Retailing Today articles from January 2008

Retailing Today archives from January 2008

What's in store for '08: top trends to watch.
January 7, 2008... NATIONWIDE RT REPORT--Uncertainty is the retail industry's constant companion, thanks to shifting market conditions and fickle consumers that require operators to continually modify strategies if they are to remain relevant, grow and improve...

Cash cows: who's got the cash to make a splash?(Statistical table)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Cash Cows: Who's got the cash to make a splash? COMPANY CASH * '07 QTR. ([dagger]) Ahold $5,492 10/7 Wal-Mart 4,950 10/31 Costco 3,210 11/25 Tesco ...

Costco starts FY strong amid consumer concerns.
January 7, 2008... ISSAQUAH, WASH. -- Despite slower sales on some high-ticket items, Costco produced another strong showing for its first quarter, with sales of food and electronics leading the way. Costco posted earnings of $262 million for the quarter and...

CompUSA shutting off the power for good.
January 7, 2008... DALLAS -- The timing of CompUSA's demise is ironic, given the fact computer sales rebounded during the holidays. But the shuttering of one of the last mid-sized consumer electronics chains in the country reflects changes in the business and...

Pier 1 finally shows some improvement.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... FORT WORTH, TEXAS -- Pier 1 Imports has made progress in its goal to return to profitability, reporting a net loss from continuing operations of $10 million, or 11 cents per share, for the third quarter ended Dec. 1, 2007, versus a net loss...

Shopko names new senior VP, CFO.(Mary Meixelsperger)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... GREEN BAY, WIS. -- Shopko has appointed Mary Meixelsperger to the position of senior vp and cfo. Meixelsperger joined Shopko in August 2005 as vp treasurer and was promoted to vp controller in April 2006. Before joining Shopko, she had served...

Supervalu buys 8 Wyo. Albertsons.
January 7, 2008... EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN.-- Supervalu announced on Dec. 18, 2007, it has agreed to buy eight Albertsons stores in Wyoming. The company said it will continue to operate these stores under the Albertsons name and all include an Osco in-store...

With cues from the past, '08 may finally see merger.(OFFICE SECTOR OUTLOOK)
January 7, 2008... NEW YORK -- The prospect of a mega-merger between Staples and Office Depot looms large over the office products industry, as two of its largest players begin the New Year pointed in opposite directions. Staples continues to demonstrate...

Unions gain strength in Calif., but retailers ready for action.
January 7, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- With Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets preparing to roll into Northern California, a challenge could again be union activity in opposition to the launch of its operations. Almost certainly, the United Food and Commercial...

Foot Locker's hoops haven housed in Harlem.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... NEW YORK -- At first glance, Harlem's 125th Street House of Hoops by Foot Locker appears to be a museum dedicated to basketball. The entrance is lined with a row of poster-sized, framed photos of basketball players with roots to Harlem. Next...

Longo's sets model on moving from 'burbs to city streets.
January 7, 2008... MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO -- When Longo's Brothers Fruit Market, an Ontario supermarket chain operating 16 stores in the Toronto Metropolitan area, looked to the future, it saw change and a move to become bigger in its market, particularly in its...

North West acquisition of Cost-U-Less a boon for both cos.
January 7, 2008... BELLEVUE, WASH. -- At a special meeting held Dec. 10, 2007, warehouse club operator Cost-U-Less said its shareholders voted to approve the proposed acquisition by The North West Co. pursuant to their Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated Aug....

Image and personality key to branding Gen Y appeal.(Survey)
January 7, 2008... NEW YORK -- Targeting the Generation Y customer is much like targeting a multicultural group: A narrow-minded approach that lacks distinction will surely result in sour sales. With approximately 70 million Gen Y'ers or "millennials" residing...

Consumers wax confidence?(ONLINE POLL RESULTS)(Table)(Survey)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... CONSUMERS WAX CONFIDENCE? (Poll results collected from Dec. 7 to Dec. 21, 2007) Q: WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THE ONGOING CONSUMER CONFIDENCE CRISIS? CAN HOUSING AND OIL REALLY DRAG DOWN RETAIL IN 2008? Status quo will...

2008--anything but business as usual.(Editorial)(Editorial)
January 7, 2008... If there's one resolution I actually plan to keep in 2008, it's the promise to learn from past mistakes. I know, easier said than done, right? But as we turn the collective page on yet another year, we all get a fresh start. And that means...

Retail.
January 7, 2008... Having escaped 15 years in the retail trenches selling everything from men's shoes to educational toys, Norm Feuti now offers "Retail," his syndicated comic strip that sheds a satirical, yet whimsical, light on a business that employs over 15...

LG Electronics.(VENDOR NEWS)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... LG Electronics is showcasing its new Super-Blu BH200 Player at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. The BH200--a follow-up to its first dual-format player unveiled at last year's CES--is priced at $999, about $200 less than...

