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Facts - Archives -
Month of March 2010Current
Week
March 26, 2010
Budget Battles Resume
Legislative Committees Finishing up Work
One Member Saves Big $ on CRMA Energy Program
Retail News and Notes
• With all the chatter that takes place during the Legislative
Session, including updates on bills and notices of Public
Hearings and Committee votes, we might tend to forget that the
State is in a little bit of a financial mess.
• More specifically, they are in a big mess and nobody is
quite sure how to get out of it.
• The hole that has to be filled includes a $518.4 million
dollar deficit for this year and a $726 million dollar deficit
for the 2010-2011 budget years.
• The Governor gave the Democratic majority some of her ideas
for closing the gap but that was met with a big yawn and it
now appears that there may not be any agreement between House
and Senate Democrats on how to close the gap.
• Yesterday, both the Finance Committee and the Appropriations
Committee attempted to deal with the budget issue and both
came away with more questions than answers.
• You can get a run down of yesterday’s action by going here
and here.
Legislative Committees Finishing up Work
• The beat goes on at the State Capitol, despite the cloud of
the budget deficit hanging over everyone’s head.
• That means that Committees are moving closer to the end of
business and what bills we are left to deal with come into
closer focus.
• But, as we told our Legislative Committee last week, it
seems that NO bill ever dies, so even if somehow it does not
get a favorable report out of Committee it doesn’t mean it is
the end of the line.
• Here is quick run down, by Committee, of the issues that we
are still following.
• General Law – The restocking bill is still alive but expect
to meet with House Chair of the General Law Committee, Rep.
Jim Shapiro (D-Stamford) soon to resume discussion.
• Environment Committee:
• This week we met with key legislators on the Environment
Committee to discuss HB 5314 “AAC Child Safe Products and
Banning Cadmium in Children’s Products.
• Although our meetings were productive, we still have a lot
more work to do on this bill.
• We also participated in a meeting with a key member of the
Environment Committee on paint stewardship bill which the
Committee has already given a favorable report to.
• However, final passage of that bill remains in question.
• We hope to have more to report on the progress of that bill
next week.
• Finally, from the Environment Committee we are seeking
changes to last year’s BPA legislation and met with Rep. Beth
Bye (D-West Hartford) on Monday of this week to talk about
that issue.
• It was a productive meeting, but again, we have to keep
working with her to get the changes we want to see enacted.
• Energy Committee:
• The Energy Committee, reported out, over our objections
HB5217 which would establish CT specific energy efficiency
standards for certain electronic equipment.
• Finance Committee:
• This week we are very happy to report that the Finance
Committee overwhelming passed HB5418, AAC the Collection and
Remittance of the Sales tax by Remote Sellers.
• That bill, the so called Amazon Bill is styled after similar
legislation in NY and would level the playing field in a small
way for brick and mortar retailers against online retailers.
• We will continue to watch this bill very closely as Amazon
made a big push to oppose it and we are certain they will not
let up in their efforts.
• Finance is also considering a bill that would create a
regional sales tax. HB5480
• Big city Mayors came to testify before the Committee
pleading with members on the need for this revenue. We do not
anticipate that bill will advance beyond Finance.
• Finally, a number of our Jewelry retailers joined together
in testifying before the Judiciary Committee on HB5472 .
• The bill makes changes to both the pawn shop and precious
metals dealers’ statues, thereby treating them the same.
• We will keep you up to date on the progress of this bill,
with the Judiciary Committee having until Monday to act on it,
but we assure our CJA members we will continue to vigorously
oppose this bill as drafted.
One Member Saves Big $ on CRMA Energy
Program
• We are happy to report this week that another one of our
members has signed up for our new Energy Supply Program with
Public Power. (www.ppandu.com)
• This member will save $200 a month by switching off of
standard service and over to Public Power.
• If you are a retailer that is still purchasing your power
with CL&P or United Illuminating, we urge you to call Chris
Flynn in our office today and he will sign you with Public
Power.
• The CRMA/Public Power program has electric supply rates that
ARE LOWER than CL&P and UI and there is no reason you should
not switch today.
• Contact Chris by calling him at 203-876-7900 or by email at
chris@crmaonline.com
Retail news and notes.
