  | Global retail industry news |  |
| Global Industry Watch |  |  | | - Price deflation on TVs worries retailers
The technology for large, high-definition, flat-screen televisions has improved and prices are plunging. "Three years ago, you could pay AU$6,000 for a plasma screen," notes one industry veteran. "Last year they were AU$1,200. Now they're AU$899. What will they be next year? I don't know, but they won't be AU$899." The situation is making retailers a bit nervous. "Price deflation is just simply a part of electronics retailing," said Terry Smart, CEO at JB Hi-Fi. "What we have seen, though, is one particular category, in the TV side of the business, have unusually high levels of price deflation over the past 12 to 18 months." The New Zealand Herald (11 Apr.)      - Westfield Retail starts marketing bonds
Westfield Retail Trust, the company split off from Westfield Group late last year, is aiming to raise at least AU$500 million by selling bonds. The Australia and New Zealand mall owner is aiming to price the notes to exceed the swap rate by about 120 basis points. Bloomberg (10 Apr.)  | Are you keeping up with the changing world of employee health care? Get The Basics of Employee Health Care for Small Business: A Guide to Creating a Company Benefit Plan, and find out what you need to know today. There's no obligation. Click to download a FREE whitepaper. |
 | Retail in Asia | | | | - Mountain bike clothing retailer jumps to online only
Gary Sullivan and Glenn Anderson launched Nzo, a mountain biking clothing retailer, about 13 years ago in Rotorua, New Zealand. The company has faced a number of challenges, and recently transformed into a pure play online retailer. "It's a completely different business and we have the challenge of being small. But we have much better relationships with our customers," Sullivan said. Stuff (New Zealand)/BusinessDay (11 Apr.) - Australian retail websites slower than their counterparts
Keynote Systems, a mobile and online cloud monitoring firm, has released a study that found the websites of Australian retailers are much slower in terms of download speed than those of their international counterparts. The research found that the average download speeds of Australian retail sites was between 8.81 seconds and nearly 15 seconds. Tesco's site, by comparison, featured an average download speed of 4.39 seconds. Inside Retailing Online (11 Apr.)  | Instant Business Library
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 | Technology Solutions | | | | - Smartphone app simplifies grocery shopping
Tim Stanford and Kate Cass have developed a free application for iPhones that allows users to scan the bar codes of products in their pantry to easily develop shopping lists. The app can organise the lists into aisles that align with the supermarket layout. "The idea for the application was born when Kate's husband suggested he do the weekly shop," said Stanford. "Upon his return Kate found she had all kinds of weird and wonderful things, not to mention the things he forgot ... forcing her to go back to the shops. Something so frustrating that we all can relate to." The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (08 Apr.) | Spotlight on Mass Merchandise | | | | - Wumart plans to open hypermarkets, convenience stores
Xu Ying, executive director at Wumart Stores, said the Beijing-based supermarket operator plans to invest CNY400 million to expand its store network this year. The company plans to open as many as a dozen hypermarkets and about 50 convenience stores. Xu predicted that the move will boost sales by 15%. ChinaRetailNews.com (11 Apr.) - South Africans urged to oppose Wal-Mart's takeover of Massmart
Zwelinzima Vavi, secretary-general of COSATU, the South African trade union federation, is encouraging his countrymen to oppose Wal-Mart Stores' proposed acquisition of Massmart unless it can agree to conditions laid out by the federation. COSATU has asked that Wal-Mart buy most of its goods in South Africa and honour existing agreements that Massmart has negotiated. "Wal-Mart has continually stated that it will recognise, honour and respect current union relationships, and we remain steadfast to that commitment," a Wal-Mart spokesman said. The Times (South Africa) (10 Apr.) | NRF News | | | |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | The only people who claim that money is not important are people who have enough money so that they are relieved of the ugly burden of thinking about it."
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