J.C. Penney names former Target CMO as president

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October 4, 2011 News for the retail industry   Top Story    J.C. Penney names former Target CMO as president J.C. Penney has hired Michael Francis as its new president, with an eye on transforming the department store experience to appeal to younger shoppers. Francis, who led Target's advertising and marketing team for more than a decade, will work alongside incoming CEO Ron Johnson, who served as Target's vice president of merchandising before leading Apple's retail store efforts. Google/The Associated Press (10/3), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/4)      Who are this year’s leaders in POS? The results of IHL’s extensive market research on POS are now in! This exclusive, 50-page report provides everything you need to know about conditions in the softgoods market, store system trends, plus complete details on the top five suppliers in each Tier. Now, gain these key competitive insights at no cost!   Industry Watch    77kids and the future of interactive shopping The 77kids N.Y.C. Style Lab that sits below parent American Eagle's Times Square flagship lives up to its mantra of "Long Live Fun," writes brand consultant Denise Lee Yohn. The store boasts age-appropriate interactive entertainment that keeps children and their parents in the store and shopping, she writes. The Business Insider (10/3)        Bloomingdale's new line stars Popeye, Beetle Bailey Bloomingdale's new 52-item apparel line for men and boys by Darren Romanelli includes a heaping helping of cartoon nostalgia with pieces featuring Popeye and Beetle Bailey. The upscale department store is building on a holiday tradition started four years ago with a successful pop-culture collection featuring the Beatles. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (10/3)      Other News Target starts selling Barnes & Noble's Nook Chicago Tribune/Dow Jones Newswires (10/3)      Want the Secret to Customer Loyalty? When it comes to customer loyalty, leaders beat laggards by more than 14 percent. Download the white paper Increase Customer Satisfaction with Productivity-Based Scheduling to learn how scheduling the right employees at the right times will make your customers want to buy more, recommend you, and stay in your store.   Retail trends    Retailers deal with permanent frugality Retailers are coming to terms with the fact that many consumers who traded down to less-expensive stores and products during the downturn don't have the means to trade back up. Merchants are devising ways to appeal to these permanently frugal consumers, who are buying only what they need, clipping coupons and avoiding premium brands. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/4)      Retail landlords content to wait for the perfect anchors Retail space at a brand new Manhattan office tower sits vacant as landlords, who have passed up interested parties, wait for the perfect tenant to anchor the project. Space around the city sits similarly empty as picky landlords hold out, and some have turned down so many offers that merchants aren't even calling anymore, some brokers say. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/3)      Marketers walk a fine line when marketing to moms Ads that combine humor with meaningful insights into motherhood tend to resonate with moms, but marketers often struggle to strike the right balance, advertising executives said during a recent panel discussion. The research process often lacks insight from moms, and focus groups don't always yield accurate research. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (10/3)      Networking for a dynamic infrastructure: getting it right. Organizations are turning to virtualization and consolidation of server and storage resources to help improve efficiency and performance in the data center. Read this paper to see how a holistic approach to network planning and design can deliver optimal value for your dynamic IT infrastructure.   Retail Technology    100 OfficeMax stores now take Google Wallet OfficeMax now accepts mobile payments via Google Wallet at 100 of its office supply stores in five major U.S. markets. Customer using the service, which is powered by MasterCard, tap their mobile phones against a terminal to pay and redeem coupons and customer loyalty points. Retail Customer Experience (10/3)      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.   Main Street    Win employee engagement through sustainability efforts Companies that want to increase employee engagement should emphasize their commitment to sustainability, Kathleen Miller Perkins writes. "When employees understand how their labors contribute to the competitive advantage of their companies and to the betterment of their worlds, they are more likely to feel that their work is meaningful. As their work becomes more meaningful to them, they are more likely to increase their engagement in it," she writes. Environmental Leader (9/22)      Privacy & Online Behavioral Advertising: What's Next? Join a thought-provoking discussion with the FTC, Forbes.com, DAA, and TRUSTe focusing on how pieces of the privacy puzzle — self-regulation, browser features, Do Not Track, legislation and enforcement — fit together and their implications. A must-attend event for advertisers and compliance leads. Learn more   Policy & Government Affairs    8 states will have higher minimum wages in 2012 Eight states are increasing their minimum wage in 2012, including Washington, which has the highest planned increase at 37 cents an hour. Montana, Ohio, Colorado and Oregon have also announced increases that range from 28 to 30 cents an hour. Arizona, Florida and Vermont will increase their minimum wage but have not announced by how much. CNNMoney.com (10/3)      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!   Sponsored Content    How Social Startups Are Disrupting Old Healthcare Practices Shel Israel How To Launch A Promotion On A Daily Deals Site Todd Wasserman 5 Tips For U.S. Companies Doing Business In China MARK KOLIER 6 Ways Cloud Computing Helps Businesses Save Time and Money American Express OPEN Save Like a 20-Something Entrepreneur Elaine Pofeldt   NRF News  White House moves FTAs forward; NRF asks Congress to act swiftly NRF applauded President Obama on legislation to implement three pending Free Trade Agreements sent to Congress yesterday and urged lawmakers to quickly approve the measures. "These trade pacts will help break the logjam on job creation," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. The legislation sent to Congress includes trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. Read more.      Survey finds nearly all retailers rely on background checks to keep consumers, companies safe As retailers across the country begin to hire hundreds of thousands of holiday employees, NRF today released a survey that illustrates the importance of employee background screenings in keeping customers safe. The survey, which was released as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission considers new guidelines to prevent businesses from asking potential employees about their criminal history during the application process, was completed by retail executives from 96 of the nation's leading department stores, mass merchants, discounters, drug stores, grocery stores and restaurants. Read more.      What's hot in retail (and at NRF) The busy-ness of September 2011 for retailers and NRF bodes well for an even busier holiday season. Last month, hot retail resources included a profile of how retail security has evolved over the past decade, blog coverage of Shop.org's biggest Annual Summit to date and the launch of NRF's largest campaign ever -- which focuses on the impact of retail jobs to the U.S. economy. View a complete list of the most popular resources and articles in retail from last month. Read more.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  Starbucks asks customers to contribute to job creation Starbucks soon will be asking patrons to kick in $5 to help fund the Create Jobs for USA program, which will make loans to small businesses in partnership with the nonprofit Opportunity Finance Network. "We've got to thaw the channels of credit so that community businesses can start hiring again," said CEO Howard Schultz. TheStreet.com (10/3)      Other News BannaStrow banks of the flexibility of crepes QSR Magazine (10/2011)      The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Hear experts from SAS, McDonald's and Cornell University as they guide you on how to turn social media data into profit-driving insights. Specifically, the panelists discuss how and why analytics is the key to transforming unstructured text data into useful information about operations, revenue and guest interactions. Click to view webcast. Interested in learning more about advertising with SmartBrief? Click here for detailed industry information and media kits.   Position Title Company Name Location Director of Planning and Allocation LittleMissMatched New York, NY Merchandise Manager Party City Rockaway, NJ Payroll Manager Party City Rockaway, NJ Vice President, Business Development Confidential Akron, OH Shopper Marketing and Retail Promotions Director Two West Inc. 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Saks Fifth Avenue Dallas, TX Account Manager SPANX, Inc Atlanta, GA Sales Associate - Assistant Store Manager - Personal Shopper - Stylists - Visual Merchandisers Saks Fifth Avenue Boston, MA Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  Procrastination is opportunity's assassin." --Victor Kiam, American businessman        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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