STORES Magazine - September 2008 - (Page 20)

trEnDS 10 THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED Mixed bag … In the name of eco-friendliness, California, cities from Seattle to New York and a lot of towns in between are banning or restricting retailers’ use of plastic bags. This remains a confounding distinction, given that the EPA says paper sacks require more energy and greenhouse emissions to manufacture, ship and recycle Compiled by David P. Schulz 4 Helping hand A program to help victims of domestic violence in Oklahoma is being expanded after Walmart became involved. The program, End the Silence — End the Violence, saw a 39 percent increase in telephone calls after bilingual posters and tear-off pads with a helpline phone number were placed in restrooms and fitting rooms at 10 stores in Oklahoma. The program is being rolled out to all 85 Oklahoma Walmarts. 1 flagship stores for Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany — average about $1,500 per square foot annually. That could be a lowwater mark, however, since Abercrombie & Fitch this summer signed for space at 53rd and Fifth that costs more than $2,000 per square foot. Seeing red … The much anticipated bankruptcy filing of Mervyns finally came to pass, in the wake of similar filings by such hardpressed retailers as Steve & Barry’s and Shoe Pavilion. Mervyns is owned by Sun Capital Partners, Cerberus Capital Management and other private investors, which bought the 177-unit Hayward, Calif., junior department store chain from Target for $1.65 billion in 2004. Mervyns blames the Chapter 11 filing on “the state of the economy and difficult operating environment for our industry.” elers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry chains. A potentially larger pool of investors more familiar with the group’s business model was a major reason for the move, the company states. Undone? … A persistent Federal Trade Commission has won a rear-guard action in its battle to prevent Whole Foods Market from acquiring Wild Oats Markets — a transaction that was completed a year ago. The Wild Oats stores have been a drag on Whole Foods since the latter went ahead with the deal after getting an O.K. from a Federal District Court. That 9 7 Take out from home … Whether prepared for economic reasons, health and nutrition concerns or mere convenience, American adults packed 8.5 billion home-made lunches and toted them to work last year, NPD reports in “Eating Patterns in America.” The study found that 35- to 54-year-old men carried lunches more often than any other demographic group. 2 and take up more space when they wind up in landfills. In the name of … The 400 largest restaurant franchisees generate about 8.5 percent of the industry’s annual volume of $364 billion, says industry tracker Technomic Information Services. “Expansion through franchising transfers some of the downside risk of a slowing economy to the franchisees, while the franchisees benefit from managing a restaurant brand that is tried and true,” says Technomic executive vice president Darren Tristano. 5 decision has been reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals and sent back to the lower court. Unhappy chapter … S&A Restaurants, operator of the Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale chains and itself a subsidiary of Metromedia Restaurant Group — abruptly closed locations and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. The Chapter 7 action leads to liquidation of assets to pay creditors, unlike the more common Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings where a company has the opportunity to restructure its operations and obligations free of pressure from creditors. The action does not include 138 Bennigan’s units operated by franchisees. 8 3 Illegal is as illegal does … Macy’s was initially embarrassed when a New York garment factory was raided and the owners charged with labor law violations. Now it turns out the sweatshop, Jin Shun, was not manufacturing goods for sale at Macy’s. Janet Grove, chairman of Macy’s Merchandising Group, accuses the former vendor of churning out counterfeit goods under a label owned by Macy’s. Gems across the ocean … Signet Group, parent of Sterling Jewelers, is moving its primary stock share listing from London to New York and its official domicile to Bermuda. Signet says about 70 percent of its business comes from U.S. operations, which include Kay Jew- 10 No bargain … Whatever else is happening to the U.S. economy, retail rents on New York’s Fifth Avenue remain the world’s most expensive, according to Cushman & Wakefield, the international real estate firm. The stretch between 42nd and 59th streets — home to 6 20 STORES / SEPTEMBER 2008 WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

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

STORES Magazine - September 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Office Depot Unveils First Green Store Dunkin’ Donuts Debuts DDSMART What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Are You a Facebook Fan? RFID Concept2Watch E-commerce Supply Chain Marketing ERP Credit Web Optimization LP Vantage Point Newsbeat Cover Story LP Program Building Biometrics Industry Perspective Customer Service Site Selection E-Commerce LOEB Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - September 2008

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