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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
The Cadillac of Bicycles
According to a report in The Detroit News, Cadillac has entered into a special licensing deal with Kent International to produce a line of Caddy branded mid- to high-end bicycles…
Luxury Brands Go It Alone
The demand for luxury goods is strong but not all manufacturers feel as though they are getting the attention they deserve from the department store retailers that sell their products…
Buyout Firms Want Dunkin’ Donuts for Themselves
A group of buyout firms, including Bain Capital, Thomas H. Lee Partners, and The Carlyle Group, have been in talks to purchased Dunkin’ Donuts from its French parent, Pernod Ricard…
Dissension in Union Ranks
The decision by the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to leave the AFL-CIO has cast doubt over the future of organized labor in the U.S. The unions…
No Loyalty to eBay Anything Points Program
In a press release, eBay announced the discontinuation of the eBay Anything Points Program in the U.S. At this point, it appears as though eBay will continue to offer its…
Downloads Didn’t Kill the Record, er, CD Store
There’s no question that music download services, such as Apple’s iTunes Music Store, have had an impact on the bricks-and-mortar side of music business, but the prediction by some that…
REI Starts with One-Way Blog Approach
A report in the Puget Sound Business Journal says managers at Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) stores will begin making posts to weblogs next month to communicate information of interest to…
China Revaluates Yuan – Let the Scenario Planning Begin
China’s decision last week to peg the value of the yuan to a number of foreign currencies and not simply the U.S. dollar has generated a lot of speculation on…
Faith-Based Marketing Draws Crowds
It’s been said that faith can move mountains. It’s certainly been proven that it can draw crowds. According to a report in USA Today, minor league baseball teams are drawing…
A New Kind of Assembly Line
Too little time and too much to do is becoming the mantra of generations of Americans and a new generation of food businesses have sprung up to help a frazzled…
The Immigration Crossfire
An annual report from the U.S. superintendent’s office of immigration notes rising immigration levels into this country and warns about “an enormous influx of foreigners unacquainted with our languages and…
Camp Old Navy
A group of kids got to find out what working at retail is all about at “Camp Old Navy” at the Chapel Hill Mall in Akron. The program, reports the…
Inspiration from the Kitchen Sink
Simone Restrepo, the chef at the Sibling Rivalry restaurant, gets some of his best ideas from dishwashers. A report in The Boston Globe said that some of the best restaurants…
Save-A-Lot Losing Some Momentum
Supervalu’s limited assortment concept, Save-A-Lot, has seen its business turn slightly southward as it deals with the impact of higher fuel prices, increased competition and the need to upgrade stores…
Wal-Mart Takes Another Run at Banking Biz
The nightmare of bankers everywhere may be about to come true. Wal-Mart Stores, which has been turned away in California, Canada and Oklahoma, may finally be approved to establish an…
Independent Has No Fear of Competition
In his 1933 inaugural speech, Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the psychological aspects of the Great Depression head on. “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have…
Grocers: The Price is Right in Center Store
The Wall Street Journal reports that a number of supermarket operators have cut the number and frequency of promotions of center store items and, instead, lowered regular prices on popular…
Diner Survey Says: Don’t Rush Us
Diners are looking for speedy service at restaurants. Just don’t make them feel as if they are being rushed out the door if you want them patronizing your eatery again…
Save Money – Outsource Your CEO Today
In her Wall Street Journal In The Lead column, Carol Hymowitz wonders if perhaps it isn’t now time, in the search for lower labor costs, for companies to start laying…
Perfecting the Art of Sales Prevention
RetailWire BrainTrust member Mark Lilien says, “In automotive retailing, I’ve recently come to believe, the key department is sales prevention. I realize this Web site doesn’t have many articles about…
NAACP Gives Retailers a ‘D’ Grade
Major retailers are just not making the grade when it comes to people of color, says the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Last week, the NAACP…
