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 Friday
Facts - Archives -
Month of December 2005
Current
Week
December 16, 2005
Holiday Sales
Capitol News & Notes
Member Services Update
Retail News & Notes
• We understand that this is the busy time of year for most
members so we will keep this week’s Friday Facts brief.
• We continue to field press calls regarding holiday sales and
again encourage any member that would like to share,
confidentially, how your holiday sales are going, to contact
us.
• Last week alone, we did two radio interviews and one T.V.
interview. We also have another one scheduled for Monday
morning.
• Members have been inquiring about holiday sales in general.
Our sense is that most retailers are having a very good
holiday season. Sales are steady if not spectacular with one
week to go.
• The loss of business last Friday due to the bad weather
didn’t help things, but the reports we heard from the weekend
regarding sales were very positive.
• Again, sharing your weekly sales with us would be a great
help. Please let us know how you are doing. Email Cathy in our
office at
cathy@crmaonline.com.
Capitol News & Notes
• Our Legislative Committee met again this week to discuss
strategy and plans to defeat Pay or Play Legislation.
• We have created a task force within the CRMA Legislative
Committee to deal with this issue and we encourage any member
who is concerned about this bill to participate in this
effort.
• Our Pay or Play Committee will focus its’ energy on not only
defeating this legislation, which will hit members of all
sizes, but in offering alternatives for the legislature to
consider.
• Speaking of legislation, the new Campaign Finance Reform
Bill which passed two weeks ago does not appear to have slowed
legislators down on their fundraising efforts.
• There are a number of fundraisers scheduled before the end
of the year including Speaker Amann’s Christmas extravaganza
next week.
• And finally from the Capitol, a mini drama in campaign
fundraising is playing out in the Governor’s office as well.
• This week it was reported that the Governor’s Chief of Staff
solicited Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners for a
fundraiser the Governor was hosting.
Member Services Update
• We would like to remind you that if you have insurance
renewals upcoming to call our office today for a free review
and quote.
• As we mentioned in our opening, we know that as busy as
members are this time of the year, many will have to make
business and health insurance decisions before the end of the
year.
• We encourage all members to use CRMA insurance services to
help them navigate thru this process.
• CRMA can help members with, Group Health, Property Casualty
and Workers Compensation Insurance.
• Call us at 860-527-1044 or email Cathy at
cathy@crmaonline.com
today and we will put all of our collective resources together
to find the right plans for you.
Retail News & Notes
Retailers eye last weekend before Christmas
Entering the last full weekend before Christmas, retailers are
expected to offer "last-chance" enticements to lure shoppers.
Holiday sales haven't taken off because "there's a lack of
urgency to buy something, because there's no must-have item,"
said an analyst with NPD Group.
USA TODAY
(12/16)
Forbes chronicles the best toys of the past 100 years
Although there are plenty of new high-tech toys on the market,
some of the most popular toys are products of yesteryear.
Crayola Crayons are among the toys that have stood the test of
time, according to Forbes research, which calculates parents
and schools purchase 2.5 billion crayons annually.
MSNBC/Forbes
(12/12)
Will Sears take Manhattan?
Sears Holding is set to open its first temporary Sears,
Roebuck and Co. store in Times Square in an effort to sell
more Lands' End apparel and Craftsman tools. The makeshift
store will be open in ABC's "Good Morning America" studio from
Dec. 17 to 21 and is part of the company's holiday marketing
strategy.
Chicago Tribune/Bloomberg (free registration)
(12/14)
December 2, 2005
Holiday Season Off and Running
Three Quick Questions with Nick Perna
Connecticut General Assembly Passes Campaign Finance Reform
Law
CRMA Foundation is the Lead Agency CT’s First Retail Skill
Center
Retail News & Notes
• With the first weekend of the Holiday season behind us, we
are pleased that the reports we heard from retailers were very
good.
• In fact, some of the retailers we surveyed reported record
numbers. Many others report very solid if not spectacular
results.
• This Holiday season comes with some uncertainty in the air,
with high gas prices and the continued war in Iraq. But, if
this weekend is any indication of what’s to come, then things
are off to a great start.
• If you would like to be part of our monitoring or provide
information about how the holiday shopping season is going,
call our office at 860-527-1044 or email
tim@crmaonline.com and
share you thoughts with us.
• With the holiday shopping season now officially started, we
thought it might be a good idea to check in with our favorite
Connecticut economist, Nick Perna for three quick questions.
Three Quick Questions with Nick Perna
FF: We have heard from many of our members that the Holiday
season has gotten off to a great start. Does that surprise
you?
NP: No, not really. Gas prices have come down which has not
only helped consumers purchasing power but boosted their
spirits as well.
FF: Do you agree with recent reports that more consumers are
planning on purchasing more items this year on credit than
they have in the past?
