Best Buy to roll out kiosks at Disney, college campuses

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August 5, 2011 News for the retail industry   Industry Watch    Best Buy to roll out kiosks at Disney, college campuses Best Buy announced plans Thursday to add 100 Best Buy Express kiosks in the next year, including machines at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. College campuses will also get more of the self-serve vending machines, which offer small consumer electronics gadgets at the same prices charged in Best Buy stores. American City Business Journals/Minneapolis/St. Paul (8/4)      Safeway begins major renovation and construction in Bay Area Safeway is building or renovating 13 stores in the Bay Area. Several stores are opening at sites previously occupied by another grocery chain, while others are being replaced. "The economy has turned, and that has opened up more opportunities in urban areas," said a Safeway official, who noted that the project is the largest "in years." Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.) (8/2)      Costco heads south with wedding-gown trunk shows Costco plans to show off new wedding-gown styles from designer Kirstie Kelly in a series of September trunk shows scheduled for cities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Retailing Today (free registration) (8/4)      Recycled-products company aims to find a retail niche TerraCycle turns used items into new products and the company now boasts a catalog of 1,000 items, but it relies on selling the goods through established retailers including Whole Foods and Wal-Mart. Three attempts at establishing its own retail presence have failed, writes CEO Tom Szaky, but the company aims to try again, likely with a new model that includes vendors and designers who will sell their own recycled creations on a consignment basis. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/You're the Boss blog (8/4)        Other News Borders appoints executives to oversee liquidation The Detroit News (8/4)      The Business Resilience Knowledge Center from IBM hosts a rich library of multi-media content focusing on business continuity and resiliency. Visit the auditorium where you can view featured videos and webcasts that address key resiliency and continuity issues and trends that all businesses are facing. In addition, gain access to white papers, research and other valuable assets by clicking on the Business Resilience icon.   Retail trends    Retailers struggle to find managers to run China expansions Foreign retailers are aggressively expanding in China, sparking an intense rivalry to hire from a relatively small group of experienced and talented executives. Retention is a hot issue, and company loyalty is scarce as top executives frequently jump ship when competitors offer better deals, experts say. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (8/4)      Analysts: Tenn. sales tax holiday won't mean sales surge A three-day back-to-school sales tax holiday that starts in Tennessee today may bring out more shoppers, but it likely won't yield the sales surge merchants are hoping for, analysts say, as budget-conscious parents hold the line on spending. "Families aren't opposed to spending on what they need, but parents want their children to take a good look around at what they already have," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. The Tennessean (Nashville) (8/4)      Do retailers' monthly sales reports matter anymore? Starting this month, only 22 national retailers are still reporting monthly sales results. As merchants from Wal-Mart to Abercrombie & Fitch opt out of monthly reporting, experts wonder whether the numbers, which represent just 10% of overall retail sales and are skewed toward apparel, provide any useful clues to the health of the retail industry. TheStreet.com (8/4)      Don’t miss DMA2011— The Global Event for Real-Time Marketers. You’ll hear thousands of practitioners and experts discuss solutions and best practices to achieve optimal channel mix and integration that lead to measurable results and increase real-time customer engagement. Save an extra $300 when you register now with Keycode SMB3.   Retail Technology    QR codes as a marketing tool Small businesses should use quick-response codes to drive traffic to a "specific product or service, not just as a link to their website," to get the most out of the trendy bar codes, which can be scanned with smartphones, says Talent Evolution CEO Jared Smith. "One of the key things is to have the QR code provide an extra level of information. You want people to think this is going to show them something really cool." Bloomberg Businessweek (8/2)      Learn about the top insurance risks manufacturers face today with Zurich's Virtual Consulting tool. Sign up for FREE access today!   Sponsored Content    Small Business Week In Review Jason Del Rey 7 Survival Strategies From Tomorrow's Talent Wars Kate Lister Financing, Outsourcing And 7 Other Tips From An Expert Shira Levine 6 Ways To Shatter The Glass Ceiling From Above Margie Fishman 6 Reasons You Need A Sleep Mask For Your Business Ramon Ray   NRF News  Americans “breathing sigh of relief” after jobs numbers; NRF says more can be done Following the announcement this morning that the U.S. added a better-than-expected 117,000 jobs in July -- 26,000 of them in retail -- NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay issued a statement calling on Congress and the Administration to advance a jobs agenda to include corporate tax reform, visa reform and passing the pending free trade agreements. "Consumer confidence in our economy and our government could not be more crucial as retailers inch closer to the holiday season," he said. Read more.      NRF SmartStat: Aug. 5, 2011 Seven out of 10 women surveyed say they will buy personal care items, such as skin care, oral care and makeup, for back-to-college. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch.        Pizza Hut CIO talks mobile customer service and satisfaction Mobile has become one of the key drivers for customer engagement and satisfaction for Pizza Hut. As one of the early adopters in retail, Pizza Hut CIO Baron Concors will discuss the company's mobile strategy at NRFtech 2011: IT Leadership Summit, August 14 to 16 in Lake Tahoe, Nev. Learn more.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  Newly public Dunkin' to focus on Baskin-Robbins brand Dunkin' Brands said this week it plans to rejuvenate its Baskin-Robbins brand in the U.S. by improving technology available to franchisees and adding more field operations directors to help operators boost sales. Higher dairy prices ate into the ice cream chain's profits, and the U.S. Baskin-Robbins division was the only one of the company's divisions to report lower sales last year. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)/The Associated Press (8/3)      Subway moves ahead with international mobile marketing Subway is investing in a global mobile marketing plan and expects to debut new mobile sites and ordering applications next year in the U.S. and other markets. The sandwich chain plans to have the mobile sites and apps in place in the 90 global markets where it operates by 2012. ClickZ (8/4)      Sr. Pricing Analyst Office Depot Boca Raton, FL Director, Safety and Health OfficeMax Naperville, IL Manager, Help Desk Total Wine & More Potomac, MD Regional Visual Trainer Victoria's Secret Dallas/Houston, TX Sales Associates, Saks Fifth Avenue Las Vegas Saks Fifth Avenue Las Vegas, NV REGIONAL RECRUITING MANAGER SAKS FIFTH AVENUE TAMPA OR SARASOTA, FL Director of eCommerce Technology Moosejaw Madison Heights, MI Loss Prevention Exception Reporting Manager Stein Mart Jacksonville, Florida, FL Sales & Education Executive Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics Nationwide, United States Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Sales Associate Saks Fifth Avenue Phoenix, AZ Sales Associate Saks Fifth Avenue- San Francisco, CA San Francisco, CA Sales Associate UNIQLO Manhattan, NY IT Opportunities Belk Inc. Charlotte, NC Store Manager - Bealls Bealls Orlando, FL Manager, Product Training Samsung Electronics America, Inc Ridgefield Park, NJ Senior Retail Marketing Advertising Manager Cabela's Sidney, NE 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 Business Services Specialist Headquarters, Marine Corps Community Services Quantico, VA   SmartQuote  The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution." --Hannah Arendt, German-American political theorist        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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