STORES Magazine - January 2008 - (Page 20)

trEnDS 10 THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED issue,” says Brooke White, a spokeswoman for Nordstrom. “It’s a store environment issue. Like fashion, we want to be current.” Compiled by David P. Schulz 6 4 1 Dropping the ball … Walgreen’s plans to open a store on the lower floors of One Times Square, the building that holds some of the world’s most photographed billboards and is the site of the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop. The drug store retailer signed a lease for about 27,300 sq. ft. of interior space. Real brands, fake stuff … Tiffany & Co. argued in court that eBay must do a better job of keeping counterfeit merchandise off its Internet auction site. eBay says policing its site would be both difficult and expensive since there are up to 248 million buyers and sellers haggling over more than 100 million items for sale at any given time. Cutting the chord … The melodic strains of piano music are apparently slipping down the list of what’s fashionable among today’s consumers. At least Nordstrom thinks so, as it plans to eliminate or reduce the live piano playing for which its stores are so well known. “It’s not an expense 2 An e-page-turner … Having created the model for online retailing, Amazon is now trying to define how books can be electronically sold, downloaded and read. The approach employs a $400 device, dubbed Kindle, that can hold up to 200 book titles, plus electronic editions of newspapers and magazines that are updated through wireless cell technology. Book downloads, $9.99 apiece, are monochromatic, with artwork coming in grey shades. Cooking something up … Kohl’s, which launched its Food Networkbranded line of merchandise in September, is expanding the effort to include kitchenware and casual entertaining items developed by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. The collection will feature bold colors and rich textures sporting Mediterranean influences on dinnerware, kitchen gadgets and utensils, cookware, cutlery, small appliances, barbecue tools and kitchen textiles. The merchandise will be available in stores this spring. Fun food … TV network Nickelodeon will rebrand the country’s largest indoor family theme park Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of 7 Murphy USA, Valero and Wilson Farms. About 7,400 store locations are included in this first phase. Raising the stakes … With Orchard Supply Hardware, Sears Hardware and freestanding home furnishings stores already in its portfolio, Sears Holdings is bidding $6.75 a share to purchase 102-unit trendy home furnishings and housewares chain Restoration Hardware. Sears’ takeover attempt comes after Restoration Hardware had already agreed to be acquired for $6.70 a share in a management-led buyout in association with private equity firm Catterton Partners. 9 3 Cell sell … Major retailers used the holiday selling season to test mobile phone advertising, diverting about 13 percent of their electronic ad budgets in the process, according to estimates from eMarketer. Nordstrom began sending text messages in early November alerting consumers to its semi-annual sales event, while JCPenney created a mobile website that included images of 64 different gift items. Wal-Mart sent subscribers information about bargains on discontinued merchandise and special sales, while Best Buy provided gift suggestions on its mobile website. 5 America, while Levy Restaurants will handle food services that include quick-serve dining, concession stands, food carts and catered events. The partners plan to introduce healthy dining options throughout the park. Check it out … Convenience stores are now included in Nielsen’s vast data-collection network that provides statistical information on weekly consumer purchases to CPG manufacturers on an item by item basis. Nielsen is launching the program this spring with eight major operators providing data from company-owned stores, including Circle K, Cumberland Farms, 8 Time for a remake? … Blockbuster has a lot of stores and plenty of space inside them, so the once high-flying pioneer of video rental retailing is testing various options for using excess footage. Among the alternatives being explored are selling books, soft drinks and other beverages or creating stations for downloading entertainment software. Blockbuster has been negotiating to acquire downloading service Movielink, which would include long-term contracts with major Hollywood studios for films and other content. 10 20 STORES / JANUARY 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - January 2008

STORES Magazine - January 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Build a 'Bot Sneak Peek at Fashion Trends What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Cover Story: Fishing for Talent Retail CEO Compensation Research Concept2Watch E-Commerce Payment Solutions Online Merchandising POS LPInformation LP Vantage Point Newsbeat Industry Watch Cover Story: Making LP PCI-Compliant Mall Security Video Surveillance Industry Perspective Forum RFID Business Intelligence Data Management Logistics Turning Green into Gold Love of – and for – the Outdoors Loeb Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - January 2008

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