•
Best Buy benefits from demand for constant connectivity
Best
Buy beat expectations in its most recent quarter thanks to
strong sales of laptops and TVs. Strong sales in a weak
economy signal a mindset shift among consumers, said CEO Brian
Dunn. "Staying connected has become non-negotiable -- people
have little or no tolerance of things that are not working the
way they should."
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (3/26) ,
MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (3/25)       
•
Some designers overshare on Twitter
The fashion world has been quick to adopt Twitter as a tool to
create new conversations with consumers. However, some may be
diving too deep into the new medium, which feels like an
intimate personal conversation but appears online for all the
world to see. "It's public and it's permanent," said social
media strategist Mike Dwyer. "You need to know that you
represent the organization your work for."
The Wall Street Journal (3/25)
•
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rates among customers
receiving individually targeted and timed offers compared to
customers receiving the same generalized offer.
Download this white paper highlighting top retailers
analytic best practices and learn more about the new era of
integrated multichannel 1-to-1 marketing.
March 12, 2010
Picking up the Pace at the State Capitol
Loss Prevention Roundtable in Stamford this Month
CJA to Hold Security Seminar
Retail News and Notes
• This week was a busy one at the State Capitol.
• A number of Committees held public hearings or committee
meetings to report out bills.
• We continue to actively lobby on a number of bills and will
update you on many of them in this week’s FF.
• As always, please feel free to call our office or email us
if you have any questions on the status of bills or need more
information on them.
• Committees taking action on bills that impact retailers.
• Since we last spoke a number of bills we are tracking have
seen some action taken on them by key committees.
• HB 5223 , which CRMA strongly supports, was given a
favorable report by the General Law Committee this week. We
are thankful for the committees support and are hopeful that
this year we can get this important bill over the finish line.
• As happy as we were that General Law gave a favorable report
to the ORC Bill, we were very disappointed that they did not
consider our position on HB 5227, An Act Prohibiting Penalty
Fees in Certain Consumer Contracts.
• The bill, which was amended by the Committee, would now
place a cap on the amount of any restocking fee that retailers
may charge.
• The bill caps the restocking fee at no more than 5% or $50
of the purchase price of the item.
• The main sponsor of the bill, House Chair of the Committee,
Jim Shapiro (D- Stamford) assured us that he wants to continue
the dialogue on this bill and we will.
• We will continue our efforts to educate Rep. Shapiro on the
importance of restocking fees and hopefully we can reach an
amicable agreement with him.
• The public Safety Committee passes Pawnbrokers/ Precious
Metals bill.
• On Wednesday of this week the Public Safety committee gave a
favorable report to HB 5342 , without changes.
• Again, we are disappointed that the committee did not make
the changes that we recommended, which was to eliminate
section 2 of the bill, but they vowed to work with us as the
bill moves along.
• That bill should make its way to the other committees
including both the General Law and Judiciary Committees where
we will have other opportunities to make changes.
• Paid Sick leave advances out of Labor Committee.
• SB 63 got just enough votes to advance out of the Labor
Committee this week.
• Final passage of paid sick leave will rest with a small
group of Sen. Democrats.
• One final note from this week’s committee action: the
Program Review and Investigation Committee held a public
hearing before a packed crowd on whether the state should
allow Sunday sales of alcohol.
• You can get a good overview of the hearing by viewing here.
• The Committee announced yesterday that they were not going
to move forward with the bill this year, but supporters of the
idea of Sunday sales have not given up yet.
• They vow to look for ways to include the idea in any budget
measures that come up before the end of the session.
• The Environment and Children’s Committees are keeping us
busy with bills that place new guidelines on the use of
certain chemicals in children’s products.
• The Children’s Committee passed HB 5314, and then sent it to
the Environment Committee. (View Attachment)
• Once there Environment will have to decide if they want to
merge that bill with, HB 5130 “AAC Child Safe Products”.
• Speaking of the Environment Committee, last week they
reported out 5122, “AA Establishing a Paint Stewardship Pilot
Program”, which you can view by going here. (View Attachment)
• There are number of other bills that we are following and we
encourage all members to call us or join in our next
Legislative Committee conference call to review these bills.
• Finally, on Monday of next week the Finance Committee will
hold a public hearing on HB 5481.
