UK retailers offset slow sales at home with growth abroad

Reading this on a mobile device? Try our optimized mobile version here: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/daAXCaiGapCamNeeCidarfBWcNKbQx

15 July 2011 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Global retail industry news   Global Industry Watch    Germany's Tengelmann will be out of reorganized A&P Germany's Tengelmann, which owns 38% of Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea, the grocery chain that filed for bankruptcy protection in December, says it has written off the full value of the holding and likely won't have a stake in the reorganized A&P. "We hope that A&P can be led out of its insolvency. But we do not believe that we will be significant shareholders after the process ends," CEO Karl-Erivan Haub said Thursday. Reuters (14 Jul.)      Tesco opens China logistics center to handle growing business UK retailer Tesco is moving forward with aggressive growth plans in China, where it opened a logistics center in Zhejiang province. Tesco plans to open 20 China stores this year and expects to launch online grocery shopping in Shanghai in 2012. China Daily (Beijing) (14 Jul.)      Health care reform got you down? Learn more from UnitedHealthcare on how the federal changes to medical benefits will affect you and your employees. This guide highlights incentives for enrollment and a timeline of important dates and deadlines. Don't let them pass you by—Learn more here!   Retail in Europe    UK retailers offset slow sales at home with growth abroad UK retailers including Primark, Mothercare and ASOS all reported stronger international sales that are making up for a sluggish retail environment at home. Online retailer ASOS reported that international sales accounted for half of the company's third-quarter revenue. Reuters (14 Jul.)      AB Foods says food prices likely to go higher UK consumers who are already facing tighter budgets are likely to see additional increases in grocery prices in the coming months, Associated British Foods warned Thursday. Commodity prices are continuing to rise, putting pressure on food manufacturers and retailers, the company said. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (14 Jul.)      Other News SuperGroup to launch its first fragrance lines Brand Republic (U.K.) (14 Jul.)      Scheduling That Works for Employers and Employees: It's Not a Mirage Download the white paper How Automated Schedule Design and Management Benefits Both Employers and Employees for valuable tips on giving scheduling control and flexibility to employees. The result? Automated scheduling increased employee effectiveness for 84 percent of managers.   Retail in Asia    Clerical error delays Sun Art's Hong Kong trade debut Sun Art Retail Group raised more than $1 billion in its IPO but must delay the start of trading on Hong Kong's exchange for two weeks to fix a clerical error in its prospectus that listed an incorrect number of shares, the company said Thursday. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (14 Jul.)      Ad Compliance Best Practices Kit — Stay ahead of consumer concern and government regulation with TRUSTe. Gain an overview of what Behavioral Advertising (OBA) is, why it is important, and what your options are. Insights from the FTC, DAA, TRUSTe, Forbes, Publisher's Clearing House and more. Register Now.   E-commerce Spotlight  US online retailer wants to sell Chinese products in China Online furniture seller DefySupply sources its products directly from Chinese manufacturers to consumers, and now the site wants to boost its business by selling more of the pieces to shoppers in China. Lower shipping costs would mean lower prices for Chinese residents, but the average price of $1,000 could still prove beyond the means of many in a country where many live on $3,500 a year. Portfolio.com (14 Jul.)      Romanian police arrest 90 in online shopping scam Police in Romania arrested about 90 people accused of cheating about 1,000 people in an online sales fraud scheme. Prosecutors say the suspects advertised products on online sites such as eBay and Craigslist and took money from buyers without sending any items. BBC (14 Jul.)      Report: UK retailers increase IT spending this year UK retailers have increased their investments in e-commerce and m-commerce this year, committing 23% of this year's IT budget compared to 17% last year, according to new data from Martec International. "Many retailers are struggling to keep pace with the rapidly changing requirements of multichannel operations with legacy systems slowing them down. Replacing these systems is vital for gaining competitive advantage," said Martec's Brian Hume. ComputerWeekly.com (U.K.) (14 Jul.)      Publish your company news with SmartBrief SmartBrief has made it easier than ever to put your press release in front of our highly targeted audiences. Visit SmartBrief.com/press to learn more about the 100+ SmartBrief newsletters that accept Press Release submissions, or click here to start scheduling your release today.   Spotlight on Fashion  Uniqlo sees signs of rebound, strong summer sales Fast Retailing reported a dip in profits for the most recent quarter but said Thursday that strong demand for summer clothes at its Uniqlo stores signals a recovery after the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March. Despite the natural disasters, the retailer saw a strong comeback in the quarter that ended in May compared to earlier in the year, a sign that its decision to focus on more popular fashions is paying off. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (15 Jul.)      A lack of standardized sizes leads shoppers to "buy before they try" Many online shoppers now buy a garment in several sizes at the same time and later send back the ones that don't work, and even in-store apparel shoppers have problems finding the right fit, a problem that's due largely to a lack of standardized sizes between retailers and apparel makers. The Guardian (London) (14 Jul.)      Nike launches lifestyle fashion lines Nike is gearing up to compete with apparel chains including Abercrombie & Fitch and Jack Wills with a new line of casual clothing. The hoodies, jackets and over-sized T-shirts aim to represent California beach style, and Nike is the latest example of athletic wear makers looking to feed growing demand for sportier street clothes. Brand Republic (U.K.) (14 Jul.)        NRF News  US retail sales in June grow for 12th consecutive month U.S. retailers preparing for the crucial back-to-school season have reason for optimism: according to numbers released by NRF on Thursday, industry sales for June rose 0.3% seasonally adjusted from May and 5.5% unadjusted year-over-year. While the sales numbers surpassed expectations, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said that sustained growth in retail will depend on a strong labor market. Read more.      Join NRF  |  NRF Events  |  FIRAE  |  STORES  |  Training and Certification   SmartQuote  The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behavior affect the rights and well-being of others." --Sharon Anthony Bower, American self-help author        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       Recent NRF Global SmartBrief Issues: Thursday, 14 Jul 2011 Wednesday, 13 Jul 2011 Tuesday, 12 Jul 2011 Monday, 11 Jul 2011 Friday, 8 Jul 2011     Lead Editor:  Megan Conniff       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 USA     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information