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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Hudson’s Bay Co. Sold
American Jerry Zucker made Canada’s oldest company an offer its board could not refuse. Hudson’s Bay Co. announced yesterday it has accepted an offer by Mr. Zucker’s Maple Leaf Heritage…
Target Goes on ‘International Flight of Fashion’
Target has carved out a point of difference from other discounters and retail stores and it plans to continue doing that. The only difference consumers might see is that some…
A&F All About Full Retail Price
Nothing is on sale at Abercrombie & Fitch. As a report in the Los Angeles Times last week pointed out, while other retailers were drastically cutting prices to move…
Company Doctor Prescribes Cure for Foot Traffic Ills
Syndicated columnist Scott Clark, aka The Company Doctor, has some advice for driving repeat traffic in an article found on the Arizona Business Gazette web site. According to Mr. Clark,…
Wal-Mart Plays the Pied Piper
Record industry executives in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville, et al, are a little more than nervous about Wal-Mart’s success with the Garth Brook’s CD/DVD boxed set this past…
Victory the Only Option for Hannaford in Massachusetts
Rick Meyerkopf, Hannaford Bros. central division vice president of retail operations, said it all. ‘Hannaford is committed to becoming a major player in Massachusetts.” The Delhaize division is now the…
Retailers Searching for Ways to Drive Traffic
Paying for the privilege of being the first can pay big dividends for retailers. According to a Cox News Service report, search engine marketing played a significant role in…
Store Closings Galore
As a CNNMoney.com report points out, we’re only a few weeks into the new year and already a spate of store closings have been announced. Even those opening new…
Sports Authority Looks to Gain Flexibility
The CEO of the Sports Authority retail chain believes the company will do better as a private company than it has done as a publicly traded organization. “As a…
OfficeMax Plans Turnaround
In yet another turnaround plan announced by a retailer, OfficeMax has put forth a three-point plan the company says will make it more competitive and profitable in the future. Sam…
Get Ready for the Culture Clash – Part 1
In recognizing the changing profile of customers across the country, companies are increasingly seeking to create multicultural workforces. Yet, as many take on the exciting challenge of working with people…
Beer and Roses
A new Beer Institute promotional program supported by major brewers plans to put beer in a whole new light for consumers. According to a CNNMoney.com report, the “Here’s To Beer”…
Loyalty Through Content
New York research firm eMarketer expects packaged-goods firms to spend $470 million online in 2006. This would be a 17 percent increase from 2005 and a 42 percent increase over…
Done Deal: Albertsons Sold
The second go-round proved a charm as Supervalu, CVS and an investment group led by Cerberus Capital Management, that includes Kimco Realty, Schottenstein Stores Corp., Lubert-Adler Partners and Klaff Realty,…
Circuit City Charges Forward
In case you hadn’t noticed, Circuit City is on something of a tear. The consumer electronics chain has put together a plan that promotes better store level execution and customer…
Wild Oats and Whole Foods to Become Neighbors
Whole Foods will soon have a store operating in Portland, Maine that is right next to a Wild Oats location. The country’s leading natural foods chain has agreed to buy…
Home Depot 2010
Home Depot is looking to slow things down a little. The “things” being the rate at which the company opens new stores. Since Bob Nardelli took over the reigns…
Retail: Talent Wanted
Roger Farah, president and chief operating officer of Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., told an audience at the National Retail Federation conference in New York this week that the biggest challenge…
Why Did the Consumer Cross the Road to McD’s?
McDonald’s customers do not live by burgers and fries alone. That was the central theme of a speech given by Ralph Alvarez, president of McDonald’s North America, at the annual…
NRF Study: Growth is Key Issue for Retailers in 2006
Last year, it was supply chain efficiency; this year, it’s growing the top line. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation and BearingPoint released earlier this…
The Invisible Innovations
Many of the innovations at this year’s NRF are difficult to understand. These “invisible” innovations include applications ranging from forecasting for merchandise planning and workforce management to security applications for…
