  | October 31, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Former Bergdorf CEO shares secrets to success
Retired Bergdorf Goodman CEO Ira Neimark made the most of his first retail job as a temporary assistant doorman at Bonwit Teller's during the 1938 holiday season -- greeting the bosses by name impressed them enough to keep him on permanently, which taught him the importance of first impressions. Neimark shares this and other lessons for success in retail and in life in his new book titled "The Rise of Fashion and Lessons Learned at Bergdorf Goodman." The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/29)       | Case Study: McCormick and Schmick's
In the highly competitive restaurant market, McCormick & Schmick's needed to understand and respond to dining trends in real time. Read this case study to see how IBM® Cognos® Express enabled a set of automated dashboards that integrate both general ledger and point-of-sale data from the company's individual stores to drive better decisions. |
 - Target to open on Thanksgiving night
Target will open all 1,700 of its stores on Thanksgiving night and stay open overnight to capture early Black Friday shoppers. The chain, which plans to keep the stores open until 11 p.m. on Nov. 25, may have some competition -- chains including Sears, Kmart, Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic all opened on the holiday last year. The Business Insider (10/29) - Toys R Us sees success from turnaround strategy
Toys R Us heads into the holiday season with strong momentum attributed largely to turnaround efforts led by CEO Jerry Storch. A trio of private equity firms paid $6.6 billion for the chain in 2005 and, instead of selling off the company in pieces as many predicted, it bought up struggling competitors including FAO Schwarz and KB Toys, and boosted sales and market share with exclusive brands. The Washington Post (10/27) - Uniqlo aims to be the Apple store of apparel
Uniqlo hopes to succeed with its second attempt to crack the U.S. retail market, starting with high-profile stores on busy shopping streets and moving into malls later, said Shin Odake, CEO of Uniqlo USA. The stores will feature affordable "completer" pieces made with innovative technology, in sleek settings. DailyFinance.com (10/29)  | Maintaining accurate inventory is at the heart of retailing. Perpetual inventory solutions are one means to that end. Download our white paper, Inventory Is the Store: How Mobility Maximizes Return on Investment, to learn how Zebra mobile inventory solutions improve inventory management by meeting your inventory where it lives on the shelves. |
 - How hard times help Halloween spending
 Halloween has proven to be a recession-proof holiday, with even frugal consumers spending a bit to have some fun during hard times, NRF Vice President Ellen Davis says in this Sunday interview on CNN's "State of the Union." "When the economy is suffering, Halloween spending soars." CNN/State of the Union blog (10/30) - Some retailers reconsider 24-hour schedules
Wal-Mart has been ending its 24-hour schedule in markets throughout the U.S., including Baltimore and Indianapolis, closing those stores between midnight and 6 a.m. A representative said the decision is made "market by market," depending on whether the store gets customers in the middle of the night. Others in the industry say that being open 24 hours builds loyalty, even if business is sparse. The Indianapolis Star (10/29) - Cotton costs drop, but not clothing prices
Retailers and manufacturers who held off raising prices as long as they could amid rapidly rising cotton costs don't plan to cut their prices now that cotton prices are receding, says NPD Group. Betting that shoppers have become used to paying more, stores hope to hang onto higher price tags to boost margins and offset rising prices in other areas. The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)/Reuters (10/30)  | Make your business phone system decision much easier. Not sure what your buyer type is? Need a better understanding of the features available? Download this free guide to get access to Focus' Short List as well as our side-by-side assessment of all of the key vendors in the space. |
 - Flash-sale sites don't always boast the best deals
Flash sale sites such as Rue La La, Gilt Groupe and HauteLook boast big savings on designer fashions and accessories, but often better deals can be found on other e-commerce sites. "The A-list designer merchandise may be harder to come by, [yet] most people assume they're just getting the best deal on these flash sale sites," said Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/28)  | Hot Topics |  |  | | Top five news stories selected by NRF SmartBrief readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
| | | Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. |
| NRF News | | | | - Even snow won't stop the Halloween celebrations tonight
While the East Coast has been blanketed with an early scattering of snow, more than 71 million Americans are expected to dress in a costume this year to celebrate a highly anticipated Halloween. In a recent interview on CNN's "State of the Union" program, NRF's Ellen Davis discusses top political costumes, why people are getting into the Halloween spirit more than ever, and how the holiday will impact retailers this year. Read more. Retail's BIG Blog (10/31) - Best practices for implementing new PCI tokenization guidelines
With the August 2011 PCI Standards Council update, internal tokenization has gained momentum as the lowest impact solution that large merchants can implement to achieve PCI compliance for stored cardholder data. In a Nov. 3 STORES Knowledge Series webinar, independent Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor Walter Conway gives insight directly from case studies to illustrate best practices for solution selection and implementation. Attendees will also receive a free copy of Walter's whitepaper "PCI DSS Tokenization Buyers Guide." Learn more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Chipotle's simple recipe for success
Chipotle founder Steve Ells has succeeded in an era of high-tech culinary innovations by sticking with a simple menu made from natural meats and locally grown produce whenever possible. Recently the fast-casual chain with the fixed menu has added high-profile chefs Nate Appleman and Kyle Connaughton to the research and development team. "We may never change our menu, but we are always changing our food," Ells said. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/28) | |  | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | Merchandise Planner | Smithsonian Museum Retail | Washington, DC | | VP of Marketing | Teavana | Atlanta - Buckhead, GA | | HR Director, Retail Stores | SalonCentric | Based in NJ & NYC, NJ | | Buyer - Junior Tops, Dresses and Related Separates | Bealls | Bradenton, FL | | Category Manager - Copy & Print | Staples | Framingham, MA | | Recruiting Manager - Atlanta Area | Saks Fifth Avenue | Atlanta, GA | | Marketing Director - Bala Cynwyd, PA - Saks Fifth Avenue | Saks Fifth Avenue | Bala Cynwyd, PA | | Selling Director - Intimates - New York, NY | Saks Fifth Avenue | New York, NY | | Selling Director - Men's Luxury Apparel - New York, NY | Saks Fifth Avenue | New York, NY | | Director - Asset Protection - New York, NY | Saks Fifth Avenue | New York, NY | | Costume Designer/Sr. Manager | Spirit Halloween | Egg Harbor Township, NJ | | Logistics Operations Manager | Spencer Gifts/Spirit Halloween | Egg Habor Township, NJ | | Director, Store Planning and Design | Ross Stores, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA | | Director of Operations | Five Below, Inc. | Philadelphia, PA | | Killian Fragrance Specialist | Saks Fifth Avenue | New Orleans, LA | | Chantecaille Beauty Specialist | Saks Fifth Avenue | New Orleans, LA | | Escada Brand Ambassador | Saks Fifth Avenue | San Antonio, TX | | Asset Protection Associate | Saks Fifth Avenue | San Francisco, CA | | Enterprise Architect Manager | Cabela's | Sidney, NE | | Assistant General Manager Operations (AGMO) | Saks Fifth Avenue | Birmingham, AL | | Seasonal Selling Professional | Saks Fifth Avenue | Troy, MI | | Beauty Specialist | Saks Fifth Avenue | Atlanta, GA | | Cosmetics Business Manager | Saks Fifth Avenue | Atlanta, GA | | Merchandise Buyer - Fashion Apparel | Kohl's Department Stores | Menomonee Falls, WI | | Sr. Systems Training and Communications Specialist | Bj's Wholesale Club, Inc. | Westborough, MA | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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NRF estimates retailers will hire 480,000-500,000 seasonal workers during the 2011 winter holidays. Source: 
