College students search shops for signature dorm-room looks

Reading this on a mobile device? Try our optimized mobile version here: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ddzeCaiGapCawvwwCidarfCicNtMvL

August 22, 2011 News for the retail industry   Industry Watch    J.C. Penney lets Pershing Square take bigger stake J.C. Penney has eased a restriction put in place last year to prevent the department store chain's largest shareholder, Pershing Square Capital Management, from taking a larger equity stake. Pershing's manager William Ackman plans to employ a strategy using the derivatives market that will give him a larger piece of the company without increasing his shares or voting power. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/20)      3 Albertsons stores in Texas are purchased by H-E-B Three Albertsons stores in Texas were acquired by H.E. Butt Grocery. The transaction is expected to be finalized in October. The store in Kerrville will become an H-E-B, but those in New Braunfels and College Station are close to recently opened H-E-B stores and so will be used to attract other retailers. American City Business Journals/San Antonio (8/19)      Q-and-A: Massage Envy COO Dave Crisalli With 680 stores in 43 states, Massage Envy Franchising is now the largest employer of licensed massage therapists in the world. A focus on the brand's culture and an emphasis on selecting the right people are the driving forces behind the company's growth, says president and COO Dave Crisalli. STORES magazine (8/2011)        Other News Apple aggressively fights NYC knockoff stores Reuters (8/18)      Esprit explores options for selling U.S., Canadian stores China Daily (Beijing) (8/20)      Your customers move fast. Can your POS keep up? Today's shoppers are fully connected, highly informed, omni-channel and fast — and they expect nothing less of you! Learn how mobility can meet their demands by enabling richer engagement, instant information, seamless service and enhanced functionality. This new RTP White Paper explains your options and opportunities. Get your free copy now!   Retail trends    College students search shops for signature dorm-room looks High school graduates heading off to college are no longer content with milk crates and castoffs to decorate their dorm rooms, a fact more merchants are catching onto. Crate & Barrel's CB2 stores cater to the college crowd, as does the PB Dorm brand at Pottery Barn. College students are expected to spend an average of $96.94 to outfit their dorm rooms, up from $80.06 last year, NRF says. The Washington Post (8/19)      Retailers and restaurants raise prices as labor costs go up A second-quarter survey by Barlow Research Associates found that 53% of retailers and restaurants with annual sales of $10 million to $500 million raised prices in the past year, as unit-labor costs for nonfarm businesses increased 1.3%. Also, 61% said they plan to raise prices in the next year. "This is an early sign that even with high unemployment, labor costs are starting to pick up, giving companies an incentive to raise prices," an economist said. San Francisco Chronicle/Bloomberg (8/20)      Survey: Creating an online brand experience is key More than 40% of consumers now say they won't buy a product if they can't first find information to answer their questions about it online, and the percentage jumps to more than half when it comes to big-ticket items such as cars and computers, according to a new survey of 4,000 consumers in five global markets. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (8/19)      Other News Shoppers keep spending for big back-to-school Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (8/20)      Networking for a dynamic infrastructure: getting it right. Organizations are turning to virtualization and consolidation of server and storage resources to help improve efficiency and performance in the data center. Read this paper to see how a holistic approach to network planning and design can deliver optimal value for your dynamic IT infrastructure.   Retail Technology    Grocery industry embraces mobile Retailers and technology companies are looking for ways to capture consumer interest in smartphone use, offering mobile applications that create shopping lists, find deals, allow comparison shopping and let shoppers scan items. "There's no question that supermarkets, and their suppliers, are going to start something in mobile," said an official with consultancy BDO. The Tampa Tribune (Fla.) (8/12)      White Paper: The Sustainability Advantage in CPG — Accelerating Success with Eco-Design. Learn how CPG manufacturers, private label providers and retailers can gain valuable time and a competitive edge by developing and executing a cohesive sustainability strategy across the enterprise, leveraging PLM. Download it now.   