NARMS

StratConn Will Exhibit at Conference

2010-03-12T15:22:58Z

Connecting trading partners with at-retail merchandising and marketing service companies is an ongoing initiative for NARMS. The effort will have a strong emphasis at 15th Annual NARMS Spring Conference on April 17-20 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa. In addition to our Manufacturer/Retailer Connection sessions, we are excited to share that representatives from In Store Marketing Institute will be exhibiting in Tampa to introduce attendees to the StratConn event scheduled for this summer in conjunction with NARMS.

The StratConn event, produced by In-Store Marketing Institute, will take place on July 28-29, 2010 at the Marriott O’Hare Chicago. The concept features invitation only meetings that put buyers (manufacturers and retailers) and sellers (retail service companies) face to face over a two day period. The event will be customized toward retail execution services. There is a fee to participate.

StratConn will put you across the table from a pre-qualified decision maker who is actively seeking at-retail help. What better use of your sales, marketing and travel dollars to know that at the end of your trip, you had a chance to present your company’s capabilities to a qualified buyer who has a direct and immediate need?

So while you are at Saddlebrook, stop by the In Store Marketing Institute booth in the exhibit hall and learn more about StratConn. In the meantime, you can get more information by clicking here. 360NARMS2010

Retail sales rise 0.3 percent in February

2010-03-12T14:22:41Z

WASHINGTON — Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from storming the malls. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum.

The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales rose 0.3 percent in February, surpassing expectations that sales would decline by 0.2 percent

Read the entire article in the Washington Post

Gerard McLean to Moderate NARMS Workshop at the Annual Spring Conference

2010-03-11T16:21:15Z

On Sunday, April 18 from 1:00-2:00pm, Gerard McLean, President/CEO of Rivershark Inc will be moderating a workshop on integrating social media into a NARMS.com member company presence. Paulette Blaskey with NARMS International will be co-moderating.

Natural Insight Unveils New “GPS Check-In” iPhone App

2010-03-10T22:17:46Z

Verifies worker location by combining the Natural Insight SaaS platform with popular GPS-enabled iPhones

STERLING, Va. — In response to market demand, Natural Insight has announced the launch of its new iPhone application, GPS Check-In. Available for free download on the iPhone App Store beginning in April, GPS Check-In answers the question: “How do I know my workers are where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there?” The application’s advanced design leverages the Natural Insight platform and the GPS capability of the Apple iPhone to verify a worker’s location with the press of a button.

“The market has been looking for solid technology to address the business problem of verifying remote worker location — a key factor in an organization’s execution intelligence,” explains Steve Brown, Vice President of Sales and Business Development. “Combining the power and flexibility of the Natural Insight platform with the ease-of-use and affordability of the iPhone is a winning solution.”

Currently being field-tested by clients of Natural Insight, the GPS Check-In app enables a worker to confirm their work location with management by simply launching the app on their iPhone and pressing ‘Check-In.’ By exchanging GPS location information in real-time with the Natural Insight platform, the app verifies that the worker is in the right place at the right time, as indicated to the worker by either a green or yellow button. Centralized reporting anytime/anywhere via the Web-based Natural Insight platform enables company management to take immediate action as needed.

The Natural Insight GPS Check-In app is the latest in a steady stream of enhancements to the technology firm’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. “Our customers count on Natural Insight to maintain their competitive edge in the marketplace,” explains President and CEO Stefan Midford. “This latest solution demonstrates our commitment to push the envelope in delivering compelling technology that solves real business problems.”

The app will be featured as part of the Natural Insight Technology Center at the upcoming 2010 NARMS Spring Conference and Exposition in Tampa, FL.

About Natural Insight / www.naturalinsight.com
Natural Insight, a web-based platform that improves an organization’s ability to make superior business decisions, provides real-time task management capabilities with extensive tools for workforce communication and remote data collection. The company’s solution enables Execution Intelligence that can dramatically reduce costs, accelerate speed-to-market and maximize performance. Natural Insight customers experience rapid work verification, improved accountability and increased accuracy that empowers managers to coordinate the activities of a larger number of workers with significantly less effort. Visit naturalinsight.com.

UW and Students Enhance Conference Learning

2010-03-10T18:55:12Z

Last year, NARMS established a formal relationship with the University of Wisconsin School of Business and the Kohl Center for Retail Excellence. That relationship has blossomed and will be on full display at the 2010 NARMS Spring Conference on April 17-20 at the Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa, Florida. UW staff and students will contribute to five unique sessions during five time blocks throughout the event. These sessions are being featured under the NARMS U banner which entails all of NARMS educational programs.

Jerry O’Brien, head of the program at UW, is planning on bringing 12-16 of his students to our event. This will provide valuable experience for these future retail leaders, as well as an opportunity to interview these students for future internships and employment.

UW sessions will take place during NARMS U Session 1 on Sunday, April 18th at 4:00 PM with O’Brien leading, “Partnering with Your Customers to Create Superior Value.” Also during that time, Deborah Mitchell of UW will present, “Neuromarketing and the Future of Retail.”

