STORES Magazine - October 2008 - (Page 20)

trEnDS 10 THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED and some store closings, the Limited Too nameplate will disappear but the label will continue to be sold online and at top-performing Justice locations. The changeover will boost the Justice store count to approximately 900 by early 2009. Skin deep … Beauty is in the eye of retailers, with CVS and Sally Beauty planning new ventures in H&BC. CVS will soon begin testing freestanding Beauty 360 stores adjacent to CVS locations. The units will offer “prestige beauty” products that include 32 lines of cosmetics and skin care items as well as some fragrances. Sally Beauty will launch a full e-commerce site for the holiday season offering more than 5,000 SKUs, including some exclusives not available in its stores. of the direct marketers surveyed, with the other sales coming via the Internet and other retail venues. The study also found a large circulation increase from 2003 to the present, most likely because companies were using catalogs to drive web business, Compiled by David P. Schulz ORC bust … A crime ring operating out of the Pharmacare warehouse in South Florida has been charged with stealing $7.9 million worth of OTC medications and H&BC products over the last five years. Seven people were indicted in Fort Lauderdale for stealing from retailers such as Walgreen, Target, CVS and others in North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. The stolen merchandise was transported to South Florida where it was repackaged and sold, authorities say. 1 byUSA, which helped Kroger introduce its Kroger Plus card program and also has worked with Home Depot. JCP Rewards, announced in an advertising circular, awards shoppers points and discounts even if they don’t use a store credit card. Going Hollywood … Troubled Buca di Beppo, the 88-unit Italian family-style restaurant chain that lost $16.2 million last year, has been acquired by Planet Hollywood for $28.5 million. “I think it’s the right concept at the right time in terms of where the economy is,” says Robert Earl, CEO and co-founder of Planet Hollywood. “The restaurants have a bit of fun and ambience to them. I feel the twenty-buck-a-head expe- 4 9 and that most companies track online and catalog purchase response rates separately. Widening the Gap … For the last six months, merchandise that includes bedding, furniture, strollers, dishware, diaper bags, skin care, bath accessories and toys has been available under the BabyGap Home umbrella, both online and in two dozen stores. The test of these goods, which carry nonGap brand names such as Maclaren, Dorel, Quinny, Baby Bjorn, Crocodile Creek, Bella Tunno and Peg Perego, has been successful enough that it is being extended to another dozen stores. 7 ’Bye retail … ConocoPhillips is the latest major petroleum company planning to exit convenience store and gasoline retailing, joining ExxonMobil and BP. ConocoPhillips is selling 600 c-store/gas stations for a reported $800 million to privately held PetroSun Fuel of Seattle. 2 5 Limited Justice … Tween Brands plans to convert 500 Limited Too stores to its Justice format. Following the conversions 3 Middle East maneuver … The Payless ShoeSource division of Collective Brands is expanding into the Middle East through a franchise agreement with M.H. Alshaya. Stores will begin opening next year in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. This is the first time Payless will be franchising stores. rience for a lovely evening is where the country is.” Beyond coffee wars … Starbucks fired a shot over the McDonald’s breakfast bow with last month’s introduction of such morning fare as apple bran muffins, fruit-and-nut bars, hot oatmeal and a “power protein plate” featuring a hard-boiled egg, whole wheat bagel, fruit, cheese and peanut butter. McDonald’s, which added the McSkillet burrito and a fried chicken biscuit to its morning menu this year, boasts 26 million breakfast customers on an average day. 10 By the book … Ecommerce may be growing faster than other channels, but paper catalogs are the largest sales generator among companies selling goods from a remote location, according to the Direct Marketing Association. Catalogs account for half the revenues 6 Shopper care… Macy’s has retained dunnhumbyUSA to help analyze sales data with an eye toward enhancing customer loyalty, while J.C. Penney quietly launched a home-grown rewards program. Seeking to boost its “My Macy’s” localization initiative, Macy’s tapped Tesco-owned dunnhum- 8 20 STORES / OCTOBER 2008 WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

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

STORES Magazine - October 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Force of a Different Collar What Shoppers Think Bagging the Competition 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Favorite 50 Sticky Strategies for Retention Concept2Watch Kiosks Online Business Intelligence RFID NRFtech Wrap-up E-Commerce Credit Warehouse Systems Logistics Selling Tools Supply Chain LOEB Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - October 2008

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