  | Global retail industry news |  |
- Chains lose "specialness" when they land in fans' backyard
Fans of foreign brands seem to lose some of their brand loyalty when the chains open stores in their hometown, a quirk recently illustrated when popular US apparel chain J.Crew opened its first stores in Canada. "When you wore something special that wasn't readily available in Canada, it communicated your commitment to shopping, your experience in traveling, your good taste," said marketing professor Alan Middleton. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (30 Aug.)       | Achieving Operational Efficiency: Business Solutions for Midsize Companies from SAP
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 - Carrefour reports first-half loss despite sales increase
Carrefour, the French retailing giant, said that it expects a 15% decline in annual operating profit after posting a first-half loss. However, the company's sales increased 2.3%. Carrefour's results were hit by non-recurring charges. "In the first half of 2011, Carrefour managed to grow its sales, driven by emerging markets, but overall results were unsatisfactory, weighed down by a poor performance in France and non-recurring items," said CEO Lars Olofsson. Google/Agence France-Presse (31 Aug.), Bloomberg (31 Aug.), The Guardian (London) (31 Aug.) - UK consumers plan to shift to discounters, survey finds
IGD has released the results of a monthly survey that found about 29% of British consumers are planning to switch from their usual supermarkets to Aldi, Lidl and other discount stores. The shift comes as inflation escalates while the economy remains fragile. "The vast majority of shoppers believe that food inflation is set to increase over the next 12 months," said Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive at IGD. "They are not taking it lying down and instead are prepared to sacrifice some of their time by shopping around at different retail formats, from discounters to frozen food stores, to get the best deals." The Telegraph (London) (01 Sep.)  - Chinese visitors drive boom in Hong Kong's retail sales
Hong Kong is teetering toward its second recession in just a few years, but its retail sector is enjoying a sales boom thank mostly to shoppers from China. Hong Kong's statistics department reported a 25% jump in sales for the first seven months of 2011. Chinese tourists are "a crucial lifeline for Hong Kong's economy," according to Hong Kong-based economist Donna Kwok. "Hong Kong shoppers seem immune to inflation and global financial market turmoil." Bloomberg (31 Aug.) - India's retailers plead to government for safeguards
Representatives of retailers in India have called on the government to protect the interests of small and medium merchants and traditional businesses. The retailers are concerned about how opening up the country's retail sector to foreign-direct investment will affect them. The Hindu (India) (31 Aug.)  - Belle invests in online shoe retailer Yougou.com
Li Xuejun, chief executive officer at the online shoe retailer Yougou.com, said that the firm has received a $200 million investment from Belle International Holdings Limited, one of the top women's shoe merchants in China. The move is part of Belle's plans to increase its online presence. The Business Insider (31 Aug.) - China's 360buy.com has ended partnership with Alipay.com
China's 360buy.com said that Alipay.com's service fees have become too high as it published a notice that its cooperation with the Internet payment service provider has been terminated. The move means that 360buy.com customers can no longer use their Alipay.com accounts to make purchases on the site. ChinaRetailNews.com (31 Aug.)  | Spotlight on Consumer Electronics |  |  | | - Higher Chinese incomes help boost Suning's profit
Suning Appliance reported a 24% surge in quarterly profit. The large Chinese electronics retailer has added outlets to meet increased demand. Suning's rival Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings also recently reported a significant increase in earnings. Bloomberg (30 Aug.) | NRF News | | | | - Study: 3 of 4 consumers avoid registering for new online accounts
If your company is considering required sign-in for online transactions, read a newly-released white paper by Janrain on consumer perception of online registration. While 3 out of 4 consumers take steps to avoid creating new accounts, two-thirds would prefer using their existing social sign-in versus a separate sign-in. These pro-SSI consumers turn out to be valuable customers, indicating that they not only spend more now but also would be more likely to return to and buy at a sign that automatically recognizes them. Read more.
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