The staff of HUDSON’S sends best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season to everyone! Thanks to all for your unwavering support in 2009…
Let’s make 2010 our most successful year ever!
The HUDSON’S main office is closed Friday, December 25 through Sunday, January 3.
Cheers, everyone!
-Tom Hudson, Margaret Mobius, Mychele Medina, Janet Muniz , Patrician Anaya, Courtney Yagerman, Warren Kaufman, Ron Yates and the rest of the HUDSON’S staff!
Retail expert Bob Phibbs, known as the Retail Doctor, cautions that severe winter storms could affect shopping, such as the recent snowstorm that hit the east coast. “While this is not welcome news, it is not the end of the world either,” he says. As the author of You Can Compete: Double Sales Without Discounting, he consults for some of the largest brands in the country including Yamaha, Hunter Douglas, LEGO and Brother.
It’s just two days before Christmas, but cities have a vested interest in keeping streets clear of the white stuff, especially when reports indicate that local sales are up, Bob says.
What to do when severe winter weather hits? Here’s the Retail Doctor’s advice:
*Keep your customers informed by updating all of your social media sites with the hours you will be open.
*Do everything possible to keep your store open. If anyone can be out shopping, you should be at your store, lights on, sidewalk and parking spaces in front of your store cleared.
*Stay open later hours to ease the shopping experience for customers who are delayed by the storms.
*Help your customers enjoy the “White Christmas” aspect of the shopping experience. Bob says, “And don’t forget, the guys are the last to shop – they’ll still be the ones you’ll see in the next few days ready to splurge.”
If history is any guide, weather can devastate shopping if snow removal is not taken seriously. Bob remembers that the holiday blizzard of 2008 in Portland, OR shut down the city – he says the mayor decided to avoid plowing the streets due to cost constraints, which weakened sales for thousands of businesses … for over two weeks.
Bob Phibbs helps hundreds of businesses in every major industry, including hospitality, manufacturing, service, restaurant and retail. He is a nationally recognized retail expert on business strategy, customer service, sales and marketing. With over 30 years experience, he has been a corporate officer, franchisor and entrepreneur. His new book, The Retail Doctor’s Guide To Growing Your Business is available from Wiley in April.
-Janet Muniz
winter photo credit: laffy4k
It’s certainly not too late to start planning for KIDShow Las Vegas in February 2010. With more new exhibitors and brands than ever before, this show is a “can’t miss” for buyers.
Show coordinator Denise Raeside tells us, “Buyers have found the Las Vegas Market to be cost-effective, with the lowest travel and stay rates in the U.S., and KIDShow has the largest selection of brands the buyers need in their stores – they can get all of their buying done for the season … and take in an entertainment show while they are there, too!”
The list of new exhibitors keeps growing:
Alpha Apparel … Amerex Group LLC with Carter’s / London Fog & Osh Kosh … Blind Mice Socks … Butterfly Treasures … Cazella Innovations … Classroom School Uniforms … Cover Me Blue … EZ Sox … Family Ties … Flyers Group PLC / Ben Sherman Kids … Franco Apparel Group with Eddie Bauer / Hello Kitty / Laura Ashley / Little Bitty / Majestic Athletic / Peanuts & Warner Brothers … Frederic Lou with SpaSilk … Funkoos … Happy Kids for Kids … House of Mongrel … Indo Apparel & Gifts … JDC Accessories / Button-Caps … Kate Quinn Organics … Kicky Pants … Kitty Kat Designs … Miquel-Ruis USA … Mooncakes … Peace of Cake … Piccolo Hosiery … Star Ride Kids … Tiny Pants … Z Wear … Zootie Patootie
These brands are showing alongside long-standing KIDShow exhibiting brands like:
Biscotti … Bon Bebe … Bows Arts … Cach Cach … Calvin Clothing … Carriage Boutiques … Children’s Apparel Network … Dan Post Boot Co. … Genuine Rose … Good Girl … Good Lad … Hip Hop Hosiery … Josmo Shoes … Kalencom … Kiddo … Kids Headquarters with Hurley & Paul Frank Industries … Kissy Kissy … LeTop … Little Things Mean A Lot … Mamiye Bros. with Little Me & Flapdoodles … Nannette … Pediped … Reflectionz … Sage Creek Organics … Sara’s Prints … Shannon Kids … Snopea … Tea Collection … Trimfoot … Truly Me by Sara Sara … Tutu Cute … Vitamins … and many, many more!
