| February 11, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Walgreen plans an ad campaign for store-brand products
On Sunday, Walgreen Co. will introduce its first national advertising campaign for store-brand health and wellness products. The campaign will mark the first time the company promotes its brand beyond a Sunday newspaper circular or an in-store sign. While the campaign will emphasize the affordability of Walgreens products, "it's equally important that we elevate the Walgreens brand and product not just on the basis of lower cost," Chief Marketing Officer Kim Feil said. The New York Times (free registration) (2/10)       - Sources: Blockbuster to seek buyer rather than reorganize
Blockbuster plans to seek a buyer instead of following through on plans to reorganize under a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed last year, sources told the Wall Street Journal. The move comes after the company's creditors disagreed over lending additional funds. The chain could ask the judge to approve a bidding procedure for prospective buyers as early as next week. The Wall Street Journal (2/10)  - '70s minimalism likely to flavor Fashion Week
Retail buyers from Barneys, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom expect to see plenty of refined looks and '70s-style minimalism on the runways at New York Fashion Week. Designers and merchants look to cater to post-recession consumers who are spending again, but with caution and an eye on lasting value. "We will still see a '70s mood with wider pants cuffed and fluid blouses," said Barneys chief merchant Daniella Vitale. "A minimalist mood initiated by (designer French label) Celine still exists." Reuters (2/10) - Former Coach employee's lawsuit raises counterfeiting questions
A former employee who tried to sell a bag bought with her employee discount is suing Coach over a "cease and desist" letter that came with accusations of counterfeiting, threats of a $2 million penalty and the closure of her eBay account. The move raises the question of whether companies can go too far to protect their brands from counterfeiters. Brands have to zealously guard their intellectual property, said NRF's Joe LaRocca, but also recognize consumers' rights to resell their property. "It's a good thing when everyone on the street is carrying your product. You just want to make sure they paid for it." SeattlePI.com/The Associated Press (2/10) - Meet the secret group that decides the color of your shirts
The colors used by fashion designers and trickle down to clothing retailers are decided by an anonymous group of 10 people who gather in secret twice a year to plot the next season's palette. The meetings, conducted in the white-walled offices of color-forecasting company Pantone, generate predictions that fashion insiders say become self-fulfilling prophecies. Designers follow Pantone's reports to ensure that their new lines are full of the coming season's hottest colors. National Public Radio (text and audio) (2/10)  | To become a top-performing distributor, you must:
• Achieve 98% inventory accuracy.
• Reach 95% on-time and complete shipment rates.
• Maintain 12-hour order-to-shipment cycle times.
• Achieve 13% cycle-time reductions from ERP use.
Distributors, how do you stack up against top performers? View the Aberdeen webcast to find out. | - How small retailers can turn iPhones into cash registers
Tiny credit-card readers from Square, Intuit and others give entrepreneurs and small business owners the option of using their iPhones and iPads to more quickly collect payments from customers. One potential glitch: smartphones are vulnerable to hackers, who gain access through malicious software downloads. Bloomberg Businessweek (2/10)  | The Super Bowl isn't the only way to reach 100 million people.
A Super Bowl spot buys 110 million impressions.
Facebook offers 500 million interactions.
Learn the best way to launch a product or service on Facebook.
Download our free white paper. |
 | Policy & Government Affairs |  |  | | |  | - Michigan merchants seek to get rid of state's price-tag law
Retailers in Michigan are required by law to put price tags or stickers on each individual item they're selling, no matter the size. Merchants have fought the law as impractical for a decade, and now it appears the state's lawmakers may act to get rid of it, with the support of new Gov. Rick Snyder. "In today's world of scanners, bar codes and automated inventory systems, we are simply adding an undue burden on retailers and consumers," Snyder said. The Wall Street Journal (2/11)  | Each year U.S businesses spend trillions of dollars on goods and services. Focus Research empowers buyers to spend their budget wisely by offering easily accessible and trustworthy information on vendors that support small and mid-size business operations. Download this free whitepaper that compares leading CRM vendors to ensure you choose what's best for your organization. |
| NRF News | | | | - Creating successful supply chain partnerships
Getting retail supply chain operations right is a challenge for all retailers, and getting things right in 2010 proved especially tricky. According to NRF's Jon Gold, the key to success can often lie in successful and robust partnerships with transportation and service providers. In a recent post on Retail's BIG Blog, Gold shares two 30-second interviews from executives at Kohl's and Charming Shoppes as they talk about successful supply chain partnerships and lessons learned from 2010. Read more. - NRF SmartStat: Feb. 11, 2011
 M-commerce was identified as a top strategic initiative by 69% of retailers for 2011, up from 28% a year ago. Source: Retail Horizons 2011. - Digital retailers, network with us from coast to coast
NRF's digital division, Shop.org, hosts free, retailer-only regional dinners across the country. This month, join other retailers in sunny California, with stops in Palm Desert and Los Angeles. Take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a great meal at a local restaurant and network with other e-commerce executives in your area. Not in California? Check out the full spring schedule for all dates and locations. Register or learn more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Red Robin brings back popular burger with a bold pricing plan
Red Robin is heralding the six-week return of the Prime Chophouse Burger, a limited-time offering that proved popular at a price of $5.99 last year. This time, the chain plans to charge full price -- about $9 -- for the first two weeks, cut the price to $6.99 for two weeks, then raise it again until the end of its run. The Colorado-based chain has been under pressure from its two largest shareholders to improve performance, and may consider buyout offers that would take the company private. BurgerBusiness.com (2/10), Reuters (2/10) - Starbucks' CEO buys into Groupon and takes a seat on the board
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz joined the board of directors of daily-deal site Groupon after his venture capital firm made an investment in the company. Adding the high-profile outsider to its board may be another sign that the biggest of the group-buying sites is gearing up to go public after its highly publicized refusal of Google's $6 billion buyout offer. Schultz has served on several other boards and sits on the board of frozen-yogurt chain Pinkberry. The Seattle Times/The Associated Press (2/10), Reuters (2/10)  | |  | | | | |  |  Vice President - Divisional Merchandise Manager | The Vitamin Shoppe | North Bergen, NJ | | Merchandise Planning and Inventory Management Senior Manager | Kurt Salmon | Multiple Locations, United States | | Product Development and Sourcing Senior Manager | Kurt Salmon | Multiple Locations, United States | | Director of Merchandising | Lakeshore Learning Materials | Carson, CA | | Project Manager, Multi-Channel POS | Sports Authority | Englewood, CO | | Women's Buyer/Category Manager | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | Vice President, Sterling | Sterling Shoes Inc. | VANCOUVER, Canada | | VP of Marketing | Teavana | Atlanta - Buckhead, GA | | Lead Analyst, Paid Search | Target Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | | Senior Manager, Site Planning | Target Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | | Buyer (Consumer Electronics) | Purchasing Power | atlanta, GA | | | |  | |  |
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--Abraham Lincoln,
16th U.S. president  |
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- Wednesday, February 09, 2011
- Tuesday, February 08, 2011
- Monday, February 07, 2011
- Friday, February 04, 2011
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