Recession-era lessons help boost retailers' bottom lines

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August 17, 2011 News for the retail industry   Industry Watch  Retailers master the art of seasonal displays Retailers create seasonal displays for as many as 20 seasons a year, including "back to school" in summer; "storage and organization" offered by Target in early January; and SUPERVALU's "cough, cold and flu" season in late fall. Seasonal displays give retailers a chance to highlight products that might not ordinarily be impulse buys. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/17)      Orchard Supply Hardware shares plans for building market share Orchard Supply Hardware -- OSH, to its fans -- says it's focusing on basics including customer service, hardware and home decor to win customers from national rivals Home Depot and Lowe's and smaller players including Ace Hardware and True Value. The 89-store California chain also plans to add stores, update its look and shorten its name to Orchard. The Oakland Tribune (Calif.)/Contra Costa Times (8/16)      Police arrest Indiana man accused of theft, return fraud Police in Huntington, Ind., arrested a 34-year-old man accused of several instances of theft at an area Wal-Mart. Officials say Mark Tackett would order items online, pick them up at the store and then return with his receipt to steal an identical item; he's also suspected of return fraud, including one instance in which he reportedly tried to return several items before he paid for them. U.S. retailers lost about $14 billion to return fraud last year, according to NRF figures. WANE-TV (Fort Wayne, Ind.) (8/17)      Abercrombie offers to pay "Jersey Shore" stars to not wear brand Abercrombie & Fitch issued a statement this week offering to pay Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino and other stars of the MTV reality show "Jersey Shore" in exchange for not wearing its clothes. "We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans," the statement said. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Speakeasy blog (8/16)      Other News Sears names former Hewitt Associates executive to CFO post The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/16)      The Plum Card® The Everything, Everywhere Trade Terms CardSM from American Express OPEN • Pay in full within ten days, get a 1.5% discount • OR pay as little as 10% and take up to 2 months to pay off the balance, interest free • No annual membership fee for the first year—a savings of $185 • A powerful cash flow management tool APPLY NOW   Retail trends    Recession-era lessons help boost retailers' bottom lines U.S. retailers including Macy's, Saks, Wal-Mart and Kohl's reported strong earnings this week, and analysts say lessons learned during the recent recession will help merchants weather whatever economic storms come next. Retailers learned to keep inventories lean, spend marketing dollars wisely and quickly mark down less popular items so they'll move before they have to be sold at rock-bottom prices. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (8/16)      Latest retail sales results illustrate chasm between shoppers Quarterly earnings reports from Saks and Wal-Mart this week highlighted the growing split between wealthy consumers who have jobs and continue to spend and low-income shoppers whose purchasing decisions are colored by ongoing high unemployment and rising prices. At Saks, customers were buying more full-price suits, while more Wal-Mart shoppers relied on food stamps, this story says. Chicago Tribune/Reuters (8/16)      Your customers move fast. Can your POS keep up? Today's shoppers are fully connected, highly informed, omni-channel and fast — and they expect nothing less of you! Learn how mobility can meet their demands by enabling richer engagement, instant information, seamless service and enhanced functionality. This new RTP White Paper explains your options and opportunities. Get your free copy now!   Spotlight on Location Data    How to get your retail company to support GIS technology    YouTube/SmartBrief Geographic information systems can be a powerful tool for retailers and other businesses looking for a new space, but building support for the technology in your company takes a little finesse, according to Matt Felton, MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services' director of research and GIS. "I find that putting examples in the hands of people spurs on ideas about what can be done," he said. Some people may be reluctant to embrace the technology, so it's important to provide location data in a variety of forms, such as physical maps. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (8/17)      Who Is Buying Your Products? Whether it’s women’s clothing, electronics, or auto parts, Esri® Business Analyst OnlineSM identifies the consumer segments that buy your products and reveals where your customers live. Business Analyst Online even includes market potential data that identifies areas that are underserved. Learn more about your customers with a free 14-day trial.   