Liberty Media's Malone: B&N stores also are part of the plan

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May 24, 2011 News for the retail industry   Top Story  Tornado kills at least 5 people inside Home Depot One Home Depot associate and at least four others inside the Joplin, Mo., store died when a tornado ripped through town and killed more than 100 people on Sunday. The store sustained substantial damage and will remain closed until further notice, the company said. A Lowe's store that escaped with only minor damage remains open and its parking lot has become a triage area for victims of the storm. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (5/23), Tulsa World (Okla.) (5/24) Maximize Your Business's Potential. Choose the American Express OPEN® Charge Card that's right for your established business. • Purchasing Power • Savings on business expenses • Cash flow flexibility • More rewards American Express OPEN®. Apply Now.   Industry Watch    Steve Madden pays $55 million for shoemaker Topline New York-based footwear retailer Steve Madden has acquired privately held shoemaker Topline Corp. in a $55 million cash deal, the companies said Monday. Bellevue, Wash.-based Topline's brands, including Report, Report Signature and R2 by Report, are sold in specialty and department stores. Fox Business (5/23), Bloomberg Businessweek (5/23) Disney unveils plans to open 40 new stores globally Paul Gainer, senior vice president at Disney Store, said the company is primarily seeking "premier mall locations" as it seeks to add 40 new outlets around the world this year. Previously, Disney has projected that it would open 25 new stores. Since Disney took back the chain in 2008 from the Children's Place Retail Stores, it has been fine-tuning its retail focus. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Developments blog (5/23) Liberty Media's Malone: B&N stores also are part of the plan Liberty Media's $1 billion bid for bookseller Barnes & Noble isn't just about the chain's popular Nook e-reader. The brick-and-mortar bookstores also are important, CEO John Malone told shareholders at a special meeting on Monday. "There will be a physical presence for a long, long time to come. And it will be a profitable physical presence," he said. The Denver Post (5/23) Target employees to vote on union next month The United Food and Commercial Workers wants to organize 5,000 Target employees in 27 New York City-area Target stores. The government will monitor an election June 17 in Valley Stream, N.Y., marking the first time in more than 20 years that Target employees have voted on whether to organize. Some employees have complained about low wages, but Target officials say they offer competitive pay. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (5/23) Charming Shoppes said to be shopping Fashion Bug chain Charming Shoppes is reportedly exploring options for selling its 740-store Fashion Bug chain, which brings in about one-third of the company's annual $2 billion in sales. Charming Shoppes is focusing resources on building sales at Lane Bryant, its more profitable and higher-priced plus-size chain. Bloomberg Businessweek (5/23) Other News Harry & David files reorganization plan, expects to exit bankruptcy this summer American City Business Journals/Phoenix (5/23) Sears taps Coleman chief as president of its tools division Nasdaq.com/Dow Jones Newswires (5/23) Beales adds 19 stores in major expansion deal HousewaresLive.net (5/23) Despite being a backbone enterprise application, Enterprise Resource Planning is often misunderstood. In this guide from Focus, top experts provide their suggestions and recommendations to guide you through your evaluation of the best choices. Unravel the complexities of ERP once and for all to make an informed buying decision by downloading this free white paper.   Retail trends    Men are bargain shopping and eating out less often Research from SymphonyIRI Group found that 44% of men are making efforts to save money, with 35% saying they shop at several stores to find the lowest prices and 54% saying they eat out less often. "Our research shatters the stereotype of clueless men wandering around a grocery store," said an executive. "During the recent recession, men adopted money-saving strategies that point to deliberate and well-thought-out grocery-purchase processes." Supermarket News (5/23) Saks executive: Asian-inspired designs promise luxury retail growth Asian-inspired designs and brands are gaining popularity with U.S., and European luxury consumers and more Asian designers are looking to break into the Western markets, said Eric Jennings, Saks Fifth Avenue vice president and fashion director. Price sensitivity could slow expansion efforts by unknowns, he added. "With the American consumer, if they're not familiar with the brand they are less willing to spend a lot of money for that brand, so it's tough bringing in the new Asian lines when the retail price is so high." Reuters (5/23) Other News Sundek's iconic swimwear makes a high-end comeback Los Angeles Times (5/22) Get the Information That Leads to Higher Sales Learn how a 0.1 percent increase in employee engagement generated more than $100,000 in one store's income when you download the white paper HR and Payroll - Achieving Accountability, Transparency in Retail. A unified HR and payroll system gives you high-quality data you can use to serve customers better.   