Hot Topics  Top five news stories selected by NRF SmartBrief readers in the past week. How Nordstrom built a legacy based on customer service (San Francisco Chronicle) Abercrombie offers to pay "Jersey Shore" stars to not wear brand (The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)) Lowe's closes 7 stores amid lower-than-expected sales (Crain's Chicago Business) Barneys partners with Lady Gaga for splashy holiday promo (The Sun (Baltimore)) Anthropologie becomes bellwether for parent Urban Outfitters (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.   Sponsored Content    Now's The Time To Put Your Money Into Online Business Ventures IRENE ABAD What 56,000 Money-Saving Ideas From Uncle Sam Can Teach You Kate Lister How To Transform Your B2B Website Into A Customer Magnet Ivana Taylor How I Launched My Crowdfunding Campaign Shira Levine 5 Great Non-Technical (And Free) Ways To Improve Your Website Rohit Bhargava Most Popular Headlines from Last Week 7 Body Language Mistakes To Avoid Mike Michalowicz 7 Tips For Beating Fear And Becoming A Stellar Public Speaker James Clear The 2 Magic Words That'll Make You A Social Media Superstar Andy Beal Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.   NRF News  Barnes & Noble, OnlineShoes.com tackle cohesive multichannel strategy These days, the blended channel is the only channel. Recognizing how digital technologies influence purchases across all channels is the key to success. In an upcoming Shop.org Annual Summit session, executives from Barnes & Noble and OnlineShoes.com will share how they modified their operating models to blend the channels and maximize sales. The Shop.org Annual Summit will be held Sept. 12 to 14 in Boston. Learn more.      NRF SmartStat: Aug. 22, 2011 In 2010, annual retail industry profitability rose above 3% for the first time since 2007. Source: NRF's Retail Industry Indicators.        Maximize your career through NRF's LinkedIn group More than 5,000 people have joined NRF's LinkedIn group to network with peers, post discussions, find solution providers, and connect with retail recruiters. If you're on LinkedIn, join the NRF group to catapult your connections to a new level. View the group.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  How Naked Pizza used Twitter to excite investors New Orleans-based restaurant chain Naked Pizza says it has had about 8,000 investment inquiries in the past year and a half via online measures such as Twitter, where the owners post funny, food-industry-related tweets each day. The idea, the owners say, is not to drum up business using their feed. "The intent is more about starting a conversation in which like minds will engage," said co-owner Robbie Vitrano. "Some of those like minds, it turns out, are investors." The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/22)      Yogurt chains boost sales with self-service concepts Frozen-yogurt shops are boosting sales with self-service concepts that charge by the ounce and encourage customers to get creative with portions and toppings. DIY shops put consumers in control and cut overhead costs, according to chains including TCBY and Yogurtini. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/22)      Other News Panera's biggest franchisee to add 35 stores in Ohio, Canada The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) (8/19)      Position Title Company Name Location Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Forman Mills Pennsauken, NJ Marketing Director Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco, CA Merchandise Planner Kohl's Department Stores Menomonee Falls, WI Assistant Buyer Kohl's Department Store Menomonee Falls, WI SALES ASSOCIATE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NAPLES, FL San Antonio Sales Associate Career Days! Saks Fifth Avenue San Antonio, TX IT Business Analyst - eComm / Internet Marketing Academy Sports & Outdoors Katy, TX Senior Merchandise Planner Navy Exchange Service Command Virginia Beach, VA Senior Wine Buyer Total Wine & More Potomac, MD Merchandise Buyer Kohl's Department Stores Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, WI Applications Manager-Distribution & Transportation PetSmart Phoenix, AZ Senior Project Manager PetSmart Phoenix, AZ Regional Visual Trainer Victoria's Secret Dallas/Houston, TX Sr. Internet Buyer Tween Brands Direct, LLC New Albany, OH Director of eCommerce Technology Moosejaw Madison Heights, MI Loss Prevention Exception Reporting Manager Stein Mart Jacksonville, Florida, FL Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  Action is the antidote to despair." --Joan Baez, American musician        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. Kim (202) 407-7877 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Jackie Basso (202) 407-7871       Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues: Friday, August 19, 2011 Thursday, August 18, 2011 Wednesday, August 17, 2011 Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Monday, August 15, 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