| Global retail industry news |  |
- Africa's Steinhoff zeros in on Conforama acquisition
Steinhoff International Holdings, the largest furniture maker in Africa, has offered more than €1.5 billion to acquire the Conforama chain from PPR, sources said. Conforama, the second-largest furniture retailer in France, also has been the subject of bids by a couple of other suitors, according to sources. PPR is selling Conforama to concentrate on its luxury-goods unit and sporting-goods division. Bloomberg (08 Dec.)       - KFC seeks to expand in Africa
KFC plans to double the number of its restaurants in Africa to 1,200 in the next four years, said parent Yum! Brands. The chain opened its first KFC in South Africa in 1971 and is branching out to more African countries as governments stabilise and the continent's middle class expands. The Wall Street Journal (07 Dec.)  | This report provides a review and assessment of the strategic innovation options that CPG companies should examine. It also covers the need to develop a coherent innovation strategy across categories and platforms and for alignment with overall corporate strategy: Click here to find out more. |
 | Retail in Europe |  | | | - South Korea's E-Mart Traders aims to compete with Costco
E-Mart Traders is striving to compete against Costco in South Korea by forgoing membership fees, accepting all major credit cards and providing a lively atmosphere. Costco's own-store brand, Kirkland Signature, has been popular with consumers in Korea, prompting Traders to launch products under the Traders brand. The Korea Times (08 Dec.) - AEON Stores: Retailers in China face price controls
The Chinese government has started implementing price controls to battle inflation, said AEON Stores. "The government has started to intervene, especially for those that try to lift prices too high. The government will not allow prices to rise beyond a certain level," the managing director of AEON Stores said. "Since prices have risen quite a bit, in particular for food products, the government measures are a good thing for consumers. China is a huge market but not mature enough, so the measures will be good for the market." Reuters (08 Dec.)  | You're out of the office, meeting with clients and vendors, all while balancing work and life. Sometimes even a laptop just isn't practical. The RUN Powered by ADP® mobile payroll app helps you manage payroll anytime — quickly and easily — from any location. Choose ADP® and get a $300 Apple® Gift Card. |
 - Total online retail sales in China expected to double
Total online retail sales in China are forecast to jump from Rmb253 billion last year to Rmb500 billion this year as the Chinese appetite for online shopping grows. "About two-thirds of Chinese have been online for three years or less, and half for less than two -- and in the past, it has taken about three years for an Internet user to become an online shopper," according to a report by McKinsey. "Assuming that this conversion continues, tens of millions of new e-commerce consumers could be just around the corner." Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (08 Dec.)  | Create a winning social-media strategy
Relying on luck and good intentions when developing your social-media approach can leave you with disparate, ineffective initiatives. Get the data you need to formulate a savvy social-media strategy that produces measurable results. Check out SmartBrief's State of Social Media for Business 2010. |
 | Technology Solutions | | | | - Sephora taps into social media to spur sales
Executives at Sephora used to be reluctant to allow customers to comment on the company's website, concerned that sales would be hurt by negative reviews. After reading discussions about Sephora's products on Facebook and Twitter, however, the executives changed their stances. Consumers often recommended Sephora's products on the social media sites, prompting orders. Sephora is working to bring that discussion to its site. Bloomberg (09 Dec.) | Spotlight on Consumer Electronics | | | | - Contrast in Kesa chains' performances may prompt breakup speculation
Comet, the UK consumer-electronics retailer owned by Kesa, struggled with difficult trading conditions, widening losses over the first half of the company's financial year. Darty, a French consumer-electronics chain owned by Kesa, has enjoyed a 16% increase in profits in the six months to the end of October. The contrasting performances are expected to prompt increased speculation that a breakup at Kesa is on the horizon. Telegraph (London) (08 Dec.) | NRF News | | | | - What's hot in retail (and at NRF)
Holiday sales weren't the only thing on retailers' minds throughout the month of November, but they certainly were high on the list. Other noteworthy topics last month included NRF's analysis on how the midterm elections will impact retail, a holiday Q-and-A with Macy's Terry Lundgren, and a plethora of holiday consumer trend data on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. View a complete list of the most popular resources and articles in retail for the month of November. Read more.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | If you will just start with the idea that this is a hard world, it will all be much simpler."
--Louis D. Brandeis,
US Supreme Court justice  |
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