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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Sears Centralizes Merchandising Functions
There’s more changes going on at Sears Holdings. The company announced it is combining the merchandising divisions of its Sears and Kmart businesses under a single unit with the heads…
Supervalu Joins Albertsons’ Suitor List
According to a report in the Financial Times, Kroger is no longer in the running to buy Albertsons but now Supervalu has stepped up to join with Cerberus Capital Management…
Sears Big Holiday Wish is Profitability
Brit Beemer, founder and chairman of America’s Research Group, said retailers have one of two ways they can go this holiday season. “You can be promotional, give up some profit…
Testing Links to Online Loyalty
According to a new survey commissioned by applications monitoring service provider TeaLeaf Technology and conducted by Harris Interactive, 89 percent of those surveyed about their consumer transactions at shopping, banking,…
Sears Looks to Buy Rest of Canadian Business
Sears Holdings announced it has offered to buy all outstanding shares of Sears Canada that it does not already own. In a released statement, Alan Lacy, vice chairman of Sears…
Designer Shoe Warehouse Agrees to Tighten Security
The discount shoe chain, Designer Shoe Warehouse, has agreed to put in place a more comprehensive security plan to protect customers’ financial information following the discovery that the records of…
SuperTarget’s Customers Get the Message
SuperTarget is serious about staying connected to its customers. The retailer is now giving shoppers the option of receiving text messages on mobile devices alerting them to sales and providing…
Cost of Smoking Goes Up for Retail Workers
The high cost of smoking cigarettes is about to go even higher as employers begin adding an extra charge to healthcare premiums for those who choose to smoke. Beginning next…
One Day Does Not a Sales Season Make
The official holiday selling season has just begun and, Black Friday and Cyber Monday reports aside, it’s too early to predict how it will all turn out, say retail industry…
Poll: Wal-Mart’s Still Popular But Less So
A new poll conducted by Zogby for the anti-Wal-Mart group, Wake Up Wal-Mart, shows a majority of Americans still have a favorable view of the retail giant but that the…
Retailers Try to Crack Female Shoppers’ Code
Women are different than men. That simple understanding has prompted some retailers in the consumer electronics business to adjust their marketing practices and in-store environments to be more inviting for…
Turnover in the Warehouse
Attracting and keeping good employees is a major challenge for retailers. This is as true in distribution center operations as it is in store-level, reports Grocery Headquarters. Many retailers,…
Does a Services-Oriented Internet Make Sense?
We have all had the experience, whether with the plumber who just can’t seem to fix the leak, the roofer who creates new leaks or the appliance guy whose only…
Marsh Puts Out ‘For Sale’ Sign
Marsh Supermarkets announced yesterday it has hired Merrill Lynch to pursue strategic alternatives, including a possible sale, for the company. Why has Marsh’s performance been off? What will a buyer…
eq-life Concept Sells Life Solutions
Best Buy’s new concept store, eq-life, is in the business of selling solutions to the needs of women. The store is a place where technology and health merge, with consumers…
‘Limited Quantities’ Make Customers Angry
It’s common legal wording. A retailer runs an ad on a promotion item and includes provisos such as “while supplies last,” “limited quantities,” or “no rainchecks,” to let consumers know…
Pick Any Day, Holiday Sales Are Strong Online
People may just have to reconsider the notion that Cyber Monday is the unofficial kickoff of the holiday selling season for online retailers. While most of the media attention was…
Hand-held Registers Take a Swipe at Long Lines
Portable technology that allows for acceptance of credit cards on the sales floor, rental car lot or, as portrayed in a NY Times article, on the golf range, is not…
Lower Cost, But Higher Loyalty
Instead of communicating with its Preferred Plus members four to seven weeks after a stay, Starwood Hotel & Resorts is using print-on-demand capabilities to deliver a more personalized communication more…
Wal-Mart Redeems Itself in This Year’s Post-Thanksgiving Derby
“Lukewarm” was an oft-used adjective in news pieces early this weekend describing the official start of the holiday season. Mostly, those reviews were based on a report from ShopperTrak RCT…
The Apple of Music Lovers’ Eyes
It was always more a question of when than if Apple’s iTunes Music Store would become one of the top retailers of music in the U.S. Now that it has…