NP: They probably have too. Job growth this year both
nationally and locally was on the modest side. Expenses have
been up so the alternative is to charge it. And that is not
the worst thing, if job growth continues to grow because they
can pay down that debt in 06. If job growth slows then I would
be worried.
FF: How does CT’s economy look to you today and the near
future?
NP: Not to shabby. In the long term, not great in generating
jobs, but the past year was pretty good. We have recovered
half the jobs we lost in the recession. So that is good. We
should be ok if the national economy keeps moving. So overall
good, but no barn burner.
Bonus Question:
FF What is the one thing that the State Legislature and/or the
Governor can do to keep CT moving?
NP: Deal with the cost of doing business. Business cost keep
growing and there is only so much Government can control.
Energy costs, for instance, are what they are but taxes on the
state and local level, government can control. Energy prices
are a given, but government can control taxes. It is the one
policy lever they can do something about.
As always Nick thanks for your wealth of knowledge and your
contribution to our Friday Facts.
Connecticut General Assembly Passes Campaign Finance Reform
Law.
• General Assembly passes campaign finance reform bill;
Governor Rell is expected to sign it into law.
• On Wednesday of this week, the Connecticut General Assembly
took the historic step of passing a campaign finance reform
bill that includes public financing for some campaigns.
• The reform bill came after weeks of back and forth between
the Democratic Majorities in both the House and Senate and the
Governor’s office.
• Speaker Jim Amann (D-Milford) had vowed to have an up or
down vote on the campaign finance reform bill by December
25th, while governor Rell has made campaign finance one of her
goals from the time she took office one year ago.
• While there was a lot of bickering about who was responsible
for what, in the end the house and the senate produced a bill
that came close enough to what the Governor wanted that she
will certainly sign it.
• Here are some highlights of the measure, taken from Friday’s
edition of the New Haven Register, that some folks including
the CT ACLU think is unconstitutional.
• Public finance of state legislative campaigns for the 2008
elections and for statewide offices in the 2010 elections.
• Participation would be voluntary and candidates couldn’t get
public funding unless they abide by specific campaign spending
limits. A participating gubernatorial candidate could spend no
more that $3 million for a general election campaign.
• Lobbyists and state contractors would be banned from making
political contributions to legislative and statewide
candidates or to Political Action Committees (PAC) for elected
state officials and state parties. Lobbyist would also be
barred from asking others to make political contributions.
• There are other provisions of the bill that we are still
unclear on, including whether corporate contributions will
still be allowed thru the purchase of advertisements in “ad
books”, or whether trade association PACs like the CRMAPAC,
will be able to raise funds thru ad book solicitation.
• Those questions and others will surely be addressed in more
detail as we sort through this legislation that Speaker Amann
calls “the dawning of a new era in Connecticut politics”.
CRMA Foundation is the Lead Agency CT’s First Retail Skill
Center
• By now you have received the Special Friday Facts announcing
a major project that the CRMA Foundation will take the lead
in.
• We are very excited to be the first organization in CT to
partner with the National Retail Federation Foundation and the
U.S. DOL along with Westfield Corporation in building this
skill center at Westfield Connecticut Post in Milford.
• We will keep you abreast of the progress of this exciting
new program. In the meantime, if you have any questions about
the skills center or about the CRMA Foundation, please email
Michele Mesek in our office at
michele@crmaonline.com.
Retail News & Notes
Gang linked to robberies from CT to NC
The 2004 robbery of a Westfield Connecticut Post mall jewelry
store was the work of a gang believed responsible for knocking
over 56 stores from Connecticut to North Carolina over the
past 2½, getting away with about $5.1 million in loot while
eluding capture, the FBI said Thursday. About $126,000 in
merchandise was stolen from the Milford store on Feb. 22,
2004. A jewelry store in Wallingford was also hit, according
to a list the FBI released late Thursday. Associated Press
12/02/2005
http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15678441&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=31007&rfi=6&xb=ziziz
Blockbuster Black Friday weekend sees sales near $28B
The ceremonial kickoff to the holiday season began with a
great deal of fanfare as 145 million shoppers flooded stores
and the Internet hunting for popular electronics, clothing and
books. An NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch found that the
average shopper spent $302.81 this past weekend, bringing
total weekend spending to $27.8 billion, an incredible 21.9%
increase over last year's $22.8 billion. More than 60 million
shoppers headed to the stores on Black Friday, an increase of
7.9% over last year. Click
here for more
information.
www.nrf.com
http://www.nrf.com/content/default.asp?folder=press/release2005&file=blkfriresults1105.htm&bhcp=1
'Tis the season for scarcity
Shortages of hot-selling gifts are a familiar Christmas sight
and this year's candidates are Apple Computer's video iPods
and Microsoft's Xbox 360. However, one former marketing
executive said, "shortages create a whole mystique of
desirability," which in turn generates buzz about the product
and helps sell it.
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (12/2)
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