Retail Technology    New Square software puts cash registers on the iPad An iPad application from the makers of Square aims to help stores and restaurants move more cash-register functions to the Apple tablet. Square Register, which debuted this week, lets merchants track inventory and change prices, and gives restaurants the ability to post menu items and promotions that guests can view on their smartphones. MSNBC/The Associated Press (5/23) Other News Lowe's to hire 300 to support expanding IT infrastructure Retailing Today (free registration) (5/23) Extending the value of the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system and taking full advantage of the extended supply chain is crucial to driving innovation and controlling costs. Download a new white paper entitled "Leveraging the Power of PLM in the Collaboration Age," to understand the importance of involving sourcing teams and strategic suppliers earlier in the design process.   Main Street  As confidence rises, retailers find new things to worry about Big retailers aren't very worried about consumer confidence anymore, according to a study from BDO USA. "They know consumers are spending. The concern now is, 'How do we get our share?,' " said BDO's Doug Hart. Flash sales, private-label lines and online spending appear to be on the rise as retailers shift out of defensive mode. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (5/21) How to compensate all-star employees A well-crafted compensation plan can help a company retain its talented employees as more people look for new opportunities, says Towers Watson's Laurie Bienstock. Finance and human resources execs should team up to develop incentives that are flexible and tailored to employees' needs. Keep in mind that money isn't the only option when it comes to rewarding good performance, Bienstock says: "Find out why they are coming to work and what motivates them once you have them." Business Finance (5/17)   Sponsored Content    Tips To Help Women Business Owners Focus On Growth Karen-Michelle Mirko 5 Ways To Inspire Yourself And Others Jean Chatzky 5 Questions To Ask When Choosing A Social Media Manager Susan Kuchinskas Top 5 Mistakes Small Businesses Make DEBORAH SWEENEY 7 Cyber Security Basics Every Small Business Needs LEE NORIEGA   NRF News  Graduation spending to reach $4 billion this year With almost one-third of Americans giving graduation gifts this year, spending on the holiday is expected to reach $4 billion. According to an NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch, the average celebrant is expected to spend $90 on this year's graduates. The survey also found that while cash remains the most popular gift for graduates in 2011, the number of people planning to give cash is the lowest it has been in the survey's five-year history. Read more. NRF SmartStat: May 24, 2011 Two out of five retailers surveyed are either just developing a mobile strategy or have none at all yet. Source: Shop.org's 2011 State of Retailing Online survey   Home Depot, REI, Southwest Airlines, Under Armour to attend Shop.org's Online Merchandising Workshop Online executives from Home Depot, REI, Southwest Airlines and Under Armour have already reserved their spot at Shop.org's Online Merchandising Workshop. The workshop, which focuses on tactics and best practices for improving online merchandising efforts, will include sessions on cart abandonment, mobile customer experience, and how to leverage video in a meaningful way. Scheduled July 11 to 13 in San Diego, the workshop is limited to 300 retail attendees. See who else is attending. Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  Smashburger signs deals for 63 new units in 7 states Denver-based Smasburger said Monday it has signed five new franchise agreements that will expand the quickservice concept in seven states including Connecticut and New York in the coming years, moving the chain closer to its goal of hitting the 500-store mark. Smashburger currently operates 100 stores in 31 cities, and will open 75 additional locations by the end of the year. American City Business Journals/Denver (5/23) Other News Subway franchisees on the hunt for 2,000 new North American sites this year Display & Design Ideas (5/23) Senior Vice President, Communities & Networks and Executive Director Shop.org Washington, DC Web Project Manager The Wet Seal, INC Foothill Ranch, CA Director of Real Estate Teavana Atlanta, GA Senior Merchandise Planning Administrator Headquarters Marine Corps, MCCS Quantico, VA Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Director of Retail Wisteria Dallas, TX Planogram Specialist AAFES Dallas, TX Retail Planogram Specialist Headquarters Marine Corps, MCCS Quantico, VA Entry Level Culinary Full Time Wegmans Food Markets Bridgewater , NJ Entry Level Culinary Part Time Wegmans Food Markets Ocean , NJ Cook III Full-Time Customer Service Wegmans Food Markets Bridgewater, NJ Director of Talent Acquisition rue21 Warrendale, PA Retail Marketing Manager L.L.BEAN Freeport, ME DVP Real Estate Spirit Halloween Egg Harbor Township, NJ Planner Spencer Gifts Egg Harbor Township, NJ Senior Financial Analyst Art Van Furniture Warren, MI Purchasing Buyer, National Accounts Bed Bath & Beyond Union, NJ   SmartQuote  Men's arguments often prove nothing but their wishes." --Charles Caleb Colton, British cleric, writer and collector   This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com   Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Grab our News Widget Publish your Press Release   Advertise Associate Publisher:  Susan W. 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