NARMS Inaugural Webinar a Smashing Success

This past week brought a momentous occasion to the members of NARMS International. On Tuesday, NARMS moved into the on-line education business by offering its over 500 members an inaugural webinar entitled: MSO Operational Benchmark Survey 2008 Results. More than 80 NARMS members registered and 53 participated in this 45 minute live and complimentary event. Post-webinar reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Several members brought their staffs together in the conference room to experience this new educational forum together. Several things emerged from this pilot endeavor including great information as members reviewed the findings of the Benchmark Study, and a great response that has encouraged further use of this tremendous vehicle.

The first webinar discussion, produced and hosted by NARMS V.P. Ken McKenzie, was led by Chris Dammann of The Christopher Group. Dammann took the audience through an executive summary of the findings of the MSO Benchmark Study and outlined some key conclusions for the members. There was also an opportunity to field questions from the on-line audience via a chat utility that is part of the call. The executive summary document, presentations slides and other supporting documents will be available shortly on www.narms.com in the InfoShare library. The document has also been e-mailed to MSO member companies’ primary contacts.

Because of the success of this venture, NARMS is planning to present a complimentary webinar each month through the end of the year. A determination will be made at that time whether the webinars will be free to the membership or available for a modest registration fee. The next webinar is scheduled for Thursday, September 11th at 1:00 PM Central and will be entitled: The Value of In-Store Marketing Implementation Using a NARMS Member Company. There are already 25 members registered for this event without the formal invitations having gone out! Vickie Alarie of Alarie Consulting will be leading the discussion. An invitation for the event and information on how to register will be broadcasted later today. NARMS Webinars are powered by associate member ReadyTalk.

An extended schedule of content has also been released. Mark Hunter of MJH Associates will head a discussion entitled: Winning Sales Strategies in Difficult Times on October 20th. Russell A. Hollrah, ESQ will give a presentation on November 20th entitled: Independent Contractor Status in 2009 and Beyond.

Stay tuned for further information on upcoming events in the NARMS Webinar series. Better yet, sign up and experience it for yourself. The uses and power of this exciting forum are limitless.

Aug 22, 2008 IRI / Morning Newsbeat

_ Battling “Green Fatigue”
_ Marketers, Welcome to The Future
_ Publix Opens Stand-Alone Meal Assembly Store
_ Sansolo Speaks: “The ABCs Of Life”
_ Evaluating The In-Store Health Clinics Industry
_ For Supermarkets, What Goes Around Comes Around
_ FastNewsBeat
_ The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
_ The Balance Sheet
_ Executive Suite
Read more

NARMS Announces Virtual Trade Show Element for 2009 Spring Conference

Stevens Point, WI — NARMS International has announced the addition of a Virtual Trade Show in conjunction with its 2009 Spring Conference & Exposition, giving members a unique experience opportunity. In partnership with Digitell, Inc. of Jamestown, NY, the virtual trade show experience will give actual conference trade show exhibitors both pre and post show exposure via the internet with year-long exposure in the virtual world. Also, conference registrants will have an advance opportunity to preview the live trade show experience and interact with host exhibit companies before attending the live trade show as part of the 14th Annual NARMS Spring Conference & Exposition being held April 4-7 at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, CO.
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An Eye On Retail: Understanding Retail Trends & How Newspapers Can Win!

The explosion of media choices and proliferation of media channels have created challenges for
marketers including the nation’s retailers. Retailers are challenged to reach consumers at every
facet of the purchase cycle. This has forced them to become more creative as many are utilizing
non-traditional marketing strategies to create brand loyalty and increase store traffic. Loyalty
programs have been one of the methods used to create brand loyalty and at the recent American
Advertising Agency Association (AAAA) conference held in first quarter 2008, one United
Kingdom grocer talked about how his company was able to increase store traffic and encourage
repeat business by instituting a loyalty program. Frequent-shopper cards and branded credit
cards are creating a buzz in the USA’s retail community and have been successful in driving
repeat visits.

Click here to read the story and download the white paper

Retail White Paper.

