Most Clicked NRF SmartBrief Stories
1. Talbots CEO tries to revamp brand
NRF SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
Talbots CEO Trudy Sullivan has her work cut out for her in rescuing the company, but she promises that all the stores aren't closing and that the brand will survive. So far, she has brought new life to the brand's clothing designs, launched special events in stores and increased the frequency of sales. Boston Globe, The (01/02)
2. Walgreen innovates to stay profitable
NRF SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
Walgreen President Gregory D. Wasson talks to The New York Times about what his company is doing to try to remain profitable as the economy takes its toll on drugstores. In Florida, he says, the chain is centralizing the administrative work and filling of prescriptions to cut costs. New York Times, The (01/02)
3. Clothing makers want department stores to absorb markdowns
NRF SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
Apparel companies such as Liz Claiborne and HMS Productions are asking department stores to absorb a bigger portion of discounts after the retailers slashed prices during the holiday season. Clothing makers and department stores will meet to reach a deal by Jan. 31. Forbes (12/30)
4. Boscov makes risky bet on company his father founded
NRF SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
Albert Boscov had been out of the retailing business for three years when he and his brother-in-law bought the business Boscov's father started in a $300 million deal, so the 79-year-old has been putting in long hours to get caught up. An analyst said the retail climate makes Boscov's bet a risky one, but the CEO is optimistic. "We're going to be OK because we have the capital behind us," he said. Washington Post, The (12/29)
5. Wal-Mart alone among retailers expected to see December sales gains
NRF SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
Wal-Mart is the lone retailer expected to make gains for December, projected to see a 2.8% increase for the month as the rest of the industry drops 6.3%. The retailer "is winning because it provides its customers with more value and merchandise," one analyst said. "That's so important right now because consumers are extremely careful with their money." Wall Street Journal, The (subscription required) (12/31)
6. How Affinnova helped Staples push its paper
NRF SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
Affinnova, based in Massachusetts, helps companies including Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart evaluate their products, with the premise that only the strongest will survive. The company helped Staples repackage its paper, incorporating its recycled products into its regular line, among other things. BusinessWeek (12/29)
7. App Store paying big dividends for Apple
NRF SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
The iPhone's App Store has elicited about 10,000 applications from developers, some of whom are reaping windfalls from the vast popularity of the downloads that have totaled about 300 million -- most of them free -- since Apple released the 3G upgrade model in July. But while Apple earns 30% of the revenue from the downloads, the company hopes the App Store will help make the iPhone the dominant mobile-computing platform. Washington Post, The (12/30)
8. Heavy discounts don't prevent poor holiday performance
NRF SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
Even the deep discounts retailers offered after Christmas aren't helping to improve the holiday-season performance. One analyst says January will be tough because "the first half of the month is dominated by gift-card redemptions, and to the extent that less [gift cards] were purchased, we expect it will dampen sales." Wall Street Journal (free content), The (12/31)
9. Make malls a destination to keep shoppers interested
NRF SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
With a new study showing that shoppers are finding malls boring, it's time the malls were refreshed, a marketing consultant says. "The mall needs to be a destination," she says. "That means plenty of great food and entertainment options -- not just an aggregation of shops." STORES magazine (01/2009)
10. Good growth strategy will keep retailers alive
NRF SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
A number of store closings are projected this year, but a good strategy for growth should keep a single bad season from killing retailers, an NRF executive says. Most chains use models that take into account where competitors and complementary stores are when choosing new locations. Montgomery Advertiser (Ala.) (01/04)
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