| Global retail industry news |  |
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 - Marks & Spencer adds beauty to the mix
Marks & Spencer will debut its first multi-brand beauty concept online and at its Kensington High Street store in London today. The Your Beauty: The Best of Nature & Science department, which will include hard-to-get foreign brands, is slated to roll out in 57 stores this year and be open in 126 locations by October 2013, the company said. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (21 May.)      - Equity firm acquires Denmark's Sport-Master
European private-equity group Nordic Capital has acquired Sport-Master, a 100-store Danish sporting goods retailer, for an undisclosed amount, the company said Monday. Nordic Capital's other recent acquisitions include Norwegian discount retailer Europris and Bladt Industries, a supplier to wind-energy companies. Reuters (21 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. |
 - US mall developer nears deal on 1st China project
US-based luxury mall developer Taubman Centers is closing in on its first development deal in China, said CEO Robert Taubman. The company plans to build its China shopping center in a large "second-tier" city, the first step in a larger plan to expand in Asia, with a focus on China and Korea, he said. Bloomberg Businessweek (21 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. |
 | E-commerce Spotlight |  |  | | - Alibaba will focus on growth and challenges
Now that Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has secured a deal to buy back 20% of Yahoo!'s ownership, the company will focus on growth in an increasingly competitive and challenging market. Alibaba's business-to-consumer retail websites, Taobao and Tmall, generated 71% of China's online sales in the first quarter, but rivals, including 360buy.com, are grabbing market share. The Wall Street Journal (22 May.) - France's Galeries Lafayette boosts e-commerce investments
French department store chain Galeries Lafayette began testing online retail in 2008 but only recently began beefing up its investments in e-commerce, which has increasingly accounted for a larger portion of sales. "For a very long time businesses like Galeries Lafayette kept e-commerce at arm's length," said e-commerce director Franck Zayan. Internet Retailer (21 May.) - Trends in online retail in China
Online retail is on track to triple in China by 2015, becoming 8% of the country's total retail sales with 193 million customers spending an average of about $1,000, according to various reports. Product selection, convenience and the ability to compare prices are driving the increase, while trust issues and poor return policies may hold some consumers back from buying online. Mashable (20 May.) | Technology Solutions | | | | - UK consumers shift reading to e-books
E-books currently account for about 10% of all book sales in the UK, but that's on track to rise to about one-quarter in the next two years, said James Daunt, managing director of Waterstones, which Monday announced a deal to begin selling Amazon Kindles in its shops. The Telegraph (London) (21 May.) - How Loblaw aims to retain its top spot
Loblaw president Vicente Trius took the helm of Canada's largest supermarket chain at a turbulent time, as competition heats up and Wal-Mart continues to capture more of the country's grocery shoppers. Spanish-born Trius, who took the job a year ago, plans to win the battle with a strategy that includes a renewed focus on the food. "We are actually bringing in better products not only because they look good, but because they taste a lot better." Financial Post (Canada) (18 May.) - 2 online grocers launch in Dubai
Independently run online grocers Supermart.ae and Trolley.ae have launched in South Dubai, a business model that has been slow to catch on in the region even as online grocery shopping has flourished in Europe. Established Dubai chain LuLu Hypermarkets has backed off on plans to launch online grocery shopping, opting instead to roll out a site selling electronics and household goods. The National (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) (20 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. |
 | NRF News | | | | - Why retailers need a digital signage strategy
From the movie screen to mobile phones, there are many different channels for retailers to deliver their brand messages in unique ways. But why has the retail industry been slower to implement digital signage compared to other industries? In an addition to the NRF Retail Reference Center, Platt Retail Institute outlines ways retailers can use digital signage to enhance their communication strategies to deliver choice and personalization to consumers across different media. Download the white paper.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit."
--Andrew Carnegie,
Scottish-American industrialist  |
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