 | March 2, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Report: Retail sales rose again in February
Retail sales in most categories rose in February, in spite of weather that threatened to keep shoppers away, according to a MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse report released Wednesday. Higher gas prices didn't dampen spending during the month, but industry watchers are keeping a close eye on the pumps as prices continue to rise. Major merchants including Macy's, Saks and Target are slated to report same-store sales results for February on Thursday. Yahoo!/Reuters (3/1), NPR.org/The Associated Press (3/2)       - Shopkick founder reflects on 6 months of success
 Shopkick launched a shopping application based on the simple idea that brick-and-mortar merchants should have a way of rewarding customers for showing up, says founder Cyriac Roeding. Six months after its launch with high-profile retail partners including Target, Best Buy and Macy's, Roeding talks about the app's success, how the company combats the rising tide of location-based "app fraud" and why the relatively simple system is driving more traffic and revenue than larger rivals. Shop.org Blog (3/2) - Shareholders OK $3 billion J.Crew buyout deal
J.Crew shareholders have approved a $3 billion buyout by private-equity firms TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners, the company said. The vote came in spite of a recommendation by proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services to vote against the deal, advice J.Crew called "deeply flawed." CEO Millard "Mickey" Drexler will remain with the company under its new ownership. The Wall Street Journal (3/2) - Payless partners with eco-model to show off shoes
Model Summer Rayne Oakes will wear the same black dress for a month but change her shoes and accessories on a regular basis, as part of a 30-day eco-focused campaign for Payless. Oakes is a well-known eco-model and a consultant on Payless' Zoe & Zac brand, and the monthlong promotion will raise funds for a charity that builds wells to provide clean drinking water around the world. Retailing Today (free registration) (3/1)  | Keep business cards and notes together — Everyone has experienced the frustration of returning from a meeting, trade show,
or event with a pocketful of random business cards and mismatched scribbled notes. The Contact Keeper family of products solves that problem and will keep you organized and productive.
Visit contactkeeper.com to learn more. |
 - Credit card debt levels paint mixed economic picture
U.S. consumers carried an average of $4,284 in credit card debt during December, down 4% from the same month in 2009, according to new data from Experian, but that number doesn't tell the whole story. Consumers with means continued to pay down debt, while those in more dire straights used credit cards to pay for necessities. There were "very dramatic increases in debt by people who, mainly, lost jobs, but also had medical emergencies, and turned to credit cards to carry them through the hard times," said Experian's Maxine Sweet. The New York Times (free registration) (3/1) - Global retailers try to tap into China's rural market
Domestic consumer consumption is starting to drive China's economic growth, prompting increased attention from multinational companies. Global retailers are keen to tap into China's consumer market, particularly in rural areas. Consumers from the countryside are expected to see their incomes continue to increase, providing significant opportunities for businesses. China Daily (Beijing) (3/1)  | Learn how your competitors are changing their POS to boost sales...
...and why you should too! Recent research from Aberdeen reveals surprising shifts in the ways retailers are using Point of Service to enrich customer engagement, leverage business intelligence, and enhance other systems. Download their insightful report - a $399 value - at no cost.. |
 - MAKEaDeal app matches shoppers with deals from nearby merchants
A new iPhone application from Spreezio comes close to letting users name their price on the products they're shopping for, using location-based software and a pre-set radius to match the user with personalized coupons from 85 retail chains including Macy's, Target and Best Buy. MAKEaDeal users enter a product category, along with preferences on discount amounts and distance, then wait to see which merchant sends back a limited-time coupon with the best deal. GigaOm (2/28)  | To become a top-performing distributor, you must:
• Achieve 98% inventory accuracy.
• Reach 95% on-time and complete shipment rates.
• Maintain 12-hour order-to-shipment cycle times.
• Achieve 13% cycle-time reductions from ERP use.
Distributors, how do you stack up against top performers? View the Aberdeen webcast to find out. | | Policy & Government Affairs |  |  | | |  |  | NRF News | | | | - NRF's Rob Green named executive director of NCCR
NRF's restaurant division, the National Council of Chain Restaurants, today named Rob Green to serve as the organization's new executive director. "We're confident Rob will give chain restaurants a strong voice with policymakers and deliver more value than ever for our members," said Pat Sheehy, NCCR chairman. A Capitol Hill veteran and longtime advocate for the restaurant industry, Green succeeds Jack Whipple, who retired earlier this year. Read more. - Know an exceptional retail loss prevention professional?
Nominations for NRF's Loss Prevention Awards are now being accepted. The Awards Program honors and acknowledges law enforcement officers, loss prevention professionals, law enforcement agencies and retail companies who have impacted their community or the industry and deserve nationwide recognition. Submit a nomination now for one of these prestigious awards. The submission deadline is March 18. Learn more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Ronald's role fades as McDonald's menu grows up
As McDonald's focuses on selling salads, premium coffee drinks and other items aimed at adults, iconic 48-year-old mascot Ronald McDonald is disappearing from commercials and campaigns. Ronald McDonald is still the face of the charity that bears his name, but his role as menu ambassador may be at an end as the chain moves in a more sophisticated direction. Bloomberg Businessweek (3/2) - Domino's CEO: New recipe spurs loyalty, sales growth
Domino's highly publicized new pizza recipe led to strong U.S. sales growth last year, including a double-digit jump in first-quarter same-store sales as consumers flocked to try the new recipe, said CEO J. Patrick Doyle. "What we're seeing now, and what we saw through the balance of last year, was business driven by an increase in loyalty, because of the new, better pizza," Doyle said in a conference call Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal (3/1) | Career Track | | | |  | |  | | | | |  |  Senior Buyer, Sports & Outdoors | Amazon.com | Seattle, WA | | Merchandise Planning and Inventory Management Senior Manager | Kurt Salmon | Multiple Locations, United States | | Product Development and Sourcing Senior Manager | Kurt Salmon | Multiple Locations, United States | | National Account Manager | Specialty Store Services | Nationwide, United States | | Senior Marketing Manager, Search Engine Optimization | macys.com | San Francisco, CA | | Manager, Merchandising Initiatives | Total Wine & More | Potomac , MD | | District Sales Manager- Texas & Oklahoma Market | Lakeshore Learning Materials | Houston, TX | | Director of Merchandising | Lakeshore Learning Materials | Carson, CA | | Buyer/Headquarters Level-Marine Corps Exchanges | Headquarters Marine Corps Community Services | Quantico MCB, VA | | Multi-Channel Strategy Sr. Manager | Deloitte Consulting LLP | Nationwide, United States | | Senior Vice President, Communities & Networks and Executive Director, Shop.org | National Retail Federation | Washington, DC | | Retail Manager | Tri-County Feeds | Marshall, VA | | | |  | |  |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | Books give not wisdom where none was before. But where some is, there reading makes it more."
--John Harington,
British writer and inventor of the flush toilet  |
| | This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com
| | | | | | | | | Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues: - Tuesday, March 01, 2011
- Monday, February 28, 2011
- Friday, February 25, 2011
- Thursday, February 24, 2011
- Wednesday, February 23, 2011
| | | Lead Editor: Megan Conniff
Contributing Editor: Faye Rapoport
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
Retailers generally pay between 30% and 40% of their net income in income taxes. Source: 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please comment thoughtfully CPG Brokers, your best resource to optimize your in store self exposure and maximize sku distribution.