Retailers get the gift of an extra Saturday this season

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December 22, 2011 News for the retail industry   Top Story    Officials seize $77 million in counterfeit goods Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested 33 people in the U.S. and South Korea and confiscated 327,000 counterfeit items worth $77 million, including about $4 million worth of fakes in the Los Angeles area. While luxury knockoffs tend to get the most attention, officials say criminals are selling a slew of more mainstream products including Angry Birds toys, True Religion jeans and unsafe Christmas lights. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/21), San Francisco Chronicle/The Associated Press (12/22)      Consumer Insights Your Brand Needs to Know: Latest Trends in Behavioral Advertising Learn what brand managers, advertisers, as well as networks, agencies, and publishers need to know about consumer survey insights into behavioral ad serving, also known as interest-based advertising. Learn more today!   Industry Watch    Bergdorf shares details of men's store revamp Bergdorf Goodman has completed the first phase of a yearlong overhaul of the contemporary designer floor of its 21-year-old men's store, which sits across the street from the department store's Fifth Avenue flagship in Manhattan. A Lanvin shop has already opened in the remodeled space, with a Prada boutique to follow this week. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (12/21)      Harris Teeter owner Ruddick looks to change its name Ruddick, which owns grocer Harris Teeter, filed a request with the Securities and Exchange Commission and will seek shareholder approval to change its name to Harris Teeter Supermarkets. Ruddick sold thread business American & Efird in November, leaving the grocery chain as its only business. American City Business Journals/Charlotte, N.C. (12/20)      Other News Dior Homme opens third U.S. store in San Francisco Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (12/21)      COMING SOON: The most valuable e-commerce conference of 2012, ChannelAdvisor Catalyst. Everyone who's anyone in e-commerce will be there. Follow @channeladvisor to find out the Where (hint: not NC) and When for Catalyst 2012   Retail trends    Retailers get the gift of an extra Saturday this season Christmas falls on a Sunday, giving retailers across the country one more Saturday to bring in shoppers before the holiday. NRF and others have raised their forecasts for the season; brick-and-mortar merchants are depending on discounts and deals to bring in bigger crowds. CNBC (12/21)      Promotion pricing yields increased revenue, study shows Researchers at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business compared the store strategy of promotional pricing versus everyday low pricing and found that promotional pricing yields higher revenue. Meanwhile, switching from a promotion-based strategy to everyday low pricing is six times more expensive than the other way around. Progressive Grocer (12/21)      Report: Shoppers reward good service Retailers' busiest time of the year also is their most challenging on the customer-service front, but a recent study from American Express shows that making an extra effort pays off. Respondents said they would spend an average of 13% more with merchants that provide excellent service. The Macon Telegraph (Ga.)/McClatchy Newspapers (12/22)      From Stretched to Strengthened, Insights from the Global CMO Study To find out how today's marketing leaders are helping their businesses navigate the fundamental shifts of the economy, IBM conducted interviews with 1,734 CMO's. In this white paper learn about the findings including the importance of delivering value to empowered customers, fostering lasting connections and measuring results.   Retail Technology    Retailers rev up e-mail promotions aimed at procrastinators Motivated by recent surveys showing a large number of consumers will do some or all of their shopping at the last minute, merchants sent 8% more promotional e-mails this week than last and 26% more than they sent in the same week last year, according to Responsys. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (12/20)      Best Buy says some online orders won't ship in time Best Buy said Wednesday it won't be able to fill some online orders in time for the items to be delivered by Christmas. Higher-than-expected demand for certain hot gadgets has left the retailer out of stock, the company said. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (12/22)      The last thing customers want is to stand in a long line. That’s why queue busting is a proven way to improve the retail customer experience. Download this white paper Lift Customer Loyalty and Sales with Mobile Queue Busting to learn how modern mobile transaction systems from Zebra can reduce queues without adding expensive checkout counters or staff.   