Session 2 takes place on Tuesday, April 20 at 9:00 AM. UW’s Nancy Wong will instruct us on, “Three Principles for Marketing Today.” The block will also see Mitchell leading, “Branding Up and Down the Value Chain,” and O’Brien presenting, “The Values-Based Retailer.” After a quick break, Session 3 starts at 10:30 AM and features O’Brien and Mitchell repeating their Session 1 topics. Wong will also introduce, “The Psychology of Choice,” during this time block.

To ensure that all attendees get a chance to experience as many sessions as possible, Session 4 will start at 11:45 AM and will include, “The Values-Based Retailer”, “Three Principles for Marketing Today”, and “Branding Up & Down the Value Chain.” After lunch, Session 5 will wrap up the day of learning with a repeat performance of, “The Psychology of Choice.”

In addition to this exciting relationship with UW, there are many other contributing presenters scheduled for the NARMS U Sessions. You can see the entire agenda and register for conference by clicking here. You can also follow conference development by becoming a member of our official NARMS Social Media groups.

Closing Night Reception Announced

2010-03-09T16:38:49Z

The 15th Annual NARMS Spring Conference scheduled for April 17 – 20th at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Florida will feature a Closing Night Reception and Dinner on Tuesday night April 20th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Again this year Chuck Latham & Associates, Kit Moss Productions and Lawrence Merchandising will sponsor this exciting finishing event that will feature a walk down memory lane with music from the 60’s and 70’s. The theme of the event this year is: Memories of Abbey Road featuring the music of the Abbey Road Duo. We ask all those in attendance to dress in their finest 60’s and 70’s attire.

If you have not yet registered for the NARMS Closing Night Reception and Dinner you still have time to do so at www.narms.com or call NARMS at 888 52 NARMS. See you in Florida.

Mar 5, 2010 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

2010-03-09T16:15:03Z

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

Download the PDF

Get Ready for the Reset! Brand Proportion Distortion

2010-03-08T19:33:07Z

This week, I blogged about how rationalization at retail is affecting the licensing community and brand owners/licensors in particular. Writing the post, I was reminded of how retailer and supplier brand portfolios are expanding and contracting as an outcome of rationalization and how this is changing the game for retail marketing service organizations.

A funny thing has happened as retailers “optimize” their brand portfolios and cut back on the number of brands that they carry – the brands that remain look larger than life, even as the actual number of products gets reduced through SKU rationalization. Taking in the vast brand-blocked presentations and lifestyle brand displays that are sprinkled liberally throughout a given store, it doesn’t take long for visions of continuity programs to start dancing in your head . . . but who has the most skin in the game to ensure that these brands succeed? The changing answers to that question will point you to your best customers and the bigger their portfolios, the bigger your opportunities!

I’ll be taking on the impact of rationalization on brand ownership and other retail realities that are rocking the world of retail in my presentation at the NARMS Spring Conference. I’ll see you at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 19th!

(Carol Spieckerman of newmarketbuilders is a guest blogger and is on the agenda for NARMS Spring Conference, April 17-20, Saddlebrook Resort, Tampa, FL.)

Flickinger to Keynote Conference

2010-03-05T17:29:43Z

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.

NARMS Announces Burt Flickinger III as Keynote Speaker

2010-03-04T17:51:44Z

Stevens Point, WI … The retail industry leaders of NARMS International will hear from Burt Flickinger, III; a widely known and recognized leading expert on all aspects of the wholesaling and retailing industry, as their keynote speaker at the 15the Annual NARMS Spring Conference in Wesley Chapel, FL on Sunday afternoon, April 18. Flickinger is the Managing Director of Strategic Resource Group of New York and will address “The Future of Marketing, Retailing and Communicating with the Consumer” at the NARMS meeting which launches three days of interactive meetings among retail service providers, manufacturers, retailers and associated industry suppliers.

Flickinger’s work career 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, His vast career experience began as an executive with S.M. Flickinger, largest full-service institutional and retail wholesaler and retailer on the U.S.east coast.

ABOUT NARMS
NARMS member companies perform well over $3 billion in merchandising services, sales marketing, event marketing, demonstration and other retail services annually. The international trade association serves as a “central gathering point” for the retailing industry; promoting and establishing industry standards; providing critical industry research studies and educational information about the industry while acting as a voice for its diverse membership of service providers, manufacturers, retailers, and associates. NARMS represents all classes of trade including: grocery, drug, mass, department, home and building centers, computer and office supply, electronic, value retailers, specialty, and convenience retailers.

The varied educational offerings supporting improvement and excellence in retailing practices are all part of NARMS – U, the educational arm of NARMS International. Additional NARMS information is available at www.narms.com, including details about the 15th NARMS Spring Conference & Exposition at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, FL on April 17-20, 2010.

Contact:
Ken McKenzie
Vice President
National Association for Retail Marketing Services
2417 Post Road
Stevens Point, WI 54481
Phone: 1 888 526-2767
FAX: 1 715 342 1943
kmckenzie@narms.com