NARMS Announces Voice Mail Capabilities for The Recruiter

The evolution of goods and services can often times be just as critical as the initial development. At retail, a great idea gets you on the shelf, but continued vigilance in regards to the customers needs and the ability of your service or product to evolve with a changing marketplace will yield a sustainable shelf life. It is no different for the services that NARMS offers to its members. With that thought in mind, the association announces a great enhancement to The Recruiter, our database of available field reps. One Call Now is a text to speech service that gets your job openings to reps sooner by calling them with the information.
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Target holds up in tough times

One way to gauge the health of a company – particularly in the retail sector – is too see how well it holds up in tough economic times. Target Corp.’s (TGT) first half results show it is doing an “admirable” job managing its assets against a tough economic backdrop that is expected to persist for the rest of the year, says UBS analyst Neil Currie.

He raised his 2008 earnings per share [EPS] estimate for Target by a penny to $3.41, which is based on flat comparable sales growth in the third quarter and a 2% gain to close out the year. He noted that his earnings expectations for the second half of the year hinge primarily on sales performance. (See earnings call transcript.)

From Bnet. Read the whole story here.

Deloitte Survey: Challenging Back to School Shopping Season Ahead

NEW YORK, July 21, 2008 — Higher gas and food prices will cause a significant number of consumers to spend less this back-to-school shopping season and will also cause consumers to change where and how they shop, according to a new survey from Deloitte.

Due to these economic concerns, 71 percent of survey respondents said they plan to spend less on back-to-school items this year. Almost half (48 percent) plan to reduce their household spending by more than $100.

“Consumers have been pessimistic for several months, primarily because of the strains on their budgets from higher gas and food prices,” said Stacy Janiak, Deloitte’s U.S. Retail leader. “These survey results indicate that consumers will likely stick to the basics this fall, and parents may be saying ‘no’ more often as they head to the register. Retailers should focus on areas that will contribute to profitable growth, such as adapting their merchandising and promotional activities to increase loyalty among existing customers and attract new customers.”

The survey results indicate that this year the vast majority of consumers (88 percent) will do their back-to-school shopping at discount/value department stores. Almost four in 10 (37 percent) will shop at dollar stores, and almost one-third (32 percent) will shop at office supply/computer stores.

Read the complete article here….

BJ’s Gains As Upscale Shoppers Flock To Clubs

BJ’s Wholesale Club says its net income for the second quarter edged up a bit, to $36.5 million, while sales jumped 17.9% to $2.65 billion. Same-store sales results gained 15.5%, a gain that’s impressive even given that 8.1% stems from higher gas prices. The company also bucked a big trend among retailers, and told investors it was raising its earnings guidance for fiscal 2008.

Read more…

Winning The Shelf

24 Pages
Published 2008

Winning at the Shelf
Next-generation software solutions for retail execution:
A new opportunity to seize competitive advantage.

This White Paper, prepared by O4 Corporation, offers insights into practical strategies being implemented by Consumer Products companies around the world to transform their field representatives into agents of business value development.

2009 NARMS Spring Conference Registration

Member Registration Fee if completed by December 31, 2008; $450 / Person
Member Registration Fee if completed by February 28, 2009; $500 / Person
Member Registration Fee after February 28, 2009; $550 / Person
Member On-Site Registration at The Broadmoor; $600 / Person
Non-member Registration Fee; $750 / Person
Spouse/Guest Registration Fee; $250 / Person

Registration fee includes all educational and networking session, breakfasts (2), lunches (3), and the Sunday and Monday evening receptions.

Optional Events:
Tuesday Closing Night Reception & Dinner $75
Monday Afternoon NARMS Golf Classic (includes lunch) $180
Rental Clubs (Left or Right) $60
Monday Afternoon In-Store Tour with Paco Underhill
(Limited to first 10 registrants and only 1 per company please) $500

Friend of NARMS
* All fees payable in US$ with registration conducted in the US Eastern time zone.
* Conference attendee name changes at conference site will incur $100 change fee.
* Absolutely no (under any circumstances) refunds will be provided after March 15, 2009.
Refunds prior to March 15, 2009 will be made minus a $75 processing fee.
* Spouses or Guests are defined as those individuals who are not an employee, director or owner of member or non/member company that is registered for the conference. Spouses or Guests can only participate in the social aspect of the conference (Tuesday night Reception and Dinner have an extra charge) and may not attend any of the educational sessions.