COMMENTARY: CHA a
Pleasant Surprise
Last week the industry gathered in Las Vegas, concerned about a
spate of recent negative retail reports (Treasure Island, Lewiscraft,
Hancock) and worrisome rumors about others. I was afraid
buyers would be troubled, depressed, and pessimistic and that
gloom and doom would carry over to exhibitors.
Not so. Attendance hovered around 20,000, and most exhibitors
were pleased with the traffic, buyer interest and orders. It was
a true convention, too, not just a trade show. Attendance at
seminars, receptions, and other events was much stronger than I
expected, from the new-member reception, the keynote speech, and the
unveiling of the new CHA research to the "20 Retail
Trends" seminar and the La Reve evening. More important,
I saw a number of positive business trends on the show floor.
The CHA staff clearly seems to have hit its stride in show
management, which bodes well for the summer show in July.
All in all, the show was a badly needed shot in the arm for the
industry.
NEW COLUMNS THIS ISSUE
"Benny Da Buyer". Did this Ben Franklin shut its
doors because of poor sales or management? Nope. The landlord was
the culprit. Read the nightmare tale here.
Scene &
Heard. Views of the recent TNNA show
from exhibitors and the organization.
Remaining Online: "New Trade Show
Exhibitors."
The names, brief descriptions, and links to the websites of the new
TNNA and CHA exhibitors in case you've returned home and can't quite
remember which newcomer offered what.
TAKE THE CLN POLL:
EVALUATING THE TRADE SHOWS
Ok, so how were the TNNA and CHA shows?
Outstanding? Very good? OK? Not very good? Poor? To vote, click on
Industry Polls in the right-hand column or click HERE. Below is a
report on what CLN readers expected; in the next issue CLN
will compare your expectations to your actual experience.
CLN
POLL: YOUR
TRADE SHOW EXPECTATIONS
Buyers and sellers alike traveled to San Diego and Las Vegas with
strong expectations that the TNNA and CHA shows would
be productive. Almost a quarter of voters in CLN's
unscientific poll, 23.3%, expected the show(s) to be
"outstanding"; 29% thought they would be "very
good"; 38.7% thought they'd be "ok"; only 6.5%
expected them to be "not very good"; and a mere 3.2%
thought they would be poor.
CHA HIGHLIGHTS
The 2005 Attitude & Usage Study pegged the size of the
industry at $30.6 billion, as a result of 3.8% annual growth since
the 2002 study. The full study will be available in the members
section of the CHA website, www.craftandhobby.org,
in about a week. (Some results raised some eyebrows, but those
questions will be raised in a CLN interview in an upcoming
issue.)
The winners of the Smart Store's 3,500 sq. ft. store
(inventory, technology, displays everything) were John and
Camille Akin, owners of Ever After Scrapbooks in Carlsbad,
CA. Perfect timing: the Akins had just signed a lease to expand
their store. (But the 4 pm drawing drew hundreds of retailers off
the show floor.)
The History of Crafts display and the sold-out seminar
featuring Aleene Jackson and her family was a huge hit with
attendees, many of whom had no idea about the seeds of the modern
craft industry. For example, the display showed a photo of Aleene
spreading the craft "gospel." The photo was in an issue of
Life magazine published 53 years ago.
The keynote speaker, Tim Sanders, was excellent. He cited
numerous research studies indicating "likeable" people
receive more attention from doctors, sell substantially more, etc.
(If you missed it, read his book, The Likeability Factor,
published by Crown Publishers.)
CHA TRENDS: CATEGORIES
There appeared to be the beginning of the pendulum swinging back
from a complete emphasis on only the hottest trends (scrapbooking,
yarn, etc.) to interest in a wider variety of categories
wearable art, cross stitch, needlepoint, embellishing/personalizing,
etc. CLN even heard that a major retailer was considering
re-introducing miniatures. While the scrapbook section attracted the
largest crowds, the non-scrapbook areas seemed to have much better
traffic than last year's show in Atlanta.
