 | April 12, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Sears remakes its cosmetic departments
Sears is expanding its makeup counters and adding new cosmetic brands to its offerings at 100 stores, building on a successful test of expanded makeup counters in 13 stores last year. In addition to brands including L'Oreal, Maybelline and Essie, the expanded offerings will feature skin-care lines and fragrances, as well as on-site beauty advisers. Crain's Chicago Business (4/11)       - Wal-Mart campaign touts more items and low prices
Wal-Mart Stores, reversing a strategy that involved reducing the number of items in stores, is heralding the return of those items in a campaign called "It's Back." Store signs starting in May will highlight the return of items such as fabric and fishing gear, and store managers are being encouraged to highlight low prices compared with other retailers. The Wall Street Journal (4/11) - Virginia city to benefit from J. Crew's global expansion plans
J. Crew is planning a $20 million expansion to a facility in Lynchburg, Va., to feed new international markets. The apparel chain, which plans to open its first store outside the U.S. and start shipping orders to Europe this year, expects to create about 175 permanent jobs with the expansion. J. Crew opened its distribution center in Lynchburg in 1986 and today employs about 1,300 workers there. The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) (4/11) - Amazon tops Forbes' list of fastest-growing retailers
Citing Amazon's 219% increase in sales between 2006 and 2010, Forbes ranked the online merchant the fastest-growing retailer. Amazon and Netflix are the only online-only merchants to make the list, which also includes teen-apparel chain Rue 21 and consumer electronics retailer HHGregg. Forbes (4/11) - Amazon to launch lower-priced ad-supported Kindle e-reader: Amazon plans to launch a Kindle e-reader that sells for $114, $25 less than the lowest-priced version of the popular gadget, but there's a tradeoff. Users of the new Kindle with Special Offers will view advertising on the homepage as they're choosing which digital books to read. General Motor Co.'s Buick brand, Procter & Gamble Co.'s Olay line and Visa Inc. are in line to be the first Kindle advertisers, Amazon said Monday. The Wall Street Journal (4/12), Bloomberg (4/12), MocoNews.net (4/11)
 | Facebook eCommerce Success: 3 Best Practices
Getting the most from Facebook investments continues to be a leading business concern. Learn how and why a combination of tools — both on-site and off — achieves the greatest impact and optimal user experience. Click here to download the free whitepaper | - Ports beef up radiation inspections of goods from Japan
Federal agents have increased radiation inspections on ships bringing goods from Japan to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Since March 18, inspectors have flagged three vessels and 1,800 containers for further inspection, but all were eventually cleared and released, authorities say. April imports at the ports are expected to rise 8.2% above March levels, according to NRF figures, but imports of high-tech goods and cars from Japan are expected to decrease in the coming months as the country's factories struggle to recover from earthquake and tsunami damage and power outages. Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.) (4/11) - Luxury merchants likely to continue their lead in the recovery
Luxury retailers including Saks and Neiman Marcus were among the first to recover as wealthier consumers started shopping again, and signs point to them continuing to lead in the recovery. Higher-income consumers suffered more psychological than financial damage during the downturn, experts say, and a strong stock market has provided a powerful boost. "The strength of our business -- luxury -- is typically tied to how our customers feel about their personal financial situations. The financial markets are a good barometer of this," said Saks spokeswoman Julia Bentley. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (4/11) - Fashionistas find in-home trunk shows appealing
Companies including Carlisle, Doncaster and Worth are finding favor with time-crunched style-conscious women who see the appeal of home-based personal shoppers. Consultants set up weeklong trunk shows in their homes and take smaller selections to their customers' homes, keeping detailed records of what customers buy in order to help them update looks in later seasons. "We keep track of what you bought so this spring we have tops for the bottom you bought last year," said Kathleen McGhee, a director at the Worth Collection. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (4/12)  | Akamai - The Right Partner with the Right Solution
Are you failing to to satisfy user expectations for an outstanding online shopping experience? Do you need to accelerate your dynamic content? Do you strive to be a retailer that pushes the envelope with site technology and offerings? Learn why the Akamai Dynamic Site Accelerator is the right solution for those issues and more. |
 - Customers are like elephants -- they never forget
