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| Global retail industry news |  |
- Microsoft's investment to boost Barnes & Noble's global sales
Microsoft's planned $300 million investment in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary that will combine its Nook e-reader and college bookstores to give the retailer access to millions of new customers and fuel rapid international expansion, CEO William Lynch said Monday. The deal includes a Nook application for Windows 8, allowing Barnes & Noble to start selling digital content in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Bloomberg (30 Apr.)      - Survey: Canada's merchants see growth ahead
Slightly more than half of Canada's retailers say sales are up over this time last year and they're optimistic about additional growth in 2012, according to a survey released Monday by American Express Canada. "Not only are these merchants feeling good about the next year, nearly two-thirds (64%) indicated they are not worried about the state of their business over the next 12 months," the report said. Canada.com/Financial Post (30 Apr.)  - Argos launches review
New Argos chief executive John Walden has hired a consulting firm to help the struggling chain launch an overhaul that may result in closing of some of the company's 700 stores and remodeling of remaining locations. The results of the consultants' review are likely to be released this fall. The Telegraph (London) (01 May.)  | Is your company ready to navigate the Human Age?
The world of work is changing. For most employers it's a landscape that shifts quickly and grows increasingly complex. For the first time in ManpowerGroup's history, we have published our annual analysis of the Future Forces driving the Human Age in a new white paper entitled: How to Navigate the Human Age. |
 - Uniqlo seeks Australia store sites
Japanese fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo has committed to finding its first store sites in Australia, recently sending senior leasing executives to Sydney and Melbourne with a mandate to sign a site soon, the company said. Competitor Zara opened its first Sydney store last year and has since opened shop in Melbourne. The Age (Melbourne, Australia) (01 May.)  | 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. |
 | E-commerce Spotlight |  |  | | - Japan's Rakuten invests $10 million in AhaLife
Online luxury retailer AhaLife has won $10 million in new funding from Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten. Rakuten, which owns Buy.com in the US, has been increasing its stakes in online retail companies in other international markets and was part of a group that last year invested $100 million in Russia's Ozon.ru. Internet Retailer (27 Apr.) - Visa Europe sets fall launch for mobile payment system
Visa Europe plans to launch its cloud-based V.me mobile payment service within the next six months, starting with the UK, Spain and France, the company said Monday. The service, which will compete with PayPal and the growing field of new players, will let users upload their credit-card details to the cloud and use the service to pay for purchases at participating online retailers. The Register (U.K.) (30 Apr.)  | Comprehensive Leadership Programs
HBS offers three comprehensive leadership programs that prepare you to assume greater responsibility. Designed for individuals at all levels, each program delivers what companies need most: outstanding business leaders who can improve corporate performance and position their organizations for continued success. Learn more. |
 | Spotlight on Grocery | | | | - Chinese officials release 2 Wal-Mart workers
The Chongqing People's Procuratorate released two Wal-Mart workers from custody last week, opting not to press charges six months after the employees were arrested amid allegations that the retailer had put "organic" labels on conventionally raised pork. The release came as China's central government increased its scrutiny of the administration of disgraced former Chongqing chief Bo Xilai. The Wall Street Journal (30 Apr.) - Tesco to boost spending on digital, online shopping
Tesco plans to almost double the number of UK supermarkets participating in its "click & collect" online grocery shopping service, from 400 to about 770. The move is part of a larger push by the retailer to boost sales with investments in digital services, which also includes a test of a mobile application that would let customers scan their own groceries and skip long checkout lines. The Wall Street Journal/CIO Journal (30 Apr.) - Fresh & Easy seeks graduates to work in China or Thailand
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is helping parent Tesco find students for its graduate program in China and Thailand. The program gives hands-on experience to recent master's degree graduates who can speak English and Thai or Mandarin Chinese and who have permission to work in those countries. Progressive Grocer (27 Apr.) | NRF News | | | | - KPMG global retail director talks trends for 2012
With cost-containing initiatives out for retail executives in 2012, many will look toward investing in strategies that will optimize their online and mobile platforms to increase sales and customer satisfaction. In a post on Retail's BIG Blog, KPMG's Global Head of Retail Mark Larson discusses retailers' most important initiatives for 2012 and top themes in NRF Foundation's "Retail Horizons: Benchmarks for 2011, Forecasts for 2012" report. Read more.
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--Stephen Butler Leacock,
British-Canadian political economist and humorist  |
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