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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Sony Explores Value End of CE Market
Sony has always been known for top quality components in its consumer electronics products but now the company is looking to broaden its appeal to a greater number of consumers…
Consumers Trading Up on Takeout Food
American consumers are ordering takeout more than ever before and they’re also doing something else that is new – they’re skipping fast feeders and other quick and cheap outlets for…
Supply Chain Digest: Procter & Gamble ‘Unplugged’ on RFID
As SCDigest readers have been well aware, Dan Gilmore has been at times a skeptic on the short term sense of RFID/EPC in the retail-to-consumer goods supply chain. There have…
Staples Tries to Take the Easy Way Up
Staples “easy button” ad campaign has made a big impression on individual and small business consumers and the result has been a market-leading share of the office supplies business, according…
Critics: Macy’s Needs to Go to Centralized Buying
Macy’s operates seven regional buying offices and some believe that is at least five too many, according to a New York Post report. While Macy’s has operated its regional offices…
Corporate Climate Change Attitudes Confound Consumers
Despite the clamor from consumers and even corporate marketing staffs themselves around eco-issues, a recent study ranked “climate change” at the bottom of priority lists for Britain’s largest companies. …
Retailers Could Take Big Hit from Lease Accounting Change
Proposed changes to how companies account for leases could mean significantly lower earnings for retailers, according to Reuters. Two groups, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards…
Slotting Allowances Lead to Dumbed-Down Retailing
A recent article in The Financial Times, America’s Time-Warp Supermarkets, has a number of critical observations to make of the U.S. grocery business. Among the most biting is the author’s…
CPGmatters: Diageo Reveals What Wal-Mart Really Wants from Suppliers
As category advisor for the beverage alcohol business, Diageo relies on store-by-store planograms to maximize sales in Wal-Mart. There are 35 different shelf sets ranging from four feet to 168…
Celebrity Bashing by Designers
With Paris in jail and Lindsey in rehab, we’ve probably all heard (or done) enough celebrity bashing recently to last a lifetime. But now it’s coming from an unlikely corner:…
BrainTrust Query: What’s Holding Back Innovation of the Supermarket?
While a number of leading retailers are becoming more customer-centered and, as a result, generating relatively stronger same-store sales, there’s a lingering concern in some quarters that supermarket retailers are…
IKEA Goes to Hybrid Passenger Car Fleet in U.K.
IKEA has announced it is switching over its entire 70-vehicle passenger car fleet in the U.K. to Honda Civic hybrids. The company has not announced any plans for its delivery…
Ethnic Products Now Front and Center
The U.S. ethnic cosmetics market has had its share of fits and starts, but the engines are revving up again. In the last two years, P&G has aggressively entered with…
Locked-In Workers Put at Risk
It’s been a part of retailing for about as long as there have been overnight crews. Stores lock-in workers to reduce goods going out the door, make sure employees are…
BrainTrust Query: Is Software-as-a-Service the next step for the intelligent enterprise?
The multi-channel world has provided customers with more shopping flexibility than ever before. As a result, the customer has been put in charge of his or her own destiny, and…
Braintrust Query: Are the goals of data synchronization realistic?
At a session from this week’s UConnect Conference in Orlando, FL, a few retail tech bigwigs shared war stories on data synchronization and their efforts in pushing their organizations to…
Hunting for ‘Locavores’
There are no hard figures to quantify the numbers of consumers for whom buying local is a big deal. What seems apparent, however, is that a variety of concerns starting…
GHQ: Winning Them Over
For wellness customers, savings cards don’t cut it. These shoppers have already shown their willingness to pay a premium for healthful offerings, and discounts aren’t often a source of purchase…
Whole Foods and Wild Oats Vow to Fight FTC in Court
The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday announced that it was filing a lawsuit in federal district court to prevent Whole Foods from buying Wild Oats. In making its decision, the…
Getting Retail Employees to Stay
Nearly half of retail employers say it’s harder to retain employees this year compared to last year, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey. A tight labor market and longer retail…
BrainTrust Query: Will the iPhone take the market by giving customers what they want?
Apple seems to have an open field with its highly (to put it mildly) anticipated new iPhone, due for release on June 29th. The whole Apple mantra is centered…
