Whole Foods prepares to roll out Wellness Clubs

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August 31, 2011 News for the retail industry   Industry Watch    Barnes & Noble sees Nook growth Barnes & Noble's first-quarter loss narrowed, and the company predicts strong sales growth for its Nook e-readers and e-books. The chain, which has close to 30% of the e-book market, according to CEO William Lynch, also expects to see a boost in print book sales with the closure of Borders. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/31), Reuters (8/30)      Whole Foods prepares to open more Wellness Clubs Whole Foods Market plans to launch Wellness Clubs in five cities this fall and could go nationwide with the concept by 2014. For a one-time fee and monthly dues, members get access to nutrition and cooking classes, lifestyle evaluations, discounts from partners such as health clubs and a 10% discount on healthful food. The Tennessean (Nashville) (8/30)      Publix Curbside isn't quite ready for larger rollout Publix Super Markets is increasing promotion of Publix Curbside, available at one Florida location and two in Atlanta. The service launched last year. "Customers love curbside, but we are still tweaking how we do it," a spokeswoman said. The service allows customers to order online and pick up their purchase at a store. St. Petersburg Times (Fla.) (8/29)      Other News Payless expands collection from designer Christian Siriano Retailing Today (free registration) (8/30)      Zale signs Jessica Simpson to design new diamond line American City Business Journals/Dallas (8/30)      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!   Retail trends  Post-hurricane, East Coast residents are budget conscious Consumers who stood on long lines to buy up batteries, flashlights, bottled water and other storm supplies in anticipation of Hurricane Irene now are wondering what to do with the supplies they stocked up on and didn't need. Emergency preparedness officials advise holding onto the supplies for future events, but many budget-squeezed consumers are hoping to return unused items; merchants aren't anxious to give up sales but don't want to alienate customers. MSNBC/The Associated Press (8/29)      More stores add mobile devices to ease shopping, checkout About one-quarter of the 10.2 million checkout terminals that shipped to retailers last year used some kind of wireless connectivity, to accommodate the growing number of merchants that are arming employees with mobile devices to ease the checkout process for customers. "We first saw this technology 10 years ago. It's something well beyond that now," said Richard Mader, executive director of NRF's Association for Retail Technology Standards. Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) (8/28)      The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN Spending power for your business. Premium benefits for you. Access a portfolio of 30+ premium benefits, including: • Membership Rewards® points that pay for flights, hotels, and more • 24/7, 1-on-1 Concierge for help with your life and your Business • Annual $200 Airline Fee Credit for any airline Business Platinum Card APPLY NOW   Retail Technology    Atlanta shopping centers move high-tech surveillance to the front High-powered video surveillance equipment such as the system that can get close enough to detect the eye color of shoppers at Atlantic Station in Atlanta used to be hidden in back rooms, but now prominent surveillance screens are visible before shoppers even enter the mall. The move aims to both make shoppers feel more secure and deter would-be criminals, although cameras are still used more often to document crime than to stop it, says NRF's Joe LaRocca. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (8/31)      ALDO shoe campaign engages consumers with games ALDO is going interactive with games to offer users a chance to win a lifetime supply of shoes or 15% off on their next ALDO shoe purchase. The Skinny and B-Reel-powered campaign offers up three Vegas-style games designed to engage players with the latest ALDO collection. MediaBistro.com/AgencySpy (8/30)      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.   Policy & Government Affairs    Top Ill. Senator meets with Sears, aims to keep headquarters in state Top executives from Sears met with Illinois Senate President John Cullerton on Tuesday to discuss ways to keep the retailer from moving its headquarters to another state. No deal was struck, but Sen. Cullerton said he agreed to facilitate a vote on a bill, already passed by the House, that would extend the life of a special taxing district that subsidizes the chain's headquarters. Crain's Chicago Business (8/30)      How CFOs and VPs of Sales Can Improve Forecast Accuracy & Increase Revenues Are your current systems for forecasting sales and revenue as accurate as you would like? Do you currently use a structured, collaborative, and fact-based forecasting process? To learn more about how you can dramatically extend your forecasting & reporting capacities with an easy to use solution, click here to learn more.   Sponsored Content    A (Painted) Picture Perfect Future Cameron Herold Hurricane Irene: East Coast Small Business Owners Share Storm Stories Katie Morell Be The CEO Who Listens To His People Neil Patel What's Happening To Hewlett Packard? Mike Periu What To Do When The Wrong Person For The Job Is You Tom Harnish   NRF News  NYC retailers, grab a free ride to Boston for Shop.org's Annual Summit Shop.org is offering New York City retailers a complimentary EXPO Hall Pass and chartered bus ride to Boston on Wednesday, Sept. 14 for digital retail's most influential event -- the Shop.org Annual Summit. The Retail Free EXPO Pass allows access to the sold-out EXPO hall, roundtables, networking breaks, lunch and four Exhibitor BIG !dea sessions. The bus to Boston is only available to retailers and is limited to the first 50 registrants. Learn more.      NRF SmartStat: Aug. 31, 2011 The top ten cities for organized retail crime are Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Source: NRF's 2011 Organized Retail Crime survey.        Looking for economic trend data on U.S. retail job growth? NRF's Retail Industry Indicators report pulls information from government data and NRF research to provide statistics on job gains and losses by industry and the job growth outlook through 2018. View the report.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  Report: Half of burger chains are fast-casual brands Half of the top 75 limited-service burger chains in the U.S. are fast-casual establishments, the result of steady growth of small brands and "better burger" concepts, according to Technomic. Shake Shack, Smashburger and Mooyah Burgers & Fries are among the fastest-growing chains, the report said. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (8/30)      Starbucks to sell its coffee in K-Cups Starbucks is expanding its presence in the single-cup coffee market with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' K-Cups, set to be sold in retail outlets beginning in November. Starbucks has not ruled out introducing its own single-cup brewer, according to this article. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/30)      Position Title Company Name Location Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Forman Mills Pennsauken, NJ SALES ASSOCIATE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE SHORT HILLS, NJ MDSR Buyer-Fashion Meijer Grand Rapids, MI Senior Manager, Training & Development Total Wine & More Potomac, MD Regional Director Francesca's Collections Philadelphia, PA Various Retail Opportunities within Deloitte Consulting LLP Multiple Locations, United States Marketing Director Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco, CA Merchandise Planner Kohl's Department Stores Menomonee Falls, WI Assistant Buyer Kohl's Department Store Menomonee Falls, WI Sales Associates- Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Desert, CA Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Desert, CA Product Creative Design - Manager/Specialist Cabela's Sidney, NE Program/Engagement Manager The Yacobian Group Boston, MA SALES ASSOCIATE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NAPLES, FL San Antonio Sales Associate Career Days! Saks Fifth Avenue San Antonio, TX IT Business Analyst - eComm / Internet Marketing Academy Sports & Outdoors Katy, TX Merchandise Buyer Kohl's Department Stores Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, WI Director of Stores A'GACI, LLC San Antonio, TX Corporate Counsel - Employment Law Ross Stores Pleasanton, CA Regional Visual Trainer Victoria's Secret Dallas/Houston, TX Director of eCommerce Technology Moosejaw Madison Heights, MI Sr. Internet Buyer Tween Brands Direct, LLC New Albany, OH Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Loss Prevention Exception Reporting Manager Stein Mart Jacksonville, Florida, FL Sales Associates - Saks Fifth Avenue - Career Fair - Chevy Chase, MD Saks Fifth Avenue Chevy Chase, MD VP of Facility Management and Support AAFES Dallas, TX Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind." --William Blake, British poet, painter and print maker        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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