One independent, whose store is 40,000 sq. ft., told CLN,
"I gave my people their marching orders: We have too much
scrapbooking and too much yarn. Let's get back to the [craft]
basics." Another large independent expressed disappointment he
didn't find more exciting, new non-scrapbook lines. "I was
hoping one of my buyers would come to me and say, 'I found something
new that's so great I HAVE to have 12 feet for it.'"
An example of the change: Plaid had a hugely successful
show, thanks in large part to its new Artistrywear bead line
and its Jeaneology line of blue jean embellishments.
Scrapbooks. Retailers are beginning to explore widening
their inventory offerings and not just cardmaking/paper crafts.
Industry veteran bead manufacturer Dan Sadur of Jewelcraft
said he had a great show, thanks in part to orders from new
customers scrapbook stores, and Prudy Vannier's workshop,
"Paint Pizazz," that incorporated decorative painting into
paper crafts was a sellout. ... While numerous industry pros told CLN
they thought scrapbooking had peaked, a representative of Ipsos, the
company that conducted the new CHA research study (see below), said
the data gave no indication that the category had, in fact, peaked.
Others. Beads continues to be a hot trend in part because
it works with so many activities jewelrymaking, embellishing
clothing, quilting, crochet, etc. ... There appeared to be a huge
increase in kids crafts. Certainly Fibre-Craft is a leader,
but there were numerous others, such as Activa's new Colored
FastCast Colored Casting Compound.
Painting. The future of decorative painting and the Society
of Decorative Painters' role in its revitalization were the
topics of a meeting by a group that hopes to become a Decorative
Painting Advisory Council.
Yarn. The category has a public relations problem. Many
retailers had ordered inventory expecting the category's meteoric
rise to continue. It didn't. Result? "The pipeline is
full," said John Laurie, president of the Craft Yarn Council
of America. So while some retailers told the press they were
"disappointed" with sales, that's a far cry from the quiet
little no-growth category of a few years ago.
Technology. It's certainly having an impact on
scrapbooking as evidenced by the Digital Imaging pavilion. Apart
from the obvious (printers, kiosks, etc.) there was a wide variety
of personal, hand-held machines, but delivery has been slow,
although that's changing fast.
CHA TRENDS: BUSINESS
International. The UK Pavilion seemed to be a success. CLN
has heard unconfirmed reports that it will return next year, its
size doubled ... Business is good in Europe and scrapbooking is
finally taking off. CLN met the head of the Italian
Scrapbook Assn. ... While exhibitors have a variety of ways to
communicate with U.S. retailers, the CHA show remains the premier
method of communicating with the foreign buyers. The international
sales director for a major paint line told CLN he had
appointments with 17 major international buyers.
Acquisitions. There were numerous investment companies
walking the show, apparently inspired by the
acquisitions/investments in Provo, EK Success, and
others.
Designers. Before the show, the board of the Society of
Creative Designers voted to dissolve the organization, pending a
vote by the membership. During the show a committee representing
SCD, CHA, and CHA's designer section met to discuss unification
efforts. All reports were positive. While there was sadness over
SCD's demise, the general consensus was that the unification would
be good for the industry ... The Designer Forum and the Inspiration
and Design Faire were both successful ... The scrapbook
designers' dinner attracted 300+ ... Quotation: "We should all
go out and hug a designer, because they're the ones who drive the
industry." Jim Bremer, CHA's Chief Governance Officer and
President of Tall Mouse
China. It might have been the most talked-about subject at
the show. "China is the single most important element on your
career," said Tom Rubel, CEO/President of Retail Forward, in
his seminar, "20 Retail Trends for the Year 2010." ... One
vendor told CLN that he is switching from a German supplier
of a major component in the vendor's products to a supplier in
China. "Even if my sales are flat this year," he said,
"my bottom line will improve by $200,000."
