Major retailers reveal optimistic holiday hiring plans

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October 5, 2011 News for the retail industry   Top Story    Kohl's to boost holiday hiring 5% Kohl's plans to add more than 40,000 seasonal workers for the holidays, up 5% from last year, the company said Tuesday. Stores will average about 35 seasonal workers, and the company also expects to add about 2,500 temporary workers at its distribution centers and 500 in its credit department. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Dow Jones Newswires (10/4)      From Black Friday to special promotions, the management of special events is relevant to all segments of retail. Anticipating what could happen, particularly in light of changing technologies and new generations of customers, can be difficult. Click here to reveal the art to minimizing the risk at special events.   Industry Watch    J.C. Penney to add in-store holiday impulse shops J.C. Penney will open Wrapt shops at all 1,100 of its U.S. department stores later this month, in an effort to attract impulse buyers as they do their holiday shopping. The shops will stock about 300 gifts ranging from $3 chocolates to $40 iPad mini-speakers. The Business Insider/The Associated Press (10/4)      Ann Taylor expands revamped "concept" stores Women's apparel retailer Ann Taylor is turning stores in select markets including St. Louis, Mo., into "concept" stores to show off its updated, fashion-forward collections. The company began showing off its new look last fall with concept stores in markets including New York, Boston and Miami. American City Business Journals/St. Louis (10/4)      Other News Lands' End names top executives for finance, brand strategy InternetRetailer.com (10/4)      Toys R Us expands layaway to include all toys at 450 stores Yahoo!/The Associated Press (10/4)      John Jantsch shows you how to win at the local marketing game. John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing gives five strategies for helping any local business to stand out online in this exclusive offer to SmartBrief readers. Download your free white paper from American Express OPEN, How to Win at the Local Marketing Game.   Retail trends    Major retailers reveal optimistic holiday hiring plans Major U.S. retailers including Kohl's, Macy's, J.C. Penney and Target are casting off gloom in favor of optimism, making plans to hire more or at least as many seasonal workers as they did last year. U.S. retailers hired about 496,000 seasonal workers in 2010, a 49% increase over the year before, according to NRF data. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/4)      Survey: Merchants count on background checks when hiring Retailers depend on some form of background screening almost 86% of the time when they're recruiting top executives and more than half the time when hiring store associates, according to an NRF survey. The survey comes as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission considers new rules to prevent companies from asking applicants about their criminal histories. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (10/4)      Shoppers approve of expanded layaway plans Retailers including TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Best Buy and Toys R Us are adding or expanding layaway plans, and a recent survey revealed that many consumers approve. Layaway plans at chains including Sears and Kmart often appeal to low-income consumers who don't have access to credit, but they're also working for a growing number of Americans who want to avoid new credit-card debt. USA TODAY (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!   Retail Technology    Urban Outfitters offers Knoxville a mobile store Urban Outfitters has no plans to open a permanent store in Knoxville, Tenn., but consumers will get to experience the concept when the chain opens a mobile store for three days later this month. The pop-up shop will be housed in two 20-by-8-foot shipping containers. The Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tenn.) (free registration) (10/4)      Positioning IT as an enabler of business growth As global business strategies place new emphasis on growth, many CIOs understand that IT needs to change. This white paper discusses the IBM solutions that can enable companies to balance driving growth with cutting costs while making their infrastructure safer and more efficient, flexible and innovative.   Main Street    Gilt CEO: Firing and hiring are equally important Firing the square pegs at your company is just as important as hiring people who prove to be a good fit, says Gilt CEO Kevin Ryan. In this story and video, Ryan shares a personal story of "hirer's remorse" when a new manager failed to assemble a top team. Inc.com (10/4)        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!   