| June 4, 2012 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Frederick's of Hollywood might put itself up for sale
Frederick's of Hollywood has hired investment bank Allen & Co. to help it explore strategic options including a possible sale, after four consecutive years of losses. The retailer's offerings have grown less popular as competitors including Victoria's Secret continue to grab more market share. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (6/2)       | Which do you choose: Customer frustration…or channel integration? Today's consumers expect to shop the way technology lets them work and live: easily, efficiently and seamlessly across channels. Aberdeen's 2012 Analyst Insight on the Omni-Channel Retail Experience explains how your competitors make that happen – and how you can too! This $399 value is now yours free. Download the report now! |
 - Target sees beauty in brand partnerships
Target has signed more than 80 exclusive designer deals in the past decade, but only two have included beauty products, says senior vice president for health care and beauty Jose Barra. "The biggest challenge is getting some of your brands or some of your stores to think about Target differently." Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (6/1) - Bonobos moves ahead with clicks-to-bricks plan
Online menswear retailer Bonobos opened its first retail store at its New York City headquarters last fall and plans to open a second Manhattan location this month, part of a larger nationwide brick-and-mortar expansion this year. "We're figuring out the retail brand of the future," said CEO Andy Dunn. Crain's New York Business (6/3) - Celebrity scents make sense at Macy's
Fragrances from celebrities including Justin Bieber account for about 10% of the scents at Macy's perfume counter, compared to about 4% industrywide, says executive vice president Muriel Gonzalez. The department store plans to build on the success of its star scents with the fall debut of perfumes from Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (6/1)  | Simple Strategies for Enhancing eCommerce Profitability
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 - How dollar stores are benefiting from "lukewarm" recovery
Dollar stores grew fast during the downturn as consumers tightened their belts, and a less-than-robust recovery is proving an ongoing boost to discounters including Dollar General, which just opened its 10,000th store. Same-store sales for discounters likely rose about 4.9% in the most recent quarter, according to a ThomsonReuters forecast. The Wall Street Journal (6/3) - Retailers make the most of shopping psychology
Retailers including IKEA and Costco have created stores that encourage customers to buy more than they planned using a variety of tactics including turning shopping into entertainment and appealing to shoppers' love of a deal, experts say. Other chains use a range of tactics including sounds and scents to make their stores more conducive to spending. National Post (Canada) (6/1) - Tourists drive higher retail sales in NYC
Retail sales in Manhattan are on track to hit $52.4 billion this year, a 42% increase over 2007 and a jump driven largely by international tourists who hit the Big Apple to shop for clothing, electronics and accessories, according to a report from Eastern Consolidated. "There's a number of reasons why New York City is doing better than the U.S., but the No. 1 reason is because of our retail industry," said chief economist Barbara Denham. The Wall Street Journal (6/3)  | Prosper from CMO Insights on Email Deliverability
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 - Mobile payment options move forward
A joint venture formed last year by AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA has begun testing its Isis Mobile Wallet service in a few U.S. markets, joining similar efforts from Google and PayPal. "The mobile wallet is going to be a heck of a convenience," said Richard Mader, executive director of NRF's Association for Retail Technology Standards. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (6/3)  | Download Forrester Research, Inc.'s April 2012 report: SMB eCommerce Solutions 2012, A Guide To Selecting Your eCommerce Solution, and learn which SMB eCommerce solution you should consider for your business. Click here for your complimentary copy. |
 - Miami fishing supply store casts a wide net
Capt. Harry's Fishing Supply in Miami is heading into the busy season on the local front, but the retailer doesn't only depend on seasonal business in South Florida. Since the early 1980s, the company has been growing its base of customers through a catalog and online business that now serves fishing fans in every U.S. state and 120 countries. The Miami Herald (free registration) (6/3)  | Transforming spreadsheets: planning, budgeting and forecasting for midsize companies