Nintendo.(VENDOR NEWS)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Nintendo continued its dominance in video game sales in November 2007 with combined hardware sales of nearly 2.5 million. According to data from The NPD Group, the Nintendo DS handheld console sold 1.53 million units last November, followed...

Wii gotta have it.(WHAT'S HOT)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... At this time last year, most analysts expected Sony's PlayStation 3 to have blown away the competition by now. But that hasn't been the case. Instead, the Nintendo Wii has dominated the field during the holidays and looks to do the same in...

Convergence of tech plays big role at CES 2008.(NEW PRODUCTS UPDATE)
January 7, 2008... Delivering digital content in new ways will be a key theme at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as a record crowd expected to top 150,000 packs the convention center and surrounding sites. And they'll be seeing the newest and...

Charging up CES.(ACCESSORIES)(WildCharge, Inc.)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... A survey by Energizer Holdings shows the number of battery-driven, digital devices in U.S. households surged 21% to 2.3 billion last year. And with another double-digit increase expected again this year, consumers are going to need more ways...

A picture is worth 1,000 words--and comes in many sizes.(NEW PRODUCTS UPDATE)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Research firm IDC estimates that 5.6 million digital photo frames shipped to retailers in 2007, up from 1.6 million in 2006. And while most were basic digital frames, a growing number were embedded into products like alarm clocks and key...

Tuesday Morning Corp.(RETAILER NEWS)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Tuesday Morning Corp. said quarterly revenues did not meet the company's goals, so it has revised its outlook for the fiscal year ending June 30. The company now expects total sales for the year to be in the range of $943 million to $955...

Deloitte Leading Index of Consumer Spending.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Unfortunately for retailers--in the home furnishings and housewares sector, particularly--trouble in the housing sector continues to impact consumer spending, according to the Deloitte Leading Index of Consumer Spending. The Deloitte index...

Celebrities get cooking.(WHAT'S HOT)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... The combination of celebrity chefs and cookware has worked, likely because brands--with a couple of exceptions--weren't particularly strong, and differences between products, and price points, confusing. Chefs seem to reassure consumers and...

Name recognition pays dividends in sector.(DOMESTICS UPDATE)
January 7, 2008... The link between the celebrity doyen and the mass-market home goods business has been fairly cemented, yet its nature is changing as narrow proprietary relationships have become less prevalent. A new crop of names entering the mass market...

Eco-rug rollout.(ACCESSORIES)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Colonial Mills is bringing sustainable rugs to the market with its line of braided-texture area rugs and accessories in a new collection it has dubbed "earthtone" that is fabricated from 100% jute, a strong, adaptable plant fiber that, in...

Retailers' organic opportunities lie Under the Canopy.(DOMESTICS UPDATE)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... In early November, Fortunoff, the New York-area department store chain, debuted something new amid its assortment of home furnishings: organic textiles. Under the Canopy launched its organic domestics and lounge wear in time for the holidays...

Safeway.(IN THE MIX)
January 7, 2008... PLEASANTON, CALIF. -- Safeway guidance for the 2008 fiscal year calls for earnings per share of $2.25 to $2.35 for the 53week year based on strong contributions from Lifestyle stores and product innovation that will deliver identical-store...

SIAL Montreal.(IN THE MIX)
January 7, 2008... MONTREAL -- Organizers expect over 700 exhibitors and 14,000 visitors from over 80 countries at the fifth edition of SIAL Montreal, The North American Food Marketplace, from April 23 to 25. Product innovation will be an important focus here,...

Target sinks teeth into expanded array of food: dedication is there; so is competition.
January 7, 2008... Having demonstrated its commitment to food with expanded assortments and self-distribution initiatives, Target finds itself facing a highly competitive environment where food retailers are often radically enhancing their merchandising. ...

On the soft side: Kroger so-so third quarter may be cue for future opportunism.(IN THE NEWS)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... CINCINNATI -- Kroger tried to put the best spin possible on mixed results in the third quarter when it experienced margin pressure that might have resulted from a decision to do some opportunistic price cutting. Kroger's sales advanced...

Stop & Shop unveils DeliVision.(merchandising & technology)(Stop and Shop Supermarket Co.)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BOSTON -- Modiv Media, a media delivery solutions vendor for retail, announced today that its Modiv DeliVision dell-queue optimization solution is rolling into Stop & Shop. The supermarket operator plans to offer DeliVision to shoppers in...

Virtual cell phone demonstrations.(merchandising & technology)(TryPhone)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... NEW YORK -- Shopping for cellphones is much like shopping for shoes--the 15 minutes of fiddling in the store don't do justice to a purchase of this high-commitment item. Thanks to TryPhone, an online service that allows users to experiment...

