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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Hot Designers Put The Gap Back in Vogue
The designers brought on by Gap Inc. to create the retailer’s Design Editions line have gotten some welcomed attention from no other than the fashion icon Vogue. The magazine has…
PLBuyer: Pause and Effect
Partly because television and radio ads are losing their effectiveness in reaching consumers, CPG companies are reallocating their ad budgets toward point-of-sale marketing efforts. For retailers already creating an in-store…
BrainTrust Query: Are we finally seeing Amazon’s ‘free cash flow’ period?
As BrainTrust Panelist Bill Bittner thought about the “earnings surprise” reported by online retailer Amazon on Tuesday, a different angle to the story occurred to him. Could it be…
Best Buy Names New Leader for Asian Expansion
Best Buy has named Redmond Yeung to head up its Asian business. Mr. Yeung will take over the newly created position of president and chief operating officer of Best Buy…
Pharmacist Shortage Hurts Retailers and Consumers
There are real consequences to the pharmacist shortage and that is apparent in Nogales, Ariz., where a Walgreens is closing its pharmacy earlier during the week and completely on the…
New Help Wanted
For those not wanting to live in a world where all food comes processed and packed in boxes, and who are interested in getting up close and personal with what…
Melamine Contamination Links Port Security to Food Safety
The U.S. is an importing nation and it simply is too onerous a process to inspect everything that comes into the country’s ports. That’s why food ingredient shipments are allowed…
VT Murders Raise Background Check Questions
Legal experts believe last week’s massacre of 33 people at Virginia Tech was a direct result of a flawed background-check system that did not prevent Cho Seung-hui from purchasing firearms,…
Former Penney Boss Joins Wal-Mart Board
Allen Questrom, knows something about putting the life into a lagging retailing banner. Now, the 40+ year retailing veteran has been nominated to join Wal-Mart’s board of directors, making…
Texting for Shoppers
Once upon a time, the competitive advantage of small shops was personal service. Then along came technology and supermarkets started getting more ‘personal.’ Using emails, phone calls, regular mail, special…
BrainTrust Query: Is globilization gaining importance with U.S retailers, or is this a tempest in a Tesco teapot?
The area most rapidly emerging on retailers’ list of importance is “globalization”–yet it hasn’t jumped up much on manufacturers’ radar screens at all. In fact, it fell in importance for…
Non-Foods Going Up and Online
Forrester Research projects that an increasingly large percentage of sales in health and beauty care and other non-foods categories will migrate to e-tail between now and 2011. Consequently, it appears…
Eco Fashion Goes Upscale
Luxury fashion designers and retailers have caught onto the green wave with new lines of clothing and accessories that can lay claim to being “environmentally friendly” and “socially responsible.” Why…
Restaurants Get Environmental Ethics
One thing many small business owners often share is a determination to create a business matching their core values. Good intentions, however, are not always enough. Allegra McEvedy, co-owner and…
Retailers Make Green Moves Before Earth Day
Wal-Mart and Home Depot were the two highest profile retailers to make green moves this week in the lead up to Earth Day on April 22. Both the world’s largest…
Chain Store Age: Invest in Restrooms
When it comes to restroom facilities, having an easily accessible, clean and inviting space can give a store a competitive advantage with female customers. Unfortunately, many retailers don’t give restrooms…
Coke Rethinks Philanthropy
The Coca-Cola Co. is reorganizing its main charitable department and fundamentally reshaping how it gives locally, nationally and internationally. The change not only promises to spread more of the philanthropic…
BrainTrust Query: What lessons can marketers take away from PBS’ ‘war’ with Hispanics?
“History is written by the victors,” said Winston Churchill. Well, the victors this week are Hispanics, who just won a war waged against PBS to get their side of the…
Domo Arigato Pharmacy Roboto
Hy-Vee has a new worker filling prescriptions at its pharmacy in Marshalltown, Iowa. The new guy, it turns out, isn’t a guy at all. It’s a pharmacy robot that takes…
Grow It Yourself
There’s an old adage that if you want a job done well, you should do it yourself. While many 21st century people pursuing “busy lifestyles” do not agree – and…
In-Store Tech Investment Enablers
A recent survey by Retail Systems Alert Group (RSAG) found that retailers overwhelmingly believe in-store technologies are instrumental in improving customer satisfaction rates. But issues around costs, reliability and value…
