2012 100 - Networld Media Group

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ETHNIC RETAIL
The café inside Walmart’s Hispanic-themed Más Club in
Houston offers fresh-made tortillas. Macy’s Salt Lake City
store carries larger-size cookware to accommodate the area’s
Mormon families, which tend to be bigger. Whole Foods’
special halal promotion during Ramadan boosted sales by
300 percent. The iPhone World Cup app published by Hispanic
network Univision was 2010’s 13th most popular free
application in the U.S. A survey published in Ad Age found
that 42 percent of Hispanics said they are more loyal towards
companies that show appreciation for their culture by advertising
in Spanish. But before they change their logos to red
and green, marketers and retailers are cautioned to consider
that those who identify themselves as Hispanic hail from as
many as 20 different cultures. A campaign targeting the U.S. Mexican population would fall flat (or worse) if aimed at South
Americans or Spaniards. Cultural sensitivity and a working knowledge of cultural taboos are crucial.
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URBAN OUTFITTERS
Urban Outfitters shares slid 27 percent
in 2011, the year’s biggest drop
among U.S. specialty apparel retailers
except for Aeropostale, costing the retailer
its spot on the Nasdaq 100 Index.
Net income also dropped for the past
four quarters, prompting the chain to
boost discounts to clear slow-moving
inventory. Oppenheimer & Co. analyst
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ANN TAYLOR
Your mother’s favorite retailer is looking
to become a fashion destination for
women in their twenties. Ann Taylor’s
new online lookbook “The Style For
Students” takes its lead from street style
blogs such as Scott Schumann’s Sartorialist
and Jak and Jill, and features
young women from universities across
Pamela Quintiliano blames “bizarre”
and “lackluster” fashion selections for
the retailer’s woes. It didn’t help matters
when the Philadelphia-based
Urban was served with a cease-anddesist
order from the Navajo Nation
in June 2011 in response to a line of
products emblazoned with bold geometric
designs reminiscent of South-
the country wearing the label’s latest
collections. The brand’s new concept
stores, designed by New York-based
architecture firm S. Russell Groves, feature
a runway of mannequins, crystal
chandeliers, tufted couches, and “shops
within the shop” that lend a more
boutique-y feel. The dressing rooms
western Native American motifs. The
trouble started when Urban Outfitters
described the items as Navajo. Under
the terms of the Federal Indian Arts
and Crafts Act of 1990 and the Federal
Trade Commission Act, it is prohibited
to falsely claim, or even imply, that a
product is Native American-made if it
is not.
are equipped with flattering, back-lit
mirrors and touch screens that display
product information. The retailer saw
its net sales in the third quarter ended
Oct. 29 increase 12 percent to $564
million and net income rise 33 percent
to $32.3 million, compared with the
same quarter last year.
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