Chris Dagger says he was surprised when customers swarmed into his new coffee shop. Just one problem: Most of them remembered the diner that had previously occupied the space, and they came in looking for burgers and fries. So when Dagger opened a second location about an hour away, he reached out through newspaper ads and social media to explain what customers could expect. The new shop is "already receiving more daily customers than our first location and there's no confusion over what we're about," he says. BNET/Owners Only blog (4/11)  | At OD, we may be in shipping, but your business is our business. No matter what you ship - Domestic, Expedited or Global - it's a promise to a customer. And we'll help you keep it, with an on-time record and claims ratio that are among the industry's best. Learn more at odpromises.com. |
| NRF News |  | | | - UPS president offers insights on how retailers can grow
During a session at NRF's Global Supply Chain Summit, UPS Americas President Romaine Seguin shared tips for retailers on growing their companies after the recession. One of her tips: Go where the customers are. "If you're only selling in [the U.S.], you're missing out on 95% of this world's customers," she said. Read more. - Retail container traffic to rise 9% in April
Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to be up 9% in April over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report. "There are challenges ahead from rising prices for gasoline and other essentials, but inventories are under control and retailers are optimistic," said NRF Vice President Jonathan Gold. Read more. - With enhanced technology, retailers and FBI renew efforts to combat retail crime
NRF, in conjunction with the Food Marketing Institute and the Retail Industry Leaders Association, has announced a plan to launch an enhanced version of the Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Network, a secure national database that allows retailers to share information to combat organized retail crime. The new system, called LERPnet 2.0, will be developed and managed by the ISO Crime Analytics unit of Verisk Analytics. Read more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - More U.S. chains bet on success in India
 Denny's, Pollo Tropical, Applebee's and Johnny Rockets are among the latest crop of U.S. casual and fast-casual chains counting India as a key market for future growth, a country that has proven successful for early entrants including McDonald's and Yum! Brands. Restaurant brands seeking success in India face a few hurdles, including ownership laws that require them to sign Indian partners and a largely vegetarian population that means tweaking the menus. The Sun (Baltimore)/Reuters (4/11)  | |  | | | | |  |  Internal IT Auditor II | Dollar General | Goodlettsville, TN | | Senior Manager, Retail Operations | Total Wine | Potomac, MD | | Vice President of Supply Chain & Replenishment | Total Wine | Potomac, MD | | Director of Campaign Analysis | Chico's FAS, Inc. | Fort Myers, FL | | Retail Store Manager | Kitty Hawk Kites/Kitty Hawk Surf Company | Rodanthe, NC | | Flagship Store Manager | MacKenzie-Childs | New York, NY | | Assistant Buyer | Headquarters Marine Corps/MWR & Business Operations | Quantico, VA | | Business Analyst-Merchandising | Headquarters Marine Corps/MWR & Business Operations | Quantico, VA | | Fixtures & Equipment Project Manager | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Sr. Manager Recruiting | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Senior Corporate Internal Auditor | PetSmart, Inc. | Phoenix, AZ | | Divisional Merchandise Manager- 2 positions available/Softlines and Consumables | Headquarters Marine Corps, MWR & Business Operations | Quantico, VA | | Learning Solutions Manager - Southeast Region | Petsmart, Inc | Multiple Locations, United States | | Learning Solutions Manager - Northeast Region | Petsmart, Inc | Multiple Locations, United States | | Senior Marketing Manager | Stage Stores, Inc. | Houston, TX | | Director of Customer Loyalty | Aeropostale | New York, NY | | Energy Manager | Tractor Supply Company | Brentwood, TN | | Inventory Manager | Tractor Supply Company | Brentwood, TN | | Marketing Manager Coupon Team | Target | Minneapolis, MN | | Senior Manager, Site Planning | Target | 55402, MN | | Business Process Consultant Target.com | Target | Minneapolis, MN | | | |  | |  |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | To do two things at once is to do neither."
--Publilius Syrus,
Latin maxim writer  |
| | This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com
| | | | | | | | | Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues: - Monday, April 11, 2011
- Friday, April 08, 2011
- Thursday, April 07, 2011
- Wednesday, April 06, 2011
- Tuesday, April 05, 2011
| | | Lead Editor: Megan Conniff
Contributing Editor: Faye Rapoport
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
The average Easter shopper will spend nearly $20 on gifts this year. Source: 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please comment thoughtfully CPG Brokers, your best resource to optimize your in store self exposure and maximize sku distribution.