Industry Watch

• Drugstores welcome last-minute holiday shoppers
  Most CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreen stores that are 24-hour locations are staying open through the holidays. The stores offer holiday items, electronics, small appliances, games, picture frames, books, bath-and-body gift sets, lottery tickets and more. Daily Comet (Thibodaux, La.)/Daily Press & Argus (Michigan) (12/13)

• Urban Outfitters names chief operating officer for Europe
  Liz Claiborne's Andrew McLean will join Urban Outfitters as chief operating officer for the company's European division. McLean will be responsible for the Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Free People and Leifsdottir brands. Display & Design Ideas (12/12)

• Wal-Mart CEO: Consumers alter food, medicine purchases
  Purchases of frozen food and storage containers are on the rise, while the growth of prescription drugs has slowed during the recession, Wal-Mart's CEO said. At the same time, business owners are loading up on supplies more frequently but in smaller amounts. Reuters (12/14)

• Despite slump, Walgreen must expand
  Walgreen is pushing ahead with expansion plans despite facing its first decline in same-store sales. The company is locked into lease agreements and will look to cut $1 billion in costs in other ways. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (12/15)

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Retail trends

• Retailers ease way for returns
  With shoppers getting pickier about what they buy and returns expected to be up almost a quarter compared with last year, 11% of retailers are loosening their return policies, according to the NRF. In addition, more than half said they would be more flexible during the holiday season. Referring to consumers, an NRF official said, "Historically, they might have kept items they weren't sure about, and today they're bringing the items back." The Sun (Baltimore) (12/14)

• How to get consumers involved
  This article offers an introductory look at how marketers can use Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, social networks and wikis to engage customers. The main hurdle traditional marketers face is the collaborative nature of these media. It can be hard for companies to grasp that Web 2.0 isn't a sales environment as much as it is a way to find out what customers are thinking. The Wall Street Journal (free content) (12/15)

• Discounts on the rise as Christmas gets closer
  With the discounts growing steep as Christmas nears, traffic increased at stores this past weekend. But analysts say people were still making fewer purchases than last year. From Black Friday through Dec. 6, luxury sales fell 34.5%, apparel sales dropped 22.9% and electronics sales decreased 22.3%. Online sales have succumbed to the economy as well, falling by 1%. NYTimes.com/The Associated Press (12/15)

• Other News

• Private labels boost grocers despite downturn
  NYTimes.com (12/12)

Retail Technology

• The challenge of getting noticed on Facebook, social networks
  Although neither Procter & Gamble nor Facebook will disclose how well the CPG giant's ads are performing on the social-networking site, the relationship exemplifies the challenges of trying to get users' attention in the social space, according to this article. Brand advertisers "can be more intrusive, but the outcome will not be positive. Or they can create genuinely entertaining commercials, but spend ungodly sums to do so," Randall Stross writes. "When Facebook convinces advertisers to stage Super Bowl-sized entertainment every day, its future will be assured." NYTimes.com (12/13)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NRF SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Talbots to reinvent itself with outlet shops (The Boston Globe)

• Best Buy works to keep customers happy (NYTimes.com)

• Abercrombie avoids marking down merchandise (The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model))

• Luxury retailers wonder how low they can go (U.S. News & World Report)

• Niche retailers doing well in downturn (CNNMoney.com)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

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NRF News

• Visit NRF's private-ballot resource center
  Educate your work force with NRF's private-ballot resource center. The Employee Free Choice Act effectively would remove a fundamental principle of American democracy for retail workers -- their right to request a secret-ballot election in deciding on union representation. The current system would be replaced with a "card check" shortcut in which a workplace would automatically be unionized if 50% of the workers simply sign an authorization card, enabling a labor union to totally control the process. With consumer confidence and spending in decline, retailers will bear a disproportionate burden if the EFCA is passed. Learn more.

• NRF SmartStat
  Target's Bob Ulrich was the highest-paid retail CEO in 2007. Source: STORES CEO compensation study.

• Kiosks: The Retail Point of Service Frontier -- A STORES Knowledge Series Webinar
  Self-service kiosks are proliferating, creating new business and branding opportunities. Learn how retailers and kiosk manufacturers can deliver more secured and controlled kiosks, enabling new business opportunities to its customers in the face of emerging business threats and increased regulation. Join us at noon Eastern, Dec. 18. Learn more.

Chain Restaurant News

• Krispy Kreme opening smaller stores
  Krispy Kreme operators in Phoenix and New York have opened smaller stores with lower costs, a design that could be a future model for the system. The company also announced it likely will shutter a "significant" number of locations. CNNMoney.com/Dow Jones Newswires (12/12)

• McDonald's premium coffee coming to Indiana
  "We're rolling out McCafe specialty coffees over the next couple of months," said Bob Terhune, whose family owns 12 McDonald's restaurants in Indiana. The company is pitching its premium coffees to customers who are feeling budget constraints but still want some luxuries. The Star Press (Muncie, Ind.) (12/14)

Career Track

Director, International Logistics PETCO San Diego, CA Director, Supply Chain Performance Stein Mart, Inc. Jacksonville, FL POS Technical Support Representative - System Device Sales Epson America, Inc. TBD Director of Store Operations Lane Bryant Columbus, Ohio General Manager, Retail Delaware North Companies Los Angeles, CA Merchandising / Store Operations Retail Technology Tomax Corporation Salt Lake City, UT Web Design Manager Cabela's Inc. Sidney, NE Manager Store Operations Charming Shoppes, Inc. Bensalem, PA Help Desk Manager Total Wine & More US-MD-Bethesda Merchandising Specialist - MD, Glen Burnie Mosaic US-MD-Glen Burnie

SmartQuote

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." -- Thomas Edison, American inventor