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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Consumers Get Critical
Some consumers, considering the purchase of a product, like knowing what others who bought the same item thought of it. For these shoppers, Amazon and a host of other retailers…
Dollar Stores Face Challenges
A new study by Retail Forward, Dollar Stores and Other Small Format Value Retailers, says the dollar store channel will continue to grow over the next several years but not…
Toyota Takes Lead Before Government Forces It To
Like most business executives, Toyota’s North American president and COO Jim Press is no fan of government regulation. But he concedes that many times his industry and others have been…
Bealls Test Drives Employee Discount Promo
Conrad Szymanski, president of the Bealls department store business, recently told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, “There’s not an original idea in marketing.” That’s why, after seeing how well the employee discount…
Adidas-Reebok to Take Swipe at Nike’s Swoosh
The announcement that Adidas plans to buy Reebok for $3.8 billion creates an interesting power play in the athletic-shoe and sportswear category. The deal, which requires shareholder and regulator approval,…
Mail Order Cuts Medical Costs
Even with some added costs of doing business through mail order, the results of a new study released by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) says prescriptions filled through the…
Automotive Retailing Takes to Salsa, Tommy Bahamas and Tacos
Automotive manufacturers are all jumping onto the bandwagon of “employee discounts,” but automotive dealers are also vying with each other to make their outlets unique and the preferred choice. For…
RFID About Systems, Not Tags
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology remains the hot topic in retail technology circles due in large part to Wal-Mart’s mandate that suppliers be RFID compliant by 2006. For most, it’s…
Kids Buy Low-Tech and Cool Going Back-to-School
It was an idea that started out with making parenting easier but now a new combination lock that uses letters and words instead of numbers is being targeted to students…
Restaurant Workers Get Free Lessons in Financial Management
A program between a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, Casa de Maryland, in Silver Spring, and Washington, D.C.-area Pollo Campero franchises provides workers at the Guatemalan chicken restaurant chain with free…
Loyalty Baby Steps
Kimberly-Clark has announced the launch of a new online network, Huggies Baby Network, that delivers information and a support community for moms and moms-to-be, as a one-stop information resource for…
If Starbucks Started South of the Border, It Might Be Panaderia Taza
If Starbucks had originated in Mexico City or even Phoenix, Arizona or El Paso, Texas, it might look a lot different than it does today. It might look like Panaderia…
The Atkins Diet Fades Taking Company with It
The company founded by Dr. Robert Atkins, Atkins Nutritionals, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it struggles to redefine itself in an era when consumers are looking for…
Organic Demand Exceeds Supply
It’s probably safe to say that those who have maintained that “organics” were just another food fad were mistaken. According to The Natural Marketing Institute’s 2005 Organic Consumer Trends Report,…
Roundy’s Turns Wholesale Accounts Over to Supervalu
Roundy’s chairman and chief executive, Robert Mariano, clearly sees the future of his company is in retailing. His counterpart at Supervalu, Jeff Noddle, is apparently happy to help accommodate him…
Macy’s Is Bad, It’s Nationwide
Goodbye Famous-Barr, Robinsons-May, Foley’s, Hecht’s and Kaufmann’s. It was nice knowing you Filene’s, Strawbridge’s, Meier & Frank and L.S. Ayres. Federated Department Stores announced it will convert 330 stores…
A Tale of Two Languages
A new study, a “landmark” one with “startling results” as touted by its authors in a press release last week, proclaims that the Spanish language is here to stay –…
Wal-Mart Sues Former Vice Chairman Coughlin
Wal-Mart contends that the former vice chairman of the company, Tom Coughlin, stole millions from the company to pay for hunting trips and other personal expenses. Mr. Coughlin, according to…
The Art of Sales Prevention: Grocery Supply Chain Style
Although, it’s hard to imagine a level of incompetence on the same level as auto sales in the business-to-business arena, there are numerous accounts where suppliers have seemingly thrown common…
Wal-Mart’s Super Sticky
When it comes to keeping customers, no retailer does a better job than Wal-Mart. That is one of the findings from Retail Forward’s American ShopperScape 2005 report. Wal-Mart, says Mandy…
Role Reversal: Wine Replaces Beer as Favorite Drink
Perhaps it’s the Two-Buck Chuck phenomenon or the big screen spotlight provided by Sideways or the health benefits or simply the taste: Whatever the reason, more Americans now say they…