Other Industries. There is a growing trend of
"craft" vendors looking for and selling to other
industries. A number of CHA vendors were pleased with their
participation in the recent gift shows in Atlanta and Dallas. And
one major craft vendor told CLN, "We're doing business
in areas like drug stores that we NEVER thought we'd do."
MISCELLANEOUS SHOW NEWS
Awards. Lynda Musante (Generations/Cardinal Brands)
won the Meritorious Service award for her efforts to start
the HIA/ACCI merger process ... Innovations (best new
products) awards were won by Moore Push-Pin, Colonial
Needle, 3 Ring Circles, and Heritage Handicrafts. Paper
Cellar won an Innovations award in the New Exhibitor
category and Judy's Stonehouse Designs won as best of show.
Elections. Tony LaSpada (Activa), Tom Ware (Bagworks),
and Lynda Musante (Generations/Cardinal Brands) retired from
the CHA board. Richard Brown (Sunrise Craft & Hobby), Bob
Ferguson (Ferguson Merchandising), and Herb Lantinga (Notions
Marketing) were re-elected, and Ron Staffieri (Rag Shop)
was elected. All terms are for three years ... Speaker/consultant
Geogianne Bender, retailer Karen Bremer, and manufacturer Lynda
Musante were elected to the Nominating Committee. Heather Corvey and
Barry Sokol were elected as alternates.
Volunteers. CHA is looking for volunteers to serve on a
Bylaw Review task force. (Bylaws are the rules/structure under which
the organization operates.) To volunteer, email board Chief
Governance Officer Jim Bremer at jim@tallmouse.com.
Seminars. Many of the seminars and presentations were
recorded, and audiocassettes and CD's will be for sale on the CHA
website, www.craftandhobby.org.
Shows. The 2007 Winter Show will be Jan. 28-31 in Anaheim.
The show will continue in Anaheim for at least five years, and
probably longer. The CHA Summer Show is July 21-23 in Rosemont, IL.
WHILE YOU WERE IN VEGAS
Distributors. Herrs Pacific shut down its California
warehouse and consolidated operations at its Danville, Illinois
facility.
Legal. Former Wal-Mart Vice Chair Tom Coughlin pled
guilty in federal court to five counts of wire fraud and one count
of filing a false tax return for stealing money, gift cards, and
merchandise from Wal-Mart. Coughlin, 57, faces a maximum of 28 years
in prison and could be fined as much as $1.35 million. Coughlin made
millions in salary and stock options, but pled guilty to using
expense vouchers to buy products such as snakeskin boots, hunting
trips, and Bloody Mary mix, the Associated Press reported. Estimated
losses were as high as $500,000.
People. Duckwall-ALCO announced that effective Feb. 13,
Rick Sturdivant will be Sr. VP, Stores. He had been Operating VP at Jo-Ann's
and VP of Stores at Michaels.
Shows. The New York Gift show was a huge success,
following the example of the Atlanta and Dallas gift shows, reported
Gifts & Decorative Accessories.
Acquisition. Lara's Crafts was acquired by New Image
Group, a holding company of River Capital. New Image Group also owns
Consumer Products Enterprises (CPE) and Masterworks Decor.
Ricky Heath (rheath@larascrafts.com) has been named President/CEO of
Lara's Crafts; corporate headquarters will relocate to SC. Kievlan-McGuffee
Design Services will continue consulting, design, and new
product development for Lara's from their offices in Fort Worth. The
new address: 541 Buffalo/West Springs Highway, Union, SC 29379. Call
800-232-LARA (5272).
NAMTA. Kudos to the new National Art Materials Trade
Assn. foundation that distributed $90,000+ to NAMTA members who
were hurricane victims.
Perspective. CLN heard that the new home
furnishings show, held in Vegas at the same time as the CHA show,
attracted 60,000 people three times the CHA attendance.
