| May 2, 2012 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Hush Puppies parent to acquire Payless owner Collective Brands
Wolverine World Wide and two private-equity firms have agreed to pay about $1.32 billion to acquire shoe conglomerate Collective Brands. Wolverine, whose brands include Hush Puppies, will acquire the wholesale and retail operations of Stride Rite, Saucony, Sperry Top-Sider and Keds brands, while Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital will acquire Payless ShoeSource and Collective's international licensing division. The Wall Street Journal (5/1)       | Retailers, isn't it time to upgrade your mobile communication with customers? Mogreet's rich media mobile messaging platform delivers video, images and text messages of your products, with 90% open rates and 3x the participation of basic SMS campaigns. Retailer Charlotte Russe grew its mobile database by 33% using Mogreet's MMS marketing platform! Download the case study to find out how they did it. | - Target sees payoff from PFresh grocery aisles
Target has seen success with its foray into the grocery business, boosting sales with its PFresh concept that encourages shoppers to add cereal and other staples to fashions, home goods and other general merchandise items in their carts, experts say. "The company's unique branding, marketing, design and ability to adapt to ever-changing consumer demands have historically set it apart from the others," says NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. GroceryHeadquarters.com (5/1) - Wine shop, boutiques win "This is Retail" contest
Market Alley Wines in Monmouth, Ill., Honolulu boutique Eden in Love and Tallahassee shop The Polka Dot Dress were named the top three finalists of NRF's "This is Retail" contest. "It has been incredibly rewarding to witness the tremendous show of support that all of the contest finalists received from their friends, families, customers and communities," said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. Daily Review Atlas (Monmouth, Ill.) (5/1), The Register-Mail (Galesburg, Ill.) (5/1), Honolulu Star-Advertiser (5/1), Tallahassee Democrat (Fla.) (subscription required) (5/2) - Chicago Institute aims to bring back fashion manufacturing
Chicago used to boast the biggest apparel manufacturing industry in the country, but that began to change in the 1950s as companies discovered less expensive labor on the coasts and later overseas. Now, the fledgling Chicago Fine Tailoring and Design Institute aims to teach the skills needed to rejuvenate the industry and help the next generation of designers turn their visions into finished pieces. Chicago Tribune (5/2)  | Redefining commerce in the age of the customer
Today's customers have information at their fingertips and can dictate a new set of terms in the dynamic relationship between buyers and sellers. Smarter Commerce puts the customer at the center of all operations. Read this brochure to learn how your organization can build better business processes. |
 | Policy & Government Affairs |  |  | | |  | - Will new health care laws mean less employer coverage?
 U.S. companies could save more than $28 billion by dropping employer-provided health care plans and putting workers on taxpayer-subsidized government "exchanges," according to a survey of Fortune 100 companies. "In a pure dollars and cents standpoint, it could not be more clear – you save a lot of money, hundreds of millions of dollars for some of these companies, by no longer providing coverage," said NRF vice president Neil Trautwein in a Fox News interview. Retail's BIG Blog (5/2) - Mall owners support online collection of sales tax
Mall owners including Simon Property Group support efforts to pass federal and state legislation to require online retailers to collect sales tax. Malls, which have seen traffic and sales slow as more consumers turn to online shopping, say requiring sales tax on e-commerce would level the playing field. The Wall Street Journal (5/1)  | 10 Principles for Building an Effective Human Capital Plan
The Human Capital Plan is an important tool that organizations use to drive focused actions that can ensure goal achievement and business success. It allows organizations to assess, plan for, and respond proactively to its human capital challenges and needs. Download the white paper to learn more. |
| NRF News | |  | | - NRF: Why debit swipe fees haven't fallen far enough
A report released by the Federal Reserve yesterday showed that the average debit card swipe fees charged by big banks fell by an average of just 24 cents since the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act was implemented in 2010, with partial "monopoly prices" plaguing businesses and consumers. "We believe the numbers for the big banks are too high and had the Fed followed the law there would be significantly greater savings for merchants and their customers," NRF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mallory Duncan said. Read more. - Bare Necessities' CMO talks "transmedia" and the new rules of mobile and social
With the emergence of new social media platforms and mobile gadgets, retail marketers have an ever-expanding arsenal of ways to creatively reach customers. To get a CMO's perspective on where the social and mobile wave is taking the industry, Bare Necessities CMO Jay Dunn explains how brand consistency across all channels and a "transmedia" marketing model must go hand-in-hand for retailers to effectively reach the super-connected shopper. Read more. Retail's BIG Blog (5/2)
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Equity firm to take P.F. Chang's private in $1.1 billion deal
Private-equity firm Centerbridge Partners will pay $1.1 billion or $51.50 per share to acquire P.F. Chang's and take the company private as it works to reverse slowing sales and traffic at its namesake and Pei Wei Asian Diner chains. On Tuesday, the company reported a 40% drop in profits as customer counts continued to decline. The Wall Street Journal (5/1) | |  | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | Customer Intelligence Strategist | GFS Marketplace | Grand Rapids , MI | | Director of Catalog Merchandising/Creative | Scrubs & Beyond, LLC | St. Louis , MO | | Senior Buyer | Floor and Decor Outlets of America, Inc. | Smryna, GA | | Women's Designer Selling Manager | Saks Fifth Avenue | Beverly Hills, CA | | Merchandise Planner | Stein Mart | Jacksonville, FL | | Director of Payroll | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Merchandise Buyer | Gorsuch Ltd. | Vail, CO | | Senior Director of Quality and Product Safety | Walmart | Shenzhen, China | | Senior Manager of Field Human Resources | Ollie's Bargain Outlet | Harrisburg, PA | | Buyer, Hardgoods | Moosejaw Mountaineering | Madison Heights, MI | | Category Manager/Buyer | The Vitamin Shoppe | North Bergen , NJ | | Retail Merchandise Manager | Le Creuset of America, Inc./Schiller Stores, Inc. | Early Branch, SC | | Wholesale Visual Coordinator | MacKenzie-Childs LLC | New York, NY | | Director of Retail, Travel Hospitality Service | Delaware North Companies | Buffalo, NY | | Merchandise Planner | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ | | Fashion Product Manager (Sourcing Manager) | Target | Minneapolis, MN | | Product Manager (Sourcing Manager) | Target | Minneapolis, MI | | Fashion Buyer | Target | Minneapolis, MN | | Target.com Merchandising Buyer | Target | Minneapolis, MN | | Retail Buyer - Home | Target | Minneapolis, MN | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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More than three-quarters of respondents reported that average sales per employee exceeded $75,000 in 2011, a 14% improvement over 2010. Source: 
