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January 7, 2009 News for the retail industry   Industry Watch  Blockbuster welcomes telecom partnerships Blockbuster says it is interested in hooking up with telecom providers such as Verizon and AT&T to offer advanced video services to homes. "As we move toward video on demand and pay-per-view, Blockbuster is well positioned not only to compete on our own, but also to partner with others," CEO Jim Keyes said. Reuters (1/7) Wegmans, Giant offer free antibiotics Wegmans will fill nine generic oral antibiotic prescriptions for free until March 31. Giant Food also is filling antibiotic prescriptions for free until March 21. American City Business Journals/Baltimore (1/6), WGRZ-TV (Buffalo, N.Y.) (1/7) Kroger maximizes customer data Kroger's data-mining firm, dunnhumbyUSA, provides the grocer information it uses to cater its coupons to specific customer preferences and build loyalty. Half of the coupons it sends out get redeemed, Kroger says. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (1/6) Sharper Image, London Luxury make licensing deal The Sharper Image and London Luxury will partner to create a line of bedding and bath products. London Luxury will use The Sharper Image brand on items such as towels and sheets. Display & Design Ideas (1/6) Other News Retailers bargain with landlords over rent The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (1/7) Goody's Family Clothing to liquidate Google/The Associated Press (1/6) NYC electronics retailer trades on local roots NYTimes.com (1/6)   Retail trends    Retailers worry shoppers are too accustomed to deals With shoppers used to steep discounts and competition from liquidating businesses, retailers are worried that they'll have to cut prices quickly on spring merchandise as well. Some such as J.Crew have already started. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (1/7) Workers exercised more with company-based program A study involving 1,442 Home Depot employees found those who participated in a company program for setting exercise goals had sustained increases in their physical activity. The program linked incentives to weekly personal and team goals. After six weeks, more than 50% of the workers did at least five 30-minute moderate exercise sessions or two 20-minute vigorous sessions a week, up from the 30% who were at that level prior to the study. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (1/6) Job seekers cheat on retail tests As more people seek fewer retail jobs, some are turning to cheating on pre-interview personality tests that are meant to assess whether they're suited to such work. Employers such as Best Buy and CVS say the tests are still useful, but Whole Foods has dropped its use of them. The Wall Street Journal (free content) (1/7) Other News Catching up with the author of "Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail" NRF Blog (1/7) Asian grocers appeal to many The Washington Post (1/7) Are You Truly a Customer-Centric Retailer? Hear new insights, best practices, and case studies from Best Buy, Rexall PharmaPlus, and IDC GRI at the DemandTec and Precima NRF Forum Session on Sunday, January 11 at 8:30 am. Find out more.   Retail Technology  Apple's iTunes unveils new pricing, lifts restrictions on copying Apple Inc. has announced a new pricing structure for its popular iTunes Store, which will charge 69 cents for most songs, 99 cents for moderately popular tunes and $1.29 for new songs and big hits; previously, all songs sold for 99 cents. In another change, all songs from the four major music groups will be distributed by iTunes without digital-rights-management software. Currently, of those four, only EMI Group has been offering the downloads without copying restrictions. NYTimes.com (1/6), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (1/7)   Sponsored Content    2008 Was The Year of The Rat On To 2009 Will Social Media Tools Be Monetized In 2009? Discipline is the Key Building Your Crack Export Dream Team 7 Resolutions for Small Business   NRF News  An open letter to the retail community from NRF's president and CEO Read a letter from NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin for an overview of what NRF is doing to assist retailers in this challenging environment. In the letter, Mullin outlines NRF initiatives to help retailers cope, from renegotiating conference hotel rates and advocating legislation on Capitol Hill to creating new educational content that focuses on the economy. She also provides insight on what NRF is doing to ensure that retailers will have information and opportunities to grow once the economy bounces back. Read the letter. NRF's BIG Show to highlight "greentailing" in challenging economy Green retailing is now more of a trend than a concept, and at NRF's Annual Convention & EXPO, retailers and experts from around the world will come together to discuss how retailers can alter their impact on the environment, the future of green stores and even "greentailing" in a challenging economy. NRF's convention will be Jan. 11 to 14 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Learn more. Sign up by Jan. 9 to get the lowest rate for NRF's Loss Prevention Conference Join your industry peers in Los Angeles for the nation's leading retail-specific event for loss prevention. Register for NRF's Loss Prevention Conference by Jan. 9 to receive the lowest registration rate for the conference, June 15 to 17, 2009. Learn more. Learn more about NRF -> Join NRF  |  Govt Relations  |  NRF Events  |  STORES  |  NRF Foundation   Chain Restaurant News  Cold Stone Creamery sets sights on Germany Cold Stone Creamery is looking for franchisees to expand the company's ice cream business into Germany. The company, already active in Denmark, is looking to expand in Europe, starting with the North German market. FranchiseKey International (1/7) IHOP offers all-you-can-eat pancakes as "stimulus" Through Feb. 22, IHOP is offering a Hungry Consumer Relief Plan with all-you-can-eat pancakes and bottomless coffee starting at $4.99. "We believe that unlimited buttermilk pancakes and cups of fresh coffee can help provide the 'stimulus' our economy needs in the new year," a company executive said. QSRMagazine.com (1/5), Nation's Restaurant News (free registration) (1/5)   Career Track  Director, Operations Finance, Sam's Club Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Bentonville, AR Vice President of 24HourFitness.com 24 Hour Fitness San Ramon, CA   SmartQuote  A little praise is not only merest justice but is beyond the purse of no one." --Emily Post, author on social conduct   Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Grab our News Widget Publish your Press Release   Advertise Associate Publisher:  Susan W. Kim (202) 407-7877 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Celia Rothschild (202) 470-1159       Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 Monday, January 05, 2009 Friday, January 02, 2009 Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Tuesday, December 30, 2008     Lead Editor:  Megan Conniff Contributing Editor:  Faye Rapoport     Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information