Industry Watch

• Amazon claims "best ever" holiday sales season
  Amazon.com is reporting its strongest holiday-season sales performance, although it did not disclose exact revenue figures. In comparison, overall online holiday sales are estimated by SpendingPulse to have dropped 2.3% this year, compared with 2007. The Washington Post (12/27), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (12/26)

• Chanel to cut jobs
  Chanel will cut 200 jobs Wednesday as other luxury retailers also face cutbacks. The job losses reflect about 10% of the company's employees. The Guardian (London) (12/29)

• Promotion could cost sports-store owner month of purchases
  Randy "Mad Dog" Bishop, owner of Mad Dog Source for Sports in two cities in British Columbia, is bracing for the possibility of having to refund a substantial amount of cash because of an annual snow promotion. Bishop has offered to refund purchases made from Nov. 15 through Dec. 10 if the Vancouver airport recorded more than 12.5 centimeters of snow on Christmas Day. The measurement was so close that Bishop was still awaiting the official word. Canada.com/The Vancouver Province (Canada) (12/28)

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Retail trends

• Stores turn to combined discounts
  Retailers will turn to more creative deals, such as bundling, to keep customers buying, analysts say. J.C. Penney, for one, was offering a free wing chair with the purchase of a discounted leather sofa, and Old Navy was selling T-shirts for $10.50 apiece, or $6 each for two or more. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/26)

• Apparel brands open in China
  Clothing retailers are looking to China for growth. Phoebe has opened 10 stores in the country in the past year and a half, and midpriced brands such as Nike also have expanded there. New York Post (12/28)

• Handbags still popular amid slump
  Despite the downturn, women still are scrambling for the most-popular handbags. Waiting lists are only growing for bags of the moment, as well as for the classic Hermes Birkin and Chanel 2.55. The Independent (London) (12/27)

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Retail Technology

• West End retailers to offer online, 3-D replicas of stores
  Shopping in the West End of London is about to go digital as retailers work on an ambitious plan to replicate online the experience of a shopping excursion. Consumers will be able to stroll London streets, visit well-known stores and look at products on virtual displays. The goal is to offer the convenience and speed of online shopping with the appeal of exploration and discovery through actual browsing. The Times (London) (subscription required) (12/28)

Hot Topics

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

• Retailers give bargains to shoppers who ask (The Boston Globe)

• Teen-clothing chains weather downturn well (NYTimes.com)

• Retailers cater to all-night shoppers (The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model))

• ASDA CEO: Consumers are undergoing fundamental shift (Telegraph (London))

• Retailers attract shoppers with steep discounts (NYTimes.com)

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

Sponsored Content

NRF News

• NRF takes the BIG Show into the blogosphere
  Keeping up with all the happenings at the National Retail Federation's BIG Show has never been easier. NRF today announced the launch of the BIG Show Blog, a new blog dedicated to NRF's upcoming 98th Annual Convention & EXPO. Read the press release.

• SmartStat
  More than 18,000 people from around the world are expected to attend NRF's 98th Annual Convention & EXPO this January. Source: NRF

• Retailers: Learn about NRF's BIG Show vendors at Sunrise Breakfast
  This breakfast session is a must-attend for executives looking to maximize time on the NRF EXPO floor by quickly identifying which key providers align to companies' specific priorities. During this one-hour breakfast, the AMR Retail Strategies analyst team will provide direction on how to navigate the EXPO floor, help retailers wade through the vendor hype and identify those gems in five strategic areas: store and cross-channel operations, consumer-centric merchandising, product development, supply chain, and on-shelf availability. Learn more.

Chain Restaurant News

• Restaurants sweeten gift cards
  To get diners to come in during the typically slow winter months, restaurants offer gift-card incentives. Denny's gives a $5 bonus on the purchase of a $25 card, and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises offers $25 extra for each $100 card. Chicago Sun-Times (12/29)

• Testing the digital pizza order
  The Wall Street Journal tested digital ways to get pizza -- ordering from Pizza Hut on Facebook, from Papa Johns via text message and from Domino's using TiVo. Signing up was a little cumbersome, but the orders were accurate, and the coupons might be worth it. The Tampa Tribune (Fla.)/Wall Street Journal (12/29)

Career Track

Region Manager Dollar General Various Locations Applications Manager--POS PetSmart Phoenix, AZ Director, Operations Finance, Sam's Club Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Bentonville, AR Vice President of 24HourFitness.com 24 Hour Fitness San Ramon, CA Help Desk Manager Total Wine & More US-MD-Bethesda Merchandising Specialist - MD, Glen Burnie Mosaic US-MD-Glen Burnie

SmartQuote

My recipe for life is not being afraid of myself, afraid of what I think or of my opinions." --Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer