| Global retail industry news |  |
- Waitrose partners with Fine Fare Food to open Bahrain store
Waitrose now has three outlets outside of the UK -- two in the United Arab Emirates and, most recently, one in Bahrain. The newest store is located on the Amwaj Island in the northeast of Bahrain. "Expanding our business into the Middle East supports our long-term growth plans to make the Waitrose brand accessible to more people in more places," said David Morton, director of international development. "We're currently working together to find more suitable locations in the region, with the aim of opening more shops in the Middle East." Telegraph (London) (10 Feb.)       - Harvey Norman's sales down 2% in first half
Australia-based Harvey Norman reported a decline in like-for-like sales during the six months to Dec. 31. However, the retail chain said its market share in televisions grew over the same period. Harvey Norman, which also has operations in New Zealand, Slovenia, Ireland and Northern Ireland, said price deflation in electronics had hindered growth. The Australian/Dow Jones Newswires (11 Feb.)  | The Five Traps of Performance Measurement
Too often senior executives leave measurement to the spreadsheet specialists. To take ownership of performance assessment, argues the author of this Harvard Business Review article, those executives must find qualitative, forward-looking measures that will help them avoid five common traps. Order here. |
 | Retail in Europe |  | | | - Gillis to resign as CEO of Blacks Leisure
Blacks Leisure has struggled to find a buyer and now its CEO, Neil Gillis, has decided to step down. Takeover negotiations were said to have fallen apart between Blacks Leisure and its final bidder, which was believed to have been Home Retail Group. "I have always seen my role with the company as a three-year period of intense activity and I believe that it is right for another individual to lead the business in the final phase of the turnaround programme," Gillis said. The Guardian (London) (10 Feb.) | Retail in Asia | | | | - Chinese tourists splurge on luxury goods in Hong Kong: Chinese visitors celebrated the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong in record numbers, and many splurged on luxury goods such as diamonds and watches. "Per-capita spending on watches in Hong Kong is off the charts," said Aaron Fischer, an analyst at CLSA. Bloomberg (10 Feb.)
| E-commerce Spotlight | | | | - The psychology behind the success of daily-deal sites
Daily-deal sites are succeeding because they're effectively using psychology to sell consumers on the local business bargains they tout, writes David Pogue. Limiting bargains to one per day creates a sense of scarcity and requiring a minimum number of takers for a deal to go through add incentives, he writes. And finally, "There's something about the simple phrase, '$10 for $20 worth of stuff,' that gets you." The New York Times (free registration) (09 Feb.) - Nordstom focuses on customer experience
President Blake Nordstrom of the Nordstrom department store chain said merchants must excel at e-commerce to meet customer expectations, and customers are most interested in their experience at retail. To meet customers' desire for immediacy, Nordstrom employees will start carrying mobile devices so a customer in the dressing room can text the sales clerk for a new size. The employee can than send thank-you notes after each sale. BusinessNewsDaily.com (09 Feb.) | Spotlight on Fashion | | | | - Jaeger plans to open a few stores in Russia
Jaeger, a premium fashion retailer, has teamed up with JamilCo, a luxury brand distributor in Russia, with plans to open two stores in Moscow this spring. Two more stores are planned for Moscow and St. Petersburg for later this year. "The Russian market is dynamic and vibrant, and we look forward to attracting new customers to Jaeger," said Jaeger CEO Belinda Earl. Vogue (10 Feb.) - Kmart creates Fashion Week survival kits
 Kmart is distributing survival kits to influential bloggers and select VIP attendees at New York Fashion Week, marking the chain's first foray into the high-profile style event, which started Thursday. The kits include essentials such as lip balm and breath mints, as well as instructions for tweeting requests for refills and additional items. Mashable (09 Feb.) | NRF News | | | | - Projections for 2020: What will tomorrow's consumer look like?
When thinking about what to expect in retail over the next 10 years, Ira Kalish, director of global economics for Deloitte Research, says it's important to review the past. In a recent BIG Show super session, Kalish highlighted the impact of the global happenings of today on the consumer of tomorrow, as well as the challenges and opportunities retailers will face in 2020. Read more.
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