"Miracles sometimes occur, but one has to work terribly hard for them"

-- Chaim Weizmann, Chemist
 

by Jami Petersen

Have you ever been in a store that just has too much stuff? You know the one, inventory stacked to the ceiling, jumbled shelves. A store like this can feel like walking into an unorganized basement, which is one thing if you're expecting a basement and quite another if you want to have a pleasant retail experience. On the other hand, some stores seem to have acquired too much square footage, and if they do have the inventory to fill it, it would take a few days to navigate and see it all. Today's SMART article talks about finding the right amount of retail space and how to partner with manufacturers to make the most of your square footage.

Jami Petersen
newsletters@a-z.com

Memory Mixer 

Bring in a NEW crowd! Broaden your customer base with MemoryMixer.

Digital Scrapbooking is the latest trend. Make sure you have what people are looking for.

+ Easy to use software
+ Additional digital content
+ CD labels and mailers

Create a digital community in your store today! Call today to see how you can benefit from our DigiRewards Program!

memorymixer.com

Press Releases

News you can use about the latest media coverage of hot trends, noteworthy events and dynamic industry leaders. Learn more about the current headlines in arts and crafts by clicking on the title of each article segment.

Eco-Chic Bags for Knitting, Sewing and Crafting Supplies:Crafting Author and TV Personality Marty Stevens-Heebner Becomes Award-Winning Handbag Designer. Known to many as a featured expert on DIY Network's "Craft Lab" and HGTV's "Crafters Coast to Coast," launched her award-winning Rebagz(tm) handbag line just one year ago and already her bags have appeared in 300 stores throughout North America, Central America and Europe. The vivid handbags produced by her company Half the Sky Designs LLC are hand woven using recycled juice packs or they are stitched together from artfully cut recycled nylon rice sacks to make stylish backpacks, totes, clutches and more.
 

Introducing Wausau Paper’s Creative Collection™ Classics Cardstock. Delivering personality and performance, Wausau Paper introduces Creative Collection™ Classics Cardstock, a favorite for scrapbookers and paper crafters to depend on again and again to make their projects shine. Available in the timeless colors, finishes and sizes most in demand, Creative Collection™ Classics is an essential addition to any crafter’s portfolio of supplies.
 

New Software Helps Scrapbookers Quickly Sort Digital Photos Using Facial Recognition Technology. PicsMatch Automatically Organizes Photo Files for Instant Use. Scrapbookers now have a new way to organize and locate digital photos, using facial recognition software called PicsMatchTM. PicsMatch identifies and quickly sorts photos based on people, groups, key dates and holidays. PicsMatch is the first desktop photo organizer that uses facial recognition to automatically find particular photos.

by Dennis A. Conforto, A-Z Media Group, Inc.

Maintaining high sales per square foot requires great partnerships between retailers and manufacturers. Without great partnerships in place, it becomes impossible for a retailer to maintain and sustain high sales per square foot. These kinds of partnerships allow retailers to seek more in-store support from manufacturers, while manufacturers gain more control over managing their brand within the store.

A common mistake among retailers is having the wrong amount of store space. Too small, and your selection is not large enough to maintain acceptable sales per square foot. Too large, and your market can’t support enough sales to justify the space. This error can be tempered through true partnerships with manufacturers who know or should know how much square footage they need to be successful.

If your goal is to make money in retail, then measuring sales per square foot is a key to managing your business to a profit. If your store is too big, you will follow Murphy’s Law of retail space, which simply states, "If you have space you will fill it." If the store is too large then you will carry too much inventory and selection. Too much selection can cause confusion for the consumer and slow sales down, or balance sales at best.

Of course it is possible that a store may be too small for its marketplace and then you risk inadequate selection, which can impact sales in the long term. However, given the choice, I would rather have too little space than too much. It is always better to start with less space than more and grow your store to match your increasing client base.

Your store's square footage is just one part of the battle for retail success. The three rules of real estate purchasing, “location, location, location,” also compromise the great rules of retail leasing. If I were opening a store today I would think in terms of where the most craft traffic is within my market area. Contrary to what most in the market place would say, I would open a store that shares the parking lot with a Michaels, Joanne’s, Hobby Lobby or even a Wal-Mart. This is not unlike the thinking of competing car dealerships, restaurants and gas stations; their proximity creating a destination shopping area by category. Destination shopping has proven time and time again that it is the best model for the retailers and the consumers.

Read the entire article by clicking here . . .

If you would like to comment directly to Dennis about this article or have him address a subject matter in future articles feel free to email him directly at dconforto@a-z.com.

PSRO 

Dedicated to those helping consumers preserve treasured memories.

The Professional Scrapbook Retailers Organization™ (PSRO™) bridges together retailers and suppliers for insight into the memories market.

Through educational programs, business services, industry research, networking, and events, PSRO leads its members to discover, understand, and act on new business opportunities.

For more information, or to join PSRO, visit www.psro.org or contact our member service department at 517-788-8100.

New Corel® VideoStudio® Pro X2 and Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo X2 Ultimate Edition Offer Improved Ease of Use, Expanded Format Support, and More Creative Options to Consumers

Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL) (TSX:CRE), a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, announced Corel® VideoStudio® Pro X2 and Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo X2 Ultimate. Corel's significant upgrade of VideoStudio® Pro X2 provides consumers with a complete HD solution for video editing and authoring. Corel's latest release of VideoStudio Pro X2 also includes the all-new Painting Creator to add creative flare to video projects, new sharing tools to upload videos directly to YouTube(TM) and mobile devices, as well as offering improved ease-of-use and performance enhancements. Featuring over $200 worth of free bonus items, Paint Shop Pro® Photo X2 Ultimate edition offers support for more than 250 raw camera formats and includes 150 new creative templates.

Available separately or together as part of the new Photo & Video Bundle, VideoStudio Pro X2 and Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate offer users the widest selection of video and photo editing features ranging from automatic tools for quick fixes to precision controls for fine-tuning. Family memory keepers, hobbyists, and video and photo enthusiasts can more quickly organize, personalize and share their home movies and digital photos with family and friends using the latest formats.

"Capturing, enhancing and sharing life's moments with family and friends has become increasingly important in today's global society,” said Denise MacDonell, Senior Director of Product Management, Digital Media at Corel. "With VideoStudio Pro X2 and Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate, family memory keepers and technology enthusiasts can more easily personalize and share their digital stories with family and friends – across town or across continents. With the learning and sharing tools included with Corel software, it is easy for users to strengthen ties and stay connected using popular networking sites such as Facebook®, My Space® and YouTube as they share their most important moments in more exciting, fun and memorable ways."

About Corel
Corel is one of the world's top software companies with more than 100 million active users in over 75 countries. We develop software that helps people express their ideas and share their stories in more exciting, creative and persuasive ways. Through the years we've built a reputation for delivering innovative, trusted products that are easy to learn and use, helping people achieve new levels of productivity. The industry has responded with hundreds of awards for software innovation, design and value.

Our award-winning product portfolio includes some of the world's most widely recognized and popular software brands, including CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite, Corel® Painter(TM), Corel DESIGNER® Technical Suite, Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo, VideoStudio®, WinDVD®, Corel® WordPerfect® Office and WinZip®. Our global headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada, with major offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Taiwan and Japan.