Plus, the HUDSON’S Mannequin Maze is now forming. All mannequins are available; email info@hudsonscr.com for RSVP and payment.
Check the KIDShow website for updated brands listings, and for a link to discounted hotel room rates at Bally’s and Paris Hotels – Denise says that the Bally’s rate of $49.00 per night for a Monday-Wednesday stay is the lowest rates she’s seen in years. “It is less expensive to fly and stay in Las Vegas than to drive and stay in the regional markets,” she adds.
-Janet Muniz
These past couple of years were very busy ones for Tracy Ingle and her brother, Tonie Jones.
After spending a huge amount of their time cultivating the seed of an idea for an eco-friendly shoe company producing footwear that promotes foot health, the two have launched JEMOS footwear.
The pair, from Kansas City and St. Joseph, MO respectively, now produce a line of shoes at a factory in China using high-quality remnant leather from an American furniture company. Talk about a green dream – Tracy and Tonie are making stylish footwear for infants and toddlers that pamper tiny feet – and Mother Nature as well.
“At first, we just wanted to make an amazingly cute shoe for our babies. And after a very long time doing research, design and development, we felt driven to make a better shoe,” the company says on their website. “Our shoes are all hand sewn in small orders using high quality craftsmanship, with attention to detail – babies should have quality.”
JEMOS – a name crafted from the first letters of their children’s names – are soft-soled and flexible shoes with a breathable lining available for newborns through 24+ months, featuring 21 styles for both girls and boys. The sturdy soles have a triple layer of cushioning, extra cushioned ankles for comfort and Velcro closures for ease of dressing. The shoes also feature a wider toe area for growing feet and a flat sole, features that are highly recommended by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) for proper foot development and health. They’re great for beginning crawlers and first time walkers, protecting little feet both indoors and out.
JEMOS uses superior quality, hand chosen leather remnants that are supremely soft and ultra flexible, which means more comfort for children and less waste for the environment.
**BONUS ALERT** Each pair of shoes also comes with a cute animal finger puppet!
The company plans to introduce at least six new styles each season, so the line stays stylish and vibrant from season to season.
-Janet Muniz
…by way of Studio City, CA!
“Both of these lines are gorgeous!”
-Courtney Yagerman, HUDSON’s fashion director
On November 15, Courtney attended charity fashion show, A Holiday Wish on Madison Avenue, at the Sportsman’s Lodge for a triple celebration – the introduction of Jayeoni Moore New York, a look at Saurette‘s new Holiday 2009 collection and the good works of the Jayneoni Moore Children‘s Fund.
Jayeoni Moore New York
Guests brought art supplies to benefit the Fund, which helps underprivileged children in the Los Angeles, CA area … and were treated to the début of Jayeoni Moore New York, designed by TV personality and celebrity stylist Jayneoni Moore, opening with Holiday 2009, a European-inspired collection of dresses and separates for girls ages two to six.
At the event, Jayeoni hosted the Sweet Hour, where celebrities and guests alike snacked on incredible goodies like cupcakes from the Southland’s Layers Cake Design Studio. The mid-afternoon runway show also featured the new Saurette holiday collection designed by Lisa Kanouse – beautifully detailed appliqué dresses, knit sweaters and tiered ruffled skirts.
Saurette
A little somethin’-somethin’ about each designer:
Starting in New York with spots on MTV, VH1 and Entertainment Tonight, as well as dressing models backstage at New York Fashion Week for Michael Kors and Oscar de la Renta, Jayneoni Moore loves to be where fashion and celebrity meet. She moved to Los Angeles and began styling celebrities such as Halle Berry, Vanessa Williams and Courtney Cox. After having her own little fashionista, Jayneoni set out to create a more fashion forward line of clothing for girls.
