 | January 18, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Target to enter Canada with a few twists
 Target plans to open in Canada in 2013, but industry watchers say the discount chain's stores to the north may not be exact duplicates of their U.S. counterparts. Prices are likely to be a bit higher because of distribution costs and exchange rates, and while familiar brands such as Merona apparel and Archer Farms foods are likely to be sold, the smaller Canadian stores won't have room to carry all of Target's product lines. Financial Post (Canada) (1/17)       - Jewel-Osco adds "nutrition iQ" shelf tags
Jewel-Osco stores introduced its "nutrition iQ" food-labeling program, with color-coded shelf tags showing the nutritional value of more than 2,500 foods. Orange indicates an excellent or good source of fiber, pink is for 100% juice and yellow is for an excellent or good source of protein. TribLocal.com (Chicago) (1/17) - Why free samples are part of Costco's business model
 Sampling free food is part of the shopping experience for many Costco members, a perk the company says is worth the price whether or not shoppers wind up buying the products. Samples are a key part of the chain's business model, and analysts say it pays off in higher sales over the long term. "There's just a high correlation with successfully run supermarkets and sampling," said analyst David Livingston. American Public Media/Marketplace (1/17)  | Same DemandTec results, now serving softlines. Recently announced DemandTec Lifecycle Pricing for Softlines delivers the most advanced science available for deep intelligence on volatile merchandise, forecasting, and shopper-centricity for apparel, footwear, and other retailers selling short lifecycle merchandise. Learn more now. | - Can deal sites sustain growth?
Group coupon giants Groupon and LivingSocial have inspired a host of much smaller and sometimes local imitators. These sites also share traits of other kinds of targeted online and mobile advertising that are growing rapidly and may swamp the field, undermining the originators of the digital daily-deal service. The Washington Post (1/16) - Startup has designs on aspirational shoppers
Awards-show season in Hollywood has kicked 12-week-old startup Send the Trend into high gear, with staffers avidly watching the red carpet to see the latest accessories adorning celebrities. The team, which includes upscale designer Christian Siriano, chooses among those most likely to be envied by aspirational shoppers, then sells replicas of the pieces for no more than $29.95. Portfolio.com (1/17)  | New cloud management techniques enable IBM to provide a simplified "anywhere, anytime" self-service approach for the delivery and consumption of IT services. Read this paper to see how using a cloud-based approach for your IT can free you to reap immediate benefits of a specific technology instead of having to spend time, resources, and money focusing on how to implement it. |
 - French retailer tests RFID-enabled discount system
E.Leclerc, a retail chain in France, is testing a system that allows shoppers to redeem coupons using stickers that attach to their mobile phones. The system, a form of near-field communication, redeems discounts when users tap the stickers against radio-frequency identification codes on shelves, then tap the stickers against readers at checkout. RFID Journal (1/17) - Interactive window-shopping system in the works
Developers in Germany built a prototype of an interactive system to allow window shoppers to manipulate images to get a better look at the products they're thinking of buying. The setup uses a 3D camera system and image-processing software to create the new shopping experience, which would let shoppers complete purchases without entering stores. ScienceDaily (1/17)  | Unsure how to respond on Facebook?
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 | Main Street |  | | | - Get the maximum bang for your bonus bucks
With the economy improving, it's more important than ever to keep your best people on board, and that means tough decisions about compensation. Most experts recommend giving a bonus rather than a raise, and Paul Schaye offers a formula for distributing those funds: The top 15% of performers get 80% of the available compensation, the bottom 15% get nothing and the remaining 70% share 20% of the total incentive pool. Crain's New York Business (1/16) - Job interviews: Look for passion, not just skills
Most questions during a job interview are structured to get at a candidate's skill set. But Ray Williams argues that skills can be exhibited only on the job; what interviews should attempt to uncover is passion. Ask questions such as, "What do you do in your spare time?," he suggests. "Both the content of the response, and the emotion or passion that they show in giving the response will be a key to finding a quality hire," Williams writes. Financial Post (Canada) (1/17)  | |  | | The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
Faced with large amounts of data and customer information from across several brands, Chico's was recently in need of a better way to manage and analyze its data. SAS was able to provide a solution that meets these business challenges and helped Chico's create a targeted marketing campaign that tripled the results of previous campaigns. Learn more.
Interested in learning more about advertising in NRF SmartBrief? Contact Susan W. Kim at (202) 407-7877 or skim@smartbrief.com.  | |  | |  |
| NRF News | | | |  | - The retail executive's guide to the 112th Congress
As the 112th Congress gavels into action, don't miss out on the best resource on public policy for retail executives -- NRF's Government and Legal Affairs Update. Covering a range of issues like tax policy, labor and health regulations, consumer privacy and online marketing, this report provides background, recent congressional actions and the veritable impact on retail of the many issues before Congress. Learn more. |
- Smaller marketing budget? Focus on relevancy
How relevant are your marketing communications? Studies reveal that up to 63% of consumers have or will consider abandoning a brand altogether because of irrelevant communications. In a recent white paper made available at NRF's Retail Reference Center, Connie Hill of VeraCentra shares how relevancy, executed well, "can prevent customer defection, improve customer satisfaction and increase customer spending while reducing marketing costs." Read more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | | Career Track | | | |
 | |  | | | | |  |  Vice President - Divisional Merchandise Manager | The Vitamin Shoppe | North Bergen, NJ | | 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 | | VP of Marketing | Teavana | Atlanta - Buckhead, GA | | Program Analyst/Logistics | Marine Corps Exchanges/Headquarters Marine Corps | Quantico, VA | | Corporate Recruiter - Merchandising and Retail | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | Merchandise Data Analyst | Marine Corps Exchanges/Headquarters Marine Corps | Quantico, VA | | 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 | | Manager of New Store Openings & Operations | Ross Stores, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA | | Vice President of Supply Chain & Replenishment | Total Wine & More | Potomac, MD | | Senior Project Manager | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Divisional Merchandising Manager - Men's Sportswear | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, Florida, FL | | Divisional Merchandising Manager - Home Decor & Gifts | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, FL | | Chief Merchant/General Merchandise Manager | Moosejaw Mountaineering | Madison Heights, MI | | 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 | | Lead Analyst, Paid Search | Target Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | | Senior Manager, Site Planning | Target Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | | | |  | |  |
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--Ludwig Wittgenstein,
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