Unemployment Ticks Upward
The U.S. unemployment rate slightly increased [pdf] from 9.4% in May 2009 to 9.5% in June 2009. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said job losses were widespread across the major industry sectors, with large declines occurring in manufacturing, professional and business services, and... Continue Reading »
Crabtree & Evelyn Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
Specialty retailer Crabtree & Evelyn, Ltd. has filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The chain, which operates 125 stores in the U.S. and more than 500 stores globally, says it will... Continue Reading »
‘Thursday Clearance’: News We Didn’t Cover, June 29 - July 2
Below, some recent articles from the stock of news items that Retailer Daily just didn’t get to writing in the past few days, but still might be worth your while to check out.
Sears Adopts OpenID Technology
Sears Holding Corporation
KFC Teams Up With Music Icons MC Lyte...
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Baskin Robbins Pursues New Markets, Store Concepts - Update
Ice cream retailer Baskin Robbins is continuing its aggressive franchise expansion campaign this year with pushes for new franchise stores in two markets - Austin, TX and San Antonio, TX. Baskin Robbins seeks to open 20 new stores in the Austin market and 29 new stores in the San Antonio market.
Within the past month, Baskin Robbins has entered the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC and St. Louis, MO...
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Sears Covers Appliance Customer Job Losses
Broadline retailer Sears Holding Company is offering protection against job loss for U.S. customers who buy major appliances with their Citibank-issued Sears cards. From July 6 – August 1, 2009, the Sears Buyer Protection Program will cover all purchase costs of appliances priced more than $399 if the accountholder loses their job.
Costs covered will include sales tax, service agreements,...
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Bi-Lo Seeks Dec. Reorg Deadline - Update
Bankrupt regional supermarket retailer Bi-Lo, LLC is petitioning the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of South Carolina, to extend its deadline for filing an exclusive plan of Chapter 11 reorganization from this month to December 20, 2009. According to Supermarket News, Bi-Lo wants more time to examine operations, profitability and its geographic footprint; as well as to meet financing deadlines...
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Consumer Confidence Index Dips
Following two months of dramatic growth, the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index has slightly fallen. The Index stands at 49.3 for June, down from an adjusted score of 54.8 for May.
The Consumer Confidence Index, based on the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Survey, consists of the Present Situation Index, which decreased from 29.7 in May to 24.8 in June, and the Expectations...
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Peets Enters CPG Iced Tea Market
Following the lead of rival coffee retailer Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Inc. is releasing a line of CPG products called Peet’s Bottled Iced Teas. Featuring six flavor varieties, the bottled iced teas will initially be sold at select Peet’s stores and third-party retail locations.
According to Peet’s executives, cold tea represents the primary way U.S. consumers consume tea, and the...
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RPI Shifts Course
The RPI (Restaurant Performance Index) slid from 98.6 in April 2009 to 98.3 in May 2009, registering its first decline since December 2008. Declines in both the Current Situation and Expectations indices contributed to the overall drop in score.
The National Restaurant Association’s monthly Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey remained under 100 for the 19th consecutive month, a sign of...
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Borders UK Plays Matchmaker
With its new Happily Ever After online dating service, U.K. book retailer Borders UK proves that book retailers using the internet to reach out to customers in non-traditional ways is not just a U.S. phenomenon.
Borders UK, which Risk Capital Partners acquired from U.S. book retailer Borders Group, Inc. in 2007 and now operates as an independent, privately-held company, runs Happily Ever After...
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Hy-Vee Offers Multichannel Services
Supermarket retailer HyVee, Inc. is expanding the multichannel online service capabilities available on its web site. Customers are now able to shop the inventory of local stores, create shopping lists and locate coupons, among other online options.
HyVee is partnering with content/software provider Grocery Shopping Network to bring its e-commerce site and brick-and-mortar stores closer...
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Urban Outfitters Mobilizes Brand
Specialty youth lifestyle retailer Urban Outfitters is extending its brand into mobile space with help from mobile marketing content delivery solutions provider Acuity Mobile. Urban Outfitters will deploy Acuity solutions to manage activities such as text messaging and more in-depth mobile commerce (m-commerce).
Currently, Urban Outfitters’ mobile branding activities are mostly confined to...
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