Top Story

• Saks' Stephen Sadove elected chairman of NRF Board of Directors
  Succeeding Macy's Chairman, President and CEO Terry Lundgren for a two-year term, Saks Chairman and CEO Stephen Sadove was elected as NRF Board Chairman on Sunday during Retail's BIG Show. Sadove joins The Container Store Chairman and CEO Kip Tindell, HSNi CEO Mindy Grossman and NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay on NRF's leadership team for a two-year term. Newly elected retail board members include executives from Random Harvest, Crate and Barrel, Bon-Ton Stores and Office Max. Read more. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (1/14)     

Industry Watch

• NRF names Amazon's Bezos "Retailer of the Year"
  NRF will make history at Retail's BIG Show today when it hands its annual Gold Award to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, making Amazon the first web-only merchant to win the trade group's top retailer award. The selection reflects the rapidly changing retail scene, said NRF's Mike Gatti. "Brick-and-mortar companies have gone onto the Web, and now some Internet pure-plays are having discussions about opening stores," he said. The Seattle Times (1/13)     

• How Duane Reade became an iconic New York brand
  New York City pharmacy chain Duane Reade launched a rebranding around the tagline “New York Living Made Easy,” splitting stores into three categories stocked with a mix of name-brand and private-label products aimed at meeting more of the customers' needs, President Joe Magnacca told attendees at Retail's BIG Show on Sunday. Retail's BIG Blog (1/13)     

• Wal-Mart names new chief for Latin America
  Wal-Mart Stores has promoted executive Enrique Ostale to president and CEO for Latin America, effective March 1, upon the retirement of Eduardo Solorzano. Ostale joined the company when Wal-Mart acquired Chilean supermarket operator Distribucion y Servicio in 2009 and heads Wal-Mart's operations in Chile. Bloomberg Businessweek (1/11)     

Retail Trends

• Tallying the true cost of retail theft
  Retailers aren't the only ones hurt by shoplifters and organized retail thieves -- their actions drive up the price of goods for consumers, experts say. "Fighting these self-serving and unethical criminals has been a tedious battle, but we remain resolute in our efforts and our partnerships with law enforcement to combat this growing problem," said NRF's Rich Mellor. Middletown Journal (Ohio) (1/13)     

NRF 102nd Annual Convention & Expo

• Tech, tradition and the melding of global retail
  The rapid rise of mobile use in Brazil and other emerging markets is likely to speed up the development of retail in those countries, but for merchants the key lesson is to keep focusing on the fundamentals of product, price and service, industry experts said at Retail's BIG Show on Sunday. Retail's BIG Blog (1/13)     

• What digital trends do you need to know about this year?
  Fast-changing mobile technology will only prove more disruptive this year as new devices force more change for retailers, Forrester Research's Sucharita Mulpuru told attendees at Retail's BIG Show. Amazon will continue to win customers this year, she advised, while innovation will continue to bring new online retail models. Shop.org Blog (1/13)     

• NRF offers a video welcome to the world's merchants
  NRF posted a peppy YouTube video welcoming international retailers to Retail's BIG Show in New York City this week. Among the estimated 27,000 attendees -- 1,106 from Canada, 413 from the U.K., 91 from Russia and 51 from China. YouTube (1/13)     

Retail Technology

• Retailers look for the next big thing at NYC conference
  Thousands of retailers are converging on New York City this week, hoping to identify leading trends for the year ahead, Andria Cheng writes in this analysis. Mobile technology and social media will be among the topics under consideration at the National Retail Federation conference. "Showrooming has certainly changed the complexion of the industry and made the differentiation of service and product more important," said The Container Store CEO Kip Tindell. The Wall Street Journal (1/13)     

• Macy's, a merchant of many channels
  Macy's bucked the slower holiday trends this season, largely because it saw a payoff from its investments in online retail. "The Internet has not only helped Macy's engage and serve new customers, but it has also helped them serve existing customers better," said analyst Liz Dunn. Crain's New York Business (1/13)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NRF SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Lundgren's legendary retail career (Barron's (free content))

• D'Ambrosio resigns, Lampert to take the reins at Sears (The Wall Street Journal)

• Chico's CEO: Love the customer you're with (Women's Wear Daily (subscription required))

• Office Depot's North America president resigns (The Wall Street Journal)

• Target extends price-matching program (Reuters)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

NRF News

• Watch Walmart U.S. CEO's keynote live from Retail's BIG Show
  Tuesday's keynote from Retail's BIG Show 2013 featuring Bill Simon, Walmart U.S. president and CEO, will be live-streamed Jan. 15 at 8:30 a.m. EST from New York City. Simon will address thousands of retailers about the need for the retail industry's leadership on issues such as the economy and job creation. Keynotes from Sunday and Monday at Retail's BIG Show are already available to watch free on-demand. Register to watch for free.     

• NRF SmartTip: Jan. 14, 2013
  More than half of digital natives believe the post-purchase experience is more important than the pre-purchase experience. Source: IBM via Retail's BIG Show 2013.     

Chain Restaurant News

• Taco Bell tries out $1 value menu
  Taco Bell has launched a two-market test of a new "$1 Cravings Menu," with dishes aimed at giving budget-conscious customers more options. If the test is successful, the chain would likely roll out the new menu nationwide, replacing the current "Why Pay More" menu, said marketing VP Chris Brandt. USA Today/The Associated Press (1/12)     

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Editor's Note

• Up-to-the-minute social coverage of Retail's BIG Show 2013
  Whether you're attending Retail's BIG Show in NYC this week or just eager for the latest updates, check out NRF SmartBrief's Storify live feed, which curates the best and most important social content about the event.     

Position Title Company Name Location Technical Support Statistician - Retail Solutions SAS Institute Nationwide, United States Assistant Buyer Everything But Water Orlando, FL Merchandise Buyer Everything But Water Orlando, FL Selling Manager - Women's Shoes Saks Fifth Avenue Miami / Dadeland, FL Brand Ambassador Saks Fifth Avenue Bal Harbour, FL Safety Program Manager CarMax Richmond, VA Buyer Century 21 Department Stores new york city, NY Oracle Merchandise Operations Management Consultants Oracle America Inc Nationwide, United States VP Construction Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, NJ Century 21 Department Stores eCommerce Project Manager Century 21 Secaucus, NJ Assistant Designer Kohl's Department Stores Milwaukee , WI Director of Marketing Saks Fifth Avenue Huntington Station - Long Island, NY 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

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SmartQuote

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." --Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, French novelist and performer