Mar 5, 2010 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 3/5/10 edition of Retail Industry News.

- New Study Evaluates Shopper Spending Patterns
- Bashas’ Reaffirms Goal To Stay Locally Owned
- Sansolo Speaks: “The Importance of Effort”
- Costco CFO Appraises The Club Business Model
- Kroger Tests “Health Matters” Program
- Tops Sells Six Old Penn Traffic Stores To Price Chopper
- FastNewsBeat
- The Balance Sheet
- Executive Suite

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Flickinger to Keynote Conference

The roster of speakers for 15th Annual NARMS Spring Conference just keeps getting deeper and more impressive with the announcement that retail and wholesale expert Burt Flickinger III will serve as keynote speaker on Sunday, April 18th. The conference will take place at the Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa, FL. His address - The Future of Marketing, Retailing & Communication with the Consumer – will launch three days of interactive meetings among the stake holders of world class at-retail merchandising and marketing services, namely retail service providers, manufacturers, retailers and associated industry suppliers.

Flickinger, currently the Managing Director of Strategic Resource Group of New York, brings a vast array of industry experience to the table. His work spans consumer and competitive strategy, marketing/advertising, effectiveness on copy/creative to media buying, cost efficiency in broadcast TV/radio, weekday and weekend print, retailing, buying/merchandising, and operations.

Flickinger has worked as a Director of Price Waterhouse Coopers Consumer Products Companies and Retailing Consulting Practices and Vice President of Glendinning International Consulting. Prior to joining Glendinning, he worked at Procter & Gamble for 12 years where he helped develop and initiate P&G’s first customer sales, marketing, retailing and analytics group and multi-functional business teams. Flickinger began his career as an executive with S.M. Flickinger, the largest full-service institutional and retail wholesaler and retailer on the east coast.

When you add Burt Flickinger III to the other expert speakers, educational offerings and networking opportunities, this year’s NARMS Spring Conference is stacking up to be a spectacular event that you won’t want to miss. You can view the value packed agenda by visiting the conference center on www.narms.com, or simply by clicking here. And while you’re at it, take part in the ongoing conversation by joining NARMS Official Social Media Channels to stay in touch with the latest developments with Spring Conference via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Feb 26, 2010 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 2/26/10 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Cultivating Oases In Food Deserts
- Sansolo Speaks: “White Flags and Flying Tomatoes”
- Wakefern, The Fresh Market Both Seeking DC-Area Locations
- The Most Important Meal Of The Day Returns To The Supermarket
- The Art & Science Of Coupon Redemption
- Bashas’ Rejects Albertsons $290 Million Buyout Bid
- Target Lays Out 2010 Plans, Has “Guns Blazing”
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- The Balance Sheet

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Webinar to Cover Field Recruiting Strategies

Are you challenged with a low candidate response and a low return on your investments? Need to add some new ideas to your sourcing strategy and to build your pipeline of candidates? On Thursday, March 4 at 1:00 PM CST, recruiting expert Cathy Plumb will help recruiters and HR Managers with these challenges during the next NARMS Webinar – The Thrill of the Hunt! The NARMS Webinar series is sponsored by Natural Insight and brought to you through the technology of ReadyTalk.

During the one-hour session, another offering in the NARMS-U educational platform, Plumb will show you how to put the “thrill of the hunt” into your recruiting activity. She will share sourcing strategies that will produce candidates without busting the recruiting budget, creative sourcing for the hard to fill locations, techniques for getting the most out of your website career page, and additional tips and tricks for posting internet job ads. This webinar should be a great introduction and lead-in to Spring Conference where Gerard McLean of Rivershark, Inc. and Paulette Blaskey of NARMS will further the topic with the workshop, “Integrating Social Media with your NARMS.com Presence.” NARMS Spring Conference will be held on April 17-20 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Florida.

Cathy Plumb speaks directly to the needs of NARMS members. Plumb is a successful recruiter with over 6 years in high volume part time field recruiting. Her expertise and strong working knowledge uniquely qualifies her to share proven sourcing and recruiting strategies for your recruiting success!

The session is complimentary to NARMS members as a membership service but is also made available to other interested persons at a non-member rate of $99.95. We encourage you to share this invitation with other co-workers and anyone else who might gain value from this information-sharing opportunity. Register for this exciting event by clicking here.

Feb 19, 2010 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 2/19/10 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Supervalu Sells CT Shaw’s; Is This Just The First Shoe Dropping?
- Roundy’s Confirms Chicago Location To Open Next Year
- Walgreen Buys NY’s Duane Reade for $1 Billion
- Sansolo Speaks: “In Their Shoes”
- Walmart Puts Another Notch On Its Belt
- Food Lion Launches Price Cut Strategy
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- The Balance Sheet
- Executive Suite

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Webinar to Address Employee Drug Abuse

Qualifying labor resources has long been a challenge to the members of at-retail merchandising and marketing industry. With it now being an employers’ market, the timing to establish systems and standards is right. The next NARMS Webinar will show you the way as expert Dee Mason presents: The Price Point of Good Labor — Whether or not to Drug Test. The hour-long session, another in the NARMS-U educational platform, will take place on Thursday, Feb 25, 2010 at 01:00 PM CST. The NARMS webinar series is sponsored by Natural Insight and brought to you through the technology of ReadyTalk.

