  | November 8, 2010 | News for the retail industry |  |  | | - RadioShack reaps rewards from revamping image
RadioShack's recent efforts to freshen the look of its stores and upgrade merchandise offerings to include a wider selection of smartphones and e-readers paid off in higher quarterly sales and profits. Moves to re-brand the chain, including shortening the name to "The Shack" in the latest ad campaign, were aimed at overcoming the chain's geeky image and appealing to the iPad generation. The Wall Street Journal (11/7)       - Wal-Mart gets serious in toy-pricing game
Wal-Mart's latest round of holiday price cuts on toys came after the chain realized many of its offerings were priced a bit higher than rival discount chain Target. The retail giant and competitors including Target, Toys R Us and Amazon are getting aggressive with early promotions this year, gearing up for what's expected to be an ultra-competitive season for toy sellers. The Wall Street Journal (11/8) - Sears will open its doors on Thanksgiving
Sears plans to open its stores from 7 a.m. to noon on Thanksgiving, the first time the retailer has offered store hours on the holiday since it opened its first retail location 85 years ago, in an effort to bring in holiday bargain hunters before Black Friday. Sister chain Kmart has a 20-year tradition of starting its seasonal sales on Thanksgiving Day. CNBC/Consumer Nation blog (11/5)  | 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. | - Attention shoppers: "Christmas Creep" is here
Best Buy, Kohl's and Macy's are among the top retailers to already have kicked off their holiday season promotions. Shoppers have mixed feelings about this so-called "Christmas Creep" phenomenon, according to Chris Morran, senior editor at Consumerist.com. "There are those that find it truly offensive and gaudy and unnecessary," Morran said. "And there are those that don't care at all and those that actually like it. ... People are, sadly, getting used to it." Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (11/8) - The value of workers as brand evangelists
Some major marketers, including Kraft Foods and Overstock.com, are recognizing the value of their workers as brand ambassadors, and making them an integral part of focus groups and the face of ad campaigns. "Employees need to be a part of the marketing supply chain," said Jim Speros, chief marketing officer of Fidelity Personal, Workplace and Institutional Services. "Many companies forget that their employees are their ultimate brand ambassadors." Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (11/8)  | Gain Critical Market and Retail Intelligence on POS. How are your competitors leveraging POS, and which systems do they rely on to advance in today's markets? Get fresh insights into today's POS priorities, technology and market trends, plus in-depth vendor comparisons from this new 55-page report from IHL Group. This outstanding value is yours at no cost. | - Amazon reportedly is set to purchase Diapers.com's parent
Amazon is expected to announce as early as today that it will acquire Quidsi, the parent company of Diapers.com and Soap.com, in a deal valued at about $545 million in cash and assumed liabilities. The potential acquisition comes amid Amazon's push to increase its piece of the fast-growing household-goods segment of online retail, which hit about $10 billion last year. The Wall Street Journal (11/8)  | Increase Profitability and Productivity in 2011
Download this free Aberdeen report to learn how Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) can help improve operational performance, and differentiation. As capital and credit become readily available again, use ERP to gain the competitive advantage. | | 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.
| NRF News | | | | - Retail container traffic to be up 9% in November
Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is continuing to wind down as the year comes to an end but is nonetheless expected to be up 9% in November over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates. "Retailers know shoppers still have the economy in mind, so they are being very mindful with inventory levels this year," NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. Read more. - NRF SmartStat: Nov. 8, 2010
 Nearly two-thirds of retailers expect their company's online sales to grow by 15% or more this holiday season compared with 2009. Source: Shop.org survey conducted by BIGresearch.  | - NRF unveils new team rate for Retail's BIG Show
NRF retail members attending Retail's BIG Show can save even more by registering as a team. The new team rate is five or more retail members registering at the same time. Each team member receives the "Members Only" retail team rate of $725 per person -- a $550 savings off the on-site rate. Learn more. |
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - McDonald's names new head of European division
McDonald's has elected Steve Easterbrook as the new president of operations in Europe, to succeed Denis Hennequin. Hennequin will leave the post Nov. 30 to become CEO of Accor Hotels Group. Currently the chain's global chief brand officer, Easterbrook will head operations at 6,800 stores in 39 countries. QSRMagazine.com (11/5) | Career Track | | | |  | |  | | | | | | |  |  Senior Attorney, Litigation | dressbarn | Sufffern, NY | | Director of E-Commerce | The Wet Seal, INC | Foothill Ranch, CA | | Director Supply Chain Systems and Business Alignment | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Systems Analyst-Labor Applications | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Compliance Manager | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | Creative Manager | Neiman Marcus/Bergdorf Goodman | Irving , TX | | Retail Marketing Director | OfficeMax, Inc | Naperville, IL | | Director, Strategic Communications and Campaign | Universal Technical Institute Inc. | Phoenix, AZ | | Senior Ecommerce Manager | Expedia | Seattle, WA | | Division Merchandise Manager | Sears | Hoffman Estates, IL | | Merchandise Planner - Emblematic Apparel and Gifts, U.S. Stores | Follett Higher Education Group | Oak Brook, IL | | Senior Employment/Labor Counsel | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | Senior Merchandise Planner - Emblematic Apparel and Gifts, U.S. Stores | Follett Higher Education Group | Oak Brook, IL | | System Analyst- SQL and Microsoft Dynamics | The Hershey Company | Hershey, PA | | Category Manager - Own Brands (Food & Consumables) | Sears | Hoffman Estates, IL | | | |  | |  | |
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