Global retail industry news | | - Whitbread boss outlines expansion plan for Costa Coffee
Andy Harrison, the new boss at Whitbread, is working on an aggressive five-year expansion plan for both Costa Coffee and Premier Inn. Harrison said he plans for Costa Coffee to have more than 3,500 outlets globally in the next five years. He has boosted the group's budget for opening new outlets to £350 million. The Guardian (London) (28 Apr.) | As eCommerce has grown to represent a significant percentage of retail sales and profits, merchants should consider payment strategies that can enhance their online services, open new markets and protect the bottom line. Download this free white paper to learn more. | | Are you keeping up with the changing world of employee health care? Get The Basics of Employee Health Care for Small Business: A Guide to Creating a Company Benefit Plan, and find out what you need to know today. There's no obligation. Click to download a FREE whitepaper. | - Ashley Furniture CEO discusses plans for stores in China
Ashley Furniture is following the lead of Ethan Allen and other US-based companies in opening retail shops in China. Todd Wanek, chief executive officer at Ashley, explains the retailer's approach to China and also discusses efforts in other markets, such as Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, Costa Rico and Mexico. Furniture Today (28 Apr.) | Seven Communication Mistakes Managers Make Management communications can derail in many ways, from simple bad timing to multi-layered misjudgments. This Harvard Management Update describes seven common mistakes managers make in their efforts to convey important information to employees and, more importantly, how to avoid them. Order here. |
Retail in Latin America | | | | - Ripley plans to enter third market in Latin America
Chilean department-store operator Ripley said it plans to expand its business, which includes stores in Peru, to a third Latin American country. "We haven't defined which country yet," said Chairman Felipe Lamarca. "We are looking at all of the countries of the region and we won't be crossing the oceans." Juan Diuana, chief financial officer at Ripley, said the retailer has budgeted about $950 million over the next three years for investment. Bloomberg (28 Apr.) E-commerce Spotlight | | | | - EBay's acquisitions feed hyper-local strategy in global market
Four recent acquisitions by eBay are aimed at helping the online marketplace ramp up its local offerings. This month, eBay bought Where, a location-based mobile ad and listing service for local stores, restaurants and other businesses, and acquired a majority stake in GittiGidiyor, a Turkish online marketplace modeled on eBay. TheStreet.com (27 Apr.) Spotlight on Fashion | | | | NRF News | | | | - How secure is your customer data?
According to Forrester Research, in the aftermath of a data security breach, companies experience customer losses of 8% to 10%. With the proper infrastructure in place, reputation damage can be avoided altogether. In an upcoming STORES Knowledge Series webinar on 19 May, Andrew Wagoner, senior security engineer for Del SecureWorks, will discuss the tools available to detect and prevent attacks throughout your retail environment. Learn more. SmartQuote | | | | | A man does not plant a tree for himself; he plants it for posterity." --Alexander Smith, Scottish poet, quoted for Arbor Day, 29 April 2011 | | | This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com |