| December 13, 2012 | News for the retail industry |
 |
 |
|
- Restoration Hardware revels in showrooming
Showrooming may be proving a bane to many brick-and-mortar retailers, but it's been a boon to Restoration Hardware, which turned its stores into showrooms and went upscale when competitors turned to discounting during the recession. The result: 10 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth capped by a 29% jump in the most recent quarter. The Wall Street Journal
(12/12), Reuters
(12/12)     
 | Build a Customer-Centric Video Strategy.
Video ratings and comments provide excellent opportunities to better understand what consumers want. In this report we dig into video ratings and comments data collected from hundreds of online retailers to provide actionable recommendations for how to build a better video strategy by listening to your audience. Download it here. |
|
| Industry Watch |  |  |
|
- How Tractor Supply grew through the recession
 National retailer Tractor Supply saw its sales rise 150% during the recession, allowing the chain to ignore the downturn and proceed with business as usual. The secret? The 1,100 stores in 44 states sell everything from beef jerky to baby chicks to baseball jerseys, all under one roof and with an eye on selling to "the little guy." ABC News
(12/12)
- Best Buy founder may make buyout bid this week
Best Buy founder Richard Schulze reportedly has assembled the financing he'll need to make a bid to buy the consumer electronics retailer, and may make his offer to the board as early as Friday. The group, which includes investors from Cerberus, Leonard Greene & Partner and the Texas Pacific Group, is expected to offer between $5 billion and $6 billion. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.)
(12/12)
- Spartan's Valu Land debuts in Detroit
Two Valu Land stores have opened in the Detroit area. As many as eight more of the small format are planned for the region in 2013. "With the economy as it is, Valu Land is responding to a heightened need for value that shoppers can depend on every day," said Alan Hartline, executive vice president for merchandising and marketing at parent Spartan Stores. MLive.com (Michigan) (free registration)
(12/12)
| Retail Trends | | |
|
- Retail sales help November rebound
U.S. retail sales rose 0.3% in November after declining 0.3% the month before, driven in large part to car sales, which hit a four-year high as consumers scrambled to replace storm-ruined vehicles, according to a Commerce Department report. Excluding autos, gas and building materials, sales rose 0.5% as holiday shoppers spent on gifts including electronics and apparel. Reuters
(12/13), Bloomberg
(12/13)
- What do retail stock prices say about the season?
Retail stocks haven't been trading heavily this season, but activity on some of them illustrate some emerging holiday trends, analysts say. For the first time in several years, discounts aren't the top priority, sending shares of Ross and TJX down slightly, early openings proved popular as judged by Abercrombie & Fitch's 5.8% rise since Black Friday and Amazon continues to dominate online and among investors. USA Today
(12/12)
| Main Street | | |
|
| Policy & Government Affairs | | |
|
- Retailers react as "fiscal cliff" fight rages on
Congress and the Obama Administration don't appear any closer on an agreement to avoid the tax increases and spending cuts slated to take effect in January, and the situation is raising concerns for retailers. “Our members report that some of our businesses are starting to be impacted by the extended negotiations,” said National Retail Federation senior vice president David French. CBS News
(12/11)
| NRF News | | |
|
- Solid start to holiday shopping season boosts November retail sales
A successful Thanksgiving weekend and diminishing impacts in the Northeast due to Superstorm Sandy helped to bolster last month’s retail sales, while also maintaining NRF’s holiday sales forecast of a 4.% growth rate over last year. According to NRF, November retail sales rose 0.8% seasonally adjusted from October and increased 4.4% year-over-year. “Though negotiations in Washington over the fiscal cliff could affect consumer confidence and spending in December, overall we are optimistic they we’ll see solid sales growth this holiday season,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. Read more.
- Survey: Americans have completed over half of holiday shopping
NRF’s latest holiday consumer survey shows early seasonal promotions have left fewer shoppers needing to make the last-minute dash for gifts. The average U.S. shopper has completed 56% of their shopping, up from 46% last year at this time and the highest percentage in the survey’s history. Still, only one in 10 shoppers has completely wrapped up their lists, with 30% of Americans planning to finish shopping earlier than Tuesday, Dec. 18. Read more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | |
|
- Wendy's to promote more value pricing in 2013
Wendy's plans to develop and promote more lower-priced value offerings next year, in a push to compete with McDonald's and other rivals and revive flat sales, chief financial officer Steve Hare said Wednesday. The chain has been focused on promoting its higher-margin premium offerings, but it will work with franchisees to develop a core 99-cent menu as well as a slightly pricier value menu. Fox Business/Dow Jones Newswires
(12/12)
|
|
| Position Title | Company Name | Location |
| E-Commerce Analyst | Burlington Coat Factory | Burlington, NJ |
| District Manager | Francesca's Collections | Raleigh, NC |
| Oracle Retail Business Consultant | Oracle America, Inc. | Nationwide, United States |
| Merchandise Buyer - Multiple Categories, Multiple Channels | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee/Menomonee Falls, WI |
| Merchandise Planner - Multiple Categories | Kohl's Department Stores | Menomonee Falls, WI |
| Senior Supply Chain Solutions Systems Analyst | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ |
| Retail Customer Inventory & Planning Manager | LEGO Systems, Inc | Enfield, CT |
| Director of Store Systems/Applications | The Vitamin Shoppe | North Bergen, NJ |
| Replenishment Systems Manager | Vitamin Shoppe | North Bergen , NJ |
| Manager, Vendor Management | PetSmart | Phoenix, AZ |
| Strategic Sourcing Manager - Indirect Categories | Ross Stores Inc. | Pleasanton, CA |
| ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF MERCHANDISING | SAKS FIFTH AVENUE | Costa Mesa , CA |
| ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF MERCHANDISING | SAKS FIFTH AVENUE | Palm Desert, CA |
| Director, Merchandising Operations | REI | Kent, WA |
| Director Retail Operations | HMSHost | Detroit, MI |
| Director, Event Licensing & Direct to Retail | Viacom | New York, NY |
| E-Commerce Merchant | Kohl's Department Stores | Milwaukee / Menomonee Falls, WI |
| Oracle Retail Technical Consultant | Oracle America, Inc. | Nationwide, United States |
|
| Click here to view more job listings. |
|
|
| SmartQuote | | |
|
 | No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking."
--Voltaire,
French writer, historian and philosopher
|
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| | Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues:
- Wednesday, December 12, 2012
- Tuesday, December 11, 2012
- Monday, December 10, 2012
- Friday, December 07, 2012
- Thursday, December 06, 2012
| | | Lead Editor: Megan Conniff
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 | |
| |
|
| © 1999-2012 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
More than 40% of Americans will visit department stores to finish their holiday shopping. Source: 
