The Value of Design to Startups
Design and marketing are way more important than engineering for consumer Internet companies, argues angel investor Dave McClure
By Dave McClure

Over the past five years I've consulted with and/or invested in about 50 startups. I've gotten to know a lot of entrepreneurs and a fair number of the venture capital and angel investors who are backing these companies, most of which are in the consumer Internet field. And guess what? Probably more than half of the start… Continue

By Jonathan Birchall in New York

Published: January 3 2010 22:04 | Last updated: January 3 2010 23:57


With annual sales of more than $400bn, Walmart, which owns Asda in the UK, plans to exploit the scale of its buying power


Walmart is launching a drive this year to cut billions of dollars of costs from its supply chain by combining its store purchasing across national frontiers in a new stage in the globalisation of its business.

EDITOR’S CHOICE
Walmart says confidence remains low - Nov-12… Continue

Toilet Paper Trumps Decor at Target's Great Save
By Nicole Maestri
January 3, 2010


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Move over Italian dinnerware and Chinese accent armchairs. Target Corp is making room in its stores for bulk-size packages of toilet paper to lure post-holiday shoppers.

Starting on January 3, Target, the No. 2 U.S. discount retailer, is introducing "The Great Save" in its 1,740 stores.

In the space where it typically sells seasonal merchandise, Target is setting up a "warehouse-club-… Continue

FC Expert Blog
Two Smart Strategies For 2010
BY FC Expert Blogger Kaihan KrippendorffTue Dec 29, 2009 at 8:52 AM
This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone.


Yesterday is gone. 2010 is the time to start anew. It’s true that many of my clients and colleagues are tightening their belts now through the first quarter of 2010, but it’s not due to fear carried over from 2009. Instead, many of them are streamlining processes and making div… Continue

Wondering what’s going to be in style for Fall and Winter 2010? Here’s LamanBlu’s take on the trends for the season. Visit their website at www.LamanBlu.com/Gallery.htm to see their Fall/Winter 2010 Trend Lookbook.

According to Pantone, they key theme for Fall 2010 is Mosaic. “Our world is a rich mosaic, born from varying elements that create a whole. Mosaics can reflect cultural, geographical and political differences, yet still coordinate all… Continue

By ELIZABETH HOLMES And RACHEL DODES
Big retailers are sticking to their guns going into the final weekend before Christmas, betting that deal-seeking procrastinators will settle for lower levels of discounting as the season enters its final stretch.

"Super Saturday," the last Saturday before Christmas, promises to be an especially important shopping day this year because many people have delayed holiday purchases in hopes of deeper mark-downs. But lower inventory levels and a slight pickup in… Continue

Toys R Us narrows third-quarter loss; best quarter in three years
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Last updated: Thursday December 10, 2009, 10:56 AM
BY JOAN VERDON
The Record
Staff Writer
0 Comments Toys “R” Us narrowed its third-quarter loss to $67 million from $104 million in 2008, and company executives Thursday hailed the results as the lowest third-quarter loss since 2006.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jerry Storch called the third quarter “the prelude to the important holiday season” a… Continue

Summer Infant, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Classy Kid Inc.

December 08, 2009: 09:00 AM ET


Summer Infant, Inc. ("Summer Infant" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: SUMR) today announced that on November 19th, it completed the acquisition of Classy Kid Inc., a juvenile products manufacturer headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Classy Kid marketed premium products that maintain the health and hygiene of children, and also specialized in germ defense and easy clean-up products for families on the go. The… Continue

Where there is great love there are always miracles."

--Willa Cather,
American author

Destination Maternity sales drop in 3% NovemberPhiladelphia Business Journal - by Peter Van Allen Staff Writer

Destination Maternity expects to beat guidance despite weak sales
Maternity-wear retailer Destination Maternity Corp. said Thursday its sales fell 3 percent last month.

Sales totaled $42.7 million, down from $44 million in November 2008.

On a comparable basis, measuring the same stores as a year earlier, sales fell by 11.6 percent, in line with company estimates, Destination Maternit… Continue