  | January 17, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- More retailers get into the food business
Companies including Target, CVS Caremark and Walgreen are selling more fresh, prepared and frozen food in their stores, and traditional grocers are feeling the pinch of competition. Convenience and discount stores said the goal is to increase visits. Deutsche Bank analyst Bill Dreher said customers visit Target stores that stock groceries almost twice as frequently as they do stores without groceries. The New York Times (free registration) (1/16)       - Home Depot's CFO turns her attention to technology
Home Depot was the first home-improvement chain to launch a mobile shopping app last year, and it's moving fast to catch up its tech-savvy competition. The push toward technology is led largely by CFO Carol Tome. Tome oversaw about $350 million in tech spending during the past year. Bloomberg Businessweek (1/13) - Houston's Pinto Ranch gambles on Vegas expansion
 Western-wear retailer Pinto Ranch plans to open its newest store and its first outside Texas this fall, in the high-end Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas. Luxury retail in Vegas did better than hotels and real estate during the downturn, says CEO Walter Pye Jr. He expects to find an eager audience for the town's first western-wear store among international tourists shopping for a piece of Americana. Houston Chronicle (1/14) - Workhorse brands find upscale fans
Duluth Pack and other "workhorse" brands are finding customers among wealthier consumers who want lasting "Made in America" brands. The Minnesota-based manufacturer and bag retailer, which began 128 years ago making sturdy canoe packs and other wilderness gear, now sells its pricey backpacks and duffel bags at Barneys and Urban Outfitters. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (1/15)  | Each year U.S businesses spend trillions of dollars on goods and services. Focus Research empowers buyers to spend their budget wisely by offering easily accessible and trustworthy information on vendors that support small and mid-size business operations. Download this free whitepaper that compares leading CRM vendors to ensure you choose what's best for your organization. |
 - Grocery chains feel the squeeze of growing inflation
Rising food prices mean supermarkets this year will face the ongoing question of whether to absorb the higher costs or pass them along to consumers still struggling to recover from the recession. The number of consumers who depend on food stamps has risen significantly in the past four years, and giant discount chains and warehouse stores are using lower prices to grab more grocery sales, making it less likely that chains will be able to substantially raise prices in 2011. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.)/The Associated Press (1/16) - Retailers take a cautious approach to 2011
Merchants cheered better-than-expected holiday sales, but many are still unsure what 2011 will bring. Continued high unemployment may mean a return to belt-tightening after a seasonal splurge, and apparel makers and merchants such as VF Corp. and Aeropostale are keeping inventories lean and anticipating price increases as cotton costs continue to rise. The Wall Street Journal (1/15)  | Gain insight into the overall health of U.S. businesses and how to leverage new tools to better manage business, while reducing risk exposure. View our on-demand Webinar Gain a clearer picture of small-business risk in an uncertain market. |
 - Canadian company creates aromas to encourage spending
Canada's Mood Media developed scents to help retailers entice target shoppers, keep them in the store longer and encourage them to buy. "The longer you can get a customer to stay in the store, the more likely they are to buy," CEO Lorne Abony said. "We've proved from our work in America that using the smell of grass cuttings in a (do-it-yourself) store, for example, encourages people to think about buying gardening equipment." United Press International (1/15) - Online sales of household basics heat up
Free shipping, lower prices and overall convenience make the prospect of buying household essentials online more attractive, with sites such as Amazon's Diapers.com and Soap.com leading the way. "The value proposition of our site specifically revolves around convenience, speed of delivery and the customer-service level," said David Zhang, Soap.com's marketing director. Chicago Tribune (1/14)  | 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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 | 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 | | | | - Retail container traffic to be up 8% in January
Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to be up 8% in January over the January 2010, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates. "While the economy clearly began to recover in 2010 and drove up cargo volume as retail sales improved, maintaining that momentum in 2011 could be difficult," said Jonathan Gold, NRF's vice president for supply chain and customs policy. Read more. - NRF SmartStat: Jan. 17, 2011
 Retail industry sales for December rose 5.3% unadjusted year-over-year. Source: NRF. - Find out what you missed at Retail's BIG Show
If you missed NRF's Centennial Celebration in New York City last week, coverage of the show is at your fingertips on Retail's BIG Blog. Take a peek at a few highlights from the show, including a list of nine retailers who get customer experience right, and a brief on what augmented-reality technologies can do for the shopping experience of the future. Read more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Starbucks to launch larger cold-drink cup
Starbucks plans to debut its 31-ounce "Trenta" cup for iced coffee, iced tea and lemonade in 14 states on Feb. 1, and expand the rollout nationwide by May. The coffee chain faces increased competition from McDonald's and other quickservice chains that have expanded their coffee and upscale beverage offerings. Portfolio.com/Reuters (1/16) - Smokey Bones to weave websites into one
Orlando-based Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill will roll out a new website to replace individual sites run by staffers at each of its restaurants. The individual sites helped spur interest in the restaurants, the company said, but it became difficult to maintain consistent quality across all the websites. "You might find that Sally has gone back to school and doesn't really have that time now to spend working on the website, so that was an issue," said Pete Bell, chief marketing officer. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (1/16) | Career Track | | | |  | |  | | | | |  |  Asset Protection Manager | Saks Fifth Avenue | Beverly Hills, CA | | Senior Buyer for Wine | Total Wine & More | Potomac, MD | | Loss Prevention Manager-PowerMax Warehouse-McCalla, Ala | OfficeMax | McCalla, AL | | Lead Analyst, Paid Search | Target Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | | Senior Manager, Site Planning | Target Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | | Program Analyst/Logistics | Marine Corps Exchanges/Headquarters Marine Corps | Quantico, VA | | Merchandise Data Analyst | Marine Corps Exchanges/Headquarters Marine Corps | Quantico, VA | | Corporate Recruiter - Merchandising and Retail | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | Planogram Specialist | Exchange (Army Air Force Exchange Serivce) | Dallas, TX | | Operational Initiatives Manager | Ross Stores, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA | | Store Operations Manager - dd's DISCOUNTS | Ross Stores, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA | | Vice President of Supply Chain & Replenishment | Total Wine & More | Potomac, MD | | Manager of New Store Openings & Operations | Ross Stores, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA | | Divisional Merchandising Manager - Men's Sportswear | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, Florida, FL | | Divisional Merchandising Manager - Home Decor & Gifts | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, FL | | Senior Project Manager | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Senior Merchandise Planner/Distributor | Navy Exchange Service Command | Virginia Beach, VA | | Divisional Merchandise Manager | Navy Exchange Service Command | Virginia Beach, VA | | Traffic Management Specialist | Navy Exchange Service Command | Virginia Beach, VA | | Merchandise Planner | Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) | Virginia Beach, VA | | Merchandise Planner | Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) | Virginia Beach, VA | | Associate Buyer - International & Offshore Markets (Bilingual Spanish required) | OfficeMax | Naperville, IL | | Chief Merchant/General Merchandise Manager | Moosejaw Mountaineering | Madison Heights, MI | | | |  | |  |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem."
--Martin Luther King Jr.,
U.S. civil rights leader,
quoted for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S., Jan. 17, 2011  |
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