Saurette designer Lisa Kanouse with actress Nikki Blonsky
Lisa Kanouse has 18 years of fashion industry experience, including jobs as freelance photo stylist for the Chicago Tribune and Marshall Fields as well as 10 years creating and producing women’s collections for Saks Off 5th, Macy’s and May Company. Saurette is the dream collection that Lisa has always wanted to create. Since launching in March 2009, the response to the brand has been extremely positive with both buyers and customers. Celebrity moms like Joely Fisher, Penelope Ann Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow and Edie Falco all love Saurette for their girls.
A good time was had by all, especially Courtney, who enjoyed meeting the designers and learning about these lovely holiday styles.
-Janet Muniz
Saurette photo credit: Beautiful Life Images
Want 3 million parents to see and read about your product?
Start planning today, as the deadline for the prestigious National Parenting Publications Awards Parenting Resources competition is January 15, 2010.
Product categories include:
-maternity and postpartum clothing and gear
-baby and toddler equipment
-labor- and time-saving gadgets
-safety and childproofing products
-how-to parenting books, DVDs, CDs, websites, magazines and newsletters
-health and skin care
-nutrition and fitness
…and more
Early entries may be selected as a NAPPA Entry of the Week!
With the goal of helping parents make the best choices for their families, NAPPA manager Barbara Smith Decker tells us that this competition is one of the oldest and best known among independent awards programs, which determines winners through a highly selective process, including:
(1) specialty judges with expertise in the fields they judge,
(2) product evaluators and
(3) family testers who provide practical field evaluations.
NAPPA Gold winners are guaranteed:
-print feature coverage in the June, 2010 issues of 30 or more regional parenting magazines that cover the top metro markets across the nation.
Gold and Honors winners are guaranteed:
– a full year of prominent coverage on the NAPPA pages of Parenthood.com, which receives a quarter-million unique visitors each month.
There is also the opportunity for entrants to request feedback from judges and testers, which can be most helpful in product development and positioning. Save 50% on feedback from NAPPA judges and parent testers now!
-Download entry forms at Parenthood.com/NAPPA_entry_forms.php
-email NAPPA@Parenthood.com or Barbara.Decker@Parenthood.com
-call NAPPA at 617-284-1413 or 617-522-1515 x224
NAPPA also has a new street address: 51 Morgan Drive, Suite 11, Norwood, MA 02062-5021; Fax: 617-522-1694
Good luck!
-Janet Muniz
This weekend, lifestyle brand Quiksilver arrives in Paris for a gala opening to the company’s 40th Anniversary festivities.
The Grand Palais, Paris. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Two days of skateboarding, music, art and fashion at the historic Grand Palais culminate on Saturday night with The Quiksilver Tony Hawk Show, followed by a concert with Dead By Sunrise – Chester Bennington of Linkin Park with his newest band – and a late night with DJ Mix Master Mike.
CEO Bob McKnight is understandably excited. “It is amazing to think that we have been at this for over four decades,” he says. With the help of our athletes, we’re proud to have built Quiksilver into a global company that helps define a lifestyle and culture around the world.”
For the last 109 years, the Grand Palais has held boxing competitions and horse racing. Now, its first ever inside action sports event features the largest vert ramp ever built in Europe and an immense street course open to skaters of all ages and skill levels – free of charge. A Street Contest Invitational features a prize purse of 20,000 Euros.
While in Paris, Quiksilver is paying tribute to 40 years by bringing together its top global team in surf, skate and snow, including Kelly Slater, Todd Richards, Travis Rice, Danny Garcia, Alex Olson, Jérémy Florès, Mathieu Crépel, Robby Naish and Roxy’s Kassia Meador, Lisa Andersen and Torah Bright. The Tony Hawk Show is bringing friends such as skaters Andy MacDonald, Kevin Staab, Sandro Dias, Jean Postec, Sergie Ventura, Jesse Fristch and four of the biggest names in international skateboarding: Christian Hosoi, Daniel Cardone, Javier Mendizabal and Omar Hassan.
Be sure to look for Todd Richard’s event coverage, Paris exploits and special interviews with athletes and artists alike for Tod Cast on Quiksilver.com.
Renowned graffiti artist André is transforming giant ramps into unique art, giving the public the exceptional opportunity to watch him at work. Quiksilver has also assembled a 40-year fashion retrospective inside the venue.
