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By Posted on Posted in 2012, 2013, Retail, Retail Distribution, Romania 0 Comments

Grocery retail market from Romania has fared quite dynamic in 2012, formats which include stores that were open throughout the year, was especially supermarkets and discount stores.

Format winner in 2012 was supermarket, small stores (convenience stores) has exploded. Thus, Mega Image retailer, present in Romanian retail market with two formats: Mega Image and Shop & Go, opened in 2012 the largest number of stores: 88, ending the year with a total of 193 stores.

Mega Image, the Romanian banner of Belgian company Group Delhaize, is retailer with the largest number of stores in Romania.

Another performers are Profi, who opened in 2012 no less than 45 stores, reaching 149 units at the end of the 2012 and Carrefour Market and Carrefour Express, the two supermarket banners of french retailer Carrefour, who opened in 2012 37 units in total.

On discounter sector Lidl, the German discounter opened 26 stores in 2012 and the other discount retailer, Penny Market has opened 14 units.

No major changes occurred on hypermarket sector, as expected, the total opening was only 12 hypermarket stores: 10 Kaufland stores and one in his right Auchan, Carrefour and Cora. Next year will counting the 20 real stores to Auchan, purchased late last year by the french retailer.

Cash & Carry format has stabilized somehow in 2012, at least in terms of number of stores. No store opening for the two representatives of this format: Metro and Selgros.

retail in Romania 2012

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By Posted on Posted in 2012, 2013, France, Retail 0 Comments

La grande distribution en 2012 subit les conséquences de l’impact de la baisse de la croissance et celle du moral des ménages. Malgré une augmentation de 2% en valeur en 2012, le secteur reste à la traine par rapport à ses performances de 2011. La progression de l’e-commerce, les bénéfices des discounters ou encore le ralentissent des ventes de biens d’équipements, Cedric Bra, analyste distribution au sein d’Euromonitor International, explique qui sont les gagnants et les perdants de l’année 2012.

By Posted on Posted in 2012, Books, Inspiration, Retail 0 Comments

I finished reading Smart Retail: Practical Winning Ideas and Strategies from the Most Successful Retailers in the World, a book by Richard Hammond.

From the moment you start the 1st page till you finish, of course if you ever have worked for retail or have passion for it, you will keep saying, I know this, I did that, I have been through this, I always thought of that and so on … Every single detail in the book will take you to a place in the back of your mind. So the good thing about this book is the centralization of the retail information, tricks, tactics and strategies and can be easily used as a general guideline.

Because retail and no matter what kind of retailer you are (food, fashion, electronics, books, etc…), is a huge universe, so no matter how many years you spent in retail, you will always remain a student, discovering every day something new, so thank you Richard Hammond for writing this book and putting all the common points together as a reference to come back and pick any idea and make it work in our retail world.

Book Description

The world’s #1 guide to retail success, complete with crucial, up-to-date insights–including new case studies, ideas, strategies, and tactics from today’s best retailers, like TopShop, IKEA, and Best Buy. Smart Retail incorporates several valuable chapters, including:

  • Opportunities to learn from past retail pioneers: simple yet effective strategies your competitors have forgotten.
  • How to use data to drive profit and growth.
  • How to do more with less, and maximize the value each team member brings to the table.
  • How to use new technology to develop highly productive, innovative “Remote Teams”.

Covering everything from creating the ultimate retail experience to understanding the customer and the importance of motivated workers, this is the book that will equip managers, team-workers, retail entrepreneurs and indeed anybody who sells direct to customers, with practical winning ideas and strategies.

About the Author

Richard Hammond is proud to call himself a retailer: He has more than 25 years of experience and still gets a buzz from it every day.

He has developed a practical problem-solving approach to creating great retail experiences. His consultancy business put this into practice for clients ranging from convenience stores in Kazakhstan, fashion brands in Sweden, to big stores and brands in the UK.

By Posted on Posted in 2012, Books, eBooks 0 Comments

The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career
Whatever you may be thinking when you apply for a job today, you can be sure your prospective employer is thinking this: Can this person add value every hour, every day–more than a worker in India, a robot, or a computer could? Can he or she help my company adapt by not only doing the job today but also reinventing the job for tomorrow?

And can he or she adapt with all the change, so my company can adapt and export more into the fastest-growing global markets? In today’s hyper-connected world, more and more companies cannot and will not hire people who don’t fulfill those criteria. This is precisely why LinkedIn’s founder, Reid Garrett Hoffman, one of the premier starter-uppers in Silicon Valley–besides cofounding LinkedIn, he is on the board of Zynga, was an early investor in Facebook, and sits on the board of Mozilla–has written The Start-up of You, coauthored with Ben Casnocha.
Amazon.com Link

By Posted on Posted in 2012, Books, eBooks 0 Comments

Inside Apple: How America’s Most Admired–and Secretive–Company Really Works
INSIDE APPLE reveals the secret systems, tactics and leadership strategies that allowed Steve Jobs and his company to churn out hit after hit and inspire a cult-like following for its products.