Helping to lessen her holiday returns.(merchandising & technology)(Helpaguybuy.com )(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... BENTONVILLE, ARK. -- Wal-Mart took an interactive approach when it came to helping men shop this holiday season. The Web site Helpaguybuy.com interacts with users by offering quizzes that help determine which gifts are best suited for a...

E-commerce: Wal-Mart scores with site-to-store.(merchandising & technology)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)
January 7, 2008... Online sales set another new record this past holiday season thanks to efforts by leading multichannel retailers to further integrate in-store and online efforts and provide shoppers with a seamless experience. One of the best examples...

Fitting rooms: the future is here with virtual outfit changes.(merchandising & technology)(IconNicholson)
January 7, 2008... At first glance, the interactive projection mirrors by IconNicholson look like something that would be seen in the futuristic mall of a sci-fi flick. Yet last March, the Nanette Lepore department hosted a three-day installation at...

Kroger labels offer food, bev pairings.(THINGS THAT GO P.O.P.)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... CINCINNATI -- Kroger is helping its customers make more informed choices about alcoholic beverages, thanks to the extension of a relationship with Vestcom International, the leading provider of shelf-edge communications and specialized...

'Sporting' a high-tech message.(THINGS THAT GO P.O.P.)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... TORONTO -- Upscale sporting goods retailer Sporting Life has added a full digital signage package. Seventy-five percent of the time during store hours is dedicated to Sporting Life's brand message, while no more than 25% is devoted to...

Digital signage expo touts future.(THINGS THAT GO P.O.P.)
January 7, 2008... LAS VEGAS -- Participants in the digital signage and interactive technology industries will have the opportunity to hear from two individuals shaping the future at the upcoming Digital Signage Expo to be held in Las Vegas Feb. 27 to Feb. 28....

P.R.I.S.M. data to roll out industrywide in '08.(IN-STORE MERCHANDISING & MARKETING)(Pioneering Research for an In Store Metric)
January 7, 2008... One surefire way retailers can grow sales this year is to encourage customers to bring their kids shopping. Only about 13% of food shopping trips are with kids, but as every parent knows, when the kids are along, mom and dad spend more. ...

Cues for digital messaging from across borders.(IN-STORE MERCHANDISING & MARKETING)
January 7, 2008... Differing media consumption behaviors in some of the world's fastest growing economies suggest in-store television networks could become an effective means to reach consumers in places such as Brazil, China and Eastern Europe. At least...

Full frontal attack paying off in spades.(BEST BUY[R]: ON THE DOORSTEP OF $40 BILLION)(Company overview)
January 7, 2008... Best Buy has come a long way since Richard Schulze opened his first Sound of Music store in 1966. In fiscal 2007, Best Buy produced sales of $35.9 billion and is on pace to crack the $40 billion plateau in 2008, a total that would place it...

Global reach soon to include Turkey, Mexico.(BEST BUY[R]: ON THE DOORSTEP OF $40 BILLION)
January 7, 2008... Best Buy's international presence was limited to Canada until it moved into China in late 2006 with the opening of a flagship store in Shanghai and the purchase of the 142-store Five Star Appliance chain. And Best Buy is going to continue its...

Partnerships: mixing Apples and ... Dells.(BEST BUY[R]: ON THE DOORSTEP OF $40 BILLION)
January 7, 2008... After several years of sluggish sales, computers made a comeback during the holidays, driven by sales of new notebooks and laptops. And Best Buy was a big part of that revival, due in part to an exclusive deal that put Apple Shops in 270...

Mobile unit turns up the volume.(BEST BUY[R]: ON THE DOORSTEP OF $40 BILLION)
January 7, 2008... When Best Buy launched its Best Buy Mobile test pilot at five stores in New York City in late 2006, it wasn't sure what to expect. The idea behind the joint venture with U.K. retailer Carphone Warehouse was to provide a higher level of...

Shopping outlook.(MERCHANT PLANNER: A MONTHLY TREND TRACKER OF WEATHER AND MERCHANDISING FOR THE YEAR'S HIGHEST-VOLUME PROMOTIONAL "HOLIDAYS")(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... Last year was brutally cold and snowy across much of the nation, but this year will see a wholesale change to warmer and wetter conditions from the Great Plains to the East Coast. The western third of the nation will trend cooler this...

Forecast by retail market.(MERCHANT PLANNER: A MONTHLY TREND TRACKER OF WEATHER AND MERCHANDISING FOR THE YEAR'S HIGHEST-VOLUME PROMOTIONAL "HOLIDAYS")(Statistical table)
January 7, 2008... FORECAST BY RETAIL MARKET AVERAGE LAST YEAR City (30 YEARS) (ACTUAL) Boston TEMP 29[degrees] 21[degrees] PRECIP 0.96" ...