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- Target rolls out first commercials in Canada
Target debuted its first mass-media ad campaign in Canada with a 60-second spot during the Oscars Sunday night, which starred mascot Bullseye traveling through the country. Target will open the first of its planned 124 stores in Canada this year, and marketers are working with their US counterparts to create campaigns that work in both markets and present a global brand, said Livia Zufferli, head of marketing for Target Canada. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(22 Feb.)     
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| Retail in Asia | | |
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- Lotte, Shinsegae vie for S. Korea's outlet fans
A growing number of Seoul families are flocking to outlet malls outside the city in search of discounted goods and a day's entertainment. Department store operator Lotte operates seven outlet malls throughout the country and rival Shinsegae operates two in partnership with US mall developer Simon Property Group. The Korea Times (Seoul)
(24 Feb.)
- Indonesia moves to limit franchise ownership
Indonesia's government is phasing in a law that will limit franchise ownership to 250 units, potentially slowing growth for quickservice chains including Yum! Brands' KFC and Pizza Hut, which currently operate about 700 units there. "It's going to probably slow things down a bit," said Technomic's Darren Tristano. Bloomberg Businessweek
(24 Feb.)
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- China's mobile users flock to WeChat
WeChat has signed about 300 million users in China since it launched two years ago as a social site that boasts features like "Shake Shake" that connects users who happen to be shaking their mobile phones at the same time. Marketers are finding ways to use WeChat to reach customers, including Starbucks, which added 270,000 new fans in one four-week campaign. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(25 Feb.)
| Spotlight on Mass Merchandise | | |
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- Saving a piece of Sheffield's manufacturing heritage
Stainless steel cutlery was invented in Sheffield, England, about a century ago, but recent decades have seen the decimation of the city's small metal works as manufacturing moved overseas. Now, organizers who banded together in 2011 have raised enough money to buy and preserve a building that's still home to small craftsmen, and launch an apprenticeship program to train future small manufacturers. The Guardian (London)
(24 Feb.)
- Lego builds on global success
Danish toy maker Lego bucked an industry slowdown to book a 25% increase in revenue and a 35% jump in profits last year. The 66-year-old maker of brightly colored plastic building blocks, which tripled its revenue between 2007 and 2012, edged out Hasbro for second place on the list of the world's biggest toy brands. The Wall Street Journal
(21 Feb.)
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- Smarter retail: How to build an internal incentive program
As retail markets mature and become more competitive, more retailers are recognizing the benefits of incentive planning to better focus staff to deliver positive business results. In a STORES webinar on 14 March, executives representing IBM and Perficient will provide best practices for building an employee incentive plan and techniques companies to better meet internal goals and objectives. Learn more or register.
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 | It is wonderful how much news there is when people write every other day; if they wait for a month, there is nothing that seems worth telling."
--Anna Masterton Buchan,
Scottish writer
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