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Greetings!
 The Christmas holidays may be months away, but most
retailers are already beginning to plan for the selling season that for
many represents up to half of all annual sales. There is no denying
that the holiday season is critically important to retailers.
During the month of July, Retail Alliance will be offering a complete
calendar of activities to help members get pumped up, geared up and set
up for the most important shopping period on the calendar. The days
between Thanksgiving and Christmas can make or break a retail
operation, and the time to start planning for a successful season is
now.
Thanks to the "Christmas creep," a growing number of consumers now plan
to start their holiday shopping before Halloween and are rewarded with
the ever earlier appearance of holiday décor and sales.
For its Christmas in July program, Retail Alliance will offer members
12 days of holiday specials throughout the month. This portfolio includes a
July 21 Retail 2 Retail "Race into the Holidays" at AIK, seminars,
training videos and more. If you can't get away from the store, you
can still benefit by taking advantage of opportunities available here
online!
Experts suggest that July may be the perfect time to begin planning,
starting with a brainstorming session to think of creative ways to
attract customers to your store. This might also include a calendar
outlining when to begin sending reminders and teasers to existing
customers or potential customers. If an increase in staffing levels is
evident, plan how to recruit seasonal workers. Outline the holiday
advertising budget to take advantage of discounts now. and Retail
Alliance co-ops. |
NRF Urges People to Oppose Wal-Mart on Health care
The National Retail Federation is sending a letter to members, urging them to oppose Wal-Mart's support of a mandate that would require employers to provide health insurance. "We could stand idly by and allow Wal-Mart to tip the scales on the health care debate, cower and release an innocuous statement or stand up for all retailers and come out swinging," NRF CEO Tracy Mullin said.
The Wall Street Journal has the full story.
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Sears Gets a Jump on Holiday Season
Sears is already rolling out its Christmas merchandise in stores and online, where the retailer has introduced Christmas Lane, an e-commerce boutique. The retailer hopes that the early introduction of Christmas merchandise which it normally puts out on Nov. 1 will entice customers who want to put items on layaway.
Chicago Tribune has more.
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Mobile Campaign Drives Customers to Ace Hardware
A Horizon Media mobile campaign for Ace Hardware made viewers 30% more likely to hit the stores. The ads, which used Mobile Posse's platform, encouraged customers to opt in for content such as discounts, local gas prices and special offers from local businesses.
MediaPost has the full story.
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Take Me Out To The Ball Game!
On the evening of July 17 Retail Alliance will be hosting a special "Christmas in July" night at the War Memorial Stadium home of the Peninsula Pilots baseball team. Tickets are FREE and going fast. This is a sure-fire way to start your weekend with a blast!
Call your local Sales Representative for tickets or drop us a line at (757) 466-1600.
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Two Weeks Left to Register
Each year in the United States thieves pilfer over $313 billion in shoplifting, vendor theft, organized retail crime or employee theft. More then $35 million is lost every day. With retail margins thin and sales at historic lows, curtailing loss is critical to merchant success.
For the past eight years Retail Aliance has been helping merchants fight crime by coordinating the Virginia Retail Loss Prevention Conference, the largest and most comprehensive event of its kind on the East Coast. The conference is designed to provde merchants, loss prevention specialists and law enforcement the knowledge with which to effectively reduce loss.
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Retail 2 Retail
 Tuesday,
July
21th
6-8 p.m.
American Indoor Karting
2884 Airline Boulevard
Portsmouth, Virginia 23701
Join fellow retailers for an entertaining evening of networking and fun, complete with refreshments.
Retail 2 Retail takes place the first and third Tuesday of each month and is free to RETAIL ALLIANCE members.
To RSVP call Jen Webber at 757.455.9323
For directions to this R2R and to view upcoming R2Rs
click here
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Best Buy, TiVo to Announce Broad Partnership
Best Buy and TiVo today are expected to announce the details of a partnership that will include heavy promotion of TiVo DVRs in Best Buy stores and the integration of Best Buy advertising into certain TiVo set-top boxes. TiVo CEO Tom Rogers described the deal as "a huge step above any kind of marketing that has ever been done for TiVo before."
The New York Times has more.
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