| Global retail industry news |  |
- Benetton settles with Vatican over pope ads
Italian fashion brand Benetton will contribute to a Catholic charity to settle a legal dispute with the Vatican that arose after the company launched an ad campaign that included pictures of the pope kissing an imam. Benetton has also promised not to circulate the pictures and to try to stop others from doing so, but the images were still available online Tuesday. Reuters (15 May.)       | Your business deserves easy savings.
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  - Euro zone avoids first-quarter recession
Strong economic growth in Germany in the first quarter offset slowdowns in Greece and other parts of Europe, and helped the euro zone avoid falling into a recession in the first quarter, according to statistics agency Eurostat. "In the current context, zero growth in the euro zone in the first quarter is relatively good news," said economist Marie Diron. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (15 May.) - Food firm's director faces jail in Sainsbury's bribery case
A former director of food supplier Greenvale faces jail time after a jury found him guilty of overcharging Sainsbury's by nearly £9 million and funneling cash back to a senior buyer for the supermarket chain. "This was an unacceptable and calculated crime against Sainsbury's of a magnitude never experienced in our history," a spokesman for the grocer said. The Guardian (London) (15 May.)  | Simple Strategies for Enhancing eCommerce Profitability
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 - Job growth, tourism drive higher sales in Singapore
Retail sales in Singapore rose 9.1% in March compared to the same month last year, higher than the 7.2% rise economists expected, according to a government report released Tuesday. Strong job growth and growing tourism fueled the increase, which followed a 20.1% jump in February. Bloomberg Businessweek (15 May.)  | 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. |
 - Sweden's CDON to expand offerings, add new retailers
Swedish online retailer CDON Group will continue adding select products from its 10 e-commerce sites including appliance site Tretti.se to namesake marketplace Cdon.com. CDON, which acquired growing fashion site Nelly.com in 2007, is also considering new acquisitions in its push to become the Nordic region's largest online retailer, said CEO Paul Fischbein. Bloomberg (15 May.)  | Interactive marketers are feeling the pressure from government to offer clear, transparent privacy regulations for consumers. This free whitepaper, discusses various legislation, such as the EU Cookie Directive, and outlines how marketers must comply while offering a positive and enriching consumer interaction via the new paradigms of consensual targeting. Get the free whitepaper here. |
 | Technology Solutions |  |  | | | Spotlight on Luxury Goods | |  | | |  | - Tiffany to take over management of UAE stores
Tiffany & Co. will take over the management of operations, merchandising, sales and marketing at its five branded stores in the UAE under a new joint-venture agreement with partner Damas Jewellery, the company said. "It underscores the importance of the U.A.E. market to our global expansion strategy and highlights our optimism about the long-term growth potential we see throughout the Middle East," said VP Laurent Cathala. Forbes (15 May.) - Luxury brands seek growth in China's smaller cities
Global luxury brands including Louis Vuitton are looking to China's second- and third-tier cities for future growth as sales in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou reach the saturation point, according to a survey from Starcom MediaVest Group. "Lower-tier consumers are having their first taste of buying 'obvious luxury', that is, prominent and socially accepted status symbols, and are hungry for knowledge in an attempt to move beyond price comparison," said director Jeffery Tan. China Daily (Beijing) (16 May.) - US luxury brands build their presence in Brazil
Wealthy Brazilians who used to feed their demand for Coach bags and Tiffany rings by flying to New York or Miami to shop are now finding the coveted items closer to home. Luxury sales in Brazil grew 20% last year, and Coach, Tiffany, Kate Spade and other US luxury brands are opening stores there. Bloomberg Businessweek (16 May.)  | You've heard about the switch businesses are making to VoIP phone systems but are they right for your business? With more features and lower costs, the answer is probably yes. But don't take our word for it. Read Ziff Davis' Phone Systems Buyer's Guide and Comparison Guides, FREE with your registration. |
 | NRF News | | | | - When retailers will report monthly sales in 2012
NRF's 4-5-4 calendar serves as a voluntary guide for the retail industry and ensures sales comparability between years by dividing the year into months based on a 4 weeks/5 weeks/4 weeks format. The 4-5-4 calendar also establishes sales release dates, which have historically been on the first Thursday following the month's end. NRF has released calendars for 2012, 2013 and 2014. View the calendars.
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