|
Sponsors
|
 Friday
Facts - Archives -
Month of January 2009Current
Week
January
30, 2009
Governor to Deliver State of State on Wednesday
General Law Committee Raises Many Bills for Public Hearing
Other News and Notes from the State Capitol
New Member Service Offering
Retail News and Notes
• CT Governor M. Jodi Rell will address a joint session of the
Connecticut General Assembly to unveil her 2010-2011 budget.
• Given that the State is facing almost a $6billion deficit
for that two year period, the Governor’s budget is not
expected to be pretty. In fact, it might be a very ugly one.
• Word of the budget has not leaked out just yet, but the
Governor hinted this week that she will present a budget that
includes no new taxes to close the gap.
• But, what she did not say was that some tax exemptions, like
the fifty dollar exemption on clothing and footwear and the
sales tax holiday, may be closed.
• Remember, the Governor’s budget is just the first step in a
long process in the adoption of the budget. But, first step or
not, it is usually a strong signal about where the debate on
the budget will be headed.
• We will keep you update throughout the session on the
progress of the adoption of the budget, because we fear it
will dominate all other things.
General Law Committee Raises Many Bills
for Public Hearing
• On Thursday of this week the General Law Committee, the
Committee that has the most jurisdiction over retail issues,
will meet to raise bills for public hearings and to also raise
some “concepts” for bill drafting.
• For retailers there were a number of “concept” bills that
impact us.
• The chairman of the Committee, Rep. Jim Shapiro has
introduced “AA Establishing Minimum Return Policy”
• The AG’s office has a concept bill dealing with Gift
Certificates and a Certificate Guaranty Fund.
• The Committee also raised a concept bill called “AAC Pawn
Shops and Recovery of Stolen Jewelry, Precious Metals and Gem
Stones”.
• Finally, the Committee also raised a concept that we
support, “AAC Organized Retail Theft”.
• These concepts will now go to the lawyers for the General
Assembly for drafting of the bills. When they come out in bill
form we will include them in our tracking sheet and share that
with members.
• In addition to the concept bills, the General Law Committee
also rose for drafting and reserved for a public hearing other
bills that will impact retailers.
• SB 317 “An Act Concerning Fines for the Willful Violation of
Provisions of the Do not Call List”
• The Committee raised HB 5407 “An Act Prohibiting the use of
Checks to Create Binding Consumer Agreements”
• The Committee is scheduled to meet again on Feb.5th to raise
more bills.
• If you have any questions regarding any of these bills,
please feel free to contact us.
• Environment Committee to hold Public Hearing on Plastic
Bags.
• On Monday of next week, the Environment Committee will hold
a public hearing on a number of bills dealing with recycling
of plastic bags.
• In total there are four bills that address this issue (HB
5466, HB 5492, HB 5207 and HB 5215).
• One in particular, HB 5215 would impose a five-cent fee on
plastic bags provided by Retail Stores.
• We will be in attendance at Monday’s meeting and will update
members in next week’s FF.
Other News and Notes from the State
Capitol
• There are lots of rumors about what will be in the
Governor’s budget address as well as what will be out of the
State budget. We hear that the Governor will call for the
elimination of Deputy Commissioners in State Agencies.
• The race for the Governor’s office increased by one more
this week, when current Sec. of State Susan Bysiewicz filed
papers with her office to form a Committee to run for
Governor. Bysiewicz joins former Speaker Jim Amann and
Stamford Mayor Dan Molloy in vying for the corner office on
the second floor of the State Capitol. Governor Rell’s team
continues to send signals that she is running again.
• Amann, by the way, after dropping his bid for a job with new
Speaker Donovan, will formally announce his intentions to run
for Governor on Thursday of next week.
• The Finance Committee will meet on Monday to raise
“concepts”.
New Member Service Offering Available
Right Now!
• In last week’s FF we mentioned that we were moving toward a
new member service offering to help members with their telecom
costs.
• We are pleased to announce today that we have reached an
agreement with Advanced Technology Consulting, Inc, (ATC) to
work with members in lowering their telecom cost.
• ACT will reach out to members and review their telecom bills
with an eye on finding them the right deals and advising them
on ways to save money.
• Look for information from ACT to be sent to you soon and
please take some time to talk to them and allow them the
chance to help you save some money!
