Alpine Sept. - Oct. 2011 newsletter

September - October 2011 Issue IN THIS ISSUE Slow Sales Forecast for 2011 Holiday Season Hidden Costs of Doing Nothing in Retail Business Energy and Retail Leaders Share Trends at EEI Conference

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Recommissioning to be Hot Topic at EEI

Key National Utility and Retail Accounts to Conference in Texas Public policy leadership, critical industry data, market opportunities, and strategic business intelligence are but a few of the areas of mutual interest for the electric utility industry and retail customers for the upcoming Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) Fall National Key Accounts conference in San Antonio, Texas. The October 16 - 19 event has been sold out for months in a testimonial to its importance to utility and retail attendees alike.

Many of the topics and issues that have been spotlighted here in Smart HVAC will also be hot topics for the annual Fall Workshop. First time attendees to the EEI event, or Freshmen, will be given a special reception where they may learn more about these hot button topics and how to pursue contacts for information and business leads.

Both Big Box Retailers and Small Box Retailers will join with chain stores in learning the latest updates on rebates and regulations relating to recommissioning and energy savings. George Carrighauer of Simon Property Group, who was featured here with the mall management company's secrets for saving millions of dollars in energy savings each year will lead a special discussion forum on Property Management (Shopping Center) energy strategies.

Read More -- Click Here

Retailers Feeling Pain of Reduced

Preventative Maintenance

The Hidden Costs of Doing Nothing in a Retail Business Historically, when the economy takes a downward turn, as it dramatically has for the past two years, retailers look for creative ways to improve the bottom line of their overall operations. Often, that may mean renegotiating service contracts with vendors, seeking updated Request for Quotes with a goal of reducing costs by a certain percentage or simply making cuts in vendor services.

"Unfortunately, some retailers only look at the 'right now' bottom line," said Mark Barraclough, president, Alpine Mechanical Services. "Right now they may well save dollars and they may be able to do that for a short or long time depending on how well their facilities and equipment has been maintained. The better their preventative maintenance and service program has been, the longer they can go without seeing a detrimental effect. However, without a sound maintenance and service program on an ongoing basis, they ultimately will incur significantly higher expense in service calls or equipment replacement," Barraclough added.

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Slow Holiday Sales?

Reuter's Business Wire Forecasts Slow Holiday Sales for 2011 Season Most Americans expect to spend less or the same on the holidays this year compared with last year, an early sign that retailers will have to try harder to win shoppers in the biggest selling season of the year.

A whopping 82 percent of those surveyed by America's Research Group said they planned to spend less or the same as last year. Consumer spending accounts for almost 70 percent of the U.S. economy.

The question was one of several asked exclusively for Reuters as part of a larger America's Research Group

survey.

More than half of those surveyed said they expected the economy to slow further before it recovers. About 51 percent said they did not feel better about their family finances versus a year earlier.

"Retailers better be worried about Christmas. If half of Americans believe it is going to be worse before it gets better, they may not be too excited about buying much this Christmas season," Britt Beemer, president of America's Research Group, said in an interview.

The Survey -- Read More Here