| December 2, 2011 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
 | Want to be a hero to your customers and avoid chaos in your stores? BearCom and Motorola, your wireless communications specialists for the retail industry, can help. Watch how our hero Wireless Woman swoops in and saves the day at the Pampered Pets store with the uber-cool Motorola CLS two-way radio from BearCom! | - Delhaize unveils growth strategy
Delhaize Group plans to open about 450 stores by 2014, with a focus on newer, high-growth operations such as Bottom Dollar Food. "While we continue to be focused on the disciplined execution of the many projects that are ongoing, we are ready to accelerate our store-opening plans," said President and CEO Pierre-Olivier Beckers. Progressive Grocer (12/1)      - Ohio aims to attract Sears HQ with $400 million in incentives
Officials in Ohio have reportedly offered Sears Holdings $400 million in incentives to move its headquarters from Illinois. Also this week, Illinois lawmakers voted down a tax-incentive bill for the retailer and two other companies, spurring Sears to send staffers a memo saying it will continue to consider all options. Reuters (12/1) - Shoplifting bust nets van full of stolen toys
Police in Ross, Pa., arrested three accused shoplifters at a local Kmart and then discovered a rented van full of between $20,000 and $50,000 worth of toys stolen from 90 Kmart, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us stores in three states. Police also found a notebook with a nine-page plan on which stores the trio planned to hit and which aisles held the items they wanted to steal. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (12/1)  | The Sports Authority Scores Big with
Supply Chain Transformation
Realizing the ongoing need to jump higher and run faster for its customers, Sports Authority developed a game plan designed to up its supply chain game. Register for this free webinar to learn how the retailer transformed its supply chain strategy, team and processes in just 15 months. | - Retailers aim to keep the Black Friday momentum going
Retailers enjoyed a record Black Friday a week ago and they aim to keep the momentum going through Christmas with new doorbusters and promotions. Toys R Us will open at 6 a.m. Saturday with 85 "mystery doorbusters," Target will launch a week-long Big Toy Event, and Sears will host a two-day sale with discounts of up to 75% on select items. CNBC (12/1) - Live Christmas tree lots go online
Target, Costco and some other retailers have started selling Christmas trees online, offering door-to-door deliveries in 48 states. Online tree sales are still a small fraction of the business, and about one-third of consumers make the annual trip to the farm to pick out and cut down their trees, according to an industry group. USA TODAY (12/1) - Big-box retailers continue to attract shoppers
Smaller stores are able to compete with big-box retailers in at least one area: more personalized service. Retailers such as Chandlery in the Atlanta area will provide curbside service to regular shoppers who are in a hurry for one item, for example. However, large stores have been garnering more and more of the share of sales, from 47% annually to 73%. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (11/27)  | 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! |
 - Talking Fruitcake videos take Wal-Mart in a new direction
Wal-Mart has created a series of videos featuring Frank the Fruitcake, a holiday baked good voiced by comedian Bobcat Goldthwaite. Facebook users who post the videos to their walls get a running commentary from Frank, who is meant to be annoyingly charming and represent a gift nobody wants. "They hadn't really done this kind of loosey-goosey thing before," said Frank creator Joe Alexander of The Martin Agency. Mashable (12/1)  | Reward and motivate your employees with Target GiftCards®
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 | Policy & Government Affairs |  |  | | |  | - Minimum wages to increase in 8 states in 2012
Eight states are increasing their minimum wages effective at the beginning of next year, boosting small business' costs during an already troublesome economy. Companies are considering strategies such as reducing workers' hours to deal with the increases. Experts disagree over how minimum-wage increases affect the demand for labor. The Wall Street Journal (12/1)  | Logistics is much more than the movement of goods and services. It's also your pre-game strategy. Before you step on the court, you need the right players running the right plays at the right time. Learn more about those key plays in this free whitepaper from UPS and get in the game of logistics. |
| NRF News | |  | | - NRF SmartStat: Dec. 2, 2011
 This year, nearly 25% of Black Friday shoppers were at the stores by midnight -- more than double the 9.5% who were out at that time last year. Source: NRF. - Why you should care about online sales tax legislation
From brick-and-mortar to multichannel to pure plays, if you're in retail, you need to know about three online sales tax proposals currently under consideration by Congress. In a recent post on Retail's BIG Blog, NRF's Margaret Little shares the stats that have NRF supporting online sales tax collection and why retailers of all types should be active in the debate. Read more. Retail's BIG Blog (11/17)
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | | |  | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | Footwear Buyer | Forman Mills | Pennsauken, NJ | | Sales Associate - Contemporary, Women's Designer, Jewelry | Saks Fifth Avenue | Naples, FL | | Director, Marketing Analytics | Saks Fifth Avenue | New York, NY | | Coordinator, Communications and Public Affairs | National Retail Federation | Washington, DC | | Director of Learning and Development | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Director of Store Operations | Francesca's Collections | Houston, TX | | VP DMM Boys | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Manager, Retail Communications/Training | L.L. Bean | Freeport, ME | | Director, International Government Affair | The Clorox Company | Oakland, CA | | Paralegal III | The Clorox Company | Oakland, CA | | Assistant General Manager | Saks Fifth Avenue | Tulsa, OK | | Brand Ambassadors- Escada, Cartier and Burberry | Saks Fifth Avenue | Tulsa, TX | | Personal Shopper/Stylist - Saks "Fifth Avenue Club" Consultant | Saks Fifth Avenue | Sarasota, FL | | Alterations Associate | Saks Fifth Avenue | Miami , FL | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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