| February 1, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Textiles, retail affected by turmoil in Egypt
The civil uprising against the rule of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could take a toll on the international textile trade, with Egyptian cotton prized in the world markets for its high quality. There is no report yet of shortages, but problems could emerge if transportation and commerce continue to stall. Egypt did $1 billion in apparel business with the U.S. for the year ending Nov. 30, making it the 17th-largest exporter to the U.S. market. International retailers including Carrefour and Hennes & Mauritz have closed their Egyptian stores. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (2/1) , The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (1/31)       - New Yorkers boost spending at area Wal-Mart stores
New York City residents spent almost $200 million at area Wal-Mart stores last year, a 20% increase over 2009 shopping levels, the company said. The retailer released the figures as it seeks approval for its first store in one of New York's five boroughs. Also on Tuesday, the chain launched a local print and radio ad campaign in advance of a City Council debate on the company's potential effects on the city. Crain's New York Business (1/31) - Internet fuels counterfeiting in sports-apparel industry
More than 1,300 websites selling sports jerseys draw 56 million annual visitors and sell about 800,000 possibly counterfeit items every year, according to data from MarkMonitor, which analyzed five popular sports brands. Counterfeiters have grown sophisticated in their efforts, which include showing pictures of genuine jerseys to make the sale and making discounts less drastic to convince buyers that the apparel is authentic. CNBC/Sports Biz blog (1/31)  | New cloud management techniques enable IBM to provide a simplified "anywhere, anytime" self-service approach for the delivery and consumption of IT services. Read this paper to see how using a cloud-based approach for your IT can free you to reap immediate benefits of a specific technology instead of having to spend time, resources, and money focusing on how to implement it. |
 - Record snows take a bite out of retail sales
Retailers and restaurateurs in New York and New Jersey saw sales slump last month as repeated snowstorms kept consumers at home, although hardware stores and winter-gear sellers may have seen an uptick. Many merchants hope to make up the difference when the weather improves, said NRF spokeswoman Kathy Grannis. "Retailers also benefit after the fact from classic cases of cabin fever. Once consumers realize the sun is out, even if it's cold, many will head outdoors and hit the shops." Bloomberg (2/1) - Exports from China slow as inflation climbs
Higher prices from Chinese manufacturers have Western companies cutting planned spring shipments and scrambling to find lower-cost facilities in lower-wage countries. The shift may begin to limit the U.S. trade deficit with China, but it's also likely to result in higher prices and some product shortages for retailers and consumers this year. The New York Times (free registration) (1/30) - Supermarkets aspire to be the "new town square"
CNBC's hourlong special "Supermarkets Inc." is full of behind-the-scenes looks at how the grocery industry operates, from food sourcing to presentation on the shelves, and chains' aspirations to become places where people want to gather and spend time. One key finding: Consumers spend more when they're offered more, as evidenced by the fact that shoppers continued to fill their carts even after supermarkets made the vehicles bigger. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily Top of the News blog (1/31)  | Sell smart and boost revenue. Find out how better sales intelligence can help put your sales organization on top. LexisNexis® can help you gather the business intelligence you need to support your selling process, find better leads, close more deals, and grow your business. Click here to learn more. |
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 | Main Street |  | | | - How a small luggage store keeps its big brands
U.N. Luggage has been a retail mainstay in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for more than 60 years. With high-end brands such as Tumi and Rimowa, the shop has an enviable reputation -- and an awkward position. Exclusivity is important, but bigger competitors constantly seek to woo manufacturers with promises of bigger sales. So when Jon Thiessen learned that the family business might lose one of its leading brands to a department store, he reminded the account representative that U.N.'s personal attention lets it outsell larger stores, while its on-site warranty depot helps keep customers satisfied. The result: U.N.'s brand lineup remains intact. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (1/28) - A word of advice on offering your employees advice
Giving advice is tricky -- especially when you're the boss and advice might be taken as a command. "Don't do this" is no way to phrase your advice, writes consultant Sharlyn Lauby. Instead, try something like "Can I offer an alternative point of view?" To soften it even further, thank the recipient for listening to your advice, Lauby writes. HRBartender.com (1/30)  | |  | | The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
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Interested in learning more about advertising in NRF SmartBrief? Contact Susan W. Kim at (202) 407-7877 or skim@smartbrief.com.  | |  | |  |
| NRF News | | | | - What's hot in retail (and at NRF)
The industry focus for January revolved around celebrating the high points of 2010 and strategies for 2011. Noteworthy topics last month included a list of the top ten retailers for customer service, planning resources for 2011, and coverage of NRF's 100th annual convention in New York City. View a complete list of the most popular resources and articles in retail for the month of January. Read more. - NRF SmartStat: Feb. 1, 2011
 The average shopper will spend $116.21 on Valentine's Day merchandise this year, up 11% over last year's $103. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch. - Author Guy Kawasaki talks the art of innovation
Helping people change the world by creating innovative products and services is the goal of Guy Kawasaki. At an upcoming keynote session at INNVOATE 2011, Kawasaki, author and founder of Alltop.com, will reveal steps to catalyze innovation based on his experience with retail brands such as Apple. INNOVATE is retail's newest show, held March 8-10 in San Francisco. Learn more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Darden boosts fiscal-year forecast as cost outlook stabilizes
Darden Restaurants expects its costs to stabilize this year, easing concerns over the impact of higher commodity prices on the bottom line. The parent of Olive Garden and Red Lobster also increased its earnings forecast for the fiscal year, saying price clarity will help mitigate the effect of blizzard-related sales slowdowns on profits. Reuters (1/31) | Career Track | | | |
 | |  | | | | |  |  Product Manager | EcoQue | Seattle, WA | | Vice President - Divisional Merchandise Manager | The Vitamin Shoppe | North Bergen, NJ | | Retail Consulting Affiliate | Management One | Multiple Locations, United States | | Divisional Merchandise Manager (2 positions) | Headquarters Marine Corps-Marine Corps Exchanges | Quantico, VA | | Project Manager, Multi-Channel POS | Sports Authority | Englewood, CO | | Vice President, Sterling | Sterling Shoes Inc. | VANCOUVER, Canada | | Operational Initiatives Manager | Ross Stores, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA | | Store Operations Manager - dd's DISCOUNTS | Ross Stores, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA | | Manager of New Store Openings & Operations | Ross Stores, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA | | Systems Analyst-Merchandising Applications | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Manager IS Data Center & Wintel | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Senior Program Manager | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ | | Telecom Business Manager | AAFES | Okinawa, Japan | | Associate Buyer - International & Offshore Markets (Bilingual Spanish required) | OfficeMax | Naperville, IL | | Divisional Merchandising Manager - Men's Sportswear | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, Florida, FL | | Divisional Merchandising Manager - Home Decor & Gifts | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, FL | | VP of Marketing | Teavana | Atlanta - Buckhead, GA | | Lead Analyst, Paid Search | Target Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | | Senior Manager, Site Planning | Target Corporation | Minneapolis, MN | | | |  | |  |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | I consider a goal as a journey rather than a destination. And each year I set a new goal."
--Curtis Carlson,
American businessman and technologist  |
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