• This legislation is similar to what was adopted in New York
State as it attempts to level the playing field between online
retailers and brick and mortar retailers.
• Look for updates in next week’s FF for all of these and
other bills.
Loss Prevention Roundtable in Stamford
this Month
• We are very excited to once again be holding a Loss
Prevention roundtable discussion.
• Our next meeting will be held March 24, 2010 in Stamford, CT
at Four Landmark Square.
• We want to thank the Stamford Town Center for co-hosting the
event with us.
• If you have not already signed up for this meeting, which is
free of charge, please contact Cathy in our office today at
860-527-1044 or email her at
cathy@crmaonline.com.
CJA to Hold Security Seminar
• Speaking of security, the CJA will be holding a special
meeting for members on April 21, 2010 to discuss store
security issues for Jewelers.
• That event, which is also free of charge to members of CJA,
will be held at Westfarms Mall, Wednesday, April 21, 2010 from
6:30pm-8:00pm, it will include a light dinner and invited
speakers.
• Please reserve your spot by calling Cathy at 850-527-1044 or
via email at
cathy@crmaonline.com.
Retail News and Notes
•
Home Depot works to further reduce energy use
Home Depot already has made changes that reduced its energy
use by 16% -- enough to power more than 200,000 U.S. homes for
a year. Further changes planned, including lowering lighting
wattage and upgrading heating and cooling systems in its
cavernous outlets are expected to help the company reach its
ultimate 20% goal by 2015.
Forbes (3/11)
•
Retailers see margins rise on more full-price selling
Apparel retailers have reason to be optimistic as shoppers
begin to spend again. Leaner inventories leading to less
post-holiday price cutting and a renewed willingness by
shoppers to pay full price for outfits have resulted in higher
profits and margins for several clothing stores, including
Bon-Ton Stores and J. Crew.
The Wall Street Journal (3/12)
•
Ultra-affluent shoppers come out of hiding
Very wealthy consumers feel more free to spend again, fueling
a rebound for high-end retailers, according to data from
MasterCard Advisors. Luxury spending rose 15% in February,
over the same month last year, as those with means snapped up
items including $25,000 Sama sunglasses, $8,000 Carolina
Herrera couture and $30,000 Lana Marks alligator bags.
Forbes (3/11)
March 5, 2010
Legislative Committee in Full Swing
Other News and Notes from the Capitol
Member Services Update
CRMA LP Roundtable Update
CJA Security Meeting
Retail News and Notes
• This week was a very busy one for CRMA lobbyists as the
committee process was in full public hearing mode.
• A number of committees held public hearings this week. The
committees are required to hold public hearings on all bills
before the full committees take a vote on each bill.
• CRMA is following a host of bills this session so we were
before three different committees this week letting them know
our positions on each bill.
• Also, please remember that our Legislative Committee
conference calls are available to all members and are held
every other week to review the status of bills and talk a
little strategy. If you don’t already get notices about our
calls, please call Cathy in our office today for the call in
number.
• As we mentioned above this was a busy week for us before
different Committees.
• On Monday we testified before the Environment Committee on a
bill that would prohibit retailers from selling some products
if they contained certain chemicals.
• That bill, House Bill 5130, is problematic for retailers
because there is no real scientific evidence to back up the
claim that the proponents make that these chemicals are
dangerous, yet, it would force our members to take these
products off their shelves.
• A similar bill was heard on Tuesday in the Children’s
Committee, House Bill 5314 . We made the same arguments before
that committee as well.
• On Thursday of this week, the Public Safety Committee held a
public hearing on this bill, House Bill 5342 , which we also
testified against.
• HB 5342 would treat precious metal dealers and pawn shops
the same, which we think is outrageous and three of our member
companies took the time and patience to tell that to the
Committee.
• We are hopeful that members of the Public Safety committee
listened to our explanation that pawns shops and precious
metal dealers ARE NOT in the same business and should not be
treated the same way.
Other News and Notes from the Capitol
• The House Chair of the General Law committee is interested
in prohibiting retailers from charging restocking fees despite
our strong opposition. House Bill 5227
• We had a discussion with him about that issue this week and
are hopeful that we can work something out on restocking fees,
but remain concerned about the issue.
