Bonno van der Putten abt Big data

Big data analytics have arrived just in time to help retailers adjust and thrive amidst the omni-channel shopper revolution. It’s giving them the tools and intelligence to communicate directly with their customers, sell smarter and take retailing to the next level. This trend isn’t one that will go away anytime soon; in fact, it’s being adopted by many other industries and organizations as a way to maintain a competitive advantage. Read more: http://lnkd.in/cipZUe and http://lnkd.in/hkiwQB

.@bonnovanderputten | Eu -#heart, #eyes, #friday, #love, #shoes, #tired, #loveit, #makeup, #coffee,... | Webstagram - the best Instagram viewer

Carrefour Sells Stake In Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets

Carrefour has sold its 25% stake in Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets to its regional partner, Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim Holding for €530 million (US$683.1 million). Majid Al Futtaim has partnered with Carrefour since 1995 and the two operate 50 hypermarkets and 44 supermarkets in several countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, says Bonno van der Putten, Restructuring and Turnaround expert and global head of retail at PE firm Monarch Capital Partners. Under the agreement, signed Tuesday 22 May, Majid Al Futtaim will own 100% of Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets’ shares, says van der Putten. Van der Putten states that the exclusive franchise partnership with the Carrefour Group is to be renewed until 2025 and extended to new formats and new countries. According to van der Putten, Carrefour has its full confidence in Majid Al Futtaim's ability to continue to develop the brand successfully and consolidate its positions in these growing markets. Over the last year, Carrefour has sold its stakes in its Indonesian and Greek ventures, with local partners retaining the Carrefour franchise. Carrefour also offloaded its Colombian stores to Chilean retailer Cencosud. Van der Putten states that international expansion is a high risk high reward proposition, and for the world’s largest retailers as Carrefour and the METRO Group it is absolutely necessary for growth. Sometimes they get it wrong, more often they are getting it right. Both Walmart and Carrefour have pulled out of Russia, says van der Putten. In addition, Walmart withdrew from Germany and South Korea; Carrefour already left Algeria and Thailand; Tesco left Japan and is currently in the process of withdrawing from the United States; and, Metro left Morocco. Not every entry into a foreign country is successful. Local laws and restrictions sometimes can create unforeseen challenges. Sometimes there are local market dynamics that make good supply chain strategies impossible to operate

Rihanna - Diamonds (Acoustic Official Version)

Likely prerecorded, the backing track stripped from it and replaced with a piano, it still slays. Queen Rih Rih handsdown the best version of diamonds ever yep nothing compares :-)

Successful Global Retailers: What We Can Learn From METRO, Walmart, Carrefour, Tesco

