 | March 10, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
| Industry Watch |  |  | | - The future of retail through the eyes of a venture capitalist
 A panel of venture capitalists gave attendees at NRF's Innovate 2011 conference a primer on the technologies they should have in their sites right now, including near-field communications that will help merchants personalize the shopping experience based on customers' online and offline behavior and location-based tools such as shopkick that engage with customers the minute they walk in a store. Also, in a short video from the session, Benchmark Capital's Peter Fenton discusses the different strengths Facebook and Twitter bring to the retail mix. NRF Blog (3/9)      - Gap revamps marketing focus to attract new customers
Gap plans to significantly shift its marketing strategy this year in an effort to attract new customers, aiming specifically to appeal to younger and racially diverse consumers, CEO Glenn Murphy said Wednesday. The move marks a change from the apparel retailer's recession-era marketing focus on keeping existing customers coming back. MarketWatch (3/9)  | Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN has unlimited Membership Rewards® points potential:
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  - Ease of online shopping creates new breed of returnaholics
More consumers are apparently engaging in bouts of major online shopping after which they return almost all of their purchases. The trend is driven largely by the ease of online shopping and the free shipping on returns many shopping sites offer. "I think there's a lot more impulse-buying now, because you can just send it back," says Michelle Madhok, CEO of shopping sites SheFinds.com, MomFinds.com and BrideFinds.com. New York Post (3/9) - Christian bookstores diversify in struggle to survive
Like most other retail sectors, the Christian bookstore industry has undergone a wave of consolidation that has resulted in a few large players and a sea of smaller stores struggling to survive. To keep up, many are adding new nonsecular product lines alongside the bibles, crosses and other religious items. The Detroit News (3/9) - Shoppers look for luxury and discounts
The resurgence in sales of high-end items last year in the U.S. reflects shoppers' desire to have luxurious things, even if means buying fewer of them. However, many consumers are acquiring designer goods at discount retailers and e-retail sites, including TJ Maxx and Gilt Groupe. CNNMoney.com (3/9)  | Keep business cards and notes together — Everyone has experienced the frustration of returning from a meeting, trade show,
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 - How retailers can deal with disruptive technologies
Technology will continue to disrupt the way traditional retail works, but merchants can use that to their advantage, said Gartner's Van Baker during a session at NRF's Innovate 2011. Most multichannel shoppers do an increasing amount of product research online, but with the exception of books and music, they still opt to make their purchases in stores. Rapidly shifting trends mean retailers have to be accessible to their shoppers across all channels and consistent in promotions and return policies as well as merchandising and pricing. NRF Blog (3/10)  | Learn how your competitors are changing their POS to boost sales...
...and why you should too! Recent research from Aberdeen reveals surprising shifts in the ways retailers are using Point of Service to enrich customer engagement, leverage business intelligence, and enhance other systems. Download their insightful report - a $399 value - at no cost.. |
 | Retail Technology | | | | - Young women targeted for new social shopping site
Friends can virtually shop together at ShopWithYourFriends, a website launched Wednesday that uses co-browsing technology. The site features clothing from 50 online stores, and retailers can integrate their site with this new social shopping medium. VentureBeat (3/9)
| NRF News | | | | - Wired Magazine founder shares tangible retail lessons from the physical retail world
It often feels like we live in two worlds, the digital and the physical. We have rules that we follow in each; we have behaviors in each. But that's not always going to be the case. In the opening session of NRF's INNOVATE event, Kevin Kelly emphasized the importance of not thinking about digital being separate from the real world. If you can master the "weirdness" of the digital world, Kelly said, you'll have a great advantage in understanding the physical one. Read more. - NRF president challenges retailers to ask "why"
According to NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay, asking "how" and "why" leads retailers down the path to innovation. To kick off NRF's Retail Innovation and Marketing Conference held this week in San Francisco, Shaw opened the event by encouraging retailers to challenge every assumption they have about their business practices. Watch the opening remarks.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Starbucks to open 1,500 stores in China by 2015
 Starbucks detailed aggressive plans to grow in China in the coming years by expanding its store presence to smaller markets outside the major cities. The chain also aims to expand sales with the rollout of its Via instant coffee line in China next month, and the company is establishing a research and development facility in Shanghai to create new tea products for sale in China. China Daily (Beijing) (3/9) - Chipotle workers leave before immigration audits
Some workers at Chipotle's 60 restaurants in Virginia and Washington, D.C., resigned in advance of planned audits of employment documents by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration audits late last year at the chain's stores in Minnesota resulted in 450 firings. "Some people in those restaurants -- although it was very, very few -- decided to sort of opt out at that point or go look for another job. I guess I would suspect that their documents were probably ones that would be suspect," said co-CEO Monty Moran. Reuters (3/8) | Career Track | | | |  | |  | | | | |  |  Senior Buyer, Sports & Outdoors | Amazon.com | Seattle, WA | | 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 | | Sr. Labor/Employment Attorney | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | Product Development Foods Associate | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | National Account Manager | Specialty Store Services | Nationwide, United States | | Senior Marketing Manager, Search Engine Optimization | macys.com | San Francisco, CA | | Manager, Merchandising Initiatives | Total Wine & More | Potomac , MD | | District Sales Manager- Texas & Oklahoma Market | Lakeshore Learning Materials | Houston, TX | | Director of Merchandising | Lakeshore Learning Materials | Carson, CA | | Multi-Channel Strategy Sr. Manager | Deloitte Consulting LLP | Nationwide, United States | | Senior Vice President, Communities & Networks and Executive Director, Shop.org | National Retail Federation | Washington, DC | | Retail Manager | Tri-County Feeds | Marshall, VA | | General Manager, Merchandise | Smithsonian Enterprises | Washington, DC | | | |  | |  |
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