Barneys partners with Lady Gaga for splashy holiday promo

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August 16, 2011 News for the retail industry   Industry Watch    Nordstrom to open boutique-style store in Manhattan Nordstrom's first full-priced store in New York will be a women's boutique whose profits will benefit nonprofit organizations for children. Treasure&Bond, which is set to open on Friday, will be aimed at a younger, hipper consumer than is typical for the upscale department-store chain. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (8/15) Express to open Brooklyn flagship next year Express will open a 10,000-square-foot flagship on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, N.Y., joining other national apparel chains including H&M and Aeropostale that are in the process of opening stores in the newly fashionable downtown Brooklyn area. "On the back of $200 million in public infrastructure improvements, we've been able to attract something like $3.4 billion in new private investment for the downtown area in the last five years," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (8/15), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/16)      Barneys partners with Lady Gaga for splashy holiday promo Barneys will team with flamboyant singer Lady Gaga on a a holiday campaign that will feature Gaga's Workshop in the retailer's famous seasonal windows and transform a floor of the New York City flagship to her interpretation of Santa's Workshop. The Sun (Baltimore)/Reuters (8/15)      Consumers don't see Wal-Mart as low-price leader anymore The recession-era rush to dollar stores, deep-discount chains and online merchants including Amazon has apparently eroded Wal-Mart's reputation as the retailer with the lowest prices, retail consultants and recent surveys show. Wal-Mart has responded to the trend by returning to its roots, reducing the number of "rollbacks" in favor of everyday low prices. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/16)      Other News Lowe's closes 7 stores amid lower-than-expected sales Crain's Chicago Business (8/15) RadioShack names former Ace Hardware executive to CFO post Nasdaq.com/Dow Jones Newswires (8/15) Utilize the Zurich Enterprise Risk Management Healthcheck assessment tool to get a better understanding of your current ERM strategy with recommendations for improvement. Sign up for FREE access today!   Retail trends  Men's luxury accessories are on the rise Luxury department stores including Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman are renovating some stores to add space for accessories and new shoe departments, including upscale men's accessories, a category that's seeing robust growth, said Neiman Marcus specialty retail president Jim Gold. "It used to be more utilitarian. Now men are starting to think of bags from a fashion perspective. They want to make a statement with a briefcase, a cross-body bag, a travel bag, a carry-on to a plane, a duffle." Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (8/15) Consumer confidence feels the ripple effect when spending slows Consumers concerned about their economic futures are saving more and spending less, even when they can afford small splurges, and the ripple effect is likely to be felt among consumers and businesses for the next few years, economists say. Retailers see some rays of hope -- despite consumers' gloomy outlook, retail sales rose in July and, merchants say, eventually people have to replace appliances and other basic items. Los Angeles Times (8/16)      Economic ups and downs bring merchandising challenges Retailers heading into the holidays face great uncertainty when it comes to inventory levels and knowing how much merchandise to stock. In one positive sign, container traffic bringing merchandise in through the nation's ports is headed in the right direction, said NRF Vice President Jonathan Gold. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (8/16)      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.   NRFtech    Retail CIOs share tips on navigating business intelligence Figuring out how to interpret a rising tide of available business intelligence can be complicated, but it's worth it, a panel of retail CIOs told attendees at NRFtech Monday. Investments in business intelligence have paid off in increased understanding of when and how your customers shop online and in stores, said Petco CIO Herman Nell. Retail's BIG Blog (8/15)        Kayak.com's Terry Jones shares tips on forging customer connections Websites and mobile devices have transformed the travel industry, Kayak.com chairman and Travelocity founder Terry Jones said in his keynote address at NRFtech on Monday. Jones shared three tips to help retailers combine new technology with basic common sense to forge better customer connections, starting with asking what your customers want from you. Retail's BIG Blog (8/15)   Five Ways for SMBs to Succeed Using Unified Communications Unified Communications (UC) are communications integrated to optimize business processes. This white paper provides a list of the results that small and medium businesses can achieve by utilizing UC, such as efficiency and effectiveness, reduced costs, increased revenues, and enhanced customer relationships.   Sponsored Content    Hold Tight: 5 Steps To Surviving The Stock Market Rollercoaster Barry Moltz 5 Things To Consider When Choosing A Restaurant Space Carey Jones Waiting In Line? Use These Apps To Maximize Productivity Helen Jane Hearn Are You Pampering Your Customers Enough? Gabor George Burt What You Call Management I Call Ownership Tim Berry   NRF News  Caught on tape: Surveillance shows criminal flash mob looting D.C.-area store An associate working the night shift at a D.C.-area 7-Eleven was rendered helpless as dozens of youths rushed the store and stole merchandise around 2 a.m. on Saturday. Video of the incident shows many of the offenders smiling and laughing before walking out of the store without paying. Area police said this group "clearly had a plan" and that it seemed it was an "orchestrated event." Watch the video.        Lululemon and pixmania.com executives dissect the do's and don'ts of global e-commerce expansion If your company is considering a global e-commerce expansion with multiple new country websites, learn from retailers who have recently been there and done that. During a session at Shop.org's Annual Summit, Sept. 12 to 14 in Boston, executives from lululemon and pixmania.com will share lessons learned from their expansions and introduce custom research focusing on expansion strategy, implementation and results. Learn more.      NRF SmartStat: Aug. 16, 2011 Almost 60% of shoppers say they plan to buy electronics or computer-related equipment for back to school, spending an average of $365. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch   Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  Chipotle to host first food and music festival in Chicago Chipotle will host a daylong festival in Chicago on Oct. 1 that will bring together chefs including Michael Chiarello and Jonathan Waxman, with artisan food and winemakers and popular musical acts, the company said. Cultivate Chicago aims to spark conversation about food and sustainable-food issues. QSRMagazine.com (8/15)      Energy Kitchen expands with low-cal quickservice concept Energy Kitchen has expanded its quickservice menu of under-500-calorie items to South Florida, where the first unit to open outside of New York City recently launched. Former Boston Market regional manager Anthony Leone launched the concept in 2003 and now operates 10 locations in New York. Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)/Miami Herald (8/15)      Position Title Company Name Location Sr. Pricing Analyst Office Depot Boca Raton, FL Loss Prevention Exception Reporting Manager Stein Mart Jacksonville, Florida, FL Applications Manager-Distribution & Transportation PetSmart Phoenix, AZ Senior Project Manager PetSmart Phoenix, AZ Senior Merchandise Planner Navy Exchange Service Command Virginia Beach, VA Merchandise Buyer Kohl's Department Stores Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, WI Sales Associate- Part Time Saks Fifth Avenue Houston, TX Houston Sales Associate Career Days!! Saks Fifth Avenue Houston, TX VP Business Intelligence Army & Air Force Exchange Service Dallas, TX Manager, Help Desk Total Wine & More Potomac, MD Regional Visual Trainer Victoria's Secret Dallas/Houston, TX Sr. Internet Buyer Tween Brands Direct, LLC New Albany, OH Sales Associates, Saks Fifth Avenue Las Vegas Saks Fifth Avenue Las Vegas, NV REGIONAL RECRUITING MANAGER SAKS FIFTH AVENUE TAMPA OR SARASOTA, FL Director of eCommerce Technology Moosejaw Madison Heights, MI Sales & Education Executive Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics Nationwide, United States Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Senior Retail Marketing Advertising Manager Cabela's Sidney, NE Business Services Specialist Headquarters, Marine Corps Community Services Quantico, VA Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  Self-plagiarism is style." --Alfred Hitchcock, American director        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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