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  | Global retail industry news |  |
- Masters opens first store with 149 to go
The home improvement retailer Masters has opened its first store and CEO Don Stallings said the plan is still to have 150 outlets in Australia. The retailer, speculated to be a rival to Wesfarmers' Bunnings, is a joint venture between Lowe's, the US hardware giant, and Woolworths Australia. However, it is being developed as an independent entity. Inside Retailing Online (31 Aug.)       | Achieving Operational Efficiency: Business Solutions for Midsize Companies from SAP
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 - Wales retailers call for rethink on carrier bag charge
Retailers in Wales will soon be required to charge customers for single-use bags or face penalties as high as £5,000. The government said it will allow a "bedding in" phase for retailers and consumers, but merchants are raising concerns about the plan. BBC (01 Sep.) - Metro board supports CEO's proposed changes at MediaMarkt-Saturn
Juergen Kluge, chairman at Metro, said the firm's board supports CEO Eckhard Cordes and his management team in their efforts regarding changes at MediaMarkt-Saturn. "We are convinced that a different governance structure would be best for the future of Media-Saturn and for an increase in the value of the company, which is in the interest of all partners," Kluge said. Reuters (01 Sep.)  | 5 Ways to Maximize the Value of Your E-Commerce Video
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 - Western retailers keen to tap into pool of Singaporean shoppers
Retailers from Europe and the US are increasingly interested in entering the Singaporean market, particularly as consumers in the West continue to keep spending down. "Singapore is a first and an important step into Southeast Asia...(it) is a strategic and exciting market with great fashion awareness and spending power. We see a vast potential for expansion," said Lex Keijser of Sweden's Hennes & Mauritz. CNBC (31 Aug.)  | O-I, makers of pure, beautiful, sustainable glass packaging, is proud to sponsor GlassIsLife.com |
 - John Lewis adds collection sites
John Lewis said that by the end of next month it will have about 119 UK collection points for its Click and Collect service after adding about 60 Waitrose branches to the network. "The collaboration with Waitrose has been hugely important in offering our customers the option to Click and Collect for their purchases," said Andy Street, managing director at John Lewis. "Looking to the future it will be a key element in developing our multichannel strategy even further by extending collection points to many more parts of the country." InternetRetailing.net (02 Sep.) - M-commerce on the rise in China
More consumers in China are shopping from their mobile phones, with m-commerce sales hitting $261 million in the second quarter. Retailers are investing heavily to promote m-commerce in big cities including Beijing and Shanghai, but smartphone ownership still isn't as high in China as it is in developed countries so m-commerce isn't likely to grow as quickly, said Yihaodian director Yu Lili. China Daily (Beijing) (29 Aug.)  | Let Social Media Find Your Staff For You
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 | Spotlight on Fashion |  |  | | - Esprit says store-restructuring costs to hit profit
Hong Kong-listed Esprit Holdings shares plunged 10% on the city's exchange after warning that store-restructuring expenses likely will drive down profit. Sales have declined in Europe, where the company made more than four-fifths of its revenue in 2010. The fashion retailer is said to be looking into selling its North American operations. Bloomberg (02 Sep.) | NRF News | | | |
| Editor's Note | | | | - SmartBrief will not be published Monday
In observance of Labor Day in the US, SmartBrief will not be published Monday, Sept. 5. Publication will resume Tuesday. | SmartQuote | | | |  | A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."
--Ayn Rand,
Russian-American writer and philosopher  |
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