• The Labor Committee HELD the paid sick leave bill Senate
Bill 63. But, before we get too excited, Labor has a committee
meeting scheduled for next Tuesday to vote on bills and we
suspect this bill will be on their agenda.
• Also, next Tuesday the General Law Committee is scheduled to
have a committee meeting to vote on bills.
• We are hopeful that they will take up our ORC Bill, House
Bill 5223.
• A number of Committees will continue to hold public hearings
next week including the Judiciary Committee, which will hold a
special public hearing on the Death Penalty on Wednesday.
• Look for periodic updates from us throughout the legislative
session, especially as we near the end of the committee
process, as we are following a number of bills.
• Also, our Legislative Committee is scheduled to hold another
meeting to review bills next Wednesday, March 10th at 10:00
EST. We will send a reminder notice to all members of the
Committee on Monday and again if you would like to
participate, please call Cathy in our office for the call in
number.
Member Services Update
• Attention all members: IF YOU ARE STILL ON STANDARD SERVICE
WITH EITHER UI OR CL&P YOU ARE SPENDING TOO MUCH ON YOUR
ENERGY COST AND YOU NEED TO CALL US ASAP!!!
• CRMA has teamed up with Public Power LLC and our rates are
LOWER than the incumbent utilities.
• The state of CT has finally gotten deregulation of power
right, and therefore you can REALLY save money by choosing who
your energy supplier is. In fact the State’s Department of
Public Utility Control, is encouraging all business (and
residences too) to choose a new supplier.
• The Public Power rates might not be the lowest in town, but
all we can tell you is that we shopped the market and we
strongly believe that Public Power offers a great program for
retailers.
• If you are interested, please call Chris in our office
today. Or you can email Chris, who is Sales Representative for
CRMA and is extremely knowledgeable about the Public Power
program, at chris@crmaonline.com
• Honestly, if you are still with CL&P or UI call us because
we can save you money!
CRMA LP Roundtable Update
• The CRMA is hosting our second LP roundtable discussion on
Wednesday March 24 in Stamford, CT.
Connecticut Retail Merchants Association & Stamford Town
Center
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2010
10:00 am -10:45 am Presentation/Gary Weisbecker, Walgreens ORC
Dept
We are happy to announce that Gary Weisbecker an Investigator
with Walgreens Organized Retail Crime Department will be
giving an “eye opening” presentation on ORC rings that
includes actual video of Booster Teams.
10:45 am – 11:00 am Round Table Discussion
Call our office for more information or to register at
860-527-1044.
CJA Security Meeting
• The CJA is hosting an important Seminar on store security
that we strongly encourage members to attend.
• This is a meeting you do not want to miss. Learn how to
better protect your store, your merchandise and your people
from theft and robberies. Professional advice from leading
experts on store security. Please support your Connecticut
Jewelers Association by attending this important meeting.
Hosted By: Connecticut Jewelers Assoc. & Westfarms Mall
Date:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Agenda: 6:30pm-7:00pm Registration,
Light Dinner
7:00pm-8:00pm Invited Speakers
Cost: No
charge
Retail News and Notes
•
Urban Outfitters says yes to new wedding brand
Urban Outfitters said it plans to launch a new wedding-focused
concept next year, offering heirloom wedding gowns and
accessories, intimate apparel and gifts. The company has not
revealed the new store's name yet, but says the idea stemmed
from the fact that many customers shop for wedding-related
items at Urban Outfitters' stores.
GlobeSt.com (3/4) ,
The Philadelphia Inquirer (3/4)
•
Home Depot is making strides in sustainability
Home Depot has significantly cut energy usage at its U.S.
stores and is on track for further reductions during the next
five years, the company said Thursday. The home-improvement
chain also is working with suppliers to reduce their
greenhouse-gas emissions.
American City Business Journals/Atlanta (3/4)
•
Retailers fared better than expected in February
Consumers went shopping last month, despite back-to-back
blizzards in some parts of the country, newly released sales
results show. Women's apparel stores did especially well, as
moms began buying for themselves again. "People found their
way to the malls and discount centers and, once there, bought
merchandise," said Wall Street Strategies analyst Brian Sozzi.
Forbes (3/4) ,
MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (3/4) ,
The Wall Street Journal (3/5)
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