Retailers defend practice of asking applicants about criminal histories

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July 27, 2011 News for the retail industry   Industry Watch  Wal-Mart to open its first Express store in Chicago today The country's first Wal-Mart Express store opens on Chicago's South Side today, and the retail giant is betting that the smaller urban footprint will help reverse its domestic sales slump. Chicago is one of three test markets that will get a total of 15 Express stores this year; the 10,000- to 15,000-square-foot format features groceries, a pharmacy and health and beauty products. Chicago Tribune (7/26)      Teenager is 5th victim of mall slashings since February A teenager shopping at Fair Oaks Mall on Monday was the victim of a slasher who cut through her clothing with a razor or box cutter and left a 1.5-inch wound, in the fifth such incident at a Fairfax Count, Va., mall since February. The mall has turned over surveillance tapes to police in the hope of identifying a suspect. The Washington Post (7/26)      Winn-Dixie embarks on project to overhaul certain stores Winn-Dixie Stores is conducting a floor-to-ceiling renovation of select stores for about $5.5 million each. A newly renovated supermarket in northeast Florida has wood and polished concrete floors, public seating areas with coffee and Wi-Fi, a wine area and specialty-food sections. The Daily Record (Jacksonville, Fla.) (7/25)      Other News RadioShack to trade T-Mobile for Verizon Wireless RCR Wireless News (7/26)      Best Buy makes OnStar available to the masses MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (7/26)      Books-A-Million won't buy 30 Borders stores Bloomberg (7/26)      The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN Spending power for your business. Premium benefits for you. Access a portfolio of 30+ premium benefits, including: • Membership Rewards® points that pay for flights, hotels, and more • 24/7, 1-on-1 Concierge for help with your life and your Business • Complimentary Airport Club Access Business Platinum Card APPLY NOW   Spotlight on Location Data    See the big picture: 3 ways GIS can help your business   Source: YouTube/SmartBrief Geographic information systems, and how companies can use them to solve tactical and strategic problems, was a hot topic at this year's ESRI User Conference. APOS Chief Operating Officer Allan Pym says plotting location data on a map can let any business test variables and examine possible results. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (7/27)      Residents of Top Rung neighborhoods are always in style, preferring to shop at retailers such as Nordstrom and Macy's. They also shop online and are avid readers. How can you find this type of customer? Esri Business Analyst Online enables you to identify your best customers and find more like them. Check out the free Esri ZIP Code Lookup tool.   Retail trends    Heat wave helps merchants make the most of summer sales Retailers are seeing brisk sales of everything from shorts and sarongs to ice cream and air conditioners amid a heat wave that has blanketed huge swaths of the country this month, and malls are reporting bigger food court and movie theater crowds as consumers seek a cool respite. Some analysts say the trend may mean a slower August, as high air-conditioning bills for the previous month mean less disposable income. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (7/26)      Man reportedly made $10,000 a month selling stolen goods on eBay John Patrick Weismiller of Woodburn, Ore., was officially charged in U.S. District Court this week on charges that he shoplifted large quantities of health and beauty products and other items from stores throughout the state and made a living selling them on eBay. The indictment came after a seven-month FBI investigation. "The activity is organized retail crime. Sometimes you have groups of people, or individuals, who target stores, steal multiple items and resell them. If they sell it over the Internet, it's what we call e-fencing," said NRF senior adviser Joe LaRocca. The Oregonian (Portland) (7/26)      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.   Retail Technology    3 mobile options to replace clunky cash registers Three tech companies have created subscription-based solutions that allow merchants to replace cash registers with tablets and other mobile devices, including software that works with any Internet-enabled computer. Erply software lets merchants ring up sales, manage inventory and run reports; cloud-based Pose performs the same functions and includes a social networking component; and ShopKeep offers a dedicated iPad designed for use in smaller shops with fewer than 270 SKUs. Inc.com (7/26)      Boost Your Visibility on Digital Shelves Standing out on the digital shelves of retail sites is key to engaging shoppers. Download this free white paper to learn how to make the short list by securing premium shelf space on leading retail sites. Engage active shoppers. Increase clickshare. Stand out from the crowd.   