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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
UFCW To Rally on Wall Street
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) has planned a rally for tomorrow on Wall Street to urge investors to rethink their investments in Albertsons, Kroger and Safeway, reports…
Kraft Wants To Reinvent How Coffee’s Made
Kraft Foods will launch an entirely new line of business when it introduces its low-pressure coffeemaker at the annual Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference Feb. 18, reports the…
RetailWire Turns Two and Takes Stock of Top 100
RetailWire went live for the very first time two years ago today. Which news topics and discussions on RetailWire do you find most interesting? Why?
Anti-spam Law Talks Tough, Accomplishes Little
Consumers hate getting junk mail, whether it comes delivered by a U.S. postal worker, or arrives in an e-mail box from a fictional acquaintance. What is the answer to the…
The Governator Wants Strike Terminated
California’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, thinks its time that the grocery chains and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) “go back to work and normalize the situation.” Does the…
Low-Carb-Mart Deal Announced
Blimpie International announced a deal for the company to lease space to operate more than 100 Blimpie Express restaurants in Wal-Mart stores. Is the Blimpie Express deal an indication Wal-Mart…
Walgreen’s vs. Mail Order
A piece in Crain’s Chicago Business says the growth of mail order prescription services could pose a threat to Walgreen’s corner store business model. How big will the impact of…
Safeway Delivers Good News
Bad news about the contentious labor situation in Southern California may be what first comes to mind for many when thinking about Safeway, but as an East Bay Business Times…
Bud Light Spot Uses Biting Humor
A Bud Light commercial was chosen as the winner of USA Today’s 16th annual Ad Meter ranking of spots run during the Super Bowl broadcast. What are your thoughts on…
Wal-Mart Analyzes Online Merchandising
Wal-Mart is trying to apply the same type of analytical thinking to merchandising online as it does in assessing the effectiveness of its tactics in physical stores. How adept are…
Gringos Don’t Get It
Most of the major grocery chains operating in California have come and gone from the heavily Hispanic East San Fernando Valley and that appears to be just alright with the…
Albertsons: Heck No, We Won’t Go
Larry Johnston, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Albertsons, does not care what’s being said in grocery industry and analyst circles. The chain is staying put in Dallas-Fort Worth…
Protesters Boost “Boys Are Stupid” Sales
An Associated Press report says retailers, including Bon-Macy’s and Claire’s Stores, are pulling a line of clothing and accessories critics say are anti-boy. Are retailers who pull products off shelves…
Doctors Call For Ibuprofen To Be Rx Only
The head of the Australian Medical Association is calling on his nation’s government to prohibit over-the-counter (OTC) sales of painkillers containing ibuprofen. Should retailers and manufacturers encourage the FDA to…
McD’s Gets Active With Adult Happy Meal
McDonald’s will do a national launch of its Go Active! Happy Meal for adults later this year, reports Reuters. How will McDonald’s keep its Go Active! Happy Meal concept fresh…
Sears To Cut Benefits To Compete
Add Sears to the list of retailers using the low wages and benefits paid by Wal-Mart to its associates as the reason for proposed cutbacks in employee programs. Will Sears…
Eckerd Pieces Worth More Than Whole
J.C. Penney is considering dividing its Eckerd drug store chain into two parts for sale to the highest bidders, reports Reuters. What are your thoughts on the possible sale scenarios…
Kids Spread The Word
The cover story of the February 2 edition of Forbes looks at an innovative marketing program from Procter & Gamble that enlists 280,000 teenagers from across the country to spread…
Study: Wal-Mart Good For Local Economy
A study commissioned by Wal-Mart and conducted by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Council has concluded that the retailer’s move into California will have a net positive effect on…
Wal-Mart Gets A Head Start With RFID
The majority of U.S. retailers appear in no rush to follow Wal-Mart’s lead in deploying radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and analysts think that’s probably a smart move. Is it…
Amazon Rules The E-tailing Jungle
Jeff Bezos’ decision to pursue growth before profits since opening Amazon.com in 1994 has brought the e-tailer criticism in the past but appears to have finally paid off as the…