Main Street    Sellers of used books hold their own in the e-reader age The rapid rise of the e-book hasn't dampened sales at Reader's Corner in Raleigh, N.C., and other used-book stores across the country. Store owners say there's little overlap between the digital sales of new works and the older print books they stock, but sites including Google that offer free digital versions of older tomes may eventually put them at a greater disadvantage. The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) (12/20)      IT professionals need to find small Active Directory issues before they become large problems and to resolve the problem’s failure point. In this Quest tech brief, see how unattended monitors and Spotlight® on Active Directory complement one another – and how they can speed issue resolution time. Download the brief now!   NRF News  The most successful social retail campaigns of 2011 The Shop.org 2011 Social Commerce Study found that 42% of online consumers have "followed" a retailer proactively through Facebook, Twitter or a retailer's blog. But how are retailers maximizing these social connections? At Retail's BIG Show, Jan. 15 to 18 in New York City, Ice.com Founder Pinny Gniwisch and other experts will discuss the best social campaigns of 2011 and what's to come in 2012. Learn more.      NRF SmartStat: Dec. 22, 2011 Return fraud will cost retailers an estimated $14 billion in 2011, up from $13 billion last year. Source: NRF's 2011 Return Fraud survey        How to prepare your store for crowds, organized events or protests In anticipation of events that bring large crowds during the holiday season, NRF has released its 2011 Crowd Management Guidelines. These guidelines, created in collaboration with retail loss prevention executives, examine both the expected and unexpected factors in managing large crowds. This year's release also includes fresh insight on multiple offender crimes -- sometimes referred to as criminal flash mobs -- and organized events or protests. Learn more.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  White Castle adds beer, wine on a small scale White Castle is experimenting with adding beer and wine to the menu at a restaurant in Lafayette, Ind., that combines the 90-year-old eatery known for its square burgers with a newly launched concept called Blaze Modern BBQ. The chain may add alcohol at other new concepts but has no plans to roll it out widely at its namesake chain. MSNBC/The Associated Press (12/21)      The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Join Heartland Payment Systems at the 101st Annual NRF Convention and EXPO, Jan. 15-18, in New York City and meet with two of the biggest names in retail and security — David Hogan and John South. Learn how to develop programs that help simplify payments, while focusing on innovation and delivering the highest degree of data security available. To schedule an appointment click here. Interested in learning more about advertising with SmartBrief? Click here for detailed industry information and media kits.   Position Title Company Name Location Footwear Buyer Forman Mills Pennsauken, NJ Senior Buyer, Fine Jewelry Kohl's Department Stores Milwaukee, WI Buyer - Shoes Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ HR Analyst (HR Metrics) Petsmart, Inc Phoenix, AZ VP Retail Delaware North Companies - Corporate Office Buffalo, NY Buyer - Maternity/Petite Sportswear Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Coordinator, Communications and Public Affairs National Retail Federation Washington, DC Regional Manager Aspen Dental Tampa, FL Director of Store Operations Francesca's Collections Houston, TX Assistant (Associate) Buyers - Brick & Mortar and Ecommerce Kohl's Department Stores Milwaukee, WI VP DMM Ladies Shoes Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Manager, Brand Marketing & Public Relations La-Z-Boy Monroe, MI Associate Buyer - Procurement Services Petsmart, Inc Phoenix, AZ Regional Zone Manager Spirit Halloween Paramus, NJ Visual Merchandising Manager Castle Megastore Tempe, AZ VP DMM Boys Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Mens Buyer Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Logistics 3PL Manager Spencer Gifts/Spirit Halloween Egg Harbor Township, NJ Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  Things don't turn up in this world unless somebody turns them up." --James A. Garfield, 20th U.S. president        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:  Dena Malouf (202) 407-7837 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Jackie Basso (202) 407-7871       Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 Tuesday, December 20, 2011 Monday, December 19, 2011 Friday, December 16, 2011 Thursday, December 15, 2011     Lead Editor:  Megan Conniff Contributing Editor:  Faye Rapoport     Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information