal (11/17)  | Durable Data Security: Tokenization vs E2EE. How can you stop chasing the moving target of PCI compliance and secure your cardholder data once and for all? This new 14-page White Paper from Retail TouchPoints compares the pros and cons of today's two leading approaches, to help you decide which one will work best in your retail organization. Download your copy now! | - Make it safe for employees to fail -- once
To push a company forward, workers must be able to experiment without fear, writes Jay Steinfeld, founder of Blinds.com. Let employees know that mistakes are expected, and publicly praise them for trying new things -- even when those things don't work out. After a failure, follow up with a coaching session, making sure the tone is neither angry nor sarcastic. Follow up is critical, because "repeating the same mistake cannot be tolerated," Steinfeld writes. BNET/No-Nonsense Boss blog (11/10) - 5 areas where you should be teaching your workers
Turning workers into true professionals takes more than just teaching them the finer points of their job functions, according to Mark Healy. The best leaders also pass along their knowledge of the industry, ethics, career management and leadership itself. All that teaching won't happen overnight, but "carving out time for teaching is part of your job," Healy writes. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (11/16)  | There is one major thing that is holding retailers back from fully utilizing their software packages: simplicity. Learn why it's time to deliver next-gen user interfaces that will bring the consumer Web user experience to the retail enterprise, making systems easy and fun to use, bringing the store to headquarters every day, and putting merchants and vendors effectively in the same room. |
| NRF News |  | | | - NRF survey: Black Friday weekend to see 138 million shoppers
Up to 138 million Americans plan to shop Black Friday weekend this year (Friday, Saturday or Sunday), up from 134 million who planned to do so last year, according to a new NRF survey. The survey also found that retailers are putting special emphasis this year on using their websites to drive store traffic with more than half of retailers sending a special Black Friday e-mail and one-third of companies using their home pages to promote Black Friday deals. Read more. - New consumption tax proposal would cost nation hundreds of thousands of jobs
A proposal by the Bipartisan Policy Center to implement a "debt reduction sales tax" covering items from groceries to new homes and health care would result in massive job losses and prolong the nation's economic downturn, according to NRF. "A tax of this magnitude would throw away hundreds of thousands of jobs at a time when our economy is still struggling to recover," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. Read more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - "Undercover Boss" to feature Subway executive
Subway will be all over the TV on Sunday, with ads tied to football running on NBC and Fox and chief development officer Don Fertman starring in the newest episode of CBS' "Undercover Boss." Fertman, a 29-year employee, said the experience working side by side with sandwich store employees yielded new best practices that he plans to share with the entire company in the coming days. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (11/17)  | |  | | The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
Are you just giving profit away?
Recently, I was about to buy towels at a large chain store. The associate then informed me that the towels were going to be 20% off in a few days. To my surprise, he also said that "If you buy them today, I can credit you the money and send you a check for the difference." When is a pricing tactic profitable, and when are you just giving profit away? Read on.
Interested in learning more about advertising in NRF SmartBrief? Contact Susan W. Kim at (202) 407-7877 or skim@smartbrief.com.  | |  | |  |
| Career Track | | | |  | |  | | | | | | |  |  Senior Executive Assistant | Chico's FAS Inc., | Fort Myers, FL | | Product Marketing Manager | RPI | Seattle, WA | | Manager, Web Merchandising Intelligence | Kohl's Corporate Offices | Menomonee Falls, WI | | Buyer | Art Van Furniture | Warren, MI | | Merchandise Planner | Kohl's Corporate Offices | Milwaukee, WI | | Director of E-Commerce | The Wet Seal, INC | Foothill Ranch, CA | | VP of Marketing | Teavana | Atlanta - Buckhead, GA | | Director of Display Advertising - ProFlowers, RedEnvelope and Shari's Berries | RedEnvelope / ProFlowers | San Diego, CA | | Director of Field Construction | Rent-A-Center | Plano, TX | | Associate Merchandise Manager, RedEnvelope | RedEnvelope | San Diego, CA | | Manager, Home Office Human Resources (Recruitment & Employee Relations) | Follett Higher Education Group | Oak Brook, IL | | Senior Planner - Toys | Walmart | Bentonville, AR | | Director Supply Chain Systems and Business Alignment | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Systems Analyst-Labor Applications | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Senior Product Development Analyst | The TJX Companies, Inc. | Framingham, MA | | Director of Marketing and Licensing | Spencer Gifts | Egg Harbor Township, NJ | | Director, Strategic Communications and Campaign | Universal Technical Institute Inc. | Phoenix, AZ | | Retail Marketing Director | OfficeMax, Inc | Naperville, IL | | Senior Ecommerce Manager | Expedia | Seattle, WA | | Assistant Category Manager - Reader's Market | Sears | Hoffman Estates, IL | | Business Process Analyst | QVC | West Chester, PA | | | |  | |  | |
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The average amount of each gift card purchased this holiday season is $41.48, up from $39.80 in 2009. Source: 
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