If Apple is Silicon Valley’s answer to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, then author Adam Lashinsky provides readers with a golden ticket to step inside. In this primer on leadership and innovation, the author will introduce readers to concepts like the “DRI” (Apple’s practice of assigning a Directly Responsible Individual to every task) and the Top 100 (an annual ritual in which 100 up-and-coming executives are tapped a la Skull & Bones for a secret retreat with company founder Steve Jobs).
Amazon.com Link

Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything

Every week, millions more people sign up for Google+: Suddenly, it’s today’s hottest new social network. Google+ for Business reveals why Google+ offers business opportunities available nowhere else–and helps you grab those opportunities now, before your competitors do. Top social media professional speaker and business advisor Chris Brogan shows how to get great results fast, without wasting time–and without wasting a dime. Brogan guides you through using Google+ for promotion, customer service, community building, referrals, collaboration, and a whole lot more. You won’t just master innovative new tools like Circles and Hangouts: You’ll use them to generate more customers and more cash!
Amazon.com Link

Imagine: How Creativity Works

Did you know that the most creative companies have centralized bathrooms? That brainstorming meetings are a terrible idea? That the color blue can help you double your creative output?

From the best-selling author of How We Decide comes a sparkling and revelatory look at the new science of creativity. Shattering the myth of muses, higher powers, even creative “types,” Jonah Lehrer demonstrates that creativity is not a single gift possessed by the lucky few. It’s a variety of distinct thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively.
Amazon.com Link

Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance

Jonathan Fields knows the risks-and potential power-of uncertainty. He gave up a six-figure income as a lawyer to make $12 an hour as a personal trainer. Then, married with a 3-month old baby, he signed a lease to launch a yoga center in the heart of New York City. . . the day before 9/11. But he survived, and along the way he developed a fresh approach to transforming uncertainty, risk of loss, and exposure to judgment into catalysts for innovation, creation, and achievement.

Properly understood and harnessed, fear and uncertainty can become fuel for creative genius rather than sources of pain, anxiety, and suffering. In business, art, and life, creating on a world-class level demands bold action and leaps of faith in the face of great uncertainty. But that uncertainty can lead to fear, anxiety, paralysis, and destruction. It can gut creativity and stifle innovation. It can keep you from taking the risks necessary to do great work and craft a deeply-rewarding life. And it can bring companies that rely on innovation grinding to a halt.
Amazon.com Link

By Posted on Posted in 2012, Europe, Football 0 Comments

Coca-Cola is spending big bucks (euros not dollars) during the Euro 2012 and wants everybody to get crazy during this occasion.

The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012, will be the 14th European Championship for national football teams sanctioned by UEFA. The final tournament will be hosted by Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July 2012.

The joint Poland–Ukraine bid was chosen by a vote of the UEFA Executive Committee at a meeting in Cardiff on 18 April 2007. This bid defeated the other shortlisted bids from Italy and Croatia–Hungary, becoming the third successful joint bid for the European Championship, after those of Belgium–Netherlands (2000) and Austria–Switzerland (2008).

By Posted on Posted in 2012, Books 0 Comments

I Was Blind But Now I See
We’ve been brainwashed. We need to acknowledge this. We need to recognize who has been doing the brainwashing and work towards reversing its effects. Then, building from the core, we can learn who we really are, get success, wealth, and finally happiness. This book lays out the techniques to escape the zombie recruitment machine, expanding our personal frontiers, and finding the tools to build up the wealth of happiness inside.

James Altucher has written seven books, has written articles for every paper and website in the known universe. Has run several businesses. Has ridden the roller coaster of success and failure many times, in money, love, success, career, etc. Now he shares his experiences on how to get it right, unravel the brainwashing, and ultimately succeed and be happy.
Amazon Link

One Click
Amazon’s business model is deceptively simple: Make online shopping so easy and convenient that customers won’t think twice. It can almost be summed up by the button on every page: “Buy now with one click.”

Why has Amazon been so successful? Much of it has to do with Jeff Bezos, the CEO and founder, whose unique combination of character traits and business strategy have driven Amazon to the top of the online retail world.
Amazon Link

Delivering Happiness
The visionary CEO of Zappos explains how an emphasis on corporate culture can lead to unprecedented success.

Pay new employees $2000 to quit. Make customer service the entire company, not just a department. Focus on company culture as the #1 priority. Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business. Help employees grow both personally and professionally. Seek to change the world. Oh, and make money too.

Sound crazy? It’s all standard operating procedure at Zappos.com, the online retailer that’s doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales every year.
Amazon Link

Enchantment
Enchantment, as defined by bestselling business guru Guy Kawasaki, is not about manipulating people. It transforms situations and relationships. It converts hostility into civility and civility into affinity. It changes the skeptics and cynics into the believers and the undecided into the loyal. Enchantment can happen during a retail transaction, a high-level corporate negotiation, or a Facebook update. And when done right, it’s more powerful than traditional persuasion, influence, or marketing techniques.

Kawasaki argues that in business and personal interactions, your goal is not merely to get what you want but to bring about a voluntary, enduring, and delightful change in other people. By enlisting their own goals and desires, by being likable and trustworthy, and by framing a cause that others can embrace, you can change hearts, minds, and actions.
Amazon Link

The New Relationship Marketing
One of the top social media thought leaders shares her secrets to expanding your business through relationshipsPeople have always done business with people they know, like, and trust. That’s the essence of “relationship marketing.” Today, the popularity of online social networking has caused a paradigm shift in relationship marketing. This book helps businesspeople and marketers master this crucial new skill set. Relationship marketing specialist Mari Smith outlines a step-by-step plan for building a sizable, loyal network comprised of quality relationships that garner leads, publicity, sales, and more.

If you’re a businessman or businesswoman feeling the pressure to shift your approach to using social media marketing, to better understand the new soft skills required for success on the social web, and to improve your own leadership and relationship skills through emotional and social intelligence, this book is for you.
Amazon Link

The Paradox Of Choice
Whether we’re buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions–both big and small–have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented.

We assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.
Amazon Link