If you’re jetting to Paris for the weekend, entrance is free to the public for the daytime events. You can purchase tickets online for Saturday night’s performance. But if you can’t make the trip, watch The Quiksilver Tony Hawk Show live on QuiksilverLive.com.
OooLaLa!
-Janet Muniz
November is National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, and this week, Nike débuts the Nike N7 Collection, a select range of performance footwear designed with the environment – and the future of Native American communities – in mind.
Photo Credit: Anthroscribe
Sold exclusively through 33 Nike Factory Stores in the U.S. such as the Lake Elsinore Outlet Center in California, a portion of the profits are gifted to the N7 Fund, which supports youth sport in Native American communities.
The collection was created through the lens of Nike’s Considered Design approach, where products are engineered for higher performance and lower environmental impact, and features the N7 Air Pegasus+ 26, the N7 Huarache and the N7 SMS RT for preschool and toddler sizes.
“For more than 10 years Nike has worked closely with Native American communities to provide support through product innovations specific to the needs of Native Americans and by providing grants to support sport programs through the N7 Fund,” says Sam McCracken, general manager of Nike’s Native American Business and chairman of the N7 Fund. “With the introduction of the N7 Collection, consumers now have the ability to be their own agents of change, as the profits from their purchase will help young people in Native American communities realize their potential through sport.” (To contact Sam: N7.Fund@nike.com.)
Native American Inspired Design
The Nike N7 SMS RT for kids as well as the N7 Air Pegasus+ 26 and N7 Huarache features Native American inspired design details and graphics that tie the shoe back to the N7 Collection. The Nike N7 SMS RT is a durable, all-day play shoe that meets the demands of the rough-and-tumble kid, featuring Sensory Motion System (SMS) technology for a natural, efficient range of motion and aiding healthy foot development.
The collection is available for the holiday season – through the end of December. Giving the N7 Collection is like giving two gifts in one!
-Janet Muniz
Children’s apparel and accessories company baby star® launches a new denim collection for both girls and boys, made from certified organic denim – all at a reasonable $40 retail.
With star accents and green stitching, the lucy skirt and jane jeans for girls and the jack jeans for boys feature pre-washed, dark blue denim available in sizes 6-12, 12-18, 18-24 plus 2T, 4T and 6T.
The collection is part of the company’s new soy/organic line growing in popularity with babies and toddlers – and their parents, of course. Other new arrivals include buddha long-sleeve tees and matching pants, stella skirt for girls and johnny pants for boys.
A member of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, baby star was founded by dana bach johnson in fall of 2004 with the purpose of balancing style, functionality and sustainability in apparel and accessories for children – essentials items like blankets, burps, bibs and bedding, too.
-Janet Muniz
Looking for some stocking stuffers for your store? Why not consider holiday music CD’s – created especially for the little ones?
My Baby Loves…Christmas is part of the My Baby Loves… CD series, created by husband-and-wife team Charley and Susan Greenberg and distributed by Traffic Entertainment/The Orchard.
Since late summer, the Greenberg’s have released CDs of popular music produced into lullabies for children, including anthologies of hits by Madonna, Michael Jackson and the 80’s, to name a few. “We wanted to make something that parents can love as much as their babies can enjoy,” Susan says.
With kid-friendly versions of holiday favorites like Silent Night, Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, My Baby Loves…Christmas can warm hearts on a cold winter’s night.
Nancy Stewart is a Washington-based children’s singer-songwriter who creates a plethora of musical moments for kids. Her CD, A Season for Singing, combines holiday classics with original material, bringing a global sensibility to the spirit of the season. “Children are singing all over the world,” she says, and she also offers music for Thanksgiving, Ramadan, Kwanza, Eid and the sounds of winter.
At California-based Music For Little People, founder Leib Ostrow and his team have been creating award-winning children’s audio for over 20 years. Christmas Favorites is the fifth offering of the company’s “right-priced” Favorite Series, with holiday singalongs performed by children and grown-ups – like Little Drummer Boy, The 12 Days of Christmas and Coventry Carol.
Giving the gift of music is very special – for kids big and small.
-Janet Muniz
Children's Retail Today 