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 | Hot Topics |  |  | | Top five news stories selected by NRF SmartBrief readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
| Policy & Government Affairs | | | | - NRF CEO makes the case for Marketplace Fairness
 Current federal policy on taxing online sales stems from a Supreme Court decision handed down in 1992, before online retail existed, writes NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay, in this op-ed piece making the case for a federal measure to allow states to require online retailers to collect sales tax. "When jobs are at a premium, and businesses, especially on Main Street, are doing everything they can to keep their doors open, we shouldn't be giving virtual retailers a tax handout." Chicago Sun-Times (6/3) | | | Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. |
| NRF News | | | | - Report: Pinterest dominates Facebook, Twitter in the social media sphere
As retailers continue to add to their innovative social media strategies daily, the industry seems to have found a niche in the easily customizable Pinterest platform. The 2012 edition of Shop.org's Social Commerce Study found that American consumers are following an average of 9.3 retailers on the site, beating out social media veterans Facebook and Twitter. A joint research project by Shop.org, comScore and The Partnering Group, the study surveyed more than 1,500 consumers to take the pulse of shopping activity and engagement across social media, group-buying sites, location-based social platforms, and more. Read more. - How Safeway fights gift card fraud
Gift card fraud is a multi-billion dollar problem for retailers that ranges from simple cons to complex scams. At a gift card fraud seminar at NRF's Loss Prevention Conference & EXPO, June 20 to 22 in New Orleans, Safeway's Corporate Loss Prevention Manager John Knowlton will discuss how Safeway combated a complex gift card fraud case involving multiple suspects, jurisdictions and locations. Learn more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Dunkin' Donuts display boffo in Broadway debut
Top Broadway stage producer Hal Prince, a Dunkin' Donuts fan, wrote to Dunkin' Brands CEO Nigel Travis about updating the company's Times Square billboard more in line with his showman's tastes. Dunkin' applied some of Prince's wisdom to a new interactive outdoor display, which it was already working on with agency Hill Holliday. The new billboard will promote Prince's upcoming play, and Dunkin' is using it to display fans of its doughnuts, taken from the brand Facebook page. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (6/1) | |  | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | Director of Eastbay Brand | Footlocker.com/Eastbay | Wausau, WI | | Senior Director/Director of Store Operations & Customer Service | BevMo! | Concord, CA | | Assistant Vice President, Allocation | dressbarn | Suffern/border line Mahwah, NJ , NY | | Manager, Information Systems Internal Audit | PetSmart, Inc. | Phoenix, AZ | | Marketing Director - NYC Store | Saks Fifth Avenue | New York, NY | | Buyer | Five Below, Inc. | Philadelphia, PA | | Merchandise Manager - Accessories / Footwear | Hanna Andersson | Portland, OR | | Experienced Retail/Wine Managers | Total Wine & More | Dallas - Fort Worth, TX | | Associate Buyer | Five Below, Inc. | Philadelphia, PA | | Divisional Merchandise Manager (DMM) | Perry Ellis International | Miami, FL | | Vice President Real Estate | Spencer Gifts | Egg Harbor Township, NJ | | Digital/Shopper Planning Director | TracyLocke | Wilton, CT | | Merchandise Buyer - Multiple Categories | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, WI | | Cosmetics Buyer (Experience Required) | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee, WI | | Merchandise Planner | Kohl's Department Stores | Menomonee Falls, WI | | Direct Marketing Campaign Developer | Shopko | Green Bay, WI | | Circulation and Marketing Analyst | Shopko | Green Bay, WI | | Real Estate Manager | Shopko | Green Bay, WI | | Divisional Private Brand Manager--Consumables/HBA | Shopko | Green Bay, WI, WI | | Buyer | Bed, Bath & Beyond | Union, NJ | | Director of Merchandise Planning (General Merchandise) | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | eCommerce Monetization Manager | Meijer | Grand Rapids, MI | | Director of Real Estate | Burlington Coat Factory | Los Angeles, CA | | Senior Buyer - Home/Furniture | Shopko | Green Bay, WI | | Retail Operations Manager | Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts | Waltham, MA | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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Americans are buying gifts for an average of two high school and/or college graduates this year. Source: 
