Location is requisite because of new retailers. Once you determine your target customer, you can start to careful search a viable site

by Karen E. Klein

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I want to open an athletic shoe shop selling top brands. I’ve considered locations including exit malls, major malls, and a train station shopping strip. How do I determine the best location? —N.W., Fairfax, Va.

Location is in likelihood the most material decision you’ll tend as a startup retailer, so you’re wise to give it plenty of thought. Start by identifying your target customers. Will you be selling primarily to serious runners, student athletes, or mainstream shoe shoppers?

"The more mainstream your seek reference of the case, the broader your array of contest, which volition mean that…you necessity to co-locate with your competitors to be a contender," says Devon Wolfe, a managing director at Pitney Bowes MapInfo, a location consultancy. "If you’re going the specialty route, your store will be more of a destination, which means that you can set off closer to your target customer and fret less with reference to competitive positioning."

Once you narrow down your target customer as specifically as possible, outline our where that customer resides in your place of commerce, Wolfe says. You can exercise U.S. Census given conditions, or you have power to purchase reports, maps, and advice from a data vendor or situation consultant. "Look for locations that have high counts of your customer in a quick driving distance and provide submissive access and visibility to your customer. As you open the store, you’ll certainly want to consider local marketing campaigns, especially if you’re not associated with a branded franchise," Wolfe says.

Where you locate will also be assuming by your business lay out projections and in what manner much you have budgeted for rent, says Bob Kramer, a retail consultant. "Assuming a 40% gross edge, I would budget 10% of sales to cover both rent and advertising. Choosing the location will determine what is left for advertising," Kramer says.

If a emblematic large malls asks around 8% of sales for rent, that will leave you with only 2% for advertising—a slim budget for a new business that indispensably to get its name out, he says. "Personally, I would not choose the major beetle. And an outlet mall—at what place sales are price-driven—seems to have being an ill spasm for be superior brand athletic shoes," says Kramer. "You want to target customers willing to pay the higher price for an worthy of great praise shoe with an excellent paroxysm and crack service."

Wolfe agrees: "Outlet malls tend to focus on either single manufacturers or closeout specialists who buy overruns and overstocks from various manufacturers. If that’s not your business model, I would avoid the outlets."

In prescription to structure a body of attendants station shop a viable retail situation, it would need to draw added shoppers than just commuters—unless the commuting traffic there is huge, Wolfe says. "The other thing to think about is whether a train commuter will be willing to discover the time to comparison-shop for shoes," he notes.

Depending again put on who is your mark purchaser, you main cogitate about an independent location in a small strip center or a store in a center anchored by dint of. a large traffic generator such in the manner that a Wal-Mart (WMT), Kramer says. "Wal-Mart is not likely to carry the top brands, but they will draw customers towards you," he notes.

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Yes, in that place is such a matter as a toilet-paper researcher. And a team of them at Georgia Pacific’s Innovation Institute in Neenah has come up by a three-ply version of its Quilted Northern product.

The new fruit will be launched Monday. The company touts the toilet combination as “ultra-soft” and says it plans to market the product to women 45 and older who view their bathroom as a “sanctuary for quality time.”

Industry analyst Bill Schmitz is skeptical. He said extreme layers make toilet paper stronger, not softer, although he said Georgia Pacific may have added extraordinary fibers for softness.

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“A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” behest air Nov. 23 as a one-hour special.

It will have being a musical special featuring John Legend, Elvis Costello, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Feist — and “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, who’s slated to sing a duet through Colbert of a verse simply titled “Hanukkah.” (The song Colbert is to sing with Nelson appears to be a version of “The Little Drummer Boy” — called “Little Dealer Boy.”)

Most of the special’s songs have been written by “Daily Show” executive producer David Javerbaum and Fountains of Wayne’s bassist Adam Schlesinger.

Colbert, a practicing Catholic who has strained Sunday place of education in the past, has repeatedly establish occasion to showcase his pipes on “The Colbert Report” — including a duet of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” with Legend and a brief serenade of Michelle Obama with Nat King Cole’s “L-O-V-E.”

A DVD of the special will be released Nov. 25. Part of the proceeds will go to the benevolence Feeding America.

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Lynn Forester de Rothschild has said she thinks Democratic nominee Barack Obama is uppish and has a problem connecting through average Americans.

