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| Global retail industry news |  |
- Australian retailers battle over online sales tax
Myer, Harvey Norman, David Jones and other retailers in Australia encouraged the government to forgo a sales-tax exemption on online purchases of less than A$1,000. Now a rival group of retailers called the Fair Imports Alliance has said the effort backfired. "They're asking the government to change an issue after the government has already made a comprehensive decision to conduct a full review," said Brad Kitschke, a spokesman for the group. "The most responsible thing to do is engage with that review and try and influence the outcome rather than step outside it." The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)/Australian Associated Press (07 Jan.)        | 2011 planning for social media made simpler
94.1% of businesses use social media to build brand awareness — does yours? Get insights into business trends and best practices for social media from SmartBrief's State of Social Media for Business. Make your 2011 social-media strategy count with data from 6000+ business execs. Download the key takeaways now. |
 - UK retailers: Snow hurt holiday sales
Mothercare, Clinton Cards and other UK retailers said they struggled last month because of severe weather. Next cited the weather as a contributing factor in its sales decline, and HMV said the snow was a factor in its profit warning. Reuters (06 Jan.) - Italy begins nationwide plastic-bag ban
Italians will soon bid farewell to single-use plastic bags as the country begins Europe's first nationwide ban. The ban should reduce plastic-bag consumption by 20 billion units per year, with stores shifting to biodegradable and paper bags. GreenBiz.com (05 Jan.)  | HBR's Must-Reads on Managing Yourself
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 - China's Hanvon to launch e-reader in US to challenge Kindle
Hanvon Technology makes the most popular electronic reader in China. The Beijing company plans to launch the e-reader in the US this summer. "The key in the U.S. market is a high-tech product at a low cost," said Jessica Zhang, a general manager at Hanvon. "Amazon isn't a technical company but we are, so we're going to try to make a better product." Bloomberg (07 Jan.) - Japan's Aeon reports profit up 52% in Q3
Aeon, the Japanese operator of department stores, shopping malls and supermarkets, maintained its annual outlook after posting a 52% increase in quarterly profit. "Aeon is clearly outstripping Seven & I in terms of both progress in restructuring its problem-laden general merchandise store operations in growth-scarce Japan and expansion in emerging Asian markets," said Naozumi Nishimura, chief analyst at TIW. Reuters (07 Jan.)  | Sell smart and boost revenue. Find out how better sales intelligence can help put your sales organization on top. LexisNexis® can help you gather the business intelligence you need to support your selling process, find better leads, close more deals, and grow your business. Click here to learn more. |
 - MasterCard exec likes Chinese market for virtual cards
MasterCard soon could help Chinese consumers make online purchases from foreign retailers, said Hai Ling, the company's Greater China president. Ling said the market for virtual cards, which allow users to make one-time purchases from an overseas websites, is huge in China. "For this space, I think it's going to be in the millions easily in the next five years," he said. Bloomberg (06 Jan.) - EU warns online shoppers about fake sites
A European Union agency is advising online shoppers about how to protect themselves from fraud. For example, the EU says consumers should ensure that online retail sites are legitimate, check accounts after making payments online and create electronic-transaction limits for payment cards. "Just as the online shopping environment provides the consumer and retailer with many benefits, it also provides criminals with the opportunities to defraud unsuspecting consumers and retailers, to steal money and to steal financial and personal data," the European Network and Information Security Agency said. InternetRetailer.com (06 Jan.)  | INTRODUCING HP ePRINT— Print from anywhere from any mobile device.* The HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus e-All-in-One now with $120 INSTANT REBATE. BUY NOW.
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 | Spotlight on Fashion |  | | | - Increasing cotton prices prompt greater use of rayon
With the price of cotton up 91% last year, fashion designers and clothing makers shifted to less-expensive alternatives. Rayon has emerged as a favorite option. "In general, we try to find alternatives to cotton whenever possible," said Sera Coblentz, who develops clothes for Meryl Diamond. The Wall Street Journal (06 Jan.) | NRF News | | | |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | The buried talent is the sunken rock on which most lives strike and founder."
--Frederick William Faber,
British hymn writer and theologian  |
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