16 Nov 2010: Global trading house Li & Fung is growing in leaps and bounds propelled by its increasing acquisitions and license agreements.

1 Nov 2010: The retail industry is optimistically moving forward towards a happier holiday season, as holiday spending strongly indicate a growth in sales. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales are expected to rise 2.3% over the last year, with an overall increase in the retail sales to $ 447.1 billion in November and December this year. This is estimated to be the biggest increase since a 3.1% gain in 2006, as compared to 0.4% rise in 2009 and a major drop of (-) 3.9% in 2008. Commenting upon the reason for such a development, NRF President Mathew Shay said, “The season is hopeful because we are positioned in a much better place than we were in the last two years. Heading towards the right direction, we are hoping for a sustained economic recovery.”

16 Oct 2010: Walmart – the retail giant is shifting its strategy; this was hinted at in its second-quarter results announced last month. The President and CEO of Walmart US Bill Simon also detailed this at the Goldman Sachs Retail Conference

16 Oct 2010: The department store industry, coming off its worst year in three decades of market share decline, is mounting an all-out battle for the next generation of shoppers. One of the biggest changes the department stores have made is in their receptiveness to changing fashions.

16 Oct 2010: The image of China as the factory of the world is under fire with a raging debate on the future of outsourcing from this Asian giant.

1 Oct 2010: Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation founded 125 years ago, has proven to withstand the test of time as today PVH is one of the world’s largest apparel specialized company generating a total revenue of $ 2.4 billion in 2009 and has now gone further to acquire Tommy Hilfiger.

1 Oct 2010: The story goes that in rising economies GRAND PA worked very hard so that his children would get educated, and hopefully a sibling or siblings would take over the business, make it really grow profitably, and then the Grandson or Daughter would then take over from the father, and RUIN the business in about 1 year.

1 Oct 2010: There has been no shortage of advice for retailers lately on how to weather the post recession phase. Realizing that consumers are looking for value and stability, it makes sense for retailers to check fundamentals, like the quality of their customer service, efficiency of their supply chain, reduce price and at the same time, limit the SKUs and inventory, control their overheads and reach out to more and newer consumers who are brand-loyal or do restricted area shopping. This will also see many mergers and acquisitions taking place. Not only the retailers are seeking to launch designer brands, it’s also a growing trend with the department stores (AO September 16-30, World Wrap).

16 Sep 2010: As the year progresses, trade reports monitor the direction that the industry is taking… many such reports are out, with the consensus of opinions that the RETAILERS will keep their inventories low, minus SKU’s, and just have a supply of BASICS. This is the ‘risk-free’ route!

16 Sep 2010: As retailers seek to add more celebrity and proprietary brands, there’s no end in sight to exclusive pairings. Indeed 2010, has seen an increase in the trend with department store roping in the best names for limited editions and exclusive lines.

1 Sep 2010: With global currencies being devalued, or even overvalued, with Government policies trying to stabilize both export and import trade, they are creating short-term negative policies, making it very difficult to plan for the future.

1 Sep 2010: In December 2009, JCPenney struck an exclusive deal with Mango to launch its fast fashion brand MNG in Fall’10, the same has debuted on August 14 with much hype. Under the arrangement, the brand has rolled out career and casual collections including sportswear and accessories representing modern women. The deal is predicted to leverage the best capabilities of both Mango and JCP, Mango’s fast fashion leadership and JCPenney’s merchandising, marketing and inventory management capabilities. Experts, however, seem apprehensive about the success of the over-hyped collaboration.

17 Aug 2010: The Back to School (BTS) sales in the US for 2010 season is expected to show a burst for the first time in the last three years with sales projected to rise a 5.4% to reach a total of $ 38.4 billion. It cannot be overlooked that BTS is a critical time for retailers, accounting for roughly 40% of all retail revenue from July to September. This year there is clear indication that BTS season will bring cheer to the retailers looking to improve footfalls. The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) recently estimated that American consumers will spend $ 38.4 billion on back-to-school merchandise in 2010, which would be a record high, in fact the highest since 1995.