Media. DesignerZine.com is "an online magazine and
website committed to helping professional craft designers succeed in
their design work and in their businesses." For more info, call
Founding Editor R. Lynn Baker at 502-863-1967 or email r_lynn_baker@designerzine.com.
CHA: WHAT DID YOU
THINK?
Despite walking the floor to exhaustion, CLN could only
talk to a fraction of the 20,000 attendees. So now it's your turn.
Vendors: how was business? Buyers: What did you like/dislike?
Everyone: Your thoughts on the seminars, meetings, Vegas? Email your
kudos and complaints to on or off the record to mike@clnonline.com.
JANUARY, YEAR, QUARTERLY SALES
FIGURES
Michaels no longer reports monthly sales figures, but for the
fourth quarter, sales rose 7.2% to $1.270 billion and same-store
sales rose 2.4%, thanks to a 2.2% increase in average ticket and a
0.2% increase in transactions. The strongest regions were the
Southeast, Southwest, and Pacific, and the top categories were
Jewelry/Beads, Candles/Bakeware, Kids Crafts, Art, and Frames.
Fiscal 2005 sales rose 8.3% to $3.676 billion and same-store
sales increased 3.6%. Transactions were up 0.5%, the average ticket
rose 2.7%, and custom frame deliveries were up 0.4%. A favorable
Canadian currency translation added approximately 0.2% to the
average ticket increase for the fourth quarter and approximately
0.4% for the fiscal year.
Michaels now expects earnings for the fiscal year to be
$2-$2.05/share, reported TheStreet.com.
Jo-Ann's January net sales rose 1.0% to $137.2 million but
same-store sales fell 3.2%. For the quarter, net sales increased
2.2% to $600.9 million, but same-store sales were down 3.0%. For the
full fiscal year, net sales increased 3.8% to $1.880 billion but
same-store sales decreased 0.8%.
Hancock net sales rose 2.9% to $31.7 million, and
same-store sales rose 4.5% the first time in recent months the
chain posted an increase. In the fourth quarter, total sales
declined 3.1% to $118.1 million, and same-store sales fell 4.0%. For
the full year, total sales declined 5.5% to $403.1 million, while
same-store sales fell 6.2%.
Others. January same-store sales: Costco, +9.0% ... Sam's
Club, +8.2% ... Pier 1, +8.2% ... Walgreen, +7.4% ... Big Lots,
+6.4% ... Nordstrom, +6.0% ... Bombay, +6.0% ... Factory Card &
Party Outlet, +5.8% ... Duckwall-Alco, +5.8% ... CVS, +5.4% ...
Target, +5.2% ... Wal-Mart (U.S.), +4.7% ... Saks, +4.0% ... Family
Dollar Stores, +3.4% ... Dillard, +3.0% ... J. C. Penney, +2.5% ...
Kohl's, +2.0% ... Federated, +1.0% ... Rite Aid, +0.9%.
A.C. MOORE LOWERS
EXPECTATIONS, BUT ....
A.C. Moore forecast earnings for 2005 below analysts' average
expectations, but predicted 2006 sales growth of 16%-17%. The
company now expects sales for the fourth quarter to be $188 million,
up 6.1%, and total 2005 sales for 2005 to be $539.4 million, up
8.4%. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were expecting sales of
$189.3 million for the quarter and $540 million for 2005. Same-store
sales fell 4% in the fourth quarter and slipped 2.6% for 2005.
"We have over the last six months underestimated the
negative effect that yarn would have on our overall business, and
for the first quarter it will be our biggest liability,"
President Larry Fine said on a conference call. He cited floral and
seasonal products and jewelrymaking as strong categories and
scrapbooking was "very steady."
But for 2006, A.C. Moore expects sales to grow 16%-17%, due to
same-store sales growth in the low single digits, with flat
same-store sales in the first quarter with higher levels in the rest
of the year. Earnings/share are expected to be up 43%-54% to
$0.71-$0.76
The company also plans 13-16 new store openings, of which four
will open in the first quarter, and effective July 1, the company
will operate and manage its own custom framing department; the
current operation is leased.
