Wal-Mart to start providing retail data to Nielsen

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July 22, 2011 News for the retail industry   Industry Watch    Court approves Borders' liquidation plan A bankruptcy court judge approved Borders' plan to sell its assets to a consortium of liquidators, and markdowns at Borders 399 remaining stores across the country may start as early as today. The judge also is considering a bid by Books-A-Million to acquire the leases and assets of 30 of the stores and an option to buy five others; if that deal is approved, it could save about 1,500 jobs. The Denver Post/The Associated Press (7/21), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (7/22)      Wal-Mart to start providing retail data to Nielsen Wal-Mart has a new agreement with Nielsen Holdings to begin providing retail data from its namesake stores, as well as its Sam's Club and Neighborhood Market stores. Nielsen will use the data to provide more accurate pictures of consumer purchasing activity and trends to its retail and consumer packaged goods clients. Crain's Chicago Business (7/21)      Denim Habit's new store reflects the way today's women shop for jeans Denim Habit's new 2,250-square-foot flagship in New York City's meatpacking district feels less like a traditional jeans store and more like a boutique that happens to sell denim, reflecting CEO Wayne Shulick's belief that women shop differently for their jeans than they used to. "The days of walking down the street and seeing stores with stacks and stacks of folded jeans is kind of [obsolete]." Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (7/21)      Bottom Dollar Food stores will open in Pittsburgh area At least 14 Bottom Dollar Food stores are slated to open in the Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Ohio, areas. The discount grocer, based in Salisbury, N.C., is known for having relatively small stores, about 18,000 square feet, and offering a limited selection. "We carry private brands and the national brands that matter most and offer a meaningful, efficient assortment of fresh produce, meat and other products," said President Meg Ham. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (7/21)      Other News Macy's to debut Lagerfeld capsule collection at 235 stores this fall Retailing Today (free registration) (7/21)      Colorado's first IKEA store to open next week Display & Design Ideas (7/21)      As eCommerce has grown to represent a significant percentage of retail sales and profits, merchants should consider payment strategies that can enhance their online services, open new markets and protect the bottom line. Download this free white paper to learn more.   Retail trends    Cotton prices take a sudden plunge after hitting record highs Cotton prices have plunged 38% so far this month and are 53% off the record high hit on March 4, creating concern for apparel manufacturers and making retailers wonder whether the lower prices are here to stay. In the coming months, they'll have to decide whether to maintain higher prices they implemented when cotton was rising or roll back increases when they debut spring collections. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (7/22)      Lack of a must-have jeans style proves positive for apparel merchants For the first time since bellbottoms defined the look of jeans in the 1970s, consumers aren't tied to one particular style when it comes to denim. Apparel retailers are reaping the rewards as shoppers diversify their wardrobes with everything from jeggings and skinny jeans to classic boot-cut and boyfriend jeans. "Today's shoppers aren't tied to an era. They are most interested in looking good," said American Eagle's chief merchandising officer Tana Ward. The Monterey County Herald (Calif.)/The Associated Press (7/21)      As food prices increase, shoppers seek private labels In a Deloitte consumer survey, 87.7% of respondents said they believe prices are increasing at food stores, while 74% said packages appear smaller. Shoppers are responding, with 39.6% buying more private-label products, and 75.3% seeking out lower-priced items. Progressive Grocer (7/20)      Heard the buzz about advertising on Facebook but not sure where to get started? We interviewed Facebook's Director of Monetization for 5 must-have tips on how to achieve success using Facebook's Ad Platform. Download the whitepaper today!.   Retail Technology    Gilt Groupe to be first with Banana Republic's "Mad Men" line Members-only flash-fashion site Gilt Groupe has won an exclusive deal to be first to offer its users a chance to buy select pieces from the "Mad Men"-inspired apparel line Banana Republic plans to debut this fall. The 36-hour sale of pieces from both the men's and women's lines will start Monday. Retailing Today (free registration) (7/21)      Online optimizations drive traffic to Chico's stores E-commerce efforts and paid search campaigns have succeeded in driving increased traffic to Chico's brick-and-mortar stores, says online marketing director Jenn McClain. Multichannel Merchant (7/20)        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.   Sponsored Content    6 Surefire Ways To Get New Clients Katie Morell 6 Common Blunders Of Lousy Leaders Julie Rains How Do You Know When To Double Down Or Batten Down? HOWARD MANN Small Business Week In Review Jason Del Rey 7 Unwritten Rules Of Social Media Rajesh Setty   NRF News  Register for ARTS 3rd annual Users' Conference by July 27 and save $150 Online registration is now open for the third annual ARTS Users' Conference, Sept. 25-27 in Orlando, Fla. Register by July 27 and save $150. The conference draws retail IT practitioners from all disciplines -- project management, IT architecture, development and data administration. Learn more.      NRF SmartStat: July 22, 2011 Total back-to-college spending remains about twice as large as back-to-school. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch        How to develop retail management superstars Looking to engage new sales managers or deepen retail management principles for retail managers? NRF University wired, the NRF Foundation's eLearning platform, offers a series of online retail management courses designed to provide a basic overview of retail industry concepts and processes as well as an understanding of the accountability required as a retail manager. These industry-developed courses can be taken individually or as a series, depending upon training needs. Learn more.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  New beverage offerings help McDonald's offset higher beef costs Sales of frozen strawberry lemonade and other high-margin beverages helped McDonald's offset the effects of higher meat prices that are taking a bite out of burger profits. The beverage success likely led the chain to its eighth consecutive quarter of profit growth, and analysts expect it to continue as demand returns for McCafe coffee drinks when the weather cools. Bloomberg (7/21)      Other News Qdoba tries whole-wheat tortillas and retail salsa sales FastCasual.com (7/21)      Director, Retail Safety and Health OfficeMax Naperville, IL Merchant Opportunities Kohl's Milwaukee, WI 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 Manager Replenishment & Allocations Five Below Philadelphia, PA Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Planogram Specialist Headquarters Marine Corps Quantico, VA Buyer-Young Men's and Men's Collections Headquarters Marine Corps Quantico, VA Sales Associate UNIQLO Manhattan, NY IT Opportunities Belk Inc. Charlotte, NC Manager of Human Resources Chico's FAS, Inc. Ft. Myers, FL Store Manager - Bealls Bealls Orlando, FL Manager, Product Training Samsung Electronics America, Inc Ridgefield Park, NJ Saks Fifth Avenue - Sales Associate - Career Day July 21st Saks Fifth Avenue Boston, MA Applications Manager-Distribution & Transportation PetSmart Phoenix, AZ 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 Department Manager - Designer - Saks Fifth Avenue Chicago Saks Fifth Avenue Chicago, IL Senior Retail Marketing Advertising Manager Cabela's Sidney, NE   SmartQuote  Figuring out who you are is the whole point of the human experience." --Anna Quindlen, American journalist and 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. 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