  | Global retail industry news |  |
| Global Industry Watch |  |  | | - Woolworths to call hardware brand "Masters"
Woolworths, in conjunction with its US-based joint venture partner Lowe's Companies, is preparing for its entry into the home improvement market. The firms plan to open their first Masters store later this year in Melbourne, Australia. Masters will compete directly against Bunnings, the hardware chain owned by Wesfarmers. "With just a few months to go until opening, we're putting the finishing touches to our plans," said Masters CEO Don Stallings. "In years to come, we believe this brand will become a very familiar one for Australian DIY'ers so it was important to choose a strong and simple name that will stand the test of time." The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)/Australian Associated Press (02 May.)      - Kathmandu reports 31.6% surge in sales
Kathmandu, the outdoor goods and camping retailer, reported significant increases in same-store sales and total sales for the 13 weeks that ended May 1. Peter Halkett, CEO at Kathmandu, cited favourable weather conditions and a later-than-usual Easter holiday as helping boost sales. Business Spectator (Australia) (03 May.) | Retail in Europe | | | | - PPR plans to hire bankers to sell retail assets: Francois-Henri Pinault, chief executive officer at PPR, said that the company is taking steps toward selling at least one of its retail assets. "We haven't hired anyone yet," Pinault said. "We will choose an investment bank to work with in the next few weeks." Bloomberg (02 May.)
- McDonald's plans expansion in China
McDonald's, which currently has about 1,300 restaurants in China, is planning to open as many as 200 new stores and hire 50,000 employees in China this year. McDonald's Hamburger University in China is looking to invest CNY250 million over the next few years. The school provides training for would-be managers. ChinaRetailNews.com (03 May.)  | If you post something on your brand's Facebook page your fans see it, right? Wrong. What you don't know about Facebook's post ranking system can hurt your social branding efforts. EdgeRank is the way that Facebook grades the relevancy of your posts to your fans. Cut through the mystery of Facebook's EdgeRank - download the White Paper now. |
 | E-commerce Spotlight | | | | - Report: Social media ad spending to reach $8.3 billion
Spending on social media advertising is forecast to grow from $2.1 billion last year to $8.3 billion in 2015, according to a new report from research firm BIA/Kelsey. The report also calls for social ad spending to reach 21.9% of companies' overall digital marketing budgets. DMNews (02 May.) | Spotlight on Grocery | | | | - Shareholder doubts Tesco's ability to succeed in US
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which is one of the largest shareholders in Tesco, has voiced concerns about the ability of the British retailer to succeed in the US. "I'm not critical, I just think it's difficult to be a new boy," said Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire. "Tesco is God Almighty in England. But you come into Southern California and you have Trader Joe's and Costco - that's tough competition." Tesco CEO Phil Clarke recently said he's committed to improving the retailer's operations in the US. Telegraph (London) (03 May.) | NRF News | | | | - RFID: It's only as good as the associates who know how to use it
The use of RFID in retail can mean improved efficiency in tracking products and increased levels of asset visibility. But do your associates possess working knowledge of RFID technology to apply and evaluate the data? NRF University wired, the NRF Foundation's eLearning platform, now offers an interactive course on RFID essentials, which highlights the technology basics, data sharing, application examples and implementation -- the perfect training for retail associates in IT, finance, operations, engineering or sales. Learn more.
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SmartBrief is proud to announce the launch of our Google Android application, available for download at Android Market. The app extends our promise to keep you informed and save you valuable time every day. Download the app, and tell us what you think. | SmartQuote | | | |  | The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
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