F+W ACQUIRES SCRAPBOOK
RETAILER, CONVENTIONS
F+W Publications announced the purchase of The Great American
Scrapbook Conventions and Scrapbook Retailer magazine.
F+W Chairman and CEO David Steward said, "The acquisition of
these popular shows and influential magazine reflects our ongoing
commitment to the scrapbooking category on both the trade and
consumer levels."
Jeanne Wines-Reed, the founder of the Conventions and Scrapbook
Retailer, will continue to oversee them, in addition to joining
F+W as Group Publisher of the Memory Makers publishing
franchise, including the magazine, books, a scrapbook club, and
Internet properties; she will also oversee CNA magazine.
F+W publishes a wide variety of craft/hobby magazines and books,
and was purchased by the investment firm ABRY Partners in June,
2005.
HANCOCK TO CLOSE 50 STORES,
REALIGN
1. Will close approximately 50 stores in 2006,
representing $32 million in annualized sales and approximately $3
million in operating losses. Hancock will engage a national firm to
assist the process of marketing the closed properties that have
leases beyond 2006 and negotiating with landlords for early
terminations. The inventory in the closed stores will be liquidated
in sales events, which will probably result in losses.
2. Will reduce its number of operating districts from 47
to 36 and its regions from five to three. The elimination of 13
district and/or regional management positions is expected to reduce
expenses by approximately $1.1 million; severance costs will
approximate $700,000.
3. Hancock will undertake a complete physical inventory of
all stores, which the company estimates will take 6-10 weeks to
complete and therefore could cause the company to delay filing its
Form 10-K by the SEC's deadline.
CEO Jane Aggers said, "We ... expect that the decision to
re-inventory our entire store base, while certainly ill-timed from a
financial reporting perspective, will achieve a very positive result
by putting Hancock on the road to a perpetual inventory system
enabling more informed merchandising decisions."
To read the complete announcement, visit www.hancockfabrics.com;
click on Investors; then click on Press Releases.
TREASURE ISLAND CLOSING ALL
STORES
Treasure Island is closing its 16 stores in NJ/NJ, reported the
North Jersey Media Group, and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The
30+ year-old retail operation had 450 employees and estimated annual
revenue of $49 million. The company reported assets of $9.5 million
and debts of $9.6 million. Unsecured creditors will be paid from the
liquidation sale.
Treasure Island was founded in the early 1970s by Bob Buchanan in
a converted red barn; Christmas decorations and outdoor furniture
were added later. Closure is set for the end of March. (Comment:
Our very best wishes to Don Rigg, TI's head craft buyer. There isn't
a nicer, more professional buyer in the industry and we heard
that over and over again from a wide variety of exhibitors at the
CHA show.)
LEWISCRAFT FILES FOR
BANKRUPTCY
Lewiscraft, the 90-store Canadian chain, filed for bankruptcy and
will close approximately 10 stores, according to the Canadian Press.
The chain has 200+ full-time and about 400 part-time employees.
"I believe that any restructuring will include store closures
and employee terminations, and potentially, lease
renegotiations," said President John Wilcox. "The
objective of management at this time will be to keep Lewiscraft
operating and to close only those locations which are clearly not
viable."
Lewiscraft was founded in 1913 in Toronto to sell
leather-crafting supplies and expanded into crafts in the 1970s. It
was bought out of receivership by Lance Cove Investments in 1996.
Wilcox told the Canadian Press the company has been seeking a buyer
since last July, has lost money in six of the last eight years, and
probably will again this fiscal year, which ends Apr. 30.
RANDOM NOTES, RANDOM THOUGHTS
1. One of the underlying woes in the industry these days
may be vendors and buyers losing their supplemental base. Every
business has a hot trend or major customers, but often it's the
smaller trends and customers that make the difference between profit
and loss.
