[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ]

Umbro PLC shareholders approved a $566 million takeover by Nike Inc., the British sportswear manufacturer said Thursday.

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[Source: Business Wire]

NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Clarks Companies N.A. today announced the market launch of its celebrated kids' footwear brand, Clarks kids. One of the premier brands in children’s footwear, Clarks kids is modeled after the same principles of other Clarks brands, comfort and quality, and the commitment to keeping kids’ feet healthy, happy and looking good.

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[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ]

Manhattan Associates has struck a deal to provide supply chain optimisation solutions for clog specialist Crocs.

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[Source: Footwear News ]

Portland Business Journal - by Andy Giegerich Business Journal staff writer In the end, Starter never got started for Nike Inc. via Portland Business Journal

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[Source: Smallbiztechnology.com ]

For many smaller businesses, technology is a necessary evil - this is unfortunate. You know you need anti-virus protection. You need printers. You need a network and of course you don't want anything to not work. But thinking of technology as an expense and hassle means that you are not using technology as a strategic asset.

Furthermore, if you are a small business right now, but have plans for growth - ie Inc Magazine or Fortune Small Business type businesses, then you must start using & planning for technology the right way. Think of $10 with a 5 year old and $10 with a 30 year old. You'll get two different expenditure patterns. In your business, you must use technology as an adult, not like a child.

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[Source: Retailnet.com: Retail Industry News ]

The National Retail Federation (NRF) welcomed an agreement on economic stimulus legislation reached Thursday between the Bush Administration and House leaders. The tentative deal would grant individuals a maximum rebate of $600 and married couples up to $1,200, plus $300 per child.“The proposal

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[Source: Footwear News ]

"I am baffled by my mother's refusal to return assets which rightfully do not belong to her"

The co-founder of the Jimmy Choo shoe boutique beloved by celebrities filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against her estranged mother, seeking $10 million in damages stemming from the 2004 sale of the business. via Reuters

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[Source: Entrepreneur.com: Sales and Marketing ]

Kick off 2008 with the latest info on American consumers. You'll find helpful tips and insights into the minds of your customers with this fun quiz.

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[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ]

Accessory footwear marketer RG Barry Corporation has entered into an exclusive three-year North American licensing agreement with Nautica Apparel to develop and market slippers for men, women and children under the Nautica and J-Class brands. Terms were not disclosed.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ]

Global athletic company New Balance has implemented an item-level RFID solution to track footwear from distribution centre to retail store.

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[Source: Footwear News ]

"With Childhood obesity on the rise, the Saucony Run for Good Foundation is taking action, encouraging kids to lead healthier lifestyles for ultimately happier lives."

Sneaker marketer Saucony Inc. 's Saucony Run for Good Foundation, established to help end childhood obesity by providing financial support to nonprofits that support childrens' fitness programs, has awarded its ... via Boston Business Journal

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[Source: About.com Retail Industry: What's Hot Now ]

Retailers are focusing on factors that make their Web sites more profitable rather than investing in features that do not provide a return on investment, according to a new study from the Direct Marketing Association.

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[Source: Footwear News ]

"I don't see added value. It's just the environmental bandwagon rolling and they're trying to latch on to it."

If Loblaws follows other retailers in green labelling, shoppers could get the chance to literally calculate their exact carbon footprint from a new pair of boots or even a box of chocolates. via Globeinvestor.com

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[Source: Wired: Top Stories ]

After a steady drop over the past several years, the number of people who say they're very worried about the safety of online shopping rose sharply in 2007. If they're not scared, they should be, statistics show.

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[Source: Footwear News ]

"Young India is on the move. Youngsters like to express themselves through their professions, what they wear, what they do in their leisure time and more. The attitude has changed from that of "I have to do this"

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, January 17, 2008 -- Reebok India, world's leading sports brand launched its lifestyle and performance collection on January 08, 2008 at the JW Marriott Hotel, Mumbai where the ... via Business Wire India

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[Source: Footwear News ]

"Once a passive experience, digital signage is evolving into an engaging, interactive medium that puts the shopper in control"

National Retail Federation Expo -- New technologies are changing the retail industry dramatically, and Intava Corporation is introducing one of the most innovative interactive merchandising systems at the ... via Market Wire

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[Source: Retail - RSS Feeds ]

p New technology introductions aim to help retailers speed customer returns and reduce shrink caused by employees and shoppers. p ...

