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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
JCP: Not Your Mother’s Store Anymore
J.C. Penney’s chairman and chief executive officer, Alan Questrom wants everyone to know, “We’re no longer my mother’s store. This is a new store.” A sense of optimism surrounds the…
Wal-Mart Gets Key To Chicago
Ald. Emma Mitts (37th ward) said Wal-Mart belongs in her West Side district of Chicago and it appears she’ll get it with yesterday’s City Council approval of a zoning change,…
Retailers Pushing RFID, Others Scrapping Plans
Home Depot, Metro, Target, Tesco, Wal-Mart and others may be pushing ahead with programs to test and implement radio frequency identification technology (RFID) but a survey from Meta Group says…
Gillette’s Kilts Is Favorite To Run Coke
Bill Pecoriello, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, says the current chief executive at Gillette, Jim Kilts, is the leading candidate to succeed Doug Draft as the chairman and CEO at…
McD’s New Chief Was Cantalupo’s Confidante
By all accounts, Charlie Bell, 43, was the person Jim Cantalupo intended to succeed him as chief executive of McDonald’s. Regrettably, Mr. Bell finds himself thrust into the role…
Doubts Grow Over Outsourcing, Off-shoring
The topic of outsourcing programming and call-center jobs, especially overseas to places such as India, has remained a contentious topic in American business circles. Why do you believe companies are…
Google Gmail: Value or Invasion?
Google is testing a free email service called Gmail. The service plans to offer each account holder 1 gigabyte of storage — more than 100 times that of Yahoo! and…
Future Retailing: High Tech Or High Touch?
The German retailing powerhouse, Metro, calls its test laboratory Future Store. But, as the success of that store and others employing technology to improve the shopping experience has become documented…
Save-A-Lot Pays Big Dividends
A report in the Star Tribune says that Save-A-Lot has become the “star performer” in Supervalu’s portfolio.Burt Flickinger III, managing director for Strategic Resources Group, told the paper, “Next to…
ACNielsen Prepares For Retail Industry Change
The retail world is changing and ACNielsen (a RetailWire sponsor) has announced new initiatives that better reflect the present realities of the business while anticipating future developments. What are retailers…
Wal-Mart and Best Buy Say Duties Not Needed
Executives at Wal-Mart and Best Buy called on the U.S. International Trade Commission to block plans by the Bush administration to put anti-dumping duties on color television sets imported from…
The Carb-Counting Continues
Even those not following Atkins or the South Beach diet are limiting their intake of carbs, says a new study. Morgan Stanley surveyed 2,500 adults and conducted focus groups to…
Vending Units Expand Selection
Vending machines aren’t just for soda and snacks anymore. At least that’s what retailers and consumer goods manufacturers of products other than soda and snacks are counting on. What are…
Meatpacker Not Taking USDA’s No For An Answer
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef isn’t happy with the U.S. Agriculture Department’s decision last week to prohibit the company from privately testing its own cattle for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (aka Bse;…
Thousands Line Up For $6.75 An Hour
Wal-Mart’s new Supercenter in Glendale, Ariz. opens today. The real story here, however, is not the opening but what happened prior to the store being ready for shoppers. What do…
Domino’s To Go Public
When the private equity firm Bain Capital LLC bought the Domino’s Pizza chain in 1998 it was considered just a matter of time before the company took the business public…
The Mainstreaming of Ethnic Markets
The Southern California labor dispute is over, but the story of its ultimate impact on the grocery business has yet to be written. The fact that so many consumers –…
Theft Charge Dropped, Civil Suit To Follow
Carla Jaworski is a 59-year old grandmother who has worked for 12 years at a Kmart store in Indiana. Recently, Ms. Jaworski was taken into police custody, because her employer…
Love American Business Style
Increasingly, we hear people saying they have no life, but no shortage of work to do. This all work and almost no play lifestyle leaves many with few options when…
Wet Seal Staff Defections Bring Out The Lawyers
Greg Scott did a great job when he was the president of Arden B. stores, a 99-store chain selling upscale young women’s clothing. Then, he left to take over as…
Gateway Computers – The April Fools of Branding?
How could a company that built a track record of excellence in early brand management continue to fail so miserably, both financially and as stewards of the Gateway brand? What…
