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| Global retail industry news |  |
- Sears Canada CEO looks to jazz up brand
New Sears Canada CEO Calvin McDonald is working fast to add new luster to the struggling brand in advance of Target's entry into the market next year. The former Loblaw executive plans to launch a new promotional fashion-focused publication and is shopping for a new ad agency. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (08 Mar.)      - Global brands look to grow in Australia
International retailers including IKEA, which opened stores in Melbourne and Sydney last year, are looking to grow their presence in Australia, as European chains seek to offset slower sales at home and US brands look to profit from Australia's strong dollar. A slew of fashion brands including H&M, Banana Republic and Victoria's Secret also are considering Australia. The Age (Melbourne, Australia) (09 Mar.)  | Learn How to Cut HR Costs Without Cutting Production
Entrepreneurial execs know that they need to follow the rules, but they may not realize which decisions will lead to the two vital components that help keep HR costs low. The following paper focuses on minimizing human capital expenses in four key areas. Download the white paper, An Executive’s Guide to Cutting HR Costs to learn more. |
 - Simon spends $2 billion to build global presence
US-based Simon Property Group paid $2 billion to acquire a controlling interest in French retail landlord Klépierre SA, the second-largest retail real-estate venture in Europe. Analysts say Simon, which owns 325 US properties, must look abroad for expansion to avoid anti-trust issues at home. The Wall Street Journal (08 Mar.)  | Leveraging Cloud Security to Weather Threatening Storms
Web attacks and retribution campaigns are on the rise, and they have become more frequent, more random and more extreme. This paper assesses the current cyber threat environment and discusses the use of distributed cloud services as an effective means to protect against evolving, modern-day IT threats. |
 - What will India's cotton export ban mean for future prices?
Officials in India banned exports of cotton this week in an effort to avoid further global prices slides, but farmers seeking to reverse the ruling say it will depress prices at home and lead to shortages next season. International retailers are more prepared for a price spike this time around, having retooled inventories and shifted to more synthetic fabrics after cotton rose to record highs last year. Seeking Alpha (08 Mar.), Bloomberg (06 Mar.)  | Over 1,700 CMOs shared their insights on the fundamental shifts transforming business and the world. Find out how they are striking a better balance between investing in solutions that drive efficiency and those that improve decision making, foster collaboration,and enhance customer relationships. |
 - Jeronimo Martins eyes Latin American acquisitions
Portuguese grocery chain Jeronimo Martins plans to expand into Colombia, and it will consider acquisitions as part of its strategy to become one of that country's three largest retailers, said CFO Alan Johnson. It's the second try at Latin America for the retailer, which opened its first stores Brazil in 1997 and left that market five years later. Bloomberg (08 Mar.)  | Retailers use video surveillance as a valuable tool to combat shrinkage, which can account for more than 2% of retail sales for some U.S. organizations. Shrink is up 6.6% in 2011 over 2010. This 6-page whitepaper from 3VR gives real examples on how retailers are increasing sales with video surveillance & analytics. Download it free today. |
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 | Spotlight on Fashion |  |  | | - Uniqlo brings Western style home to Japan
Uniqlo aims to upgrade its image at home with the opening next week of its largest store yet, a 52,500-square-foot space in Japan's upscale Ginza district. The store will incorporate many of the higher-end looks and features of Uniqlo's Fifth Avenue store in New York and, along with a shift to English as the official language and a push to hire more international workers, aims to help the company upgrade from its low-price fashion image. Bloomberg (09 Mar.) | NRF News | | | | - How digital will impact the next generation of in-store shopping
There's no doubt retail marketing has been redefined over the past decade as consumers have set forth increasingly higher expectations in the age of cross-channel. In a Shop.org First Look Track session at Retail's BIG Show, Bryan Eisenberg shared his thoughts on what the future shopping experience will look like -- as well as how digital retailers can prepare for the future now. Read more.
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