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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Are Profits Following Sales in Sears’ Grand Format?
More open space is one of the improved shopping experience features Sears has in store for shoppers in its new Grand format units. Industry analysts are wondering whether that improved…
Wal-Mart: Blame It On The Weather
Both Wal-Mart and Target said yesterday same-store sales at the chains were coming in below expectations for June. Wal-Mart attributed its smaller than expected increase on flat sales for…
Save-A-Lot Looking to Double In Size, Again
Bill Moran’s bosses at the wholesale grocery company he worked for didn’t go for the Save-A-Lot limited assortment grocery store concept he brought them nearly 30 years ago, so he…
Old School Is Cool
Whether it’s teenagers wearing a replica Brooklyn Dodger cap, a throwback jersey from the 1942 Kansas City Monarchs of the old Negro Baseball League or debating whether Who’s Next or…
Loyalty Card Lawsuit Questions Retailer’s Responsibility
As reported by Connie Thompson on KOMOTV.com, a Seattle area Superior Court ruling says a shopper can go forward with her lawsuit against the QFC chain, operated by The Kroger…
Big G Cuts Sugar, Adds Splenda To Cereals
General Mills announced yesterday that three new reduced-sugar versions of its popular cereal brands, Trix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cocoa Puffs, would be on store shelves by mid-July. The new…
Arby’s: Not Just Roast Beef Anymore
Tom Garrett, president of RTM Restaurant Group Inc., Arby’s biggest franchisee, told the Associated Press, “Our pipeline simply dried up and Arby’s for a short period of time really became…
Wal-Mart’s Grocery Share To Grow To 21 Percent
Daniel Barry, an analyst with Merrill Lynch, predicts Wal-Mart will capture 21 percent of all grocery store sales by 2013, with 850 new supercenter units being built between now and…
Sears’ Strip Mall Strategy For Appliances
Sears sees a future for its appliance and electronics business in strip malls. The chain announced it plans to open 30 new appliance and electronics outlet stores in strip mall…
P&G Rewrites The Marketing Book
Procter & Gamble, the company credited by many with writing the book on brand management, is adding a new chapter on marketing to African-American consumers. The company announced last week…
Are Smaller Chains Relevant to Suppliers?
In a world increasingly influenced, if not dominated, by mega-chains, three smaller retailers – Marsh Supermarkets, Golub / Price Chopper and Smart & Final – tried to demonstrate to large…
Under and Overpaid In Seattle
According to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the average grocery worker in the Puget Sound area makes $18,000 a year. The amount paid to the chief executive…
Stater Bros. Called The Best
Stater Bros. Markets in California has been named Grocery Headquarters Magazine’s “2004 Supermarket Retailer of the Year”. The 158 store chain was awarded this distinction for its “attractive supermarkets, superior…
Judge Rules Six Can Become 1.6 Million For Suit
It took U.S. District Judge Martin Jenkins nine months to decide whether a sexual discrimination lawsuit brought by six women against Wal-Mart should be granted class-action status. Once he made…
Customer Service, What Customer Service?
What’s the use of complaining? According to a new study on customer service, most consumers do not believe it will do much good anyway. The study found 63 percent…
Small Stores Getting Bigger Share of Business
Everyday, the headlines scream out the same thing. The Supercenters are coming! The Supercenters are coming! That may very well be true, but as Willard Bishop Consulting’s (WBC) Store Format…
Senators Say It’s Time To Import Rx Drugs
A General Accounting Office (GAO) report provides the evidence that it’s time to lift the ban on importing prescription medicines from Canada, say key Republican and Democratic senators. In light…
Wendy’s Tests Drive-Thru-Only Stores
Wendy’s knows many American consumers think of themselves as being too busy to get out of their cars to order inside one of its restaurants. That’s why the number three…
Grocer Displays Differences With Wal-Mart
The owner of four Pick ‘n Save supermarkets in Wisconsin compares competing against Wal-Mart’s Supercenter to being chased by a grizzly. He knows he can’t outrace the bear so he…
SimonDelivers’ Simple Loyalty Program
Golden Valley, Minn.-based online retailer, SimonDelivers.com, has found a simple way to engender loyalty; free groceries. The objective of their currently running “8th week free” program is to get customers…
RFID Privacy Concerns Not Going Away
With legislation pending in a number of states, it is clear the concerns some have about the misuse of radio frequency identification (RFID) to intrude on the privacy of individuals…
