STORES Magazine - January 2009 - (Page 18)

trEnDS 10 THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED Home office … Toilet paper, printer paper, milk, ink, pasta and pens might appear on the same shopping list, so Safeway has partnered with OfficeMax to carry about 300 office supply SKUs on cobranded aisle displays in 1,600 stores. “Our goal is to help our customers do their best work,” says OfficeMax executive vice president Ryan Vero, and Safeway “creates a convenient access point.” Compiled by David P. Schulz 1 largely ignored real-time communication issues that include security threats, compliance regulations and loss of critical data or intellectual property. Adding rewards … Tommy Bahama is launching a best-guest program. The loyalty program, which will be the focus of the company’s 2009 marketing efforts, will enable it “to provide targeted, intimate messages with a program germane to its guests.” Primarily an “island lifestyle” apparel and home furnishings manufacturer selling through department and resort stores, Tommy Bahama also operates upscale restaurants in a dozen of its 70 stores. other Whopper Virgin ads feature an Inuit in the Arctic and Hmong in Southeast Asia. Upgraded slot … The newest generation of vending machines is ready to dispense movies — and even a memory stick to hold them if the consumer doesn’t have one handy. Dubbed the integrated video and interactive dispensing system (IVIDS) by creator AVT, the machine also displays movie trailers and other advertising on an oversized LCD screen. IVIDS is being unveiled this month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 6 4 technologies, workforce skills, input costs, infrastructure, regulations, consumer tastes and non-traditional but cashrich competitors all contribute to the adaptation challenge. Now and forever … Forever 21 is raising its Manhattan profile with a 90,000-sq.-ft. store in Times Square to augment its smaller unit on 34th Street. The California-based chain, sometimes described as a lowpriced H&M, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and will mark the occasion with a store featuring not only traditional juniors merchandise but expanded footwear and accessories offerings, a broader range of women’s apparel and men’s and children’s clothing. Around the corner … Though purse strings may be tighter, consumers will still indulge in little luxuries and fun activities, according to market research firm Mintel. In the flavor and fra- 2 9 grance portion of its crystal ball, Mintel sees persimmon as the top new fruit and predicts spikes in the sale of carambola (star fruit), lavender, cacti and chumichurri sauce. Whopper virgins … Burger King continues its franchised expansion into new territory and is using firsttime experiences with its flagship sandwich in a campaign dubbed “Whopper Virgins.” Burger King has opened its first location in the Czech Republic and pushed deeper into Romania. One of the TV commercials shows novice burger-eating Transylvanians preferring a Whopper in a taste test against the Big Mac; 3 Management responsibility … Real-time communications — instant and mobile messaging, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), conferencing and the like — are largely unmanaged by businesses, leaving their networks vulnerable to viruses, worms and other security threats, according to systems management solutions vendor Quest Software. Quest says most organizations have taken measures to address e-mail use but have 5 Rock the house … Sales of house brands are growing dramatically as retailers explore every option to squeeze more profit from the dollars consumers are spending. Brian Sharoff, president of the Private Label Manufacturers Association, says “quality, assortment and innovation are driving the success of private label.” Nielsen says private label sales have climbed 10 percent in supermarkets and 13 percent in drug stores in the past year. 7 Pipelining … Complexity, stretch and adaptation are the major challenges facing retail supply chains, according to management consulting firm Accenture. Increasingly interdependent economies magnify supply chain complexity, while networks are stretched trying to leverage gains from low-cost country sourcing. Coping with rapid-fire changes in prices, 8 Café kultur … “This is certainly a time when a business needs to be extremely disciplined and thoughtful about the decisions it makes, and where and how it is going to grow,” says Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. In 2008, the company closed nearly 700 locations, announced a slowdown in the pace of new store openings around the globe and frequently tweaked its menu offerings. One initiative that has remained steadfast: All Starbucks’ espresso-based coffees will be Fair Trade certified by the end of 2009. 10 18 STORES / JANUARY 2009 WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - January 2009

STORES Magazine - Jauary 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Mechanical Marvel P&G Invests in Ocado Now I Remember What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Breaking the Monotony Multi-Channel Concept2Watch E-Commerce Analytics Category Management IT Systems In-Store Technology IT Systems Communications Website Strategy Communications SOA Energy Video Surveillance Employee Theft Online Fraud Industry Perspective Loeb Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword End Cap

STORES Magazine - January 2009

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