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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Wal-Mart Shows Heart As Well As Muscle
Even its many critics must admit that, when it came to standing up for those who saw their lives turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina, no person or group was…
Albertsons Considers Selling; Tesco and Others Consider Buying
On Friday, Albertsons released a statement from the company’s chairman and CEO, Larry Johnston, in which he said the retailer was “exploring strategic alternatives to increase shareholder value, including a…
Japanese Parent Wants to take 7-Eleven Private
Seven-Eleven Japan Co. said yesterday it is looking to purchase the remaining 27.3 percent stake it does not own in 7-Eleven Inc. 7-Eleven Inc., based in Dallas, has said…
The Spiritual Guide to Profits
Businesses are putting chaplains on the payroll and the impact has been uplifting for employee morale and company profits. A report in The Christian Science Monitor, says companies have recognized…
Starbucks Pushes Latte and Homosexual Agenda
Starbucks was looking to get people talking with its “The Way I See it” promotion. It worked. The promotion includes quotes from a number of well-known (to varying degrees) Americans…
States Ask E-tailers to Pay Sales Tax
“This fall,” reports The Associated Press, “13 states will start encouraging — though not demanding — that online businesses collect sales taxes just as Main Street stores are required to…
Tesco Looks to Push Convenience Store Advantage
Lee Scott, chairman and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores, has pointed out that one advantage Tesco has over his company’s operations in the U.K. is its convenience store business…
Katrina
Louisiana’s Governor tearfully describes the scene as “untenable…heartbreaking.” Mississippi’s Governor believes this is what it must look like after an atomic bomb is dropped. What are your thoughts on the…
Guitar Center Strikes The Right Chord
Guitar Center has been called “the Wal-Mart of the music world.” As it has grown, it has faced some of the same challenges of Wal-Mart and others, namely, “how to…
Logistics Crisis Looming
According to Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, 10,000 truck companies fold every time the cost of diesel fuel increases by a dime. With the…
Chain Follows the Money to Areas with Little of It
A headline in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal nicely sums up Save-A-Lot’s strategy for success: No-frills grocer goes where other chains won’t. Catering to consumer households with annual incomes of $35,000…
Must Be the Big Screens, More People Watching Television
Just when you thought consumers in the 18 to 34 year-old group were turning away from traditional media such as television, it turns out they’re not. Nielsen Media Research reports…
Farmer Jack Employees Make No Concessions
Even Victoria Collins, president of the UFCW Local 876 can not believe that employees of Farmer Jack voted to reject a 10 percent cut in pay and other concessions that…
Gas Station Chain Converts to Ethanol
Robert Bolduc, president of Pride, a 16 gas station chain headquartered in Springfield, Mass., knows that ethanol blend gasoline is currently cheaper than gasoline alone but that’s not the reason…
Penney Gets ‘Skool’d’ on Teens
J.C. Penney’s turnaround in recent years has been remarkable, even more so, when you consider the department store chain has focused increased attention on fickle teenagers to help it achieve…
Wal-Mart CEO Thinks British Should Investigate Tesco
There’s a new benchmark for determining what constitutes a surreal experience in the retail business. Lee Scott, CEO and chairman of Wal-Mart, believes it is time the British government looked…
And the Survey Says: Focus On Selling
A recent study published by the GMDC Education Foundation, sponsored by Meridian Consulting Group and Premier Greetings, concludes that retailers (and manufacturers) that tried to ‘save’ their way to profitability…
Sears Watches Others Grab Appliance Sales Share
Sears is still the number one seller of major appliances in the U.S. but others, notably Home Depot and Lowe’s, are gradually taking share. According to a Chicago Tribune report,…
Serena Williams Adds Celebrity to Kohl’s Cosmetics
Forget about Lauren, Versace, Chanel, etc. Today, when you want a beauty and fashion winner, you need Simpson, Diddy, Paris and, heck, even Mary Kate and Ashley. What is…
Wal-Mart Looks to Lift Spirits
As a Wall Street Journal piece from Aug. 17 correctly pointed out, Wal-Mart’s alcohol-free headquarters is located in a dry county and, when it comes to the sale of hard…
Pet Retailer Emphasizes Smart Over Mart
Petsmart knows its customers get it. Now, it’s hoping that a new logo and marketing campaign will help the two-legged members of its customers’ households come to the conclusion that…