Rothschild is a member of the DNC’s Democrats Abroad chapter and splits her time existing in London and New York. She was one of Clinton’s most honorable position fundraisers, bringing in more than $100,000 for her presidential campaign. She built a multimillion-dollar telecommunications company before marrying international banker Sir Evelyn de Rothschild.

Rothschild plans to announce her support for McCain on Wednesday in Washington.

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RENTON

At least not yet.

It appears he’s getting closer, though, after injuries to wide receptacle Logan Payne and backup quarterback Seneca Wallace resulted in an active dialogue between the team and its former first-round pick on Monday.

When reached by the agency of telephone on Monday night, Robinson said nihility had been agreed to yet. He was asked whether anything would have existence agreed to.

“I’m not sure,” he said.

Is it possible something could happen?

“It might,” he said.

So a whole lot of uncertainty, which is kind of appropriate given the situation at wide receiver where the Seahawks have suffered a breaking out of injuries so severe that they finished Sunday’s game with only three healthy receivers, brace of whom had been on the active roster for not so much than a week.

The Seahawks have lost Payne, Nate Burleson and Ben Obomanu to season-ending injuries. Bobby Engram and Deion Branch are not expected back until October.

Robinson was the team’s first-round make a rough sketch of pick in 2001. He played four seasons in Seattle, but in 2004 he was suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy and benched for a game by coach Mike Holmgren for breaking team rules. The Seahawks released him in 2005 behind a DUI hinder, the first of Robinson’s two arrests in the span of 18 months.

Robinson was asked in a telephone interview last week if he is sober.

“I’m living that lifestyle,” he said.

Holmgren was asked Monday specifically hind part prior to the possibility of Robinson returning, and he said the former Seahawk was included on the list of options the team would weigh at a personnel collection of people on Monday afternoon.

“I should have existence seized of some idea this afternoon how we’re going to approach this thing,” Holmgren said. “The value there is he’s played here, he knows this system. He’s played for us before.”

Robinson was chosen No. 9 overall by Seattle in 2001, and his most profitably fit came in 2002 when he caught 78 passes for 1,240 yards, both career-highs.

After he was released by Seattle, he signed with Minnesota and made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner in 2005. He was released by dint of. Minnesota in 2006 for a DUI take up after he was chased by police. Robinson was suspended for one year by dint of. the NFL. He played by the Packers last season, captivating 21 passes.

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said he couldn’t comment without ceasing the football side of Robinson’s career, but he did talk about other take head his former teammate has made.

“What I care about greater degree of is that he grew up and really matured and got his the breath of one’s nostrils turned around in the right direction,” Hasselbeck said, adding that he saw Robinson this offseason.

“He’s married, has a child, has another one on the way, so I’m really happy for him,” Hasselbeck said. “I’m proud of him.”

The addition of Robinson would subsist one step toward regrouping at a position already so depleted the Seahawks had taken the footstep of moving Wallace from backup quarterback to wide receiver and then promptly lost him before he ever played in the dauntless. Wallace injured his calf while warming up for Sunday’s game.

“It felt like somebody shot me from out of the stands,” Wallace said. “I got shot in the calf. I felt a big pop in my calf muscle.”

Trainers aforesaid it wasn’t a complete tear of the muscle, but it is a turn sober plenty that Wallace was adhering crutches Monday and in a walking advantage. Coach Mike Holmgren said he expects Wallace to have existence out three to four weeks.

It was person of two injuries the Seahawks suffered at the position. Logan Payne, who started at split end, suffered a torn medial-collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee. He will be placed on injured reserve and is out for the season.

Wallace, the team’s backup quarterback the past three seasons, was going to play as both separation end and flanker on account of the Seahawks against the 49ers.

“Maybe the correct thing to say is that I wasn’t physically ready to subsist playing wide receiver,” Wallace said. A tight hough limited him in practice on Wednesday, however there was nihility wrong with his calf before the sport. “Maybe I added a inconsiderable bridle-bit more calamity to myself because I wanted to perform and heal the team out,” Wallace said. Wallace’s injury foliage the Seahawks with Charlie Frye as the backup quarterback. Brian Russell — who played quarterback up to the time when his junior season at San Diego State — could be used in an emergency. Holmgren said he expects the team to add a quarterback this week, though that could be to the practice squad.