• If you are interested in getting a head start with this new
program, call our office today and we will get someone from
ACT to contact you right away!
Retail News and Notes
•
Former Gap executive to return in Old Navy role
Former Gap executive Mark Breitbard will return to the company
as chief merchandising and creative officer for Old Navy. He
has served as president of the retail division for Levi
Strauss since 2007.
Reuters (1/28) ,
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (1/28)
•
The price of luxury gets lower
After a weak dollar forced the prices of French and Italian
luxury merchandise up, those prices are headed back down again
as demand dries up. The face of luxury is changing, so look
for permanent price cuts as well as high-end deals, and more
items being made outside Europe.
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (1/29)
•
Retailers brace for a difficult year
With consumers not spending nearly as much money as in years
past, the NRF projects the first decrease in U.S. retail
revenue in more than 30 years. Many retailers have been forced
to slash staff or shut down stores in efforts to simply
survive until the economy rebounds.
The Examiner/Baltimore (1/29)
January 23, 2009
State Deficit Grows
Number of Bills Introduced Increases
Legislative Committee Meeting Upcoming
New Member Service Offerings in the Works
Train the Trainer Session
Retail News and Notes
• It seems that the every time the Rell administration turns
around, the current year budget deficit grows.
• This week the deficit, which last week was somewhere around
$350 million, has grown to now almost $1billion!
• The growth in the deficit is primarily because initial
income tax returns are way down as well as capital gains tax.
And we all know by now that sales tax returns from the holiday
season were down as well.
• These new numbers just add to the challenge that is before
State leaders. The question is how they go about closing that
gap.
• The Governor will deliver her next two year budget to the
Legislature on February 4, 2009.
Number of Bills Introduced Increases
• With the legislative session now underway, the number of
bills introduced by members or raised by committees is
increasing everyday.
• Each day the General Assembly releases a list of bills that
give interested parties the title, bill number and a statement
of purpose for each bill introduced.
• This week a number of bills that impact retailers appeared
in the list of bills, including a number of bills that would
require some type of menu labeling.
Legislative Committee Meeting Upcoming
• Our Legislative Committee will review all of the bills that
have been introduced so far this session at our next
Legislative Committee conference call.
• That call will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at
11:00 am EST.
• We will send out the call in number to members next week
along with our bill tracking sheet.
• If you are interested in joining in please call our office
today for the call in number.
New Member Service Offering in the Works
• We’re working on the final details of a new member service
offering to help members lower their telecom cost.
• The economy has forced all size members to evaluate all of
their expenses, including what they pay for local and long
distance as well as cellular, data, internet, audio and video
conferencing.
• We are finalizing a deal with a company that has the ability
to audit the total expenditure of a retailer’s telecom cost
and make recommendations on how to reduce those expenses.
• Look for more information about this new member service in
upcoming Friday Facts.
Sales & Service Learning Center to Host
Three Train-the-Trainer Sessions
• On February 4th, 6th and 11th, the SSLC is conducting train
the trainer sessions that will show you how to prepare your
staff for National Certification in Professional Customer
Service. Day and evening sessions are available.
• Attendees will learn how to prepare their staff for
Certification by either conducting the ten-hour program, or
incorporating our ten-hour program in to existing employee
development.
• The end result is a staff prepared to take the nationally
recognized 3-year certification exam in professional customer
service; resulting in better service for your customers.
• You can also let us be your trainer! Instructor lead
training of the course directly to your staff is available.
• Please visit www.ctsslc.com
or contact Michele Mesek at 203-876-7900 ext 11 or
michele@crmaonline.com
for more information.
Retail News and Notes
•
Shapiro welcomes first "digital president"
Calling him "our first digital president," CEA President and
CEO Gary Shapiro sent out a welcoming message to newly minted
President Barack Obama. "Through his dynamic use of the
Internet and new technology to reach out to all Americans,
President Obama embraced this historic presidential election
as an opportunity to demonstrate how technology has the power
to connect a nation," Shapiro said.
Dealerscope
(1/20)
•
Study: Free shipping brings in customers
Free shipping can bring in more customers and keep them
satisfied, a study by ForeSee Results has found. A third of
respondents said free shipping made them decide to buy online
rather than in a store, and shoppers were more satisfied with
their overall experience with e-retailers who offered free
shipping.
