| April 16, 2012 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Retailers saw higher-than-expected March sales
Retail sales rose 0.8% in March, after a 1% rise in February, indicating that consumers are continuing to spend in spite of higher gas prices, according to a Commerce Department report released Monday morning. Warm weather helped boost sales of spring apparel and home-improvement and gardening supplies, and sales were up in 11 out of 13 retail categories. Reuters (4/16), The Wall Street Journal (4/16), Bloomberg (4/16)       | Which do you choose: Customer frustration…or channel integration? Today's consumers expect to shop the way technology lets them work and live: easily, efficiently and seamlessly across channels. Aberdeen's 2012 Analyst Insight on the Omni-Channel Retail Experience explains how your competitors make that happen – and how you can too! This $399 value is now yours free. Download the report now! |
 - Francesca's to grow to 900 stores
Houston-based apparel, jewelry and accessories retailer Francesca's plans to grow from 249 stores to about 900. The stores aim for a boutique feel, with smaller, fast-changing inventories that "create a sense of scarcity and newness, which helps drive customer shopping frequency and loyalty," the company says. Investor's Business Daily (4/13) - Mattress Firm on track to add 100 stores a year
 Mattress Firm is expanding as consumers emerge from the recession ready to buy beds again, CEO Stephen Stagner said Friday. The retailer, which recently acquired Mattress Giant, is on track to add about 100 stores per year, Stagner said. CNBC (4/13)  - U.S. apparel prices rose in March
March apparel prices were up 4.9% compared to the same month last year and 0.5% from February, according to the Labor Department's Consumer Price Index. "It is in light of the strength and resilience in consumer spending that we are seeing some pricing power retained by retailers," said Moody's economist Jeet Dutta. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (4/13) - U.S. luxury retailers cater to Chinese tourists
China provides one of the fastest-growing sources of tourists to the U.S., and wealthy Chinese visitors spend an average of $6,000 per visit compared to $4,000 by tourists from other countries. High-end retailers including Tiffany are increasingly catering to the group at their New York City stores, hiring Mandarin-speaking sales associates and offering broader selections than are found in their stores in China. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (4/14) - New struggles for independent bookstores
The Justice Department's lawsuit against Apple and several publishing houses and Amazon's plan to lower e-book prices will make it tougher for independent bookstores to compete, owners say. Google recently opted to stop selling e-books to independent shops and, even if they can find a new supply, they may no longer be able to compete with Amazon on price. The Oakland Tribune (Calif.) (4/13)   | What Data Thieves Don’t Want You to Know:
How a multi-layered data security solution, including encryption and tokenization, protects data in transit, in use and at rest. When combined, these two technologies provide a powerful method for securing sensitive data wherever it exists. Get proof here. |
 | Hot Topics |  |  | | Top five news stories selected by NRF SmartBrief readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
| NRF News | | | | - Just announced: "This is Retail" Top 5 finalists revealed
In the semifinal round of NRF's "This is Retail" video contest, America cast over 420,000 votes to decide which retail story would advance past the Top 10. Contestants across the country have pulled out all the stops, lobbying and receiving support from their local broadcasts, print publications and public officials. Now that public voting for round two is complete, the stage is set for an all-out fight to the finish for the five remaining videos. View the Top 5. - Moderate retail sales growth continues in March
Despite the slowly increasing price of gasoline, an uptick of consumer spending helped the retail industry post another month of positive gains in March. According to NRF, March industry sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.8% seasonally adjusted from February and 6.6% unadjusted year-over-year. Read more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | | |  | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | VP Retail Merchandising | Little Switzerland | St. Thomas, USVI, USA Virgin Islands | | Senior Buyer | Floor and Decor Outlets of America, Inc. | Smryna, GA | | Senior Store Leadership Management Position | Saks Fifth Avenue | Atlanta, GA | | Director of Field Human Resources | The Vitamin Shoppe | North Bergen , NJ | | Retail Merchandise Manager | Le Creuset of America, Inc./Schiller Stores, Inc. | Early Branch, SC | | Senior Manager, Training & Development | Total Wine & More | Potomac, MD | | Manager of Visual Merchandising, e-commerce | The TJX Companies, Inc. | Framingham, MA | | Corporate Counsel - Commercial Generalist | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | District Manager | Hallmark | Nashville, TN | | VP eCommerce | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Senior Vice President - Human Resources | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Enterprise Architect – Global IT Omni-Channel | Levi Strauss & Co. | San Francisco, CA | | Sr. Business Analyst, Multi-Channel Retail IT | Levi Strauss & Co. | San Francisco, CA | | Director of Marketing | Moosejaw | Madison Heights, MI | | Cosmetics Buyer (Experience Required) | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee, WI | | E-Commerce Merchant | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee / Menomonee Falls, WI | | Merchandise Planner | Kohl's Department Stores | Menomonee Falls, WI | | Merchandise Buyer - Multiple Categories | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, WI | | Director E-Commerce Fulfillment Operations | Bed Bath and Beyond Inc. | Multiple Locations, United States | | Director of Operations | Spencer Gifts | Egg Harbor Township, NJ | | Manager of Store Communication | American Eagle Outfitters | Pittsburgh, PA | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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Two-thirds of Americans are expecting a refund in 2012, the exact same as last year. Source: 
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