Industry Headlines: July 7
- Early Back-to-School Forecast: Modest Growth in Strengthening Economy: It’s probably not going to be a blockbuster back-to-school season, but modest gains are expected. (Apparel Net)
- Gap to open its first stores in Africa: The first will be in Egypt this summer, with more to follow. (Reuters)
- Fed softens rule to cut debit card swipe fees: The swipe fee reductions won’t be quite as significant as hoped, and they’ve been pushed to October. But they’re coming. (USA Today)
- Retailers battle sophisticated shoplifting teams, ‘CSI’ style: To keep up with today’s thieves, retailers are relying on increasingly impressive anti-theft techniques. (LA Times)
- Facebook Popular For Retail Promotions: Many shoppers are turning to the social networking site to make connections with brands and then purchasing decisions. (MediaPost)
- Fast Fashion Catches Consumer Fancy in Asia: Luxury brands are losing ground to less expensive alternatives with higher stock turnover. (CNBC)
- American retailers head for UK, despite downturn: US retailers continue international expansion, particularly into the UK. (The Independent)
- Rise of World Trade Center Spurs a Retail Revival: The growth of 1 World Trade Center increases demand for retail space nearby. (New York Times)
