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 Friday
Facts - Archives -
Month of January 2006Current
Week
January 27, 2006
General Assembly Moves Closer to Kick Off
Retailers in the News This Week
Member Services Update
Retail News and Notes
This week Governor Rell announced a major transportation
initiative that she plans to introduce during her State of the
State address she is scheduled to deliver to begin the
legislative session on February 8, 2005.
The Governor announced that she will include in her address
a new commuter rail line from New Haven to Hartford with
several stops in between.
She will also ask the Legislature to approve this plan by
funding it with use of the Petroleum Gross Receipts Tax.
Speaker Jim Amann responded to the Governors announcement
with some moderate support. I think that is the minimum.
Amann said, We need to do a lot more than the nickel and dime
way weve done it over the past decade.
General Assembly Moves Closer to Kick
Off
Some other news and notes as we move closer to the start of
the legislative session that begins Feb 8.
CRMA lobbyist will have a meeting with the Chairs of the
General Law Committee next week.
We expect that the General Law Committee, which has the most
jurisdiction over retail issues, will have a fairly moderate
agenda this year. But we will know more next week and will
report back to you.
No news this week on Pay or Play Universal Health from the
General Assembly.
We keep hearing that organized labor is telling folks that
they dont expect much to happen this year. Next year is the
big year.
Quite frankly we are skeptical of that. We think, emboldened
by their victory in Maryland, organized labor will push for a
bill this year and if they see a sign of weakness in the
opposition they will go for it.
Despite all the talk of campaign finance reform, members
from both sides of the aisle held fundraisers this past week.
And more are scheduled for next week.
Finally, look for information and a notice regarding our
Legislative Committee which will begin holding bi-weekly
conference calls shortly.
We encourage all members to participate on this committee.
Retailers in the News This Week
Retailers were in the news this week as announcements were
made regarding the closing of two distribution centers and the
opening of a new one.
Federated Department Stores announced the closing of one
distribution center in Manchester. The closing is expected to
result in the loss of about 100 jobs
In addition, Stop and Shop announced the closing of its
major distribution center in North Haven. This facility
employs over 800 people.
While those announcements were being made, Walgreens
announced the opening of a major distribution center in
Windsor CT. When that Distribution Center goes on line it is
expected to employee close to 500 people.
Member Services Update
CRMA insurance products can save members money! That is the
bottom line.
Please call KC Cook today for more information about ways
that you can save money on your business insurance; including
Property Casualty and Workers Compensation. You can reach KC
at 1 800 211 4217 ext. 229
And call Cathy in our office for a free quote on the CRMA/Global
Payments bank card program.
Cathy can help you navigate an often confusing maze of bank
card fees and interchange rates. You can reach Cathy at 860-
527 -1044.
You can help the Association and your bottom line by taking
advantage of these programs. Pleases call or email today for
more information.
Retail News and Notes
Federated to invest in Web sales channels
Federated Department Stores
announced it will spend $120 million on an initiative to ramp
up sales through its macys.com, Bloomingdales.com,
Bloomingdale's By Mail, macysweddingchannel.com and
bloomingdalesweddingchannel.com Web sites. The plan includes
building a nearly 600,000-square-foot distribution center in
Portland, Tenn.
The Cincinnati Enquirer (1/26),
USA TODAY (1/26)
Adidas-Reebok could run with Nike Reebok International
Ltd. shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the
company's pending acquisition by Adidas-Salomon AG, a move the
new powerhouse hopes will bring rival Nike Inc. into range.
"This clearly, in our opinion, will lead to a much more
serious competitive environment than the industry has been
exposed to in probably the last five years," said John Shanley
of Susquehanna Financial Group.
The Boston Globe (1/26),
San Francisco Chronicle/Associated Press (1/25)
Fewer Young Adults Watching Super Bowl for Commercials,
According to RAMA With close to 145 million people
nationwide watching the Super Bowl this year, advertisers will
be doing their best to impress on Feb. 5. According to the
2006 Super Bowl Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey,
conducted by BIG research for the Retail Advertising and
Marketing Association, a division of the National Retail
Federation, consumers expect to spend about the same on Super
Bowl-related purchases as last year ($49.39 vs. $49.27).
Overall spending for the Super Bowl in 2006 is expected to
reach $5.3 billion dollars, compared to $5.6 billion in 2005.
Click
here for more information.
January 6, 2006
Happy New Year
2006 CRMA Board of Directors
Capitol News and Notes
Member Services Update
Retail News and Notes
Welcome to our First edition of the 2006 Friday Facts.
For those of you who are new to the Friday Facts welcome
aboard! The Friday Facts is our weekly email that updates
members on all things retail.
During the course of the year we will update you with the
latest news from the State Capitol and state agencies.
In addition, our Friday Facts will give you information
about events that CRMA is hosting as well as updates on all of
our Member Service offerings.
