  | Global retail industry news |  |
- South Africa's Shoprite to accelerate expansion plans
Shoprite Holdings is preparing for increased competition when Wal-Mart Stores enters the marketplace. The South African retail giant, which had 1,246 stores at the end of its last fiscal year, plans to add more than 100 stores by June 2012. "We have to open new stores to keep growing and keep market share," said Shoprite CEO Whitey Basson. "It's still profitable to open stores and keeps us ahead of competitors." Bloomberg (23 Aug.)       | Top 5 HR Compliance Concerns for Small Business
Small and medium sized companies spend a lot of time focusing on core business issues, but they may overlook one of the most potentially serious and costly issue — human resource compliance. How do you know what issues to look for in order to protect the company? Download this must-read paper that discusses the top 5 HR compliance issues. |
 - Swiss watchmakers continue to see strong demand
Analysts say that the fortunes of Swiss watchmakers likely will turn in the second half due to the stock market slowdown around the world. Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek disagreed, saying that watch sales were not dependent on the markets. "The stock market is a casino, it has never foreseen anything and doesn't understand the real economy," Hayek said. In July, exports of Swiss watches were up more than 20% compared with the same month the previous year. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (23 Aug.)  | Get the Information That Leads to Higher Sales
Learn how a 0.1 percent increase in employee engagement generated more than $100,000 in one store's income when you download the white paper HR and Payroll - Achieving Accountability, Transparency in Retail. A unified HR and payroll system gives you high-quality data you can use to serve customers better. |
 - Gap's overseas expansion plans include Vietnam and Guam
San Francisco-based Gap is planning to open stores in Vietnam and Guam. "Vietnam's rapidly growing economy and Guam's well developed tourism industry both provide ample opportunity to introduce the Gap and Banana Republic brands to local consumers," said Stefan Laban, managing director of strategic alliance at Gap. Forbes/The Associated Press (23 Aug.)  | Despite being a backbone enterprise application, Enterprise Resource Planning is often misunderstood. In this guide from Focus, top experts provide their suggestions and recommendations to guide you through your evaluation of the best choices. Unravel the complexities of ERP once and for all to make an informed buying decision by downloading this free white paper. |
 - Ocado aims to boost sales through "virtual shop window"
Online grocery retailer Ocado is launching a "virtual shop window" at a shopping centre in London. Consumers with iPhones or Android smartphones will be able to scan physical products at the window to fill online baskets. Ocado might roll out more windows around the UK if the first shop window is successful. "We'll be looking at options around continuing this 'virtual window shopping' approach," said Jason Gissing, co-founder of Ocado. The Telegraph (London) (24 Aug.)  | Comprehensive Business Solutions: Optimize Operations and Cut Costs
Prepare for the new economy by cutting costs, increasing efficiency, and building lasting relationships with your customers. Read this solution brief to learn how to optimize your operations for profitable growth, and gain competitive insights through better business intelligence. |
 | Technology Solutions |  |  | | - ASDA chief information officer discusses IT programme
Cheryl Millington has served as the chief information officer at ASDA for nearly two years. In this interview, Millington discusses the retailer's IT team efforts and initiatives aimed at improving IT skills. "We run a very successful graduate IT programme at Asda, where we typically recruit two or three people a year," Millington said. "The candidates don't necessarily have to be IT graduates, but we are definitely looking for people who can work very closely with the business. Business acumen is hugely important, and is something we specifically look for." Computing (U.K.) (24 Aug.) | Spotlight on Luxury Goods | | | | - Analysis: India's wealthy have yet to embrace luxury retail
India has more than 200,000 millionaires, third only to the U.S. and China, yet its growing number of affluent consumers has not been a boon to LVMH, Prada and other luxury retailers. While greater China accounts for 10% of the global luxury market, India makes up about half a percent. Reuters (24 Aug.) | NRF News | | | | - How iPads will influence U.S. back-to-school sales
With a little help from their smartphones and tablets, families with school-aged children are hitting stores and websites ready to tackle their back-to-school lists. A recent NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch found that 4 in 10 U.S. college shoppers and 3 in 10 K-12 shoppers with tablets say they plan to use their tablets to purchase back-to-school products this year. "Consumers looking to save time and money while shopping for school items will be able to find their favorite brands in an instant, complete their checklists, and purchase what they need all with a swipe of their finger," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. Read more.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present."
--Lao Tzu,
Chinese philosopher  |
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