Print Unit Sales Jump in Mid-November

In a reversal of the usual flow of things, GrillGirl.com founder Robyn Lindars has started a print magazine. Grill Girl is available at retailers and grocery stores nationwide, including Barnes & Noble, CVS and Walmart. Lindars, who started offering outdoor grilling recipes in 2008, went into print to help “elevate everyone’s grilling game,” she states. Each issue will feature over 25 recipes and advice on how to pick the right grill, grill the perfect steak, cook an entire meal on the grill and plank grill pizzas.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of data breaches in the financial, business and health care sectors. This has made people everywhere sit up and take notice about where and how their important personal data is stored. It is not surprising then, that the recent Toluna survey commissioned by Two Sides revealed that 78% of U.S. respondents keep hard copies of important documents at home as they believe this is the safest and most secure way of storing their information. A similar number (76%) are increasingly concerned that personal information held electronically is at risk of being hacked, stolen, lost or damaged. For a taste of what these digital breaches can look like, check out a few examples covered in this blog. Millions of small businesses, households and patients are affected by data breaches every year. While moving from paper to digital records seems like it should save time and energy, the reverse can also be true. Click Read More below for additional information.

Total Company net sales increased 3.5 percent and comparable sales increased 1.7 percent, compared with the same quarter last year. The Company's Anniversary Sale, historically its largest event of the year, performed better than recent trends. Nordstrom continued its progress in executing its customer strategy while maintaining discipline around inventory and expenses: • As a result of the Company's ongoing efforts to provide newness and limited-distribution product to customers, Nordstrom proprietary labels represented three of the top five selling brands during the Anniversary Sale. • In executing its digital strategy, the Company delivered online sales growth of 20 percent at Nordstrom.com, reflecting its largest volume day in company history, and 27 percent at Nordstromrack.com/HauteLook. • The Nordstrom Rewards loyalty program continues to play an important role in reaching new customers and strengthening existing customer relationships. The Company has 9.4 million active Rewards customers in the U.S. and Canada, up approximately 50 percent, from 6.2 million a year ago. Sales from Nordstrom Rewards customers represented 56 percent of second quarter sales, compared with 48 percent a year ago. Click Read More below for additional detail.