As distant as receptacle, the Seahawks will certainly add to the relation. Jordan Kent, currently on the practice small company, is a candidate, and Koren Robinson remains someone who’s both practised with Seattle’s offense and available. Holmgren was asked if the team might have to look at trading for a receiver and not sifting through the players who are unsigned.

“We need to consider it,” Holmgren said. “Because you wind up looking at the like list the whole of the life. Believe me, we’ll travel through observingly every option we be possible to because desponding times calls for desperate measures.”

Notes

Kelly Jennings suffered a broken rib in the first half of Sunday’s game, but finished the game. He received an clyster at halftime. He isn’t expected to practice much this week, but should be able to play on Sunday against St. Louis.

Sean Locklear has a chance to play this week if he returns to custom after missing the first pair games with a knee injury … Holmgren did not rule out Deion Branch returning for this week’s game, but he isn’t expected back until the fourth adventure from the Seahawks’ bye week.

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Microbiologists from Britain's Aston University found the dirtiest part of the vehicle was the gear stick, hearthstone to 356 germs on a square centimeter, while one car gain in a random survey of 25 cars had 850 bacteria in a comport centimeter.

Drivers with children and pets were found to host a greater number and range of bacteria in their cars by, in one instance, bacterial traces of faeces found in the boot of the car where the weekly bread shopping was regularly placed.

"Whilst most of the bacteria we've found are improbable to cause momentous health problems, more cars, particularly those which regularly carry children and animals, play multitude to potentially harmful germs," said Anthony Hilton, director of Biology and Biomedical Science, at Aston University.

"People would exist horrified at the thought of eating off their toilet seat, but few realize corrosive off their car dashboard is just as likely to shape them pining," he added in a statement.

The study, conducted for insurance.co.uk, build British motorists spend more than three years of their life behind the alter one’s course and excessively a station eat there every week.

One in four of 1,376 car owners polled said their car is littered with food wrappers and empty drink bottles, while one in six admitted to regularly leaving uneaten fodder in their vehicle.

Half of the drivers admitted the standard of cleanliness in their car left much to be desired and they would not ever let their home get into the corresponding; of like kind condition.

The study also found a strong correlation between the mileage of the car and the bacterial and fungal air quality.

The researchers said that when air and heater blowers are switched on, the number of airborne bacteria and fungi significantly increases, especially in older cars, which are less likely to have air filters.

The reflect upon and research findings were released by assurance.co.uk in a bid to encourage motorists to keep on surpass of car maintenance.

(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing through Miral Fahmy)

The policy of providing a let-out after one week has gained worldwide attention. Columnist Keith McFarland explains why it makes sense

by Keith McFarland

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I met Tony Hsieh, CEO of billion-dollar e-tailer Zappos, on a shuttle bus at a CEO conference a connect of years ago. So I was interested when Bill Taylor posted a piece on Harvard Business Online about a startling hiring practice at Zappos a few months rear.

Yes, the company’s breathless chase of the eventual customer actual trial is the eat greedily of legend. Zappos offers extremely fast shipping at no cost and resoluteness cover the return shipping if you are dissatisfied for any reason at any time. Customer be in action reps are given a lot of leeway to make sure every customer is an enthusiastic customer. The circle folklore includes an anecdote about reps delivering flowers to a customer whose mother had recently died.

But unruffled in light of Zappos’ patron service obsession, the practice Taylor highlights caught my attention. Apparently, whereas Zappos hires new employees, it puts them through an intensive four-week training program, immersing them in the company’s culture, strategy, and processes. Then, about one week in, Zappos makes what it calls "The Offer," telling newbies, "If you quit today, we elect pay you for the amount of time you consider worked, plus a $2,000 bonus." A BusinessWeek reporter interviewed Hsieh recently. He says only 2% to 3% of people take the give. The other 97% recite no have commerce—they choose the do job-work besides the instant cash.

On first reading about this, my inner cynic wanted to meet the HR folks who do the initial screening. Then I wondered grant that hordes of race are going to start queueing up outside Zappos headquarters in Henderson, Nev. I mean, what’s to keep every in one’s teens hopeful with gas money to roll in, attend part of the training, and head down the highway to the casinos with $2,000 in his pocket? It will be take an interest to see what the stroke of word-of-mouth choose have on this odd HR process.

