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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
The Skinny on the Jeans Business
Baggy pants and flare cuts are out and tight-fitting jeans with straight legs are in, say fashion industry experts. Some wonder, however, if the trend to tighter fitting jeans doesn’t…
Stelzer Speaks to Technology Challenges
BrainTrust panelist Ron Margulis spoke at length with John Stelzer, director of retail industry marketing for the business integration solutions provider Sterling Commerce, on technology trends in the retail industry…
Sears Looks to the Future
The good news: Sears Holdings reported that its profit for the fourth quarter more than doubled from the previous year as a result of the company’s efforts to drive costs…
Wine Retailers Try to Drum Up Support
A new organization, The Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA), has been launched to help protect the cross-boarder shipping rights of wine retailers. The organization consists of wine retailers across 30…
Whole Foods Rebuilds, Publix Prepares
Six weeks after announcing the reopening of a store in New Orleans, Whole Foods Market is ready for the grand reopening of another Louisiana location damaged by Hurricane Katrina. How…
The Battle of Bean Town
When Dunkin’ Donuts at 715 Boylston Street in Boston found out about Starbucks’ promotion to give away free cups of coffee between 10:00 a.m. and noon today, it quickly shifted…
Building Loyalty
Home improvement chain Lowe’s, in cooperation with GE Consumer Finance, has launched a new Project Card program that should help it increase loyalty among its industrious customers. Using the card,…
Supervalu Gets FTC OK to Buy Albertsons
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved the $9.7 billion sale of Albertsons to a group of investors including Supervalu without requiring any assets be sold off. Supervalu’s end…
Clothing Business May Be Right Fit for RFID
Though the technology improves the speed and accuracy on the receiving end while making it significantly better at maintaining and tracking stock, the only thing standing in the way of…
Consumer Products Look for Shelf Life
A number of factors go into to determining what products make it onto store shelves and racks. But, with a limited amount of space, the question of which products make…
Nordstrom Tinkers with Customer Service
When it comes to delivering excellent customer service in the retailing business, there are few that stack up against Nordstrom. So, why then has the company decided to do away…
Small Guys Find Tough Going Online
Increased competition, comparison-shopping sites and high marketing costs are all working against the small guy online. And, as if that was not enough good news, Patti Freeman, an analyst with…
Lines Blur Between Manufacturer and Retailer
VF Corporation is the world’s biggest apparel manufacturer and it’s also making moves to become a force on the retailing front. The company recently announced it would add 400 new…
Retailers Attempt to Take Off with New Stores
It’s an increasingly familiar sight. Well-known retail chains are setting up stores inside airport terminals in their ever-continuing quest to attract new shoppers and satisfy current ones. What marketing and…
U.K. Supermarkets Blur Lines
Turnabout, as they say, is fair play. While supermarkets here and elsewhere have seen other channels steadily chipping away at their share of grocery categories, store operators in the U.K…
Amazon Exploring Movie Downloads
A report in The New York Times, says Amazon.com is in negotiations with Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers to offer a movie and television show download service that…
Keep Those Complaints Coming
It’s the complaints you never hear that will kill your business. According to a study from Customer Champions out of the U.K., most consumers on the other side of the…
Wal-Mart Sells Out Metro 7 Line
A new and hipper Wal-Mart is “starting to make a statement,” according to its senior vice president of marketing Stephen Quinn. That assertion, made by Mr. Quinn during a Bear…
House Passes Uniform Food Standards Bill
If approved by the Senate, a new bill passed by the House of Representatives would set a single national standard for safety warnings on food products. The National Uniformity for…
TJX Cuts Executive Pay and Jobs
In a move not often seen in business circles, a dozen senior executives at TJX Cos. have agreed to take a 10 percent cut in salary to help the operator…
Women Don’t Have Time to Shop in Stores
A survey of 1,300 women in the U.K. finds that demands of work and home life have taken the joy out of shopping in stores. The research from the retail…
