Store Systems

Chicago – Retail is the top industry targeted for data breaches. According to the 2014 Global Security Report from cybersecurity provider Trustwave, retail made up 35% of attacks Trustwave investigated in 2013.

Food and beverage ranked second at 18% and hospitality ranked third at 11%. In addition, POS breaches accounted for 33% of Trustwave’s 2013 investigations, while e-commerce made up 54% of assets targeted and data centers comprised 10% of assets targeted. The median number of days from initial intrusion to detection was 87 days.

Redmond, Wash. – Microsoft will open its first flagship location, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

In addition, Microsoft plans to open 10 new stores across the U.S. in time for the 2014 holiday season, while the flagship New York store is being built. Microsoft has not given a specific timeframe for when the flagship will open, but said it has been planning the store for five years. It will open in a spot currently occupied by luxury accessories brand Fendi, a few blocks south of an Apple store.

Aussie apparel brand Cotton On is as much about fun-fashion as it is about fast-fashion. The Geelong, Victoria-based brand operates more stores in the United States (124) than Zara and Uniqlo combined, and is an international behemoth with more than 1,300 stores operating globally under 10 different banners, including the 522-unit Cotton On, Cotton Body, Cotton On Kids, FREE by Cotton On and Rubi Shoes.

Growth has been fast and strategic, but peppered with humor, optimism and the occasional dose of controversy.

Bob Russo, general manager, PCI Security Standards Council, offers the following advice about complying with PCI Data Security Standards, including the upcoming October 2015 deadline for U.S. retailers to accept cards with Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV)-compliant chips.

No Single Security Solution: “As evidenced by recent high-profile breach incidents, keeping payment data secure in today’s world is an increasingly complex challenge,” explained Russo.

Keeping stores in peak condition remains the top priority of retail facility managers, who are increasingly being asked to do more with less. Chain Store Age spoke with Lauryn Blank, CEO of Global Facility Management & Construction, about the impact of technology on store maintenance and other trends. She also provided some timely advice for winter challenges.

New York -- Urban Outfitters has big plans for its women’s lifestyle brand, Anthropologie. The retailer plans to to open 25 to 50 Anthropologie stores during the next five years that will be approximately three times larger than the brand’s current 7,000-sq.-ft. average, Bloomberg reported. The company plans, for the most part, will  either expand existing locations or find new ones when a lease comes up for renewal, the report said.

With the retail CFO’s role evolving so quickly in the last few years, what changes will the future bring? Look for CFOs to be hired from outside the company, oversee more divisions and spend significant time overseas in an increasingly global retail world.

The finance function, of course, will continue to be critical, especially for public companies.

Also the CFO role may encroach further on operations, particularly in an era of consolidation — store closures necessitated by mergers likely will fall under the domain of the CFO.

A global report by Capgemini, a leading provider of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, claims that consumers consider social media a less important part of their customer journey — from awareness, through to post-sale activity — compared to two years ago.