Policy & Government Affairs    Why new swipe-fee rules make sense in a down economy Hard-won swipe-fee reform that caps the amount banks can charge merchants on debit-card transactions at 21 cents comes a key time for the nation's economy, writes NRF's David French. Retailers will find ways to pass along some of their savings to consumers, making swipe-fee reform good for the economy as well as for merchants. Retail's BIG Blog (10/5)        West Hollywood officials delay final fur-ban vote The city council in West Hollywood, Calif., postponed a final vote on a proposed ordinance to ban the sale of apparel made with fur within the city limits. Officials tabled the vote for 30 days, saying they want to tighten the language and meet with local retailers before making a final decision. Los Angeles Times/L.A. Now blog (10/4)      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.   Sponsored Content    4 Things My New Vacuum Cleaner Taught Me About Technology Upgrades Ramon Ray Small Business Positioning For Growth Courtney Colwell What It Will Take To Become The Internet's Next Big Thing Shira Levine Small Business Snapshot: Venture-Backed IPOs Down In Q3 Katie Morell Guru Review: Kill The Butterflies, Kill The Dream Matthew E. May   NRF News  How Container Store, Whole Foods executives live the four rules of Conscious Capitalism Today's best and most profitable companies get it. From The Container Store to Whole Foods Market to Zappos, retailers are generating every form of value that matters - emotional, social and financial - for all stakeholders. Two leaders in the emerging Conscious Capitalists movement, Walter Robb of Whole Foods Market and Kip Tindell of the Container Store, will team up at the NRF Annual Convention & EXPO this January to explain what four principles have led them to success. Learn more.      NRF SmartStat: Oct. 5, 2011 One third of Americans plan on taking their children trick-or-treating. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch.        Give us 15 minutes. Win an iPad. Survey collection for Retail Horizons, NRF's most illustrious industry benchmarking report, ends soon. Retail department heads, take 15 minutes to complete your section of the survey by Friday, Oct. 7 and you'll automatically be entered to win an iPad. Retailers who complete the report will also receive a customized company report with key metrics to compare their company against the industry standard. Learn more.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  Friendly's to close 63 locations amid Chapter 11 filing Friendly's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization Wednesday and said it will close 63 of the burger and ice cream chain's restaurants. It joins several other chains including Perkins & Marie Callender's and Sbarro, which filed for bankruptcy after failing to recover from the recession. Reuters (10/5)      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 Shopper Marketing and Retail Promotions Director Two West Inc. Nationwide, United States Vice President, Business Development Confidential Akron, OH Associate Merchant - Direct Import OFFICE DEPOT Boca Raton, FL SELLING MANAGER SAKS FIFTH AVENUE Huntington Station, Long Island, NY Buyer Five Below, Inc. Philadelphia, PA Sales Associate Career Day! Saks Fifth Avenue- San Francisco San Francisco, CA Director Global Trade & Compliance Charming Shoppes, Inc. Bensalem, PA Corporate Visuals Manager MacKenzie-Childs LLC New York , NY Senior Corporate Internal Auditor PetSmart, Inc. Phoenix, AZ FIFTH AVENUE CLUB DIRECTOR SAKS FIFTH AVENUE BAL HARBOUR, FL Assistant General Manager Merchandise Saks Fifth Avenue Hackensack, NJ Sales Associate Saks Fifth Avenue Huntington Station, NY Asset Protection Associate Saks Fifth Avenue Stamford, CT SALES ASSOCIATE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE Hackensack, NJ Sales Associate- Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Desert Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Desert, CA Sales Associates - Beauty Specialists - Career Fair - Beachwood, OH Saks Fifth Avenue Beachwood, OH Vice President of Distribution and Logistics Sleep Experts Dallas, TX Senior Wine Buyer Total Wine & More Potomac, MD Location Director - Home Delivery Organic and Natural Food Suburban Organics Ottsville, PA Contract Recruiter - Merchandising Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Store Manager-Luxury Retail-San Diego Tourneau LLC San Jose, CA Fashion Buyer Target Minneapolis, MN Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations." --David Friedman, American economist and writer        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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