News

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — QVC is building a presence in China through a new joint venture with Beijing-based China National Radio (CNR), China's government-owned radio division. Through this partnership, CNR and QVC will jointly operate a multimedia retailing business in China through the CNR Mall TV shopping channel and its e-commerce website (www.CNRMall.com), leveraging the strengths and resources of each company.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings announced that David Lukes has joined the company in its real estate business unit as president real estate development. Lukes comes to Sears Holdings from Mall Properties Inc. where he served as president and CEO of the privately owned $3 billion real estate firm. 

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway has joined forces with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion on an initiative to develop and promote dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers.

WASHINGTON — While intentions aren't always equal to results, if NRF's predictions are correct, consumers will be shelling out quite a bit of cash this Easter. According to NRF’s Easter spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, Americans will spend an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations this year, up 11% from $131.04 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $16.8 billion.

WABAN, Mass. — Sam's Club has the most loyal customers, according to a new study by Temkin Group. The report, "2012 Temkin Loyalty Ratings," rated the loyalty that consumers have to 206 large companies across 18 industries.

Only seven companies earned "very strong" loyalty ratings. In addition to the retailers listed above, credit unions and USAA earned the distinction. Sam’s Club had the most loyal customers across all industries, with a loyalty rating of 65%.

Washington, D.C. -- Spring apparel and candy are predicted to push Easter sales past the $16 billion mark this year, according to a new survey released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation.

The Easter spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, found that Americans will shell out an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations this year, up 11% from $131.04 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $16.8 billion.

Chicago -- A report released Tuesday by research firm Technomic found that sales among the 500 largest U.S. restaurant chains increased 3.4% to $242 billion in 2011.

That compares to just a 1.8% increase in 2010.

Of the 500 restaurants analyzed by Technomic, more than 60% posted at least nominal sales increases; just 193 saw sales declines in 2011, compared with 231 in 2010.

Columbia, Md. -- Micros Systems said Tuesday that restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday has implemented its Table Management System across its 750+ units. 

A fully integrated component of the Micros Restaurant Enterprise Solution point-of-sale software solution, Micros TMS provides visibility to all aspects of the guest dining experience.

Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France -- The Optic 2000 group, whch operates more than 1,850 specialty stores for eyewear and hearing devices, has chosen Microsoft Corp.’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail, to manage its sales, supply and inventory across its entire network of operations in France. Usability, simple maintenance, functional excellence and ease of upgrading are the key advantages that led to the company’s strategic decision to adopt the Microsoft business solution.

It doesn’t really surprise me anymore when I hear about another national brand rolling out a smaller store format or compact new prototype. Recognizable names like Target, Walmart and Best Buy have all had some success with smaller formats, particularly when it comes to penetrating new markets. But I think the fact that Kohl’s has now joined the crowd is a little bit different — and a little bit more interesting.