Sears to close up to 120 U.S. stores

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December 27, 2011 News for the retail industry   Top Story    Retailers keep up the deals after Christmas Retailers continued to offer discounts after Christmas, largely targeting consumers who received gift cards for the holidays. NRF predicts a 3.8% increase in seasonal sales, and retailers are hoping to close out the sluggish year on a high note. Bloomberg (12/26)      Your job as an Exchange administrator isn't easy. You have to respond to lost messages, handle email discovery requirements, and keep everything up and running. Is there an easy way to manage your Exchange environment — and do it under budget? Learn about the challenges faced by three real organizations, and how using the right solution brought them peace of mind.   Industry Watch    Sears to close up to 120 U.S. stores Sears says it will close up to 120 namesake and Kmart stores and focus resources on better-performing locations, the company said Monday. Same-store sales declined 5.2% in the most recent quarter, the company said, largely on declining sales of appliances, electronics and apparel. Reuters (12/27), The Wall Street Journal (12/27)      Best Buy explains online-shopping snafu More-than-expected orders during Black Friday weekend led Best Buy to cancel orders in the days leading up to Christmas. The company apologized to irate shoppers. "There was an unacceptable delay between order confirmations and cancellations, and for that we are very sorry," a spokeswoman said. "The challenges related to this situation are being addressed." The Wall Street Journal (12/24)      Oregon outlet center lures Canadian shoppers Busloads of Canadian consumers began arriving at the Woodburn Company Stores outlet mall in Oregon on Monday, eager to snap up bargains from brands including Calvin Klein, Levi's, BCBG Max Azria and Columbia Sportswear. The bargain-hunters spent an average of between $300 for a single person and $1,200 for a family of five, says eHome Holidays tour operator Angela Yiu. The Oregonian (Portland) (12/26)      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!   Retail trends    Apparel retailers regroup with an eye on spring With the holiday season roller coaster nearly behind them, apparel retailers are turning a cautious eye toward spring. They'll spend the next few weeks clearing out winter leftovers with sales that started Monday at stores including Brooks Brothers' New York City flagship where shoppers were waiting when the doors opened. "I don't think spring is going to be bad, but it's still a time to be cautious and to be better merchants," said Bob Mitchell, co-president of the Mitchells Family of Stores. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (12/27)      Falling TV prices squeeze retailers' profits TV prices continue to fall, proving a boon for consumers while squeezing profits for manufacturers and consumer electronics retailers. The trend isn't likely to turn around, experts say, as consumers focus less on the hardware and more on content that can be delivered over a variety of devices. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/26)      Merchants maintain lower inventories as shoppers pinch pennies U.S. retailers had record low inventories in October, and lighter imports heading into the holidays show they didn't beef up merchandise levels considerably heading into the holidays. In years past, that would have boosted merchants' ability to charge full price, but consumers' increased sensitivity to price could change that. The Wall Street Journal (12/24)      Merchants are discounting in London, New York Retailers in London and New York City faced many of the same challenges that led to deeper discounting during the holidays, including inflation concerns and unseasonably warm weather that slowed sales of winter apparel, writes analyst Stacey Widlitz. Merchants from Gap to Debenhams marked down some seasonal merchandise up to 60% in recent weeks. CNBC (12/23)      Which retailers are winning with better customer engagement? Aberdeen’s connected store survey shows how top-performing retailers are boosting profits by personalizing the shopping experience, and what other retailers are doing to catch up. This White Paper provides a practical roadmap for what Aberdeen identifies as a fundamental transformation in retailing. Today, it’s yours at no cost! Download your copy now!   Hot Topics  Top five news stories selected by NRF SmartBrief readers in the past week. Macy's marketing chief dishes on customer loyalty (Retail's BIG Blog) Bi-Lo to buy Winn-Dixie for $560 million (The Charlotte Observer (N.C.)) 12 up-and-coming burger chains to watch (BurgerBusiness.com) Brazilian tourists give U.S. retailers a boost (The Wall Street Journal) How scent marketing works in retail (Reuters) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.   Sponsored Content    Government Contracting Insights: Create A 1-Year Action Plan American Express OPEN 3 Things I Learned This Year RIEVA LESONSKY Why Brand Image Is Important To The Tiniest Of Businesses Julie Rains How To Deal With Competing Priorities Mike Periu The Entrepreneur's Dilemma: For Love Or Money? Justine Grey Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Stop Doing These 4 Things in 2012 Mike Michalowicz The 5 Hiring Mistakes You Need To Stop Making Now Karlee Weinmann A Workaholic's Guide To Staying Healthy Katie Morell Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.   NRF News  Target, Wal-Mart, Macy's and Best Buy score top spots for holiday ads Last year's best holiday commercials may have been touching and poignant, but for 2011, it's all about the laughs. According to the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association's 2011 Favorite Ads survey, more than 30% of consumers said Target had the best holiday television commercial, followed by Wal-Mart, Macy's and Best Buy -- each playing up the humor of the holidays. The best part? Nearly two in five shoppers said they were actually motivated to shop from a particular retailer because of their commercial. Watch the ads.      NRF SmartStat: Dec. 27, 2011 More than 3,000 people like NRF on Facebook. View the page.        Macy's CMO shares the secret of customer loyalty In a recent Q-and-A on Retail's BIG Blog, Macy's CMO Peter Sachse reveals how putting the customer at the center of every decision revolutionized the way the department store does business. Sachse will discuss Macy's holistic approach to customer loyalty at Retail's BIG Show, Jan. 15 to 18 in New York City. Read more.      Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  Quickservice chains quit using beef product McDonald's, Taco Bell and Burger King have stopped using a low-fat beef product processed by South Dakota-based Beef Products, which treats scraps of meat with ammonium hydroxide to kill E. coli bacteria and other pathogens. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been a vocal critic of the product. The Des Moines Register (Iowa)/Gannett News Service (12/23)      Other News A&W franchisee group completes acquisition QSRMagazine.com (12/23)      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 Buyer Jeans Warehouse Honolulu, HI Footwear Buyer Forman Mills Pennsauken, NJ Mens Sweater Buyer Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, 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 VP DMM Ladies Shoes Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Regional Manager Aspen Dental Tampa, FL Assistant (Associate) Buyers - Brick & Mortar and Ecommerce Kohl's Department Stores Milwaukee, WI Manager, Brand Marketing & Public Relations La-Z-Boy Monroe, MI VP DMM Boys Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Visual Merchandising Manager Castle Megastore Tempe, AZ Logistics 3PL Manager Spencer Gifts/Spirit Halloween Egg Harbor Township, NJ Mens Buyer Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." --Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman military leader and author        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: Friday, December 23, 2011 Thursday, December 22, 2011 Wednesday, December 21, 2011 Tuesday, December 20, 2011 Monday, December 19, 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