Internet Retailer
(1/2009)
•
Inventories cut in response to consumer-spending shifts
Retailers are cutting down on their inventory and trying to
offer more affordable items -- and trying to determine
customer satisfaction at the same time. But it'll be harder
for consumers to find more one-of-a-kind items as inventory is
streamlined.
Los Angeles Times/The
Associated Press (free registration) (1/21)
January 16, 2009
Legislature’s Budget Reduction
Plans Fall Short
Committees Continue to Get Organized
Sales & Service Learning Center to Host Three
Train-the-Trainer Sessions
Member Services Update
Retail News and Notes
• On Wednesday of this week the CT General Assembly went into
special session to address the current year budget deficit.
• The deficit number going into the day had been pegged at
around $350 to $400 million dollars. However, that number
would grow by the end of the day, as state officials realized
that revenue from the months of Nov/Dec (Christmas sales?)
would be much lower than anticipated.
• Because of that, the deficit number would grow to close to 1
billion. So, what did the General Assembly do? They passed
legislation that would close only about $130 million of the
hole.
• Why you ask, would they not take the steps necessary to
close the whole gap? Because they need more time to review the
“new numbers” that were released.
• Legislative leaders, however, are publicly acknowledging
that they are putting off the inevitable hard decisions that
have to be made.
• But, for now they seemed content to just do a little repair
instead of a complete makeover.
Committee’s Continue to Get Organized
• In other legislative news: there is not much to report this
week.
• Most committees, including the General Law Committee, have
met and held organizational meetings and now will begin
raising bills for public hearings.
• The CRMA Legislative Committee met this week and we are off
and running.
• Our first tracking sheet should be ready by early next week
and we will ship that off to members. In addition, if any
member has any questions regarding any bills please call us.
• Our next Legislative Committee meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. EST.
Sales & Service Learning Center to Host
Three Train-the-Trainer Sessions
• On February 4th, 6th and 11th, the SSLC is conducting train
the trainer sessions that will show you how to prepare your
staff for National Certification in Professional Customer
Service. Day and evening sessions are available.
• Attendees will learn how to prepare their staff for
Certification by either conducting the ten-hour program, or
incorporating our ten-hour program in to existing employee
development.
• The end result is a staff prepared to take the nationally
recognized 3-year certification exam in professional customer
service; resulting in better service for your customers.
• You can also let us be your trainer! Instructor lead
training of the course directly to your staff is available.
• Please visit www.ctsslc.com
or contact Michele Mesek at 203-876-7900 ext 11 or
michele@crmaonline.com
for more information.
Member Services Update
• Don’t forget the number of money saving programs that are
available to members here at CRMA.
• We have a great bankcard program that can reduce your credit
card fees as well as a new energy supply program.
• If you are interested in any of these programs please call
Cathy in our office today at 860-527-1044.
• Free quotes are available, so you have nothing to lose by
sending us your bills. We will review them and show you how we
can save you money.
Retail News and Notes
•
Retail-industry execs discuss business
leadership
Executives from Neiman Marcus, The Container Store and Polo
Ralph Lauren offered their ideas for what kind of leadership
is needed amid the slump. Among them: Stay calm; keep
employees in the loop; and find a good mix of insiders and
outsiders.
NRF Blog (1/15)
•
With new CEO at Yahoo!, speculation about
Microsoft deal grows
Although new Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz represents a "fresh start"
for the portal's leadership team, a search deal with Microsoft
isn't likely to happen anytime soon, according to this
article. Yahoo!'s board reportedly isn't pushing for a pact
right away, and Microsoft is said to be focused more on
cost-savings than deal-making. Microsoft did not comment for
this article.
The New York Times/Reuters
(1/15) ,
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (1/15)
•
Obama sets off merchandising boom
The merchandising frenzy touched off by Barack Obama's
election is reaching an even higher level in the days leading
up to his inauguration. Companies including PepsiCo and IKEA
are holding special events and promotions tied to Tuesday's
swearing-in.
International Herald Tribune
(1/15)
January 9, 2009
Message to Members
Legislature Opens Session on Somber Message from Governor
Predictions on Major Issues
CRMA Legislative Committee Ready to go to Work
Retail News and Notes
• Happy New Year from the staff of CRMA. We wish all of our
members a happy, health and prosperous New Year.
• As we being the New Year, we are very much aware of the
stress that many of you are feeling.
• The economy has not been kind to retailers, both large and
small, and that is not lost on us.
