'Free' opportunities for retailers in blogs, tweets and links
Following a panel discussion last month at the Las Vegas Market, a retailer in the audience asked a Lloyd Princeton-moderated group of industry thought leaders, “With the market being as tight as it is, what would be the one thing you would recommend to me right now to get my company out there and in front of as many people as I possibly can?” Los Angeles designer Mark Cutler's answ...
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Retail Rx: Who's surviving, and how?
When one of my Google Alerts delivered a headline about Retail Health Clinics to my desktop the other day, I thought, "Oh, great — walk-in consulting clinics for failing retailers!" Nope. Wrong kind of clinic. This was about a couple of companies that have come up with a business model for placing walk-in medical clinics inside retail chains.
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What's In, What's Out at home accents retailers?
Our annual home accents In & Out list of retailer picks is meant to shed some light on what themes, colors, merchandising mindsets, styles and products are selling… and which aren't. The responses of various retailers, polled in mid-December, represent what's going on in a variety of different geographic areas, price point ranges, product styles and economic climates.
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Big Cartel offers stores a DIY, inexpensive e-commerce option
While interviewing a retailer for the current issue of our Garden Decor supplement, I learned about a relatively easy and inexpensive do-it-yourself way to set up an online store. Called Big Cartel, it's perfect if you want to test the e-commerce waters without investing a lot of time or money. It's also a good way to go if you only want to sell a few products (up to 100) and can't justify the...
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Vipp launches in U.S.
Danish design company Vipp has entered the U.S. market, bringing with it a new bath and towel collection and a promise of more to come.
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Creativity, optimism, fresh product keep retailers in the game
I share the sentiments expressed this month in our Best of Market edition by our editor in chief, Jenny Heinzen York, about the surprisingly upbeat market that just ended in High Point. The home accents vendors definitely had lower expectations coming in, but they remained positive and wrote orders. A couple I spoke with at the end of the week even reported that sales were up over the spring ma...
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Looking for fortune in misfortune
Several key retail forecasts and studies came out just as I was turning my attention to this month's column. It's not great news, but it's not totally bad, either — if we invoke the reasoning of one of my favorite characters from childhood: Ned from the book Fortunately by Remy Charlip. Ned is a guy who finds himself alternating between potential triumph and tragedy with every turn of th...
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ART Conference attendees 'makeover' Charleston retailers
Four Charleston retailers agreed to let attendees at last month's ART (Accessories Resource Team) Conference spend one afternoon making over their storefront window displays. The event, which took place during business hours, was the designated team activity and competition for this year's annual conference, themed “Southern Inspiration” and held Aug.
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Home Accents Today welcomes new Retail Advisory Board
This month we welcome a new group of retailers to Home Accents Today's Retail Advisory Board and offer a big round of applause to our outgoing board members, whose insights, feedback and story ideas during the past few years were surpassed only by the great conversation shared during our market luncheons.
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Retailers benefit from ethnic design and merchandising strategies
In April, I blogged about a finding from WSL Strategic Retail's 11th biannual study, How America Shops. Since WSL's 10th study, the amount spent by African-American women on home decor has increased by 6% compared to decreases of 21% for Caucasian women and 30% for Hispanic women. WSL Senior Consultant Shilpa Rosenberry advised retailers to take note of the growing spending demographic.
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New legislation seeks to lower credit card processing fees
A subcommittee of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee recently began considering legislation that would control the rising interchange fees credit card companies charge to merchants who accept plastic from their customers. Titled the Credit Card Fair Fee Act of 2008 (H.R. 5546), the bill was introduced by Rep.
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Connecting design services to retail sales spurs sales tax questions
Several North Carolina interior design firms recently received past due notices from the state's Department of Revenue for sales taxes they failed to collect on their design and consultation services over the course of several years. Collecting sales tax from their customers on the purchase of furnishings, fabrics, draperies and other items — referred to by most state taxing authorities a...
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Planning for the tax rebate retail event
A $40 billion dollar shot of potential consumer spending in the form of tax rebates is about to be injected into the U.S. economy. And even though the economically stimulating checks aren't due to begin mailing for another month; stores have been busy for weeks planning special sales, promotions and in-store check-cashing services.
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Delivering that special something
For most home decor retailers and design boutiques, the ability to provide “something special” through customization and convenience is just as important as a well-edited merchandise selection. And for that, we can credit something that looks like this: a well-informed, time-strapped consumer who seeks meaning and authenticity in things and experiences.
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Delivering that special something
For most home decor retailers and design boutiques, the ability to provide “something special” through customization and convenience is just as important as a well-edited merchandise selection. And for that, we can credit something that looks like this: a well-informed, time-strapped consumer who seeks meaning and authenticity in things and experiences.
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Taking stock of shrinkage
For Atlanta retailers Deirdre Staab and Shelly Dozier-McKee, February is inventory month. One Saturday night after closing, a team of about 10 people from Regis Inventory Specialists will arrive at their store, the Scarlet Tassel, where they'll scan, count and enter data along with six store employees.
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Profiting from propitious partnerships
Take a look at retailer Lynni Megginson's column on page 102 and you'll see why she's a Home Accents Today Retail Star as well as a member of our magazine's Retail Advisory Board. Ever mindful of a good marketing opportunity, Lynni, owner of L&M Designs of Gaithersburg, Md., discusses the value of building and forging business partnerships with people and companies outside your area of expe...
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Lower holiday spending challenges retailers to tweak and trim
Retailers have just started what may prove to be one of the most challenging holiday seasons in years. The National Retail Federation has predicted this year's holiday retail sales will rise just 4%, below the 10-year average of 4.8%. “Retailers are in for a somewhat challenging holiday season as consumers are faced with numerous economic obstacles,” said NRF Chief Economist Rosalin...
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Furniture bank association helps families in need, the environment and the business
"A major obstacle consumers face when contemplating the purchase of new furniture is what to do with their old furniture. It's a proven headache that causes them to procrastinate or, worse, spend those dollars on a high definition television." So says Don Lawrence of the non-profit National Furniture Bank Association, an umbrella organization of furniture banks across the country that puts used...
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