Policy & Government Affairs  Retailers defend practice of asking applicants about criminal histories Retailers and business groups voiced their objections this week to a proposal before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that would ban the box on employment applications that asks prospective employees whether they have a criminal history. Retailers see the box as their first line of defense in the fight to keep their stores safe for staff and customers, writes NRF's Joe LaRocca, and the majority of merchants use background and criminal checks as part of the hiring process. Retail's BIG Blog (7/27), Bloomberg (7/26)          Sponsored Content    Our Tumblr Community Asks: How Do I Find Investors? Jason Del Rey 5 Ways To Use Foursquare To Get Mobs Of Customers John Jantsch 5 Simple Tips For Better Business Websites Kelli Shaver (Mashable) No Excuses: The Secret To Entrepreneurial Success Patel, Neil, KISSmetrics, VP of Marketing 3 Online And Physical Security Options For SMBs TJ McCue   NRF News  Shop.org Summit to feature keynotes from Charming Shoppes, Google execs Shop.org will kick off its Annual Summit this September in Boston, bringing together revolutionaries, thought leaders and some of the online retail community's most revered experts. This year's agenda is lined with top-notch online retail experts, including keynotes from Charming Shoppes Direct President Bill Bass, Google Vice President of Commerce Stephanie Tilenius, Creative Goods CEO Phil Terry, and author and inventor Ray Kurzweil. The Annual Summit will take place Sept. 12-14 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Read the press release.      Shop.org SmartStat: July 27, 2011 Almost 30% of consumers said they will increase their comparative shopping online this year for back-to-school items. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch.        Travelocity.com founder to deliver keynote address at NRFtech: IT Leadership Summit Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity.com and chairman of Kayak.com, will be the keynote speaker at NRFtech in Lake Tahoe, Nev., Aug. 14-16. Jones will share his innovative techniques on how to keep up with this rapidly changing technology environment. Attendees will hear insights from a leader whose innovations have changed an industry. Learn more.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  More fruit, fewer fries in the new Happy Meal McDonald's customers who purchase Happy Meals for their children will find fewer fries and more fruit, under changes the chain has made to its popular children's meal. The Happy Meal has become a target by health advocates and parents amid soaring childhood obesity rates. The Happy Meal will still include a toy. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (7/26)      Dunkin' raises share price to $19 as IPO debuts Dunkin' Brands is slated to begin trading publicly today on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol DNKN, with shares priced at $19 or $1 above earlier estimates. The share price values the company at $2.4 billion, largely because of its potential to expand westward into untapped markets. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/DealBook blog (7/26), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Deal Journal blog (7/26)      Other News New KFC website collects Colonel Sanders tales MSNBC/The Associated Press (7/26)      Director, Safety and Health OfficeMax Naperville, IL Merchant Opportunities Kohl's Milwaukee, WI Sales Associate Saks Fifth Avenue Phoenix, AZ Sales Associate Saks Fifth Avenue- San Francisco, CA San Francisco, CA SALES ASSOCIATES AND BEAUTY SPECIALISTS SAKS FIFTH AVENUE STAMFORD, CT SALES ASSOCIATES AND SALES SUPPORT ASSOCIATES SAKS FIFTH AVENUE HUNTINGTON STATION, LONG ISLAND, NY SALES ASSOCIATES SAKS FIFTH AVENUE TROY, MI Sales & Education Executive Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics Nationwide, United States Business Analyst Five Below, Inc. Philadelphia, PA District Manager Five Below, Inc. Philadelphia, PA IS Manager Store & DC Support PetSmart Phoenix, AZ Loss Prevention Exception Reporting Manager Stein Mart Jacksonville, Florida, FL Department Manager - Designer - Saks Fifth Avenue Chicago Saks Fifth Avenue Chicago, IL Senior Retail Marketing Advertising Manager Cabela's Sidney, NE Sales Associate UNIQLO Manhattan, NY IT Opportunities Belk Inc. Charlotte, NC Manager, Product Training Samsung Electronics America, Inc Ridgefield Park, NJ Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Store Manager - Bealls Bealls Orlando, FL Career Event - Charleston, SC Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH Charleston, SC VP Divisional Merchandise Manager - Men's Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH New York, NY The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) H-E-B Underscores Commitment to Low Prices with New Program that Offers Texans Greater Savings at the Pump Interested in learning more about advertising in NRF SmartBrief? Contact Susan W. Kim at (202) 407-7877 or skim@smartbrief.com.    SmartQuote  Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity." --Khalil Gibran, Lebanese-American artist, poet and writer        This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com   Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Grab our News Widget Publish your Press Release   Advertise Associate Publisher:  Susan W. Kim (202) 407-7877 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Jackie Basso (202) 407-7871       Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 Monday, July 25, 2011 Friday, July 22, 2011 Thursday, July 21, 2011 Wednesday, July 20, 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