NRFtech    How Pizza Hut pioneered smartphone ordering apps Top Pizza Hut executives began exploring the possibilities of mobile ordering applications after a meeting in early 2009, when someone pointed out that everyone in the room had an iPhone, CIO Baron Concors told attendees at NRFtech. Today, more than 5 million consumers have downloaded the app, and the latest version includes high-definition food photos aimed at encouraging customers to add to their orders. Retail's BIG Blog (8/16)      White Paper: The Sustainability Advantage in CPG — Accelerating Success with Eco-Design. Learn how CPG manufacturers, private label providers and retailers can gain valuable time and a competitive edge by developing and executing a cohesive sustainability strategy across the enterprise, leveraging PLM. Download it now.   Retail Technology  Google app aggregates catalogs for iPad shoppers Google debuted the free Google Catalogs iPad application this week, which aggregates digital catalogs from merchants including L.L. Bean, Williams-Sonoma and Macy's. Users can subscribe to the catalogs they want, and the app allows them to search for specific products and create customized collages to share with friends. PC Magazine (8/16)        Sponsored Content    How A 20-Something Prodigy Transformed The U.S. Hospitality Industry Katie Morell 7 Tips For Beating Fear And Becoming A Stellar Public Speaker James Clear Gary Vaynerchuk: Can Small Businesses Be Heard On Twitter? Gary Vaynerchuk What Do Employees Really Care About? RIEVA LESONSKY 9 Business Lessons From A Blown Out Car Tire Ramon Ray   NRF News  FTC to update Internet advertising guidelines for first time in a decade As the Federal Trade Commission updates its guidelines governing advertising on the Internet for the first time in more than a decade, NRF has submitted recommendations and asked for flexibility. Among those recommendations, NRF has stated that the FTC "should avoid setting overly specific requirements" as "different formats present different limitations." Read more.      NRF SmartStat: Aug. 17, 2011 Almost 40% of consumers said they would be buying more store brand or generic products for back-to-school this year. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch.        Safeway, YUM! Brands executives to speak at NRF's HR Summit Registration is now open for NRF's annual Human Resources Executives Summit, to be held Oct. 11-13 in Dallas. The Summit is the retail industry's most influential event for senior-level retail human resources and employment law executives and provides an intimate setting for executives to network, exchange ideas and strengthen key industry contacts. Registration is free for NRF members. Learn more.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  How one DQ franchisee became the good-will center of the community Since opening the doors of his Dairy Queen in 2003, franchisee Hamid Chaudhry made it a priority to give back to the community and the customers who support his Kehhorst, Pa., store. Chaudhry, an immigrant from Pakistan who worked his way through business school and became and American citizen, said the good feeling he got from the store's first fundraiser spurred him to immerse himself in fundraising efforts for community groups in need. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (8/16)      Other News Hooters uses SMS to get in touch with users Mobile Marketer (8/2)      Position Title Company Name Location Sr. Pricing Analyst Office Depot Boca Raton, FL Senior Wine Buyer Total Wine & More Potomac, MD Senior Merchandise Planner Navy Exchange Service Command Virginia Beach, VA Applications Manager-Distribution & Transportation PetSmart Phoenix, AZ Senior Project Manager PetSmart Phoenix, AZ Merchandise Buyer Kohl's Department Stores Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, WI Sales Associate- Part Time Saks Fifth Avenue Houston, TX Houston Sales Associate Career Days!! Saks Fifth Avenue Houston, TX VP Business Intelligence Army & Air Force Exchange Service Dallas, TX 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 Sr. Internet Buyer Tween Brands Direct, LLC New Albany, OH Sales & Education Executive Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics Nationwide, United States Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Senior Retail Marketing Advertising Manager Cabela's Sidney, NE Loss Prevention Exception Reporting Manager Stein Mart Jacksonville, Florida, FL Click here to view more job listings. The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Liz Claiborne Inc. Renews Contract with GT Nexus for Cloud Supply Chain Control Platform Interested in learning more about advertising in NRF SmartBrief? Contact Susan W. Kim at (202) 407-7877 or skim@smartbrief.com.    SmartQuote  You don't lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case." --Ken Kesey, American 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 Job Board:  Jackie Basso (202) 407-7871       Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Monday, August 15, 2011 Friday, August 12, 2011 Thursday, August 11, 2011 Wednesday, August 10, 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