Sainsbury, the UK retailer is testing a shopping trolley with an inbuilt iPad dock.
iPad shopping trolley launches
The trolleys come complete with a tilting iPad holder and speakers. Their front bumpers are fitted with a sensor which lets off a warning beep if an engrossed shopper gets too close to another customer, while an onboard battery with a self-charging solar panel ensures that the iPads never run out of power.
The trolleys have been developed by broadcaster Sky to highlight its Sky Go service, which allows iPad users to watch live sport or news on their portable devices. The iPads themselves are not included.
Abercrombie and Fitch has offered “substantial payment” to Jersey Shore’s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino to stop wearing brand in “Jersey Shore”. Now, in my view, this is the first time a brand pays someone to stop wearing their clothes.
Abercrombie to 'Jersey Shore': Ditch our brand
"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans," an Abercrombie & Fitch spokesperson said in a statement. "We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response."
In personal relationships, seven-year itches can be destructive; in the world of information technology, eight-year agreements between a leading software vendor and a global retailer indicates a serious commitment to serious competitive advantage spanning multiple continents.
Tesco signs eight year agreement with Microsoft
Tesco has committed to the Microsoft platform in an eight year, world-wide agreement.
This global deal is aimed to enable Tesco to improve productivity, decision-making, knowledge sharing and operational excellence across the 14 countries in which it currently operates.
The agreement will underpin Tesco’s strategic objectives of growing its international presence; expanding its non-food business; and offering a broad selection of retail services such as banking, online and mobile. Putting innovative technology in the hands of its customers, staff and suppliers will allow Tesco to get closer to its goals of multi-channel retailing and meeting people’s needs as they change.
During the course of this agreement, Tesco and its affiliates will have access to the latest versions of Microsoft products and services in their head offices, stores, distribution and data centres, including Windows, Office, SharePoint, Exchange, Lync, System Center, BizTalk and SQL Server.
Tesco is expecting to see value immediately through the deployment of SharePoint, Exchange and Lync to create a new global collaboration platform. This will allow all employees to find specialist skills and share and access knowledge whenever and wherever they need. Collaboration is seen as enabling the distribution of retail skills and other best practices to its international subsidiaries; facilitating product innovation with internal experts and suppliers; and building communities of expertise.
“We have lots of colleagues in Tesco, doing lots of jobs all over the world,” says Mike McNamara, Group CIO at Tesco. “These technologies can help bring us together to share learning and expertise, views and opinions, thoughts and ideas.”
The deal also includes Microsoft Services’ Enterprise Strategy programme. The Consulting expertise this Programme provides is helping Tesco set strategy and prioritise and deliver projects so risks are minimised and time-to-value is accelerated.
“We are very excited about what this means for both Tesco’s employees and customers as it will change the way Tesco connects internally and with its customers,” says Bill Gonzalez, General Manager, Worldwide Distribution and Services Sector, Microsoft. “Tesco is one of the most innovative global retailers and this commitment confirms their position in the industry as a company that is focused on its customers, as well as driven by forward-thinking leaders.”
On the heels of fake Apple stores, now you have fake Ikea store
by Deepak Sharma on Monday, August 01, 2011
Scale of counterfeiting in China just keeps getting bigger. After fake Apple stores, now you have fake Ikea stores.
Chinese retailers hijack the Ikea experience
Nestled in a sleepy southern district of Kunming city in southwest China, is a 10,000 square meter, four-story building that could make Swedish furniture giant Ikea uneasy.
11 Furniture, as the store is known, copies Ikea's blue and yellow color scheme, mock-up rooms, miniature pencils, signage and even its rocking chair designs. Its cafeteria-style restaurant, complete with minimalist wooden tables, has a familiar look, although the menu features Chinese-style braised minced pork and eggs instead of Ikea's Swedish meatballs and salmon.
The Fall 2011 issue of Speak, Microsoft's customer publication for the retail industry, is out.
Speak, Microsoft's customer publication for the retail industry, provides retail technology and business executives with a digest of the key challenges in the industry, and the technology solutions that can address them. Formerly known as Retailspeak, the magazine includes comment from Microsoft and Microsoft partners and customers in the retail industry.
