| July 19, 2012 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- J.C. Penney CEO sees bright brick-and-mortar future
The best days for brick-and-mortar retail stores are ahead, at least for those that figure out how to adapt to a digital world, said J.C. Penney CEO and former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson. "The store has to offer so much more. It harkens back to what it was like a hundred years ago: it's the products and the experience." CNET (7/18)       |
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 - Slimmed-down stores open as CityTarget
Target is piloting a smaller-store concept, CityTarget, opening this week in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle. A CityTarget store is about a third smaller than a typical Target location and has no parking. "We knew our urban guest had a strong affinity for Target, but they were having to drive out the suburban store," said Mark Schindele, senior vice president of merchandising. "So we wanted to bring the Target experience into the city center." Chicago Tribune (free registration) (7/18), Reuters (7/18) - Target debuts beauty concierges in Chicago: Target has added expert beauty consultants armed with iPads, mirrors and cosmetic samples at 28 of its Chicago-area stores. The pilot "beauty concierge" program is part of a larger push to make department stores' cosmetics counters more hands-on. Chicago Tribune (free registration) (7/18)
- Wal-Mart lets teachers post school-supply lists
Wal-Mart has begun allowing teachers to post their class supply lists on the retailer's site, to give parents an easy way to access the list for back-to-school shopping. The site also provides an estimated basket price to let parents know what they should expect to pay. Internet Retailer (7/18)  | Could you get more ROI from CRM?
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 - Retailers anticipate bright back-to-school sales
U.S. consumers are expected to spend 14% more on back-to-school shopping this year than last, an increase driven by higher enrollments, price increases and parents restocking after cutting their spending last year, according to a new NRF survey. "This is not discretionary, this is really mandatory. Parents are going to do whatever they need to," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. Reuters (7/19), The Wall Street Journal (7/19) - Survey: Mobile price checks are on the rise
More than half of smartphone owners now use their gadgets to compare prices while shopping in a brick-and-mortar store, according to a survey from Empathica. "This is a highly value-conscious consumer, who wants to brag about how little they had to spend to get that brand name," said Gary Edwards, Empathica's chief customer officer. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (7/18)  | Scan as fast as you work. Scan as fast as 60 pages per minute with the new Canon DR-M160 and increase your productivity with a bigger daily scan volume of up to 7,000 pages. The document quality is improved with a scan resolution as high as 600 DPI.
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 | Policy & Government Affairs |  |  | | - House committee sets hearing for online sales tax bill
The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on a bill to allow states to require online retailers to collect sales tax. Brick-and-mortar retailers and NRF have been pushing for the measure, which would make online merchants responsible for collecting the taxes residents are already required to pay. The Wall Street Journal (7/18)
| NRF News | | | | - Parents remain budget-conscious as back-to-school spending grows
Second only to the winter holidays, the back-to-school season serves as a barometer for consumer confidence. And in a tough economy, this year is no exception. According to NRF's 2012 Back-to-School survey conducted by BIGinsight, combined K-12 and college spending will reach $83.8 billion, as retailers are expected to be aggressive in their cross-channel promotions to meet the needs of the practical consumer. - Sales tax loophole: Small businesses and communities bear the burden
It happens every day -- local retailers collect and remit sales taxes as mandated by their state governments, while their online counterparts get off scot-free. In a new post on Retail's BIG Blog, Ohio jewelry store owner Jack Seibert shares a personal story of how these ramifications are hurting his business and the local economy because of the sales tax disparity between online and brick-and-mortar retailers. Read more. Retail's BIG Blog (7/19)
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - McDonald's turns down Olympic sponsorship tax break
McDonald's publicly stated Wednesday that it won't take advantage of a tax exemption offered to non-U.K. Olympics sponsors, which was enacted as part of London's bid to win the 2012 games. Online campaign group 38 Degrees has gathered more than 150,000 signatures on a petition urging international sponsors not to take the tax break; other sponsors including Coca-Cola and Visa haven't yet said whether they'll use the exemption. The Guardian (London) (7/18) | |  | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | Merchandise Planner | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, FL | | Brand Manager | Total Wine & More | Potomac, MD | | Divisional Merchandising Manager, Men's | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, FL | | Director of Planning | Hot Topic, Inc | City of Industry, CA | | Assistant Manager | Armstrong Garden Centers | Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, CA | | Vice President and GM of Retail | Rockler Companies, Inc. | Medina, MN | | Operations Manager - Distribution Center - Weekend Shift | Saks Fifth Avenue | La Vergne, TN | | Cosmetics Selling Manager | Saks Fifth Avenue | Short Hills, NJ | | Inventory Analyst | REI | Kent, WA | | Buyer | Payless ShoeSource | Topeka, KS | | Planner – Merchandise Distribution | Payless ShoeSource | Topeka, KS | | Recruiting Progam Analyst | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Director of Payroll | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Director of Visual Merchandise | Spirit Halloween | Egg Harbor Township, NJ | | Fashion Buyer | Target | Minneapolis, MN | | Merchandise Planner (various categories) | Kohl's Department Stores | Menomonee Falls, WI | | Target.com Merchandising Buyer | Target | Minneapolis, MN | | Retail Buyer - Home | Target | Minneapolis , MN | | Systems Analyst-SaS Application/Interface Support | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Director Stores - Mid-Atlantic Division | Pier 1 Imports | Columbia, MD | | Lingerie Apparel Buyer | Castle Megastore Group, Inc. | Tempe, AZ | | eCommerce Site Merchant | REI | Kent, WA | | IT Support | True Religion Brand Jeans | Vernon, CA | | Merchandise Buyer - Multiple Categories | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, WI | | Cosmetics Buyer (Experience Required) | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee, WI | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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Almost 6 in 10 back-to-school shoppers will shop at department stores this year, the highest in the survey's history. Source: 
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