Today I had the chance to sit down with the CEO of Liz Claiborne in our Times Square studios as part of the 2009 Reuters Global Retail Summit. Bill McComb says “the world has changed and it’s not going back to business as usual.” Click here to listen to what McComb described as the “new normal” and what the fashion company is doing to change the way it does business.

Liz Claiborne sees “new normal” from Reuters TV on Vimeo.

Interior designer Jonathan Adler points to his quirky and irreverent housewares as part of his success during the current economic environment. Click here to listen to what he has to say about his design aesthetic and how gloomy times might be driving people to bring home a little “happy chic.”

Adler: “Happy Chic” in gloomy times from Reuters TV on Vimeo.

This week we’re getting inside views from some of the biggest names in retail…from high-end fashion houses like Hermes to department store chain J.C. Penney. Optimism among those in the industry about a turnaround toward the end of 2009 springs eternal…but what are you seeing? Where are you spending? Or, are you trading down? Ditching Saks and heading to Target? Barclays retail analyst Bob Drbul says the key for consumers in the current economic environment, no matter where they shop, is “value.” Click here to hear his thoughts:

Are you changing your buying behavior? from Reuters TV on Vimeo.

The luxury goods industry has been hit hard by the downturn as consumers, worried about job security and the health of their economy, shied away from indulging in upmarket shopping.

Most-seriously hit products have been big-ticket items such as Swiss watches, followed by jewelery and fashion apparel. Leather goods such as handbags and shoes have proven more resilient.

Many analysts forecast global luxury sales to drop as much as 10 percent in 2009. In light of the recent green shoots of recovery, some believe the rate of decline could slow down in the coming months and the market could stabilise.

One of biggest questions for luxury investors today is whether demand from emerging markets such as China and Latin America will be sufficient to compensate for weak sales in more mature and saturated regions such as Western Europe, Japan and the United States.

Many also wonder if the industry will ever return to its historical growth levels or if it will remain at lower levels for the years to come. Perhaps we have entered an era of austerity and self-restraint which will hold back consumers from spending on luxury items.

Reuters’ first Luxury Goods Summit, which is being held in Paris, London, Tokyo, Dubai and New York on June 8-10, will ask these questions to some of the industry’s leading executives.  It will also ask them what they think is the best recipe for the crisis, which projects they are putting on hold and how they see the future.

Unlike other economic downturns luxury retailers are also taking a hit along with the trest of the industry.

Luxury retail consultant and president of Unity Marketing, Pam Danziger, says retailers have to be willing to make tough choices and clearly align themselves with the needs of the customer without just paying lip service.

Speaker: Pam Danziger President Unity Marketing Presenter: Jeanne Yurman New York

AT&T says it sees a lot of promise for the netbook and the connection fees that come with the devices as a growing source of revenue as consumers look to take broadband connectivity on the road. But will consumers be as enthusiatic to sign another contract for the service? Click below to hear AT&T’s President of Mobile & Consumer Markets talk about what he sees as the future of the netbook.

AT&T: Netbook popularity on the rise from Reuters TV on Vimeo.

 High unemployment rates, declining remittances from Mexicans living abroad, an economic slowdown and contracting consumption is not boding well for Mexican retailers. This year is no exception as the country’s leading supermarket chains struggle to keep customers happy, offering anything from stamps to buy German cuttlery sets to cooking classes for housewives pulling their hair wondering what to prepare for lunch next. 
    Monterrey-based Soriana, Mexico’s No. 2 retailer, knows a thing or two about sailing in choppy waters. After an ambitious acquisition of 200 stores from a smaller rival in 2007, which boosted its presence across the country, the company faced tight liquidity to meet debt payments last year.
    But Soriana has moved fast to cut costs and lighten the weight to face more hard times in 2009. Chief Financial Officer Aurelio Adan told the Reuters Latin American Investment Summit that Soriana’s same-store sales will be flat this year but it will generate enough cash flow to cut its debt by over 20 percent.
    Adan expects to turn the page in 2010 and resume Soriana’s strong growth with the opening of 40 stores.

The state of the U.S. economy has been much on the minds of all our guests at this year’s Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit.

Most of them tried to put on a brave face about the current state of play, but Whirlpool’s North America President, Michael Todman, gave what to us sounded like a pretty accurate assessment of how stretched the U. S. consumer seems and when he sees a turnaround.

Whirlpool, which is still integrating all the parts of its Maytag acquisition, is in an interesting spot, because they have felt the brunt of the crumbling U.S. housing sector and then got a double whammy from the cut in U.S. discretionary spending.

Todman comes across as an optimist though, and sees Whirlpool well positioned to get through these recent problems and feels his brands will augur well for long-term growth.

Todman was one of the featured guests at this year’s retail jamboree — which continues through Thursday in London and New York.

Jim Schaye comes across as a perfectly nice fellow, but if you happen to work for a retailer and you see him walking up and down your aisles, checking out your stuff … well, think about dusting off that resume.

Schaye is chief executive of Hudson Capital Partners, and he works with struggling or restructuring retailers if they have to start selling off stores and/or getting rid of inventory.

So, if retailer “A” is declaring bankruptcy or some other similar event and they start selling off their stuff, Schaye and his team will bid to take over all the assets and sell them. They’ll sell it all — merchandise, real estate, even the shelves that the stuff is on will be sold.

Suffice to say, Schaye and his team have been busy these days — and they expect more business very, very soon. In this clip, he talks about one potential issue that is starting to come up — a glut of certain types of real estate which has fallen out of favor among those companies that might be buyers.

Schaye was speaking at this year’s Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit, which runs through Thursday in New York and London.

The days of going through the Sunday papers and clipping all the double coupons you can find might be coming to an end.

While there are those few people out there (and we know some of them!), who actually enjoy a good session of clipping, Brent Dusing, co-founder and chief executive of Cellfire Inc, likes to see his coupons on his cell phone.

Cellfire, the first mobile application that allows people to use coupons and discounts from their favorite stores and restaurants, has been around for almost three years and has crafted a number of deals with national retailers like McDonald’s, Hardee’s, Hollywood Video, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Arby’s and Ben & Jerry’s and a batch of local retailers, too (in Seattle alone there’s Mama Lucia’s, Dante’s or the Seattle Art Museum).

How does it all work? Walking or driving down the street, you get a message from Cellfire that says the retailer in your zip code has a special deal — so swing by and spend that cash.

Dusing — who seems appallingly young to have come up with such a cool idea — said at the annual Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit that business is doing well and they are adding retailers at a good clip.

Dusing was one of the featured guests at this year’s summit, held in London and New York. Next week, Reuters Global Real Estate Summit will be held in North America, Europe and Asia.