For example, Treasure Island may not have been a major customer
for a vendor, but the Treasure Islands of the world help vendors
weather the storm when a primary retailer drops the line, upps its
demands, or changes buyers. Likewise, many categories, while not the
hot new thing, remain strong enough so retailers can weather the
storm when the hot trend starts to cool. Losing their supplemental
base makes vendors and retailers more dependent on the major
customers and the hottest trends. That's not healthy.
2. When a retail chain declares bankruptcy, we immediately
assume the problem is poor management or unappealing products.
Certainly that's often true, but sometimes it might be real estate: a)
A retailer's long-term lease at a low rate might be more
valuable than the store itself; b) the only way a retailer
can rid himself of an expensive lease is to declare bankruptcy; or c)
a landlord drives a store out of business (see "Benny Da
Buyer").
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
FOR SALE. Small 18-year-old company specializes in
handmade papers, organic and natural fibers, and other unusual
products for the arts/crafts. Also sells home accessories. Has
excellent long-term relationships with overseas vendors, buying
direct not through trading companies. Exceptional profit
margins. Has national name recognition from tv/magazine exposure.
Vertically integrated. Sells wholesale and retail, with an emphasis
on retail for future growth. A large website generates much of the
retail sales. For more info, call Mike Hartnett at 309-925-5593 or
email mike@clnonline.com.
GIFT MARKETS. Reports from the Atlanta and Dallas gift
shows are very positive. Lots of orders, enthusiasm, and buyer
optimism for the new year. One traditional craft vendor told CLN,
"We dont have all the orders in from the sales reps
showroom yet, but for business written at the show we have already
beaten our sales goal by 60%."Another former craft vendor told CLN
his Atlanta sales were up 150% over a year ago.
RECOMMENDED READING. The Wal-Mart Effect: How the
World's Most Powerful Company Really Works and How It's
Transforming the American Economy, by Charles Fishman, Penguin
Press. While conducting research, Fishman called CLN and
asked for names of vendors who have supplied Wal-Mart. He was not
looking for only positive or negative comments. CLN gave him
some names and later heard that he did contact them, so there may be
references/anecdotes from our industry.
MEDIA. The March issue of Women's Day, on sale Feb.
14, includes a giveaway which includes the Xyron Personal
Cutting System, the Xyron Design Runner, Karen Foster
Design Calendar papers, etc.
PAINTING. Plaid is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its
FolkArt One Stroke Painting with Donna Dewberry with the
publication of a book, Ten Wonderful Years, and a new
Anniversary Brush Set four silver marble handled brushes
embellished with rhinestone jewels a signature black faux leather
case.
FOR SALE. TheDeal.com, a trade publication for the
mergers/acquisitions industry, wrote about Primedia putting
its Crafts Division up for sale: "Industry sources say Primedia
will settle for a price just above 10 times Ebitda. One source
translated this to mean between 1 and 2 times sales [which would be
$60-$120 million].
ACQUISITION. Bernina of America acquired Great Notions products.
Bernina owns Oklahoma Embroidery Supply & Design, a
supplier of embroidery designs and supplies to embroidery companies.
Great Notions will be a subsidiary of Bernina operated by OESD.
SHOWS. Offinger Management is combining Bead & Art
Glass Fest with the Memories Scrapbooking Expo Nov. 10-12
(with classes beginning Nov. 9) in Orlando. For details, visit www.beadandartglassfest.com
and www.memoriesscrapbookingexpo.com
... MemoryTrends changed its dates for 2007, 2008, and 2009.
The 2006 show remains Oct.10-12 in Las Vegas, but the future will be
Sept. 18-20, 2007; Sept. 9-11, 2008; and Sept. 15-17, 2009.
CONDOLENCES. Jayne Hall Norman, 49, passed away following
a three-year battle with lung cancer. She was a sales manager at Solon
Mfg. for three years and previously was employed by Forster
Mfg. for 15 years. Send memorials to the American Cancer
Society.
