  | October 25, 2010 | News for the retail industry |  |  | | - How Pier 1's CEO spearheaded a turnaround
Pier 1 was a retailer in disrepair when Alexander W. Smith took over as CEO three years ago. Since then, Smith has made the tough calls to cut staff, close under-performing stores and eliminate the chain's catalogs and e-commerce site, while returning the retailer's focus to creating a vibrant and eclectic product mix. The changes have paid off in higher sales and profits this year. The Dallas Morning News (10/24)       - Sam's Club upgrades jewelry offerings
Sam's Club is aiming to sell more diamonds and other upscale jewelry to the high-income consumers that now regularly shop for staples at its cavernous stores. The chain, owned by Wal-Mart, has moved its jewelry counters to a more prominent spot in the store, and upgraded diamond offerings to include several more pricey pieces. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (10/25) - Macy's sets standard with efforts to tailor merchandise by market
Macy's 18-month-old effort to tailor each store's merchandise mix to the market it serves has been paying off in increased sales and customer loyalty. "My Macy's" has set the standard that other chains now seek to emulate as they work to provide shoppers with a more intimate neighborhood shopping experience, says one industry analyst. Houston Chronicle (10/23)  | Mobile barcodes make traditional media both interactive and measurable. When consumers scan these barcodes with their mobile devices, they are immediately connected to the web where they can view videos, coupons, and more. Want to learn more about mobile barcodes? Sign up for a FREE webinar today. | - Halloween looks bright for retailers
Retailers expect sales of Halloween candy and costumes to reach $5.8 billion this year, up from $4.75 billion in 2009, and hope the higher-spending trend will continue through the winter holidays. "From a business standpoint, it's an important event for us," said a spokesman for Wal-Mart, which, like other stores, is highlighting value and devoting considerable shelf space to Halloween items. The Wall Street Journal (10/25) - Chains bet on iPad to drive holiday traffic
Apple's effort to dominate the tablet and e-reader market with its iPad may pay off for big chain stores that now stock the devices. This holiday season, shoppers at Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy will find iPads on the shelf; retailers are prohibited from putting the pricey devices on sale, but Target's new 5% store-card discount may give the chain an advantage. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (10/25) - Brands give reasons to "like" them
Marketers are luring Facebook fans by offering incentives and coupons that get more valuable as more people "like" the brand. ConAgra Foods, for example, gave a 75-cent Healthy Choice coupon to Facebook fans, but said the coupon would increase in value to "buy one get one free" as more consumers signed on. Brandweek (10/22) - Robotic mannequin provides better virtual try-on tools
A robotic mannequin created by Fits.me Biorobotics has provided the basis for a virtual try-on tool that offers online fashion shoppers more options. The company takes about 2,000 photos of each garment on the mannequin, allowing online merchants to give shoppers a more accurate picture of what they'll look like, a move that's designed to lessen customer frustration and cut down on retailers' return rates. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (10/25)  | How can you control your largest source of shrink… if it can't even be seen? Learn how top retailers such as Vitamin Shoppe find, track, and stop employee theft. Our free White Paper explains key loss prevention facts and trends that you need to know, and how exception reporting—properly executed—can dramatically increase your profits and deliver big ROI! Get your copy now! | | 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.
| Policy & Government Affairs | | | |
| NRF News | | | | - FDA report shows vast improvement in food safety over the past five years
NRF's National Council of Chain Restaurants welcomed a new Food and Drug Administration report that shows restaurants and other segments of the food services industry have made significant improvements in food safety over the past five years. "Food safety is the highest priority of chain restaurants," NCCR President Jack Whipple said. "This report found that restaurants are getting better at meeting food safety requirements even as those standards are being strengthened." Read more.  | - Looking for just one great idea to boost holiday sales? We've got 40.
Though most holiday plans are already set in stone, there's still wiggle room for that one great idea. On Oct. 27, join Shop.org and some of the most well-respected companies in e-commerce for an engaging, rapid-fire webinar featuring 40 ideas and tips to help you improve search engine optimization, conversion and social marketing. Open to NRF and Shop.org members only. Learn more. |
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Fazoli's revival includes first Wal-Mart location
Fazoli's began an extensive overhaul after appointing CEO Carl Howard two years ago, in an effort to reverse sliding sales. Since then, the 230-unit Italian chain has revamped its menu, launched new store prototypes and announced an agreement with Wal-Mart to open its first nontraditional restaurant inside one of the retailer's stores in St. Louis. FastCasual.com (10/22) - McDonald's menu wins with simplicity
McDonald's sales growth outpaced competitors because of a strategy that focused on keeping the menu simple and focusing on quality items such as new smoothie offerings. Overseas, offerings tailored to each major market, such as the Salt & Lemon Chicken sandwich in Japan and a bratwurst "Nurnburger" in Germany, led to higher international sales. BurgerBusiness.com (10/21)  | |  | | The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
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Three out of four retailers say they have invested in their company's Facebook page in advance of the holiday season. Source: 
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