DDi - January/February 2011 - (Page 8)

8 | From the Editor An international state of mind hanks to the wonders of modern technology, we now are a completely global industry, connected digitally at the click of a mouse or touch of a fingertip. A quick look at DDI’s Facebook fan page (www.facebook. com/DDImagazine) proves as much. Currently, we have followers spanning 20 countries and 17 languages, and that includes faraway followers as distant as Turkey, Brazil, Russia, Egypt, Chile, Peru and India. We get LinkedIn connection requests translated in multiple dialects, and I was forced to permanently change my BlackBerry settings to “international” mode to keep up with the calls and press releases coming in from across the seven seas. That digital touch has amplified retail brands and their market presence the world over—something that will only continue to expand going forward. While several global retailers have made their stake on U.S. soil in the last few years (I’m talking about you Zara, Tesco and Topshop), U.S. retailers increasingly are becoming international icons as well. As U.S. sales began stalling back in 2007 and 2008, retailers started looking abroad for expansion opportunities, with continued growth in 2010 and into the coming years. Recent overseas success stories include: ■ T Thanks to the power of Internet marketing, these brands already had a presence in these international locales before they laid their first brick on foreign soil. And for those retailers who have not yet established a bricksand-mortar international presence, the connectivity of the Web has allowed U.S. brands to still see increased sales abroad (think J.Crew joining global shopping site Net-a-Porter). As many of us pack our bags and plan our trips out to Düsseldorf, Germany, this February for EuroShop, international retail will be top of mind for many. What can we learn from our international retail experiences, and how can U.S. retail continue to profit, both domestically and abroad? Whether it’s through your BlackBerry, iPad, laptop or—and yes, this does still occur—tangible in-store experience, get out and gobble up the best international retail has to offer. We hope the pages of this issue serve as a tempting first course. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Bloomingdale’s opened its first international locale with a flagship store in Dubai. Urban Outfitters Inc. opened its first Anthropologie store outside of the U.S. in London, and is moving aggressively into Europe and Asia. Apple has launched an online Apple Store in China, and operates four bricks-and-mortar stores there. Gap is opening five stores in China through the third quarter of 2011, as well as launching online sales in the country. The retailer, which also is entering South America with a store in Chile in 2011, entered Italy for the first time in late 2010. Nike Inc. plans to expand its global footprint, opening 250 to 300 new stores over the next five years. Starbucks is planning to triple the number of stores it has in mainland China in the next five years to around 1,500 sites, making the country its largest market outside the United States. Alison Embrey Medina Executive Editor alison.medina@ddionline.com | January/February 2011 www.ddionline.com http://www.facebook.com/ddimagazine http://www.facebook.com/ddimagazine http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - January/February 2011

DDi - January/February 2011
Table of Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Quick Tips
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
Swatch Shanghai
Printemps Paris
OPSM’s EyeHub
Sugamo Shinkin Bank
Right Light
Product Spotlight
GlobalShop Preview
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Think Tank

DDi - January/February 2011