Development Software Save time & money every time you shop online: DealTime helps you find the best prices on everything from Computers & Electronics to Jewelry, Toys & more

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[Source: Retail - RSS Feeds ]

p Smart phones aimed at posters capture bar codes that give consumers more product information and allow for data mining. p ...

Softwear at Shopping.com Find, compare and buy clothing and other apparel products. Read product reviews and compare prices with tax and shipping from thousands of online stores.

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[Source: Footwear News ]

"Downtown is a far better place to do business than it was a few years ago"

Brown Shoe Co. is exploring the possibility of giving the boot to its Clayton headquarters - and the city of St. via STLtoday

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[Source: In-Store & Retail Media News ]

Promo magazine has put together a piece that focuses on a handful of retailers and their experience with in-store TV. According to the article, "About 630,000 TV screens are now housed in 97,000 U.S. retail stores, estimates PowerPact, a consumer marketing agency. That number is projected to grow by 20% a year."

Obviously, this is good news. But even more interesting is the fact that "hipper" stores like Borders (whose in-store TV developments we wrote about in early December), Ecko Unltd and Limited Too are following in the steps of Wal-Mart, who already has 120,000 screens according to Promo. It's even more reassuring that these retailers are working to develop unique content for the in-store TV's instead of just settling for glorified versions of late-night infomercials. (more...)

[Source: Smallbiztechnology.com ]

When you shop for products on most web sites you'll have one of two experiences.

You'll go to a slick web site like Staples or hundreds of other large retails and be given hints on what to buy and other digital assistance. OR you'll end up on the web site of a small business owner who has a bare bones e-commerce web site (often powered by PayPal). (more...)

[Source: Smallbiztechnology.com ]

If you've been walking into your local retailer or going online to buy software by the box, you are really wasting your money. Instead you should be utilizing a licensing structure to save money on software. For example, instead of paying $300 for Microsoft Office from Staples or some other retailer, you would pay a fraction of the cost on a recurring basis - very similar to a car lease.

Microsoft's licensing is pretty confusing to understand, but read up on it here.

The best person to speak to about this, is your local Microsoft partner, IT consultant. Microsoft will be educating them in fact on a new licensing program which will be launched in March. But read up on it here from Microsoft and here from CMP (coverage about this for resellers).

(click here for original article)

[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ]

Demand for specialist footwear fibres and fabrics is increasing rapidly, according to a new report, helped by a growing awareness of the health and safety benefits of wearing footwear designed for specific sports, activities and occupations.

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[Source: Retailnet.com: Retail Industry News ]

The Finish Line Inc. reported a third-quarter loss of nearly $16 million after being hurt by a sales decline and costs related to its disputed $1.5 billion acquisition of larger rival Genesco Inc. Finish Line's net loss for the quarter ended Dec. 1 totaled $15.9 million compared to a loss of $3

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[Source: BusinessWeek Online -- Small Business ]

A lot of highfalutin software and gadgets aim to help you run your company, but too little of it is suited for a small business environment

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[Source: Retailnet.com: Retail Industry News ]

Post-holiday discounts and shoppers redeeming gift cards helped boost retail sales 14% for the last full week of December, according to data released on Wednesday. ShopperTrak RCT, which tracks sales at more than 50,000 U.S. retail locations, also found that retail traffic rose 7% over a year a

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[Source: Footwear News] "The merger has a reasonable chance of succeeding" Nashville Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle said making Finish Line simply pay damages to Genesco wouldn't have been enough to repair the harm done by the attempt to get out of the deal. via NewsFactor Network (click here for original article)