RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
CSD: Relief from Credit Card Costs
It’s no secret that the cost of accepting credit cards is reaching dire new heights. While not accepting credit cards to avoid lofty costs is not an option for any…
Docs Want Retail Clinics Closed
A number of doctor groups have called on the American Medical Association to seek a ban of all in-store health clinics. The physicians are claiming that the facilities, largely staffed…
Whole Foods Checks Out Faster Than the Competition
Looks can be deceiving. Just walk into the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle in Manhattan and you’ll see a long line of people waiting to check out. They’re queued up…
Natural… or Not Natural; That’s the Question
What does a natural or organic label on a beauty product mean anyway? It appears there is no easy answer. Not yet, that is. In most markets, brand manufacturers can…
New Terminal Targets Truly Captive Audience
Shops pay rent and generate income. People (a.k.a. passengers) may spend money. But if they don’t, should they be teased, tempted and tantalized until they do? When London’s Heathrow airport,…
Adidas Sports Local Flavor in China
Readying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Adidas is taking localization in China to another level. At the extreme, Adidas is running a contest asking Chinese consumers to come up with…
Saks Takes Good, Better, Best Approach to Selling
Saks Fifth Avenue caters to a very upscale clientele but the department store’s management knows that there’s rich and then there’s super rich. That’s why the company has developed a…
Kroger to Grow Sales from Farmer Jack Locations
Kroger announced on Wednesday that it had reached a deal to acquire 20 Farmer Jack stores in metro Detroit from A&P. What do you expect from Kroger once it takes…
New Era Begins at Dollar General
Shareholders of Dollar General voted to approve an offer by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts’ Buck Acquisition Corp. to take the retail chain private. In a related announcement, David Perdue, chairman and…
Home Depot to Concentrate on Retail Biz
The sale of its HD Supply business to a group of private equity firms for $10.3 billion means that Home Depot can now focus its efforts entirely on building its…
Consumers Get Climate Change Scorecard
A new environmental coalition has come up with a scorecard to help consumers take a brand’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions into account when making purchasing decisions. Climate…
BrainTrust Query: Should long-term strategic goals take precedence over short-term financial ones?
As this week’s news of Best Buy’s disappointing first quarter profits hit the wires, the company’s response to its earnings was as intriguing as the numbers themselves. While Wall Street…
Retailers Pushing Financial Services
Wal-Mart may have failed in its attempt to open its own industrial bank, but that is not stopping the retailer from offering many of the same types of services offered…
Neiman Marcus on Cusp of New Opportunity
Neiman Marcus, which has long thrived by going after the Ladies Who Lunch crowd, is experimenting with a new retail concept, Cusp, targeting younger hipsters. Cusp is “focused on a…
Working with the ‘Brutal Facts’ of Change
The theme and promise of a presentation by Chuck Coonradt, founder and CEO of Game of Work, at the National Grocers Association workshop for independent retailers earlier this year was…
Yoga Retailer Lululemon Going Public
Lululemon, a rapidly-expanding upscale yoga retailer, promises to be the next hot retail IPO. Founded in Vancouver in 1998, the company sells yoga-inspired apparel under the “lululemon athletica” brand name,…
Online Sales Grow at More Modest Pace
When you’re used to chalking up annual percentage sales gains of 20, 30, 40 percent or higher, it can be understood how you might take a more jaded view when…
Drinkable Skin Care: Clear Waters?
Beverages and skin care are being linked more and more in today’s health and wellness conscious world. In France, Sephora will soon unveil an in-store beauty concept featuring nutritional supplements…
Lands’ End Seeks to Resuscitate Sears
Sears, which has been criticized for not doing enough to get its business turned around, thinks it may have found at least one answer to help it reverse its downward…
Coupon Nation
Forget about the low redemption rates. Forget about the assertion that consumers wind up saving more when they shop at stores that follow an everyday low price strategy. Forget about…
PLBuyer: Building Brands
Ahold USA’s banners are finding that their premium private labels Nature’s Promise and Simply Enjoy are creating true differentiation. The two premium brands, which complement established and strong national-brand-equivalent banner…
