Merchandising

PriceGrabber released results from its 2012 Back-to-School Shopping Forecast survey, showing more signs of economic recovery. The survey revealed that 63 percent of consumers plan to spend up to $500 this back-to-school shopping season (compared to 48 percent in 2011). Twenty percent of respondents plan to spend between $500 and $1,000, and 17 percent of shoppers said they don't have a back-to-school shopping budget this year.

The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) today announced the launch of NFLPA Shop, a new online store featuring authentic merchandise of more than 1,800 NFL players. NFLPA Shop is the first retailer to give fans the choice to own on-demand licensed apparel of every NFL player.

Travel retail has long been a fixture for brands like Estée Lauder Cos Inc and LVMH's Louis Vuitton. But sales at airports and other travel venues have risen far more quickly in recent years than at regular stores for many chains, putting this area of retailing front and centre in many companies' expansion plans.

As customer expectations rise, the number of platforms and devices explodes. And as senior management looks for ways to achieve higher and more efficient performance, the online merchandiser’s job grows increasingly complex.

Earlier this year several major retailers, including Marks & Spencer, J Sainsbury and John Lewis earmarked the first Olympics on U.K. soil for 64 years as a major opportunity for a fillip to sales. Yet the financial stresses of recession, coupled with an absence of public holidays and unhelpful weather patterns, mean any boost may be muted.

Virgin Mobile, the pay-as-you-go carrier owned by Sprint Nextel, plans to open its first 10 retail stores Friday in Chicago, aiming to profit from the iPhone's expansion into the prepaid wireless market. Virgin Mobile will become the second U.S. prepaid service to offer the Apple device, following the iPhone's debut Friday at Leap Wireless International. The new stores also mark a strategy shift for Virgin, which has previously relied on retailers such as RadioShack and Best Buy to market its service, said Jeff Auman, a vice president at the carrier.

In an open letter and ad campaign, Equal Exchange, an importer of coffee and other commodities, is asking Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to leave Fair Trade USA, a certification organization. Equal Exchange, a Massachusetts-based importer of "fair trade" coffee, cocoa and other commodities, has taken out two full-page ads in Vermont's largest daily newspaper, the Burlington Free Press, taking local hero Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to the woodshed. At issue is what constitutes "fair trade."

PVH Corp. will open 600 Izod shops inside J.C. Penney department stores in September, Women’s Wear Daily reported. The new in-store-shops will range from 600 sqare feet to 1,000 square feet in size.

Teen clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch plans to close 180 U.S. stores over the next few years as it tries to improve its financial performance. Abercrombie used to generate most of its sales in the U.S. but has shifted its focus to overseas markets such as Europe and Asia, where it's still growing. The chain has already closed 135 underperforming U.S. stores over the past two years.

German sports apparel maker Adidas withdrew its plans to sell a controversial sneaker featuring affixed rubber shackles after the company generated significant criticism when advertising the shoe on its Facebook page. The high-top sneakers, dubbed the JS Roundhouse Mids, were expected to release in August, according to the Adidas Originals Facebook page. “Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?” a caption below a photo of the sneakers read.