Employee abuse of drugs – prescription or traditionally “illegal” drugs - can severely threaten your margins. Shrinkage, lost productivity, accidents and workers compensation claims at the hands of substance abusing employees are but a few of the ways your profits can suffer.

Mason is president and founder of Working Partners, a private consulting and training firm offering comprehensive, integrated services for employers who are developing or maintaining a drug-free workplace (DFWP) that involves drug and alcohol testing. She and her firm are relied upon by individual employers, large third-party providers and government agencies.

The session is complimentary to NARMS members as a value added service but is also made available to other interested persons at a non-member rate of $99.95. We encourage you to share this invitation with other co-workers and anyone else who might gain value from this information-sharing opportunity.

You don’t want to miss the information presented on a serious issue that directly affects workplace conditions at your company and bottom line numbers on your balance sheet. Click here to register.

Feb 12, 2010 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 2/12/10 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Walmart’s Move To Bag Certain Brands Likely To Have Broad Implications
- Wegmans, Shifting Focus, Cuts Peripheral Products & Services
- Tops CEO Lays Out Plans For Newly Acquired Penn Traffic Stores
- Sansolo Speaks: “Columnist, Heal Thyself”
- Time For Drinks On Sunday: Ahold Completes Ukrop’s Acquisition
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- The Balance Sheet
- Executive Suite

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Connection Session to Include Spieckerman

The NARMS Manufacturer-Retailer Connection Forum is taking shape with the recent announcement that Carol Spieckerman of newmarketbuilders will participate. The Connection Forum will happen on Monday, April 19th as part of the NARMS Spring Conference scheduled for April 17-20th at the Saddle Brook Resort in Wesley Chapel, FL. Spieckerman will start the event at 9:00 AM with - Are you Ready for the “Reset? Three Revelations that Will Rock Your Retail Reality – and then will stay on to facilitate the Connection sessions which will run from 10:00 AM until 12:30 PM.

Spieckerman is president of newmarketbuilders and serves as a strategic out-of-enterprise resource to the retail industry for product, brand and marketing campaign launches, and retail best practices. She possesses a unique understanding of macro retail trends and how marketers can translate them into relevant and actionable strategies that resonate with retailers. Spieckerman is a speaker, author and regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Women’s Wear Daily, DSN Retailing Today, Home Channel News, and other national and international media outlets.

The addition of Spieckerman only strengthens what promises to be an exciting and enlightening day. The blue ribbon group of presenters that will participate in the 30 minute Q&A sessions include Kelly Hampton of 20th Century Fox Entertainment, Joe Wood of Roundy’s Supermarkets and Mary Jo Bastuba of Nintendo. Todd Jones, President of Publix will close out the connection theme for the day with an hour long presentation at 4:00 PM.

If you have not already done so, visit the conference center at www.narms.com for more information and to register. The agenda includes not only the Monday Manufacturer and Retailer Connection session, but a whole slate of business building education and networking activities sure to make this a memorable NARMS Spring Conference. 372NARMS2010

Feb 5, 2010 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 2/5/10 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Walmart Arms Itself For Realigned Global Sourcing Strategy
- Retailers Look To Efficiency & Effectiveness In 2010
- Tops Completes Acquisition Of Penn Traffic Assets
- Sansolo Speaks: “Happy Holiday”
- Meijer Looks For The Niche
- For Supervalu, Jewel Is Old News And Save-A-Lot Is Chicago’s Future
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- The Balance Sheet
- Executive Suite

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Using Trade Shows to Increase Brand Awareness

With the economy on the verge of recovery, many marketers are looking to reestablish their brands. While technology has brought a measure of new techniques, it seems like there is no replacement for actual face time with potential customers. A trade show can be a remarkably effective venue to see many potential customers at once. The next NARMS webinar - Taking the Guesswork out of Exhibiting – will explore how you can best use this tried and true tactic in a cost effective manner. Carolyn and Tom Weiland of StarWorks Marketing & Communications, Inc. will lead the one hour session on Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 1:00 PM CST. The NARMS Webinar series is sponsored by Natural Insight and brought to you through the technology of ReadyTalk.

If you have been contemplating using trade shows to increase your corporate or brand awareness, this webinar will discuss the many benefits and the “do’s and don’ts” of making any show a success. You will learn techniques to fully take advantage of getting in front of your customers, creating a face or image to your prospects, and developing a meaningful and cost effective presence. The Weilands will also cover determining budget, display type, incentives, or lead gathering techniques to maximize your investment.

Tom Weiland has worked with many client and industries over the years in stepping up their look and appeal to the business to business and retail markets. His award-winning ads are well received with loyal clients that love his work. Carolyn Weiland has worked in market development for a major national insurance company and as marketing director for a major software company. Her marketing programs resulted in millions of dollars of personal and commercial lines insurance sales, and the exponential growth of market share in a major software market.

If you would like to review the value of using trade shows to increase your corporate or brand awareness, this webinar is for you. The session if complimentary to NARMS members as a membership service but is also made available to other interested persons at a non-member rate of $99.95. We encourage you to share this invitation with other co-workers and anyone else who might gain value from this information-sharing opportunity. You can register by clicking here.