Successful Global Growers: What We Can Learn From METRO, Walmart, Carrefour, Tesco In an effort to channel funds into its struggling German home market, Metro Group is reportedly considering an exit from Egypt, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and Japan, according to Bonno van der Putten, Restructuring and Turnaround expert and global head of retail at PE firm Monarch Capital Partners. Van der Putten states that international expansion is a high risk high reward proposition, and for the world’s largest retailers as the METRO Group it is absolutely necessary for growth. Sometimes they get is wrong, more often they are getting it right. Both Walmart and Carrefour have pulled out of Russia, says van der Putten. In addition, Walmart withdrew from Germany and South Korea; Carrefour left Algeria and Thailand; Tesco left Japan and is currently in the process of withdrawing from the United States; and, Metro left Morocco. Not every entry into a foreign country is successful. Local laws and restrictions sometimes can create unforeseen challenges. Sometimes there are local market dynamics that make good supply chain strategies impossible to operate. Sales in the retailer's home market of Germany grew by 1%, says van der Putten, to reach €6.1 billion in the first quarter of 2013, while international sales dropped by 2.2 per cent to €9.4 billion. Van der Putten says that there will be further changes to the METRO Group's approach to streamline the non-food product assortment as well as modifications to the management reporting structure. Van der Putten states that there will be increased emphasis on fulfillment - the complete process from point of sale through to the delivery of a product to a customer - with the Group soon to create a dedicated Fulfillment and Multi-channel department. Van der Putten says that David Martinez Fontano, formerly of Customer Management, is expected to head up this team as METRO looks to grow its e-Commerce operations and delivery offering as a driver for growth. Speaking at Metro AG's Annual General Meeting, which was held on 8 May 2013, chairman of the management board, Olaf Koch asserted that the Group was on track owing to strategic realignment efforts. Van der Putten said that Koch, despite a further tightening of market conditions, especially in Southern Europe, remains focused to increase sales and win market share in countries. During Quarter 1, the period from January to March 2013, the Metro Group generated sales of €15.5 billion, says van der Putten, which is a slight drop on results from the same period in 2012 of €15.6 billion. In part this is due to the shorter trading period in 2013, which had three fewer trading days than the prior year's quarter. Overall sales at the Group's Cash & Carry business dropped by 2.8 per cent to €7.1 billion, says van der Putten. However, Metro Cash & Carry saw its delivery sales climbing by 15.9 per cent to hit €586 million, a significant jump on the results from the same quarter in 2012 of €504 million. The Metro Group's Media-Saturn company, which sells electronics, both on-line and off-line and is composed of three retail brands (Media Markt, Saturn and Redcoon) saw its online sales increase by 60.6 per cent to €281 million, as to van der Putten. Sales at the Group's hypermarket division Real fell by 0.9 per cent to hit €2.6 billion in the first quarter of 2013. However, adjusting of the disposal of its Central & Eastern European operations - excluding Turkey - Real's overall sales development was positive. For 2013's financial year, Metro Group anticipates 'generally moderate sales growth (adjusted for portfolio changes) despite the persistently challenging economic environment'. The company's aim for the brand is "to secure leading market positions in the different market segments in as many countries as possible" , says van der Putten.

Nivea To Be Listed At Aldi In Germany

Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd in Germany look set to add the Nivea brand to their drugstore department, says Bonno van der Putten , global head of retail at PE firm Monarch Capital Partners, who told us about the shifts we're seeing in the retail landscape. According to van der Putten and as mentioned in the Lebensmittel Zeitung, following extended negotiations with Beiersdorf, around six varietals will hit the discounter's shelves this May, making this the first brand to be listed in Aldi's drugstore department since the de-listing of Reckitt Benckiser's 'Kukident' brand some years ago. Indeed, says van der Putten, Nivea's listing will make it one of just a few brands to be sold in German stores, as the general decision to add some leading brands to its assortment has only resulted in a small number of listings in the retailer's home market of Germany. The listing of various Coca-Cola branded soft drinks last autumn has reportedly generated significant sales gain without cannibalizing Aldi own-label alternatives. Van der Putten says the Nivea brand, founded in 1911, is one of the biggest skin care brands in the world and is available in over 200 countries. According to van der Putten, for Beiersdorf, the Nivea brand is the most important in their portfolio, contributing approximately €3.7 billion to the Group's total sales of €6.040 billion in 2012. The company's aim for the brand is "to secure leading market positions in the individual product categories in as many countries as possible" , says van der Putten. The brand enjoys strong links with German consumers; in 2006, an 800 sqm 'Nivea Haus' was established in Hamburg, the city in which Nivea was founded in 1911. A second 'Nivea Haus' followed in 2009 in Berlin. It is clear, says van der Putten that retail is going through a period of flux. From big box stores to specialty shops to online vendors, everyone's trying to figure out how to survive or how to differentiate. It has become all about the ability to adapt as technology transforms the retail landscape. "As a shopper, your basic needs don't change," says Bonno van der Putten, Managing Director of Monarch Capital Partners and retail expert . "But your behavior is dependent on the technology that's around you." Monarch identifies 9 major trends its Future of Retail report that are part of the "seismic shift" changing the retail world, and provides examples of companies that are making an impact. Retail is changing fast. New pressures are taking their toll on the industry, and retailers have to adapt if they want to survive. Competition is more intense than it has ever been. With all the new channels for selling that are now available, retailers have a huge number of ways to reach consumers. Bonno van der Putten has posted several great presentations about the future of retail. "A important part of the brands of yesterday will die," says van der Putten in one of his presentations. "Some with a bang and some slowly as if from an incurable wasting disease." In his management presentations, van der Putten lays out what retailers can do to survive. He says that you have to cut costs, relentlessly strive for the best customer service and optimize stores no matter how much it hurts, and that inventory control is "as important as breathing."