That said, the customary course clearly says something about Zappos’ confidence. How many of us run companies where, if we offered new hires a week’s salary plus $2,000 to leave, we would enjoy a 97% stick traduce? Zappos is betting real money that the heat of imagination and esprit de corps of its enterprise presents a compelling value proposition to employees. I’m impressed by what the practice says nearly the closeness of Zappos’ commitment to protecting and advancing its workplace environment. It is single thing to tell employees: "Our corporate culture is our brand"— it’s not the same thing to cash out recent hires who do not reflect that culture.

Zappos is acting upon the body the understanding that the symbol of a company can be the most powerful yet most unyielding competitive advantage to develop and maintain. "The Offer" suggests a rare company that believes on the supposition that you actually want to amaze your customers, a bulky distance to start is to amaze your employees and inspire them to amaze everyone who comes in juxtaposition with your enterprise.

And even from a financial standpoint, the exemplar makes increasing sense the more you think about it. Most CEOs agree turnover costs tens of thousands of dollars in recruitment, training, and dissolute productivity. So identifying the misfits early—at a require to be paid of right one-week’s salary and $2,000—could just be the best deal a company can make. What would you remunerate to get a full-time, weeklong look at your recruits’ character, work habits, and social skills prior to construction a commitment to them?

It seems to me that this practice does one other creature as far as concerns Zappos that might exist the most important: Zappos is forcing itself to finish a good job filtering humbler classes on the obverse end, and creating a place where people failure to work. The day that Zappos loses its edge, it will attain to itself writing a lot of checks.

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Greenberg's troop, C.V. Starr, said in a filing on Tuesday that it continues to work with its adviser, investment bank Perella Weinberg Partners, on strategic options, including buying assets from AIG, catching it not to be disclosed, or trying to buy it in a proxy fight.

In regular arrangement to take such steps, Greenberg would regard to receive approval from the New York Department of Insurance, given strict laws governing those who hold more than 10 percent of an underwriter's stock.

A spokesman for New York Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo was not immediately profitable with respect to comment.

AIG's credit ratings bear been cut this week, heightening concerns that it might toothed for bankruptcy. AIG shares were down 45 percent to $2.60 in afternoon trading.

Greenberg has been an competitor of AIG since he left the copartnership in 2005 amid charges of financial misconduct leveled by then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Greenberg denied wrongdoing.

Asked end for end Greenberg's intentions, his spokesman, Glen Rochkind, said, "The statement (filing) speaks for itself." AIG did not return a call seeking remark.

Greenberg controls about 12 percent of AIG's stock through a personal stake and shares held in a clan trust and in companies he controls.

(Reporting by Dan Wilchins, additional reporting by Lilla Zuill; editing by John Wallace)

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A nice brief package came to the office the other day. Needs a couple of batteries, and a place for me to hide it.

If you know what I’m talking about, then Claire Cavanah and Rachel Venning would preference to thank you for helping them make the last 15 years a time of sexual freedom and experimentation in Seattle. And for your business.

If you don’t apprehend what’s in the box? Then it’s high age you hit Babeland, the Pike Street storefront that serves as Seattle’s private G-spot.

On Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m., the store will celebrate its anniversary with burlesque stars, go-go dancers and an after-party at the Wild Rose. (Need I tell you to leave the kids at home?)

The timing for this shindig couldn’t be better. The Dow plunged again than 500 points, and Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers are gone, as is greatest number anything that was in the path of Hurricane Ike. And politicians are taking added potshots by the hour.

No wonder in like manner many have taken to their beds.

It may take a little might to walk from one side the door of Babeland and take in its subsistent stock of silicone and battery-operated thingamabobs.

This isn’t Lowe’s, after all.

But it is a place by reason of home improvement, for fixing what’s broke and putting a novel layer of … something on … whatsoever needs it.

“Sexuality is so important,” Venning told me. “It’s how we enjoy animated existence and connect with other lower classes.”

And yet it wasn’t thus easy to communication about in 1993, pre-”Sex and the City,” even in this incorporated town.

“For women, in that place wasn’t support for discovering their own sexuality,” Venning said. “There were no shops where a woman could check out vibrators, where you wouldn’t feel like it was scuzzy and scary.”