| Global retail industry news |  |
| Global Industry Watch |  |  |
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| Retail in Europe | | |
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- Report: UK retail sales show signs of recovery
Same-store sales at UK retailers rose 2.7% last month and overall sales increased 4.4%, as consumers spent more on electronics, home furnishings, apparel and health and beauty products, according to the British Retail Consortium. "There are certainly highly welcome signs here of gradual improvement and customers are feeling a bit more positive, but it's too soon to assume this represents the permanent turnaround we need," said Director-General Helen Dickinson. The Telegraph (London) (tiered subscription model)
(05 Mar.)     
- UK shoppers boost spending on luxury lingerie
During the recession, UK women shifted their lingerie budgets to lower-priced goods seen as affordable treats. Now, they're spending again on higher-end intimate apparel including shapewear from brands like Spanx and Yummie Tummie, according to marketing firm Research and Markets. BusinessNewsDaily.com
(04 Mar.)
| Retail in Asia | | |
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- Luxury brands may look to India for accessories
Italian luxury fashion brand Ermenegildo Zegna may look to source women's accessories and fabrics from Indian manufacturers for its Agnona brand, executives said this week. Additionally, UK-based menswear brand Hackett's may look to establish a manufacturing hub in India, said managing director Vicente Castellano. The Economic Times (India)
(05 Mar.)
| E-commerce Spotlight | | |
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| Spotlight on Grocery | | |
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- Grocers to pay more for meat testing
Europe's grocery retailers and meat processors will pay more to improve systems for testing and tracing meat to appease consumers who were angered when horse meat was found in a slew of beef meals. In the long run, the system may create a better class of beef that will prove more profitable to supermarkets, industry experts say. Fox Business/Dow Jones Newswires
(04 Mar.)
- Tesco to back biggest ever diabetes awareness campaign
Tesco has pledged to raise £10 million for diabetes research and launch an awareness campaign in partnership with Diabetes UK, to help combat the growing rates of Type 2 diabetes in the UK. The supermarket chain will also fund research into a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes, which is not linked to lifestyle. The Grocer (U.K.)
(04 Mar.)
| NRF News | | |
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- What’s hot in retail (and at NRF)
February marks the shortest month on the calendar, but the month wasn’t void of important policy and consumer news. Retailers stayed on top of the latest information by visiting a score of NRF resources, including NRF’s 4-5-4 calendar, consumer surveys such as Valentine’s Day shopping and how Americans intend to spend their tax returns, and NRF’s 2012 Annual Report. Read more. Retail's BIG Blog
(04 Mar.)
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus."
--Alexander Graham Bell,
Scottish-born American inventor
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