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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
What’s Next for Winn-Dixie?
It now appears likely that Winn-Dixie will get the okay to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a hearing last week. Those testifying on Winn-Dixie’s behalf portrayed the…
Real Guys Go Shopping
Not liking to shop is part of being a guy. Everyone knows that. But, lately it seems many have forgotten one of the basic laws of guydom. According to…
New Drink from Coke/Nestle Promises to Burn Calories
It is not the first drink on the market that promises to boost your metabolism and burn calories. Enviga is, however, the first that promises to do the above with…
Kiplinger – Editor’s Query: For consumers, what are the best strategies for luxury goods shopping in warehouse clubs?
As part of its mission to provide personal finance advice to its readership, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance is investigating the subject of luxury goods shopping in the warehouse club environment, and…
Merchandising for Storms as a Seasonal Event
With winter at hand and the hurricane season not quite over, GMDC suggests in their latest industry report – Seasonal Best Practices: A Plan for Seasonal Merchandising – that extreme…
Gen Y Most Influential Consumer Group
Move over boomers. Gen Y is moving in. That’s the analysis of online marketing expert Kelly Mooney. Ms. Mooney, who is the President and Chief Experience Officer of…
BrainTrust Query: Will the Death of Spanish Bring About the Demise of Hispanic Marketing?
In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” And a recently released study has demonstrated that, in the…
PL Buyer Cover Story: On Target?
The nation’s No. 2 discount chain is splashing famous designers – alongside the bull’s eye – on television and in print ads to build its cheap-chic image and set it…
Retail’s Believe It or Not: Part 1
You know what they say about real life being stranger than fiction. Traveling around to retail stores over the last several months has provided George Anderson with a number of…
E. Coli Scares Consumers into Shopping Differently
First it was spinach and now lettuce. Media reports of people coming down ill and in some cases dying from produce carrying E. coli bacteria has many consumers on edge…
R&FF Retailer: Asian Invasion or Evasion?
From popular chains like P.F. Chang’s and Panda Express to the mom and pop take-out joints popping up in towns across America, Asian restaurants are almost as ubiquitous as McDonald’s…
Retailers Go Vertical Route
Big box retailers such as Wal-Mart, Costco, Publix and The Home Depot are all looking up, literally. According to a report in the Miami Herald, big box operators…
Shoppers Find Something Different Inside Sears
Sears Holdings is looking to give consumers a reason to lounge around its stores. According to a Brandweek report, the company is opening internet lounges in 42 stores by the…
BrainTrust Query: What will the respective roles of marketers, agencies and merchandisers be in the new in-store media movement?
As marketing and agency camps are focused on creating brands and executing them at all touchpoints, it’s obvious that they have a role in the “last mile” of the brand…
Gap Line to Fight AIDS in Africa
Gap Inc. has some entertainment heavyweights backing the rollout of its new, limited (PRODUCT) RED collection of clothing and accessories that will see half of all sales going to The…
Creating a Healthy Bottom Line
Seventy-four percent of workers in the U.S. say cookies, cake and/or candy are served as company meetings and other functions. Sixty-three percent say vending machines in their offices are mostly…
Eating Cheap Means Eating Out for Many
Many Americans have come to the conclusion that it is cheaper or at least no more expensive to eat out than stay at home and prepare a meal themselves. While…
Loiterers Told Where to Go
Loiterers hanging outside a store are a good way to drive away customers and no retailer wants that. Now, there are various methods for dealing with those who do not…
GHQ: Headache Remedy
Pharmacy is a major growth sector for supermarkets and — if executed well — it can compensate for the center store sales being lost to alternative formats. It is also…
E-tailers Start Christmas Marketing Early
By all accounts, this is going to be another good holiday selling season for online retailers. C A new study conducted by BizRate Research for Shopzilla and Shop.org found that…
Wal-Mart’s Blue State Spinmeister
There really is nothing about Leslie Dach to suggest he is a Wal-Mart kind of guy. The former Democratic party honcho and current executive vice president of governmental relations…
