| February 1, 2012 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
| Industry Watch |  |  | | - Barnes & Noble stores won't sell Amazon-published books
Barnes & Noble said its 700 stores will no longer sell books published by Amazon, but the titles will continue to be available on its website. Amazon's effort to sign exclusive deals with publishers, authors and agents "undermined the industry," said Barnes & Noble Chief Merchandising Officer Jaime Carey. The Wall Street Journal (2/1)      - Costco website features Super Bowl tickets
Costco Wholesale is selling tickets to the Super Bowl on its website, priced at $2,999.99 each. The ticket includes a pregame party with Archie Manning, father of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Costco, better known for low prices on bulk items, also is selling two-ticket packages for $9,999.99 and $15,499.99, which include four nights at a hotel, admission to the pregame party and admission to a food and wine event. Los Angeles Times (1/30) - Alberta Ferretti to design exclusive line for Macy's
Italian designer Alberta Ferretti will launch an exclusive, limited-time collection of Amalfi Coast-inspired fashions at 185 Macy's stores in mid-April. She's the sixth designer to create a capsule collection for the retailer's Impulse contemporary department. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (1/31)  | Fly a lot? Earn 3X rewards points on airline purchases with The New Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN. Designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster:
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  - Fans to spend $11 billion on Super Bowl
 Consumers are set to spend a record $11 billion on everything from party food to bigger TVs to celebrate the Super Bowl this Sunday, according to NRF's Retail Marketing and Advertising Association. "No matter who's in the game people are really interested in watching it, and I think the whole country is going to come to a standstill on Sunday," said executive director Mike Gatti. FoxNews.com/Washington, D.C. (1/31) - Survey: Consumers plan to spend more on Valentine's Day
U.S. consumers will spend 8.5% more on jewelry, flowers, candy and other Valentine's Day gifts this year than they did in 2011, according to an NRF survey. Shoppers expect to spend an average of $126 on the holiday, the highest level of Valentine's Day spending since NRF began the survey 10 years ago. Chicago Tribune (1/31) - Warm winter weather points to deeper discounts
A warmer-than-average winter across the U.S. likely led retailers to offer deeper discounts on coats, sweaters and other cold-weather gear last month. Retailers are expected to report same-store sales growth of about 2% for January, compared with a 4.4% rise in the same month last year, according to Thomson Reuters. Portfolio.com/Reuters (1/31)  | How to Get the Package You Need—Without Breaking the Bank
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 - How to integrate mobile into the in-store experience
More than half of smartphone owners use the gadgets frequently as they shop in brick-and-mortar stores, all the more reason for merchants to find ways to integrate the technology into the in-store experience, writes MEC managing partner Rick Acampora. "Retailers have to literally take the customer shopping, with a heightened level of active engagement in-store, by communicating with consumers on their device of choice." Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (1/31)  | Learn Customer Engagement Best Practices from Aberdeen!
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| NRF News | | | | - Men to spend twice as much as women this Valentine's Day
Love may not cost a thing, but consumers -- especially men -- will spend big this Valentine's Day. According to NRF's 2012 Valentine's Day survey conducted by BIGinsight, the average male is expected to spend $168 on clothing, jewelry, greeting cards and more this year -- almost twice as much as women, who are expected to spend an average of $85.76. Total spending for the holiday is expected to reach $17.6 billion. Read more. - How collaborative localization can increase sales
Retailers and manufacturers are consistently looking for ways to drive better results out of their interaction with consumers, which frequently are taking the form of localized assortments. In a Feb. 9 STORES Knowledge series webinar, Bob Rossman, Vice President of Market Development for Agentrics, will share tips for maintaining a strong, collaborative relationship between buyers and suppliers and how to manage product mix and availability to increase sales. Read more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | | |  | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | Divisional Merchandise Manager | West Marine | Watsonville, CA | | Marketing Manager | West Marine | Watsonville, CA | | Footwear Buyer | Big 5 Sporting Goods | El Segundo, CA | | Retail Analytics Specialist | QuantiSense | Atlanta, GA | | Merchandising Director | Stein Mart | New York, NY | | Corporate Retail Visual Presentation Manager | Soft Surroundings | St. Louis, MO | | VP, Division Planning Manager | The Bon Ton Stores, Inc. | Milwaukee, WI | | Vice President of eCommerce | The Vitamin Shoppe | North Bergen , NJ | | Analyst - CRM Forecasting and Reporting | American Eagle Outfitters | Pittsburgh, PA | | Inventory Manager - Accessories | Hanna Andersson, LLC | Portland, OR | | Retail Allocation Planner | Hanna Andersson, LLC | Portland, OR | | Buyer - Men's Personal Furnishings | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Director of Procurement Services | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | VP eCommerce | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Contract Recruiter - Merchandising | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Planogram Specialist | Headquarters Marine Corps, Semper Fit and Exchange Services | Quantico, VA | | Merchandise Replenishmnet Analyst | Headquarters Marine Corps, Semper Fit & Exchange Services | Quantico, VA | | Buyer | Jeans Warehouse | Los Angeles, CA | | Merchandise Planner | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Sr. Director, Store Planning and Construction | Spencer Gifts/Spirit Halloween | Egg Harbor Township, NJ | | Business Developer | IKEA Trading Services Inc. | Houston, TX | | Pricing Analyst | Barnes & Noble, Inc. | New York, NY | | Handbag Buyer | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Divisional Planner | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Senior Marketing Strategy & Loyalty Consultant | Alliance Data | Columbus, OH | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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This year, 8.4% of Americans noted that Super Bowl commercials influence them to buy products from advertisers -- the highest percentage reported in the survey's history. Source: 
