Retailers around the world differ on consumer confidence

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27 September 2011 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Global retail industry news   Global Industry Watch    Retailers around the world differ on consumer confidence The World Retail Congress has released the results of a survey of retail directors that measured their optimism about consumer confidence. The survey found that retailers in Asia have emerged as the most optimistic, while Australian retailers appear to be the most pessimistic. IndiaRetailing.com (26 Sep.)      Improve Holiday Sales Results with Tools from Akamai! Now is the perfect time to ensure your website will hold up to the rush of holiday shoppers headed your way. With the challenges facing retailers this holiday shopping season, it's never to soon to focus. Download Akamai's Holiday Toolkit now!   Retail in Europe  Deloitte predicts consolidation of European retailers Ira Kalish, a research director at Deloitte, said that Europe likely will see an increase in mergers and acquisitions among retailers of housewares and clothing. Grocery chains are already consolidated, Kalish said. Bloomberg (26 Sep.)      Increase seen in fraud related to discount vouchers Major retailers in the UK are trying to crack down on the illegal use of discount vouchers amid tough economic conditions. More merchants are issuing vouchers, and improved technology has made it easier for consumers to copy or reuse vouchers. The Telegraph (London) (27 Sep.)      Buffett increases Tesco stake to 3.6% Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor, has raised his stake in Tesco as the retailer launches a price cutting campaign. Tesco is striving to attract consumers who have shifted to discount supermarkets, including ALDI and Lidl. The Telegraph (London) (26 Sep.)      Retail Resource Kit Leveraging Mainframe Solutions for Better Economics and Competitive Advantage Payment Strategies for eCommerce Growth Increase Customer Satisfaction with Productivity-Based Scheduling How Security Can Help Grow Your Business Improve Holiday Sales Results with Tools from Akamai   Retail in Asia    Pollution board warns Indian retailers over plastic bags The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board in India has warned retailers and wholesalers who sell thin plastic bags that it will soon be cracking down on the practice. "Two years ago we had conducted raids and they [the trade] had said that they will not bring bags that do not conform to the prescribed standards in to the State. Such substandard bags are still being brought in from other States as the cost is less," according to Member Secretary K.Karthikeyan. The Hindu (India) (27 Sep.)      China's Aokang plans to raise funds for projects Aokang, a shoe maker based in Zhejiang, is planning to issue shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and launch an initial public offering in Shanghai. The company plans to invest the proceeds in a marketing network construction project and other projects. ChinaRetailNews.com (26 Sep.)      Other News London icon Harvey Nichols plans flagship store in Hong Kong Inside Retailing Online (23 Sep.)      Enterprise Resource Planning automates many aspects of an organization's operations, cascading across traditional boundaries of operations, finance, manufacturing and more. As such, changes in the ERP market can cause a ripple effect in your business. Get ahead of the changing tide and trends by downloading this free whitepaper.   E-commerce Spotlight    Alibaba prepares Web hosting unit for possible public offering Alibaba.com said that it filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to possibly offer a public offering on HiChina, the company's Web hosting division. Alibaba Group has been making strategic deals in recent months. In June, the company said it would split Taobao.com into three separate entities to promote growth at the individual units. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/DealBook blog (26 Sep.)      Scheduling That Works for Employers and Employees: It's Not a Mirage Download the white paper How Automated Schedule Design and Management Benefits Both Employers and Employees for valuable tips on giving scheduling control and flexibility to employees. The result? Automated scheduling increased employee effectiveness for 84 percent of managers.   Spotlight on Grocery    Carrefour raises eyebrows with plan for upscale Paris food store Carrefour plans to tap into a niche market in Paris with a premium food store located on La Madeleine square. The move is seen as a surprise by many as Carrefour has pledged to revive its French operations by cutting prices. Reuters (26 Sep.)      Greenpeace to sue supermarkets in China over pesticides Greenpeace, the international environmental group, is raising concerns about supermarkets' use of pesticides in China. "We're demanding the major supermarkets completely halt their use of illegal pesticides or at levels exceeding the legal limit, then ban the worst of the worst pesticide use immediately for their fresh and unpacked produce," said Monica Tan, a campaigner at Greenpeace. ChinaRetailNews.com (23 Sep.)      The risks associated with energy are both dangerous and profit-killing. Know the risks and learn how to protect against them with Zurich's FREE energy safety guide!   NRF News  Maximize your career through NRF's LinkedIn group More than 5,000 people have joined NRF's LinkedIn group to network with peers, post discussions, find solution providers, and connect with retail recruiters. If you're on LinkedIn, join the NRF group to catapult your connections to a new level. View the group.      Join NRF  |  NRF Events  |  FIRAE  |  STORES  |  Training and Certification   SmartQuote  Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." --John Wooden, American basketball player and coach        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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