PEOPLE. Xyron founder Chuck Ensign resigned as President
of the Creative Division. Kent Thomsen has been promoted to
President of Xyron and Sean Fernandez will add the title President,
Creative Division to his current responsibilities for Esselte,
the corporate parent of Xyron. Ensign will continue to assist
Esselte in an advisory role as needed over the next six months ...
Best wishes to Dave Bolen, formerly of Jo-Ann's and a member
of the CHA board, in his new position as Exec VP/Chief
Merchandising Officer for Petco. Dave has resigned from the
CHA board ... Tom Wierzbicki was promoted to COO from VP/General
Manager for Martingale. Prior to Martingale, he worked for Meredith
for 12 years ... ... Julie Roehm, an 11-year veteran of the auto
industry, will join its Wal-Mart Stores US division as Sr. VP
of Marketing Communications.
TV. HGTV announced it will not be produce new episodes of Simply
Quilts. Reruns will air on HGTV and DIY at least through
2006. To protest the cancellation, visit C&T Publishing's
website, www.ctpub.com,
and click on the link, "Help Save Simply Quilts." That
will link you to the HGTV comments page.
MOVING. Wm. Wright Co. will begin phasing out its Warren,
MA manufacturing and distribution operations starting Apr. 1 and
moving to Nashville.
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS YARN
1. The New York Times recently reported on the
growth of spinning: "Spin-Off, a magazine devoted to
spinning, had a 46% increase in newsstand sales in the past four
years, its publisher reported, and spinning wheel manufacturers have
recorded a steady uptick in sales." The article quoted Marilyn
Murphy, president of Interweave Press and publisher of Spin-Off,
who said revenues from the magazine and related books have grown by
about 75%.
2. All Michaels stores conducted an all-day yarn
event Sun., Jan. 29 with hourly giveaways, free yarn activities for
kids, and a fastest knit or crochet contest.
3. The Jan. 21 edition of NBC's weekend Today Show featured
a report on knitting by men and showed men knitting at a
"Boy's Night" at Knit NY, yarn shop. The ad for it
said, in part, that it was for a man who is "man enough to knit
and man enough to purl."
4. In early January Lion Brand Yarn received an
email from a blind customer who complained that she could not access
the knit/crochet patterns on the site. After doing research the
site, www.lionbrand.com,
now has hundreds of patterns that are computable with "text to
speech" Web browsers and devices that produce Braille from web
pages.
THE CREATIVE NETWORK: JOB
OPENINGS
To read the latest job openings by he only personnel recruitment
firm specializing in our industry, click on Jobs in the left-hand
column or click HERE.
THE CLN RETAIL INDEX
A. C. Moore (ACMR). Last*: 14.87 ... Change**: +1.88
Hancock Fabrics (HKF). Last*: 4.53 ... Change**: +0.83
Jo-Ann Stores (JAS). Last*: 13.39 ... Change**: +0.95
Michaels (MIK). Last*: 32.95 ... Change**: -0.71
Wal-Mart (WMT). Last*: 45.49 ... Change**: +0.09
CLN Retail Index. Last*: 111.23 ... Change**: +2.8%
Dow Jones Index. Last*: 10,793.62 ... Change**: -1.5%
*Feb. 3 ** from Jan. 13
Prices are exclusive of dividends
HEARD AT THE CHA SHOW
Another thought-provoking CHA seminar was "Twenty Trends for
2010: Retailing in an Age of Uncertainty," by Tom Rubel,
CEO/President of Retail Forward, a retail research and consulting
firm. Some snippets:
"All strategies eventually fail."
"Asia has become the world's manufacturing base."
"Wal-Mart sales will reach $500 billion by 2010."
"Consumers want more for less (time, money, risk). .... If
you want loyalty, buy a dog."
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February 20.
xxx