Japan's Uniqlo strives to gain global fan base

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24 October 2011 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Global retail industry news   Global Industry Watch    Japan's Uniqlo strives to gain global fan base Japan's Uniqlo has decided to pursue global sales as it faces a number of challenges in its home market including an aging population, lots of competition and deflation. The clothing retailer recently opened a flagship store in Manhattan as part of its efforts to develop a global fan base. The question remains, however, whether success will drive up the shares of Fast Retailing, Uniqlo's parent company. Barron's (free content) (22 Oct.)      Tata's partnership with Woolworths unravels Tata and Woolworths teamed up about five years ago on a consumer electronics retailing partnership, but that effort has now fallen apart. Woolworths had expected the partnership, Infiniti Retail, to deepen, but it has instead not been renewed, sources said. The Economic Times (India) (24 Oct.)      Multi-channel offerings work best, research shows A study from CBRE called Europe's Online Consumer found that the "touch and feel" factor is not hindering the increasing popularity of shopping online for clothing and footwear, as previously assumed. However, a bricks-and-mortar shop is still important as most consumers prefer to actually see and feel products before they buy. The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (22 Oct.)      Are your ATMs at risk of "Skimming"? It's a costly crime that is sometimes hard to identify. Download this 6-page brief from 3VR to understand skimming and how to prevent it.   Retail in Europe    McDonald's finds success in Britain Jill McDonald, the head of McDonald's UK, compares the company to John Lewis. "Well, yeah. We're both retailers. Never knowingly undersold. Good quality products. I would see a comparable with what McDonald's has done," she said. McDonald's UK has reported 22 straight quarters of sales growth, giving credence to her claim that it is one of the most successful high street businesses. The Telegraph (London) (23 Oct.)      Consumer Insights Your Brand Needs to Know: Latest Trends in Behavioral Advertising Learn what brand managers, advertisers, as well as networks, agencies, and publishers need to know about consumer survey insights into behavioral ad serving, also known as interest-based advertising. Learn more today!   Retail in Asia    China slowdown could hit luxury retailers, analysts warn A possible economic slowdown in China could hit luxury retailers, including Burberry and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and their shares particularly hard, analysts say. "The shares are not going to collapse [if growth slows in China], but there is a question of what you're going to pay," said Jane Coffey, a fund manager at Royal London Asset Management. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (23 Oct.)      Indian retailers offer 0% equated monthly installment schemes Retailers in India say they are attracting more customers by offering interest-free equated monthly installment plans. "EMI schemes are removing inhibitions and inducing consumers to splurge on big-ticket items," said Himanshu Chakrawarti, chief executive officer at Essar Group's Mobile Store. The Economic Times (India) (24 Oct.)      Other News Jay Mart plans to make over its mobile-phone shops Bangkok Post (Thailand) (24 Oct.)      Logistics is much more than the movement of goods and services. It's also your pre-game strategy. Before you step on the court, you need the right players running the right plays at the right time. Learn more about those key plays in this free whitepaper from UPS and get in the game of logistics.   Retail in Latin America    Mexico's Soriana reports $32 million in quarterly profit Organizacion Soriana said that although third-quarter sales increased 6.4%, profit dropped 27% compared with the same period the previous year. The Mexican retailer said that it opened 19 new stores during the period from July through September. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Dow Jones Newswires (21 Oct.)      Scheduling That Works for Employers and Employees: It's Not a Mirage Download the white paper How Automated Schedule Design and Management Benefits Both Employers and Employees for valuable tips on giving scheduling control and flexibility to employees. The result? Automated scheduling increased employee effectiveness for 84 percent of managers.   E-commerce Spotlight    EBay plays to its strengths to succeed in China San Jose, Calif.-based eBay, like many other Western Internet firms, initially struggled in China, but eBay has altered its strategy and is now seeing the fruits of its labor. Instead of trying to emulate a Chinese company, eBay stuck with its proven model. "We asked ourselves, 'How can we participate in the Chinese e-commerce market?'" said Jeff Liao, head of eBay Greater China. "The answer is so obvious: Play to our strengths, leverage our global franchise." San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (free registration) (23 Oct.)      Is your period-end close consistent and efficient? Download this eBook to learn how to automate this critical business process and transform your financial close into an integrated, repeatable process, executed with precision and speed—every time.   Technology Solutions    John Lewis plans to provide free in-store Wi-Fi access John Lewis says its free Wi-Fi initiatives meshes with its "never knowingly undersold" commitment. Providing consumers with Wi-Fi access will allow them to easily compare prices. If a high-street competitor offers a better price, John Lewis will match it. MarketingMagazine.co.uk (U.K.) (21 Oct.)      Ready for the retirement boom? Free white paper. 76 million boomers are heading for retirement. Are they, or you, ready for what’s next? In a nationwide survey, HR directors said their organizations weren’t doing enough to help workers through this transition. For the full story, download our free white paper, Falling in the Home Stretch.   Spotlight on Mass Merchandise  Wal-Mart China strives to keep customers from switching Chinese officials shut more than a dozen Wal-Mart stores and detained dozens of their employees after it was discovered that the retailer was selling ordinary pork as organic. As Wal-Mart reopens the outlets, it faces the challenge of trying to keep customers from shifting to its competitors. Bloomberg (23 Oct.)      Reliance scrambles to build scale as FDI rule change looms Reliance Industries entered India's retail market five years ago, but it hasn't achieved the scale that Mukesh Ambani had expected. Now, ahead of an expected change in the country's foreign-direct investment rules, Reliance is scrambling to expand. The Economic Times (India) (21 Oct.)        NRF News  How to do more with less in a challenging economy Retail stores are facing pressure from all sides, but there are some practical – and cost-effective – ways to improve loyalty and drive advocacy at the store level. In an Oct. 25 STORES Knowledge Series webinar, Gary Edwards, chief customer officer for Empathica, will leverage his experience working with brands as diverse as Victoria's Secret, Canadian Tire, Dollar Tree and Citibank to share what retailers can do today to transform their business for less. Learn more.      Join NRF  |  NRF Events  |  FIRAE  |  STORES  |  Training and Certification   SmartQuote  In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer." --Albert Camus, French author, journalist and philosopher        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       Recent NRF Global SmartBrief Issues: Friday, 21 Oct 2011 Thursday, 20 Oct 2011 Wednesday, 19 Oct 2011 Tuesday, 18 Oct 2011 Monday, 17 Oct 2011     Lead Editor:  Liz DeHoff       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 USA     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information