  | March 4, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Marshalls takes steps to expand its stand-alone shoe stores
TJX Cos. is ramping up plans to expand its Marshalls brand with new stand-alone shoe stores that take up less space while expanding on a successful concept that started as a department within the chain's namesake stores. "Footwear's doing well. It has done well in the recession, so they're going with a category that's proven to be strong," said Michael Atmore, editorial director of Conde Nast's Footwear News. NorthJersey.com (Hackensack, N.J.) (free registration) (3/3)       - Ralph Lauren launches Facebook contest to find new RL Gang member
Ralph Lauren has launched a Facebook contest that lets parents in the U.K. and U.S. post pictures of their youngsters, which users will vote on to select the next new member of the RL Gang. Clad in the designer's childrenswear, the children star in two branded books, the second of which was released this week with narration by Uma Thurman. Luxist (3/3)  | New 2010 Enterprise VoIP Buyer's Guide
This updated Buyer's Guide from Focus will help you fully understand both your business phone system needs as well as the purchase process. Compare features and read advice from other buyers.
Click Here to learn more. |
 - Late Easter means a longer retail lull between holidays
Easter falls on April 24 this year, the latest date since 1943, a calendar quirk that poses challenges for merchants that depend on holidays to boost sales. "In recent years, it's varied greatly," says NRF's Kathy Grannis. "For retailers to get an accurate gauge of their spring [and] retail sales, most retailers combine March and April sales." TheStreet.com (3/3) - Women seek style with workout wardrobes
American consumers spent more than $30 million on women's workout wear last year, up 2% from 2009, as more women sought stylish looks that perform well in class and can double as casual wear for running post-gym errands. "When you're wearing things that are more flattering, then you're more motivated to work out," said Kelly Cooper, vice president for Gap-owned Athleta. Los Angeles Times (2/27) - Retailers adding online revenue to monthly same-store sales reports
Macy's is among the first brick-and-mortar retailers to add online sales results to its monthly same-store sales reports, revealing this week that sales at its namesake and bloomingdales.com sites increased 30.9% in February. Other retailers don't include online in these monthly reports, but some industry analysts say more will likely start as e-commerce becomes a larger part of overall sales. CNBC/Consumer Nation blog (3/3)  | Changing Dynamics of Consumerism
When asked to consider their top strategic priorities retailers chose customer satisfaction and retention as the top overall corporate priority. Retailers must focus on maximizing opportunities, shaping customer demands and anticipate their needs inside the store. Learn more about shaping your store in this free e-book. |
  | 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. |
| NRF News |  | | | - What's hot in retail (and at NRF)
The industry focus for February revolved around lessons learned and resources for the future according to NRF.com stats. Noteworthy topics last month included video coverage of CEOs from HSN, Crate & Barrel and Rue La La as they discussed leadership, a Q&A with Steve Madden e-commerce president Andrew Koven, and planning resources for 2011. View a list of the most popular resources and articles in retail for the month of February. Read more. - NRF SmartStat: March 4, 2011
 Retail industry sales for 2011 are projected to increase 4% from 2010. Source: NRF - INNOVATE '11: Follow the action
INNOVATE 2011, powered by NRF's marketing and digital divisions, officially kicks off next week and the conversation has already started on Twitter. View staff and attendees' tweets by searching hashtag #innovate11, or follow @nrfnews to get live updates throughout the event. Learn more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - New Wendy's burgers and breakfast require franchisee investment
Wendy's national debut of its Dave's Hot 'n Juicy Cheeseburger this fall comes with costs for franchisees, who are being asked to invest between $13,000 and $23,000 per store on grill enhancements, bun toasters and other kitchen equipment. Operators will need to make additional investments to support a beefed up breakfast menu and premium coffee program, the chain said, adding that it expects the new morning offerings to add up to $150,000 in breakfast sales per store. BurgerBusiness.com (3/3) | Career Track | | | |
 | |  | | | | |  |  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 | | Senior Buyer, Sports & Outdoors | Amazon.com | Seattle, WA | | 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 | | 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 | | Buyer/Headquarters Level-Marine Corps Exchanges | Headquarters Marine Corps Community Services | Quantico MCB, VA | | Retail Manager | Tri-County Feeds | Marshall, VA | | | |  | |  |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | Exceptions are not always the proof of the old rule; they can also be the harbinger of a new one."
--Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach,
Austrian writer  |
| | This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com
| | | | | | | | | Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues: - Thursday, March 03, 2011
- Wednesday, March 02, 2011
- Tuesday, March 01, 2011
- Monday, February 28, 2011
- Friday, February 25, 2011
| | | Lead Editor: Megan Conniff
Contributing Editor: Faye Rapoport
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