Retail Update   

At Bountiful we take customer service very seriously and usually that's enough to move a custom order along with a minimum of glitches. Last year, however, we ran into a situation where things went from bad, to worse, to "I can't believe this is really happening!" It started when a new customer placed a $10,000 order for a sofa and two chairs. She selected a fabric from the sofa company's stock, we checked availability, and ordered additional fabric sent to the chair vendor. Suddenly, there was a four-week wait for the fabric, which the customer, in spite of a tight deadline, agreed to. ...Read More

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Two-thirds of America’s consumers have a pet, with 64% owning more than one, according to a new “How America Shops” release from WSL Strategic Retail group. The report also shows that when the economy gets tough, most pet owners, 63% to be exact, choose not to cut back on spending when it comes to their pets. Food (40%), followed by medication (29%) and toys (28%) are the top categories pet owners are spending more on. Half of the 18% of pet owners who say they’ve actually increased spending on their animal friends, and a third of them are sticking with top- of-the-line pet products. A majority of this group (68%) says they treat their pets like children... and that group ...Read More

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If you're a retailer and you Twitter, check out CheapTweet, an application that scans Twitter for talk of special deals, discounts, coupons and sales posted by retailers, etailers, shoppers, couponing moms, bargain hunting blogs, etc. – then organizes it all by subject and rank for the benefit of a growing group of online shoppers and bargain hunters.

 

At first glance, CheapTweet.com is a little overwhelming, so here's a (sort-of) CheapTweet cheatsheet: if you’re a shopper, open up a personal CheapTweet account so you can rate products and save your deal finds; if you’re a seller, read CheapTweet’s “Guidelines for Those with Deals to Tweet."

...Read More

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Aspen, Colo. -- MacKenzie-Childs opened a 1,500-sq.-ft. dedicated store at Amen Wardy Home on May 29 (photo, right), showcasing more than 500 products including hand-crafted ceramics and enamel tableware, furniture and home accessories. “Aspen is an influential and significant market for luxury brands,” said Lee Feldman, CEO of MacKenzie-Childs. “Amen Wa...Read More

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Back in January 2007, my Retail Update column was about hosting and promoting in-store events to benefit local charities. Included in the text was a link to a generic template for writing a press release. I'm providing the link again because whenever I hear retailers discuss press coverage, this is a topic that always seems to come up. And it came up recently, when our editor in chief Jenny Heinzen York and a panel of retailers discussed how retailers can use the press to get more coverage in the media.

The venue was Ballroom B of the ...Read More

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In this month's issue (June, 2009), we unveil a new format for the Retail Profile feature that will give readers a chance to learn about three retailers in the 3-5 pages that have traditionally profiled a single store. We're starting small, literally, with three retailers that sell home accents in 700 square feet or less of space. For a closer look, visit:

C.A.N.O.P.Y., Cartersville, Ga., owned by Carol Sandlin:
http://www.homeaccentstoday.com/article/CA6663896.html

Pepperberry's, New Wilmington, Pa., owned by Laurie Weingartner:
http://www.homeaccentstoday.com/article/CA66...Read More

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The National Retail Federation is offering retailers and law-enforcement officials a complimentary pass to their Loss Prevention EXPO floor, June 15-17 in Los Angeles, to see the technologies and security features that retailers use to protect stores from retail crime. The EXPO is presented as part of the NRF's Loss Prevention Conference, where registered attendees can join educational sessions about pandemics, communicating during a crisis, and the lttle things that can cause a store to lose money. Register by today, June 12, to save $100 off the on-site registration rate. To register for the complimentary pass, or the entire conference, go to http://events.nrf.com/lp09/public/enter.aspx.

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The Chicago Market: Living and Giving is honoring The Silver Barn of Columbus, Texas, as its June 2009 Retailer of the Month.

 

A press release from The Chicago Market makes note of the shop’s “enticing store displays” and “ingenious” online marketing. Co-owner Cynthia Sutton said the store is housed in a historic building that has served in the past as...Read More

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Retailer/blogger Abby Kerr is looking for a "symphony of peers who need to get real"... but would prefer to do so in a private blog space, away from the rest of the whole wide blogosphere. If the idea is even slightly appealing, visit her blog for women entrepreneuers, A Boutique Industry, and read the current post. I doubt there are many out there who don't identify with some of the thoughts she shares in the opening paragraph...

I think Abby's on to something here. I know there have been times when I've visited a site and wished there was a way to join in a discussion without worrying that my keystrokes will leave a permanent trail of crumbs that lead back to my desk. Pl...Read More

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Chapel Hill, N.C. -- Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, has leased space in Chapel Hill's Rosemary Village (photo, right) to open a furniture store, with an anticipated October opening, according to the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Center. The store, called Red Window, will feature a mix of styles and prices patterned after a charity store called The Red Door that Edwards' mother managed when she lived in Japan. The space is located 400 W. Rosemary St.

Allentown, Pa. -- GailGray Home interior design studio and home furnishings store opened in the Promenade Shops. The shop was formerly known as Accessories, etc., and was located at the corner of Main and Broad streets in Bethlehe...Read More

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Around the time we announced the call for this year’s Retail Stars nominations, several advance copies of a book titled Retail Superstars arrived in our office. In the book, which publishes May 28^th, retailer-turned-retail consultant George Whalin profiles 25 “knock your socks off” independent retailers and tells us why consumers love them.

 

Although the stores differ in the products they carry – everything from apparel, home furnishings and gourmet foods to gifts, jewelry and electronics -- Whalin said there&r...Read More

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Concurrent with the grand re-opening of its new Retailer Resource Center during April’s High Point Market, the National Home Furnishings Association also introduced a new national marketing program and consumer web portal, homefurnishings.com. Retailers who couldn’t attend the April market can learn more about the portal, which is set to pre-launch in October 2009, through NHFA-sponsored web seminars being offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In short, NHFA says homefurnishings.com helps retailers increase their traffic by providing a national advertising and promotion program, a certified retailer program and an industry consumer web portal. Cons...Read More

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