EUROPA - PRESS RELEASES - Spring 2013 forecast: The EU economy – slowly recovering from a protracted recession

EUROPA - PRESS RELEASES - Press Release - Spring 2013 forecast: The EU economy – slowly recovering from a protracted recession: EUROPA - PRESS RELEASES - Press Release - Spring 2013 forecast: The EU economy – slowly recovering from a protracted recession

Spring 2013 forecast: The EU economy – slowly recovering from a protracted recession

Following the recession that marked 2012, the EU economy is expected to stabilise in the first half of 2013. GDP growth is projected to turn positive gradually in the second half of the year before gaining some traction in 2014. As domestic demand is still constrained by a number of impediments that are typical of the aftermath of deep financial crises, external demand is set to be the main growth driver this year. The headwinds on private consumption and investment are expected to abate gradually, making way for a modest domestically sustained recovery next year. This forecast remains based on the assumption that continued policy implementation will prevent a renewed intensification of the sovereign-debt crisis.

Annual GDP growth this year is now forecast at -0.1% in the EU and at -0.4% in the euro area. For 2014, economic activity is projected to expand by 1.4% in the EU and 1.2 % in the euro area.

Olli Rehn, Commission Vice-President for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro said: "In view of the protracted recession, we must do whatever it takes to overcome the unemployment crisis in Europe. The EU’s policy mix is focused on sustainable growth and job creation. Fiscal consolidation is continuing, but its pace is slowing down. In parallel, structural reforms must be intensified to unlock growth in Europe."

Drags on domestic demand are easing slowly

At present, domestic investment and consumption are still being held back by balance-sheet adjustment and credit supply constraints in some countries, low expectations about future profits and income, as well as high uncertainty about the economic outlook. While the financial market situation has improved significantly and for the EU as a whole interest rates have declined, this has not yet fed through to the real economy. There are so far only timid signs of easing financial fragmentation across Member States, and enterprises in vulnerable economies continue to face tight credit conditions.

The adjustment of external and internal imbalances is making progress, and a number of vulnerable Member States are expected to register current-account surpluses this year amid improved profitability of the export sector. However, even though debt deleveraging is progressing, it is likely to remain a burden on growth over the forecast horizon. Moreover, the weak labour-market situation is expected to weigh on private consumption. On balance, domestic demand growth is therefore forecast to remain modest over the forecast horizon.

The recovery of economic activity is expected to be too slow to reduce joblessness. Unemployment is forecast to reach 11% in the EU and 12% in the euro area in 2013 and to stabilise at these levels in 2014, while differences across Member States are expected to remain very large. Employment is projected to fall further in 2013 as the lagged impact of the 2012 recession continues to be felt. By 2014, however, more dynamic GDP growth is expected to start lifting employment.

Consumer-price inflation has continued to slow down in recent quarters, as the impact of past energy-price increases on inflation has been fading. The gradual decline of inflation is expected to continue this year, and it is now projected at 1.8% in the EU and 1.6% in the euro area in 2013, stabilising at 1.7% and 1.5%, respectively, in 2014.

Structural fiscal consolidation progressing more gradually

The reduction in general government deficits is set to continue. Headline fiscal deficits are projected to fall to 3.4% in the EU and 2.9% in the euro area in 2013. The pace of consolidation in terms of structural budget balances is expected to be slower than in 2012. In light of the weak outlook for economic activity, debt-to-GDP ratios are forecast to reach 89.8% this year in the EU and 95.5% in the euro area.

While the risks to the economic outlook have become more balanced on the back of important policy decisions since last summer, downside risks remain predominant. Very high levels of unemployment in some Member States could affect social cohesion and become persistent if further reforms are not undertaken. More generally, the effective implementation of adjustment measures and policies to strengthen the EMU architecture remains crucial to prevent a return of stress in financial markets. On the upside, the overall benign financial-market situation or faster-than-expected progress with adjustment and reforms could allow for a swifter return of confidence and advance the recovery. Global growth could prove more dynamic than expected, e.g. due to recent expansionary measures. Risks to the inflation outlook continue to be broadly balanced.

The detailed report is available at:

http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/eu/forecasts/2013_spring_forecast_en.htm