And, each week we will give you a little news and notes from
the world of retail with links to some of the weeks best
stories that involve retailers.
So, welcome aboard and get ready for what promises to be
another exciting year in the world of retail.
2006 CRMA Board of Directors
This past November CRMA hosted our Annual Luncheon and
Annual Meeting.
In addition to honoring distinguished retailers, we also
elected a new leadership team on our Board of Directors as
well as some new terms for existing Board members.
For the 2006 year, CRMA is proud to introduced the following
folks in leadership positions:
Mr. Thomas Zapf, Chairman, Macys Northeast
Mr. Thomas Wholley, Vice Chairman, Better Bedding
Mr. Marc Green, Secretary Treasurer, Lux Bond and Green
In addition, the following individuals were elected as board
members:
Mr. Bill Ehrig, Yum Brands
Mr. Ed Carney, North Cove Outfitters
Mr. Don Jones
Mr. Carl Keating, Target
As excited as we are that these individuals will serve on
our Board, we are also grateful to the service of those who
will no longer serve on our Board.
We want to publicly thank, Cindy Lemery, from Stackpole
Moore Tryon, for her 10 years of dedicated service to CRMA.
Cindy was a tremendous leader and voice for small merchants on
our Board and her energy and ideas will be missed.
We also want to thank David Goldberg, from Nassau Furniture,
for his contributions to CRMA. David too, represented the
views of CT Retailers and we greatly appreciate his time and
input.
Finally, we want to thank outgoing CRMA Chairman Jim McGinn,
from Filenes for his outstanding service for three plus years
as CRMA Chair.
Mr. McGinn is a gentleman and a great leader and he will be
missed. We thank him for always being available to give
guidance and leadership while keeping the Association moving
in the right direction.
Mr. McGinn presided over CRMA while we expanded our
membership and was instrumental in creating the CRMA
Educational and Charitable Foundation. He was a great
supporter of expanding the number of events we host each year
including our successful Golf Classic and expanded Annual
Meeting.
On behalf of the Staff of CRMA we want to thank all of those
individuals who are willing to serve on the CRMA Board and
those that have served. Thank you all.
Capitol News and Notes
The opening of the General Assembly is now just about 6
weeks away.
The Hartford Courant ran a story today about the Pay or Play
Legislation that we have been predicting will be a major issue
next session. Here is a link to that story. http://www.courant.com/business/hc-healthcare0106.artjan06,0,7458616.story?coll=hc-headlines-business
The CRMA effort on the Pay or Play issue continues with
another conference call scheduled for next week. Look for an
email notice of a time and number to call into if you would
like to participate.
Over the last month we have heard from a couple of members
regarding an issue before the Department of Revenue Services.
The issue involves the method of payment that exempt
organizations make, particularly when the name of the
organization cannot be identified by the method of payment.
This issue appears to be the result of a DRS audit. CRMA is
planning on contacting the DRS to discuss this issue with
them. If you have encountered a similar problem with the DRS
and would like to work with us on this issue, please contact
us today.
Member Services Update
Beginning next week, KC Cook from the ABI Insurance may be
contacting members to talk about the CRMA/ABI Insurance
program.
If you are interested in receiving a free quote on your
insurance needs, particularly workers compensation and
property casualty insurance call us today and we will have KC
get in touch with you.
Also, if you are interested in the CRMA/Global payments Bank
Card program, we would be happy to give a free quote in that
area as well.
Our program with Global offers the best overall serviced and
pricing on Bank Card for retailers.
So, call or email Cathy in our office today for a free
quote. Cathy can be reached at 860-527-1044 or
cathy@crmaonline.com
Retail News and Notes
Visa makes first logo change in 30 years
Visa USA
has changed its logo for the first time in 30 years in a bid
to better represent both the scope of electronic payment
options offered by member financial institutions and the
number of outlets where the card is accepted. The company also
has unveiled a new card with enhanced security features.
Brandweek (free
registration) (1/3)
Luxury was king during holidays
While overall same-store sales for December rose 3.2%, sales
growth at luxury stores was 6.4%, according to one report.
Nordstrom posted
same-store sales growth of 7.7%, surpassing the 3.8% analysts
forecast, while sales at
Federated Department Stores'
Macy's and Bloomingdale's increased by 3.4%, outperforming the
2.1% Wall Street estimated.
The Wall Street Journal
(subscription required) (1/6)
Retailers Post Modest Sales Gains in Dec. NEW YORK (AP) --
Retailers faced an uncertain 2006 Thursday after December's
modest sales gains showed that the holiday shopping season,
while overall respectable, was disappointing for some of the
nation's most prominent merchants. As expected,
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
was one of the stragglers, falling short of Wall Street's
expectations and warning about its fourth-quarter profits. It
was clear as stores released their monthly sales figures that
consumers, mindful of the rising costs of energy and borrowing
money, were particularly cautious during the holidays. By THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: January 5, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Retail-Sales.html
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