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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Retailers Should Go Slow on Social Sites
As it turns out, consumers may really want retailers and brands to give them their space on MySpace and other social networking sites. The results of a new study of…
GHQ: Shopper Markup
Dollar stores are attracting a larger number of single-person households, empty nesters, and middle- to upper-income households in general – and consequently becoming a bigger headache for grocers. A big…
Negative Online Reviews Really Positive
Online customer reviews – including negative ones – are proving to be an essential ingredient to any dynamic e-commerce site. Several recent surveys, according to Adweek, show that consumers overwhelmingly…
Kroger Allows GLBT Paper Back in Some Stores
When Kroger initially banned the Out & About newspaper from its free racks in 34 stores in the Nashville, Tenn. market, the grocery chain said it had a policy against…
Former 7-Eleven CEO Seeking Blockbuster Results
James Keyes, the former CEO at the nation’s largest convenience store chain, 7-Eleven, has been named to help turn around Blockbuster Inc., the world’s largest video rental retailer that has…
Joe Six-Pack Meet Homer Simpson and Apu
A number of 7-Eleven stores have been turned into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience store that is a fixture on “The Simpsons” television show. The 7-Eleven stores that participated in the…
Big Y’s Smoke Out
Big Y set July 1 as the first day its workers will no longer be allowed to smoke on company property on company time. According to Big Y’s new policy,…
Maine Signs Big Box Law
Last week, Maine became the first state to sign a law requiring developers of big box retailers to prove that their properties won’t be hazardous to local communities. Statewide efforts…
Tesco to Go Where Others Choose Not to Go
With the smattering of details that have leaked out about Tesco’s plans for the U.S., it’s easy to come away thinking of it as being an approach to use fresh…
Grocers Seek Edge Through Organic Certification
Hannaford Bros. and a number of other grocers are out to convince consumers that when it comes to organics and natural foods, there is nothing that companies such as Whole…
Internet Closes in on TV as ‘Most Essential’ Medium
The internet has passed radio and is closing in on television as America’s primary source for entertainment and information, according to a survey by Edison Media Research. When consumers were…
Retailers Seek to Upgrade Beauty Profile
A number of retailers are looking at a variety of means to upgrade the “beauty profile” of stores and, in the process, encourage shoppers to turn to them as a…
Chinese Import Woes Grow
Tainted ingredients in toothpaste and pet food, lead paint on children’s toys, unsafe car and truck tires and now concerns about harmful residues in seafood imported from China raise serious…
Disney Goes Upscale
Walt Disney Co. is branching out into furniture, linens and even wine as part of an effort to sell more upscale products. The latest efforts are new food products are…
High Court Rules Manufacturers Can Set Prices
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that manufacturers have the legal right to set minimum prices for goods sold through retail stores. The ruling overturns a 96-year legal decision that…
iPhone: Where the Hype Hits the Wireless Signal
Early reviews of the iPhone say it lives up to its hype. However, some are pointing out challenges users may have in picking up signals in some markets and he…
Big Boxes Go for Easy Shops
The average shopper at a Wal-Mart Supercenter spends 21 minutes in the store and, in the process of speeding through the shop, fails to find 30 percent of the items…
Safeway Opens a Restaurant
Safeway Inc. has quietly opened its first freestanding restaurant behind its store in Redwood City, CA. Apparently, Citrine is designed to test recipes for the prepared food sections in Safeway’s…
Switching Brands at the Speed of Shopping
New research from TNS Retail Forward presents some sobering insights for CPG brand marketers. Consumers generally will not give a second thought to switching to another brand. What are CPG…
HSBC Bank Saving Time and Space
Throughout the 1990s, companies in the U.K., at least, loved to boast “our people are our most important asset.” But for many, real estate has become just as important. Michael…
CPGmatters: How to Promote Brands to Hispanic Consumers
Hispanics account for 14 percent of the U.S. population, 30 percent of population growth and eight percent of U.S. buying power – yet Spanish-language media represents only four percent of…