• So, please keep in mind that CRMA will be there for you and
that we are open to new ideas and ways to help you.
• Today, you can rest assured that we will fight for you at
the State Capitol because we know that now is NOT the time for
new taxes or mandates on retail business.
• But, there are other ways that we can help, ways that are
available to members today.
• We have a bankcard program that can help you with your
credit card processing needs, we have an energy supply program
that can help you lower your energy cost, and we anticipate
rolling out a new Workers Compensation program that can help
you with those costs as well.
• We will continue to try our best to be your voice in the
marketplace, working to find ways to provide the best services
and products to help you in any way we can during these tough
times.
• Please call us today at 860-527-1044 or visit us on our
website at www.crmaonline.com for more information.
Legislature Opens Session on Somber Message from
Governor
• The Connecticut General Assembly opened it’s so called long
session with a lot of pomp and circumstance, along with a nice
little fight over the rules.
• In both chambers, new members as well as old were sworn in
for two year terms.
• In the House, a new Speaker was elected. Rep. Chris Donovan
(D-Meriden) takes over the top position in the House of
Representatives where his party holds an overwhelming
majority.
• In the Senate, Don Williams (D-Brooklyn) was re-elected to
another two year term as President Pro Temp of the Senate.
• But the highlight of opening day, was the very short
(15minutes) address to a joint session by Governor M. Jodi
Rell.
• Fighting a cold, the Governor delivered a somber message to
the House and Senate regarding the state of the state.
• In short, it is not good.
• The state is currently facing a $350 million deficit in
(FY-09) which ends June 30th and close to a $6 billion deficit
over the next two years (FY-2010-2011).
• Rell told the Legislature that they must work together to
fix this problem and that the solutions would be painful for
everybody.
• The budget will not doubt be the biggest issue that the
entire General Assembly will deal with and we will keep you up
to date throughout the process.
Predictions on Major Issues
• Now that the Session has officially begun, the various
committees will begin meeting to get organized and begin
raising bills for drafting and public hearings.
• We will keep you posted on all of those issues, many of
which are hard for us to predict.
• However, we know, from experience and from inside
information, some issues will be debated. Here are four that
we are certain will get a long look by the General Assembly.
• Gift Cards: There was lots of chatter this holiday season
about Gift Cards and we expect that the AG will introduce a
bill that will require that retailers place funds into a
special gift card guarantee fund.
• Banning Plastic Bags: We have already attended one meeting
on this issue and we expect there will be many more, including
the idea of placing a fee on customers if they choose to use a
plastic bag.
• Eliminating the Clothing Exemption: With a large deficit we
expect that this will get a lot of look by the Finance
Committee. Especially if the state wants to go after internet
sales by adopting the SSTP.
• Health care: We expect that there will be a big push on
forcing small and medium retailers to join the State’s health
care plan.
• These are just four issues but there are lots more,
including menu labeling, and smart growth, that we are sure to
see before the session is out.
CRMA Legislative Committee Ready to go to Work
• Once again the group that will be guiding and leading our
legislative effort will be our Legislative Committee.
• The Committee is open to all members of CRMA and meets
bi-weekly via conference call.
• This year, more than any other year, it is critical that all
members try and participate with this Committee.
• Our Legislative Committee Conference calls will be held
every other Wednesday at 11:00 am EST with our first call next
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 11:00 am EST. For more
information on participating in the calls please call our
office at 860-527-1044.
Retail News and Notes
•
Retailers lower prices as soon as items hit stores
Some clothing retailers are cutting prices as soon as
merchandise hits the stores as shoppers are reluctant to pay
full price. Old Navy will sell a $12.50 cami for $6 if
shoppers buy more than one online, and J. Crew and Bebe are
cutting the nondiscounted price of their products.
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (1/8)
•
Wal-Mart names new international CEO
Wal-Mart tapped the CEO of its Sam's Club division to take
over its international division. Doug McMillon replaces Mike
Duke, who was named CEO of the entire company.
Business Standard (India) (1/8) ,
Houston Chronicle/The Associated Press (1/7)
•
Staples highlights "dollar deals"
Staples is promoting "dollar deals" -- a move one industry
watcher said was unusual for such a chain. But he said it was
a better strategy than steep discounts because the company
will be able to maintain decent margins.
Brandweek (1/7)
|
