| Global retail industry news |  |
- Canada's Couche-Tard to pay $2.8 billion for Statoil Fuel
Canada-based convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard has agreed to acquire Statoil Fuel & Retail, Scandinavia's largest gas-station operator, for $2.8 billion. Circle K operator Couche-Tard has 5,800 stores in 42 US states and all 10 Canadian provinces; the acquisition will help the retailer make a push into European markets. Bloomberg Businessweek (18 Apr.)       | How does your background check process stack up? A recent survey of small businesses shows that 45% of respondents reported discovering a person who was untruthful or misrepresented information. Dare to compare your process to the best practices of employment screening in this free small business spotlight report. |
 - Stock shortages bring slower sales at M&S
Same-store sales of general merchandise at Marks & Spencer fell 2.8% in the most recent quarter, a drop the company blames on temporary merchandise shortages of popular apparel and footwear items. The retailer missed the chance to sell at least 25,000 more coats and jackets when cold weather hit because long lead times at Asian factories left the chain unable to restock in time, said CEO Marc Bolland. The Guardian (London) (17 Apr.), Bloomberg Businessweek (17 Apr.) - Survey: UK consumers name IKEA their favorite retailer
IKEA has become the UK's favorite retailer, displacing last year's favorite, John Lewis, which slipped to third place, according to a 6,000-consumer poll by Verdict Research. "It has an extensive, stylish range at attractive prices and with the majority of consumers on a tight budget, it has something for everyone wanting to brighten up their home," said Verdict practice leader Maureen Hinton. Brand Republic (U.K.) (17 Apr.)  - 7 Taiwan supermarket chains beef up promise not to raise prices
Seven major supermarket chains in Tawian including Carrefour, RTMart and A.Mart have agreed to add crackers, beverages, eggs and frozen foods to their "price-hike resistant" special shopping zones, at the request of the government's Consumer Protection Department. The zones, created to help consumers cope with rising commodity prices, already include 12 food and personal product categories. Focus Taiwan (17 Apr.)  | What Data Thieves Don’t Want You to Know:
How a multi-layered data security solution, including encryption and tokenization, protects data in transit, in use and at rest. When combined, these two technologies provide a powerful method for securing sensitive data wherever it exists. Get proof here. |
 - Australians send online shopping dollars overseas
Online shopping has been on the rise among Australian consumers, who now spend an average of about $2,000 a year on e-commerce purchases, according to Forrester Research. Much of the spending is done at sites outside the country, which offer lower prices, bigger selections and a more seamless experience than domestic retail sites, says senior analyst Steven Noble. Marketing Mag (Australia) (17 Apr.) - Alibaba taps former US trade official to lobby
China's Alibaba has hired the former general counsel to the US Trade Representative Office as its Washington lobbyist. The e-commerce giant is pushing for the office to remove its Taobao site from its list of "notorious markets" for piracy. Bloomberg (17 Apr.)  | Leveraging Cloud Security to Weather Threatening Storms
Web attacks and retribution campaigns are on the rise, and they have become more frequent, more random and more extreme. This paper assesses the current cyber threat environment and discusses the use of distributed cloud services as an effective means to protect against evolving, modern-day IT threats. |
 | Spotlight on Luxury Goods |  |  | | |  | - Burberry plans new stores as sales growth slows
Burberry reported a 19% increase in sales for the six months ended March 31, down from 30% in the same period last year, as the pace of growth slowed in several of the global fashion retailer's markets. The company expects to add up to 14% more selling space this year, with new stores slated to open in London, Chicago, Hong Kong and Prague. The Wall Street Journal (17 Apr.) - Luxury retailers take plush to mobile
Luxury retailers are beginning to find digital ways to reproduce and complement the high-end experience their stores present to customers. The move has been accelerated by the adoption of mobile devices by the stores' traditional older customers as well as by the rapid growth of luxury shopping among younger, more-connected consumers. CNBC/High Net Worth blog (12 Apr.)  | Hiring exceptional talent is critical to the success of your business. Whether it’s the executive who offers visionary leadership, or the sales professional who won’t settle for less than 100%, a business needs great people to thrive. This guide provides best practices for securing the top talent you need to drive business results. |
 | NRF News | |  | | - Burberry CEO shares secrets to continued success
 At NRF's Annual Convention and EXPO, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts accepted the International Retailer of the Year award, an annual honor recognizing individual excellence in their native country and internationally. In a video post on Retail's BIG Blog, Ahrendts shares in her own words, how the company has managed to keep a 150+ year old company exceeding customer expectations. Watch the video. Retail's BIG Blog (07 Feb.)
| SmartQuote | | | |  | A daydreamer is prepared for most things."
--Joyce Carol Oates,
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