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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Major League Loyalty
Promo P&I informs us of the launch in Tampa last month of the Players Choice Platinum Club, a new loyalty program supporting major league baseball. The program’s goal is to…
Retailers on Deadline to Secure Data
Businesses that accept credit card payments need to secure customers’ personal information from identity thieves by June 30 or face fines as well as the potential for legal liability for…
Boomer Women Get Chico-fy’d
Chico’s has built its business catering to the needs of mature women and the baby boomers who shop in its stores love the attention. So what is the chain’s secret?…
McD’s Looks Good for 50
Fifty years to the day Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s franchise in Des Plaines, Ill., the fast food icon is opening a new restaurant in Chicago on the spot…
Penn Traffic Gets New Life
Robert Chapman, president and chief executive officer of Penn Traffic described the grocery chain’s emergence from Chapter 11 as a “new life” for the company adding that today it “is…
Customers Pleasantly Surprised at New Kmart
The Kmart in Troy, Mich. is one of nine nationally currently testing Sears’ products in its stores. Other “new” Kmarts are located in Boca Raton, Fla., White Plains, N.Y., Bohemia,…
Does Self-distribution Still Make Sense?
An advantage of being a self-distributing retailer is the ability to take advantage of purchasing discounts offered by manufacturers. But with many manufacturers going to scan based promotions that pay…
Restaurants Just Saying No to Trans Fats
Jason’s Deli: “Your body can’t metabolize this stuff. So why should I serve it to my customers?” Ruby Tuesday’s: “We didn’t do it to drive business. We did it…
What Would Jesus Sell?
The sale of Christian-themed merchandise of all types has become a huge business and companies are rolling out new products to meet demand. The latest is the new talking Jesus…
Two Networks Are Better Than None
On June 30th, Viacom, the largest owner of cable networks, will launch another gay network – Logo. Significantly, Logo will be advertiser supported and offered as a basic cable channel…
PR Agency Role In Nutrition Guidelines Questioned
The pubic relations agency, Porter Novelli, was hired by the Agriculture Department to design an icon to help consumers better understand the federal government’s new nutritional guidelines. Other clients of…
Marketers to Consumers: Trust Us
It’s not a new concept, but businesses searching for the means of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage are looking to communicate their trustworthiness to customers. Trust related marketing is growing…
Target Wins Perception as Reality Battle
A Crain’s Chicago Business article points out that, on paper, Target doesn’t appear to operate its business much differently than Wal-Mart. If Wal-Mart’s presence is said to drive smaller, local…
Latinos Announce Arrival in English
Jaime Gamboa and Gabriel Grimalt, are two young American men of Latino ancestry who are making it big and they’re letting Los Angeles know with their new magazine, Tu Ciudad…
Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Shake Up Nutrition Police
If you’re looking for the perfect complement to the 1,420-calorie Monster Burger sold at Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. restaurants, you might want to try one of the company’s new 715-carlorie…
Waiting in Line to be Loyal
Turley Wine Cellars makes really good wine and is known for their outstanding Zinfandel. The majority of wine Turley makes is sold to the customers on their mailing list. How…
Wal-Mart Goes Upscale, Sorta
Wal-Mart is looking to improve its image and, happily, this time it has nothing to do with “setting the record straight” on its employment practices, its impact on local economies,…
The Future of Warehouse Clubs
At the recent Nielsen Consumer 360 Conference, Doug Bennett of ACNielsen forecast a bright future for Club Stores, at least for the near term. Which club company do you think…
2005: The Year of Asian American Media
Last year saw the emergence of a new kind of ethnic television media: one geared toward U.S. born Latinos — exemplified by the rise of cable TV networks that were…
Imitation Greatest Form of Flattery for Kohl’s
Rival department store chains are trying to out-Kohl’s Kohl’s with shopping carts, checkouts at the front-end and racetrack floor layouts to speed consumers as they shop the store. What challenges…
Teens: No Job Wanted
The number of teenagers working part-time jobs has fallen to its lowest level since such statistics started being tracked. According to a report by USA Today, the percentage of kids…
