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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Central Market: The Happy Habit
“Most people view grocery shopping as a weekly chore,” says Stephen Butt, senior vice president, H.E. Butt Grocery Co. “We’re trying to replace that mundane habit with a habit of…
Target Goes With Shabby Chic
Target announced, as part of its conference call regarding the company’s third-quarter results, it will add another exclusive brand to its product portfolio in the near future with the launch…
McDonald’s Not McKidding About Licensing
McDonald’s is looking to extend its brand by putting its McKids logo on a wider range of licensed products including toys, kids clothing, interactive videos and books. What do you…
USDA Administrator Criticizes Inspectors
You may have seen or heard reports that the administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service, Garry McKee, is unhappy with his own agency’s…
Reflection Time for UFCW and Chains
Peter J. Hurtgen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, is the man credited with helping to find an end to last year’s dockworkers strike on the West Coast…
‘Tis The Season to Shop Early, Say Retailers
Retailers are trying to get consumers out of their last minute shopping ways and into stores to do their Christmas shopping early this year with special promotions and discount price…
Toy Maker Tries to Keep Up With Demand
One of the hottest products this upcoming holiday season may be LeapFrog Enterprises’ line of educational toys including LeapPad and Leapster for kids, ages of infant to high school. It…
A Party of One
For the first time in history, according to the November issue of American Demographics magazine, there are more single-person households in the US than there are families with a husband,…
Skogen’s Uses Boomerang to Compete
Skogen’s IGA and Festival Foods stores do a big business in Wisconsin despite some pretty stiff competition from Wal-Mart Supercenters and others, reports the La Crosse Tribune. Does the Skogen’s…
Home Depot for the Holidays
Home Depot wants in on the gift-giving business this holiday season so the home improvement retailer is launching its first ever Christmas catalog. What are your thoughts on Home Depot…
Redbox Stores Are Out-of-Order
Initially hailed as the future of convenience stores, McDonald’s shut down the four Redbox machines it was testing in the Washington, D.C. area when it became clear consumers weren’t buying…
You Can Go Home Again
Just when parents think their kids have left the nest for good, the phone rings or the doorbell announces that one of the kids, now an adult, is home to…
Mom and Pop Got a Brand New Bag
Just as immigrants from Europe and their descendents set up butcher shops, produce stands and small grocery stores at the beginning of the last century, today’s Mom and Pop proprietors…
Creating the Innovative Business
Jordan Ayan, futurist, consultant and author of Aha! 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas (Crown Publishing, 1997), once told us, “The average lifetime of…
Hybrids Designed for Greater Convenience
As the Promo Magazine article begins, “Everyone is selling convenience these days.” As such, convenience stores find themselves fighting competitors at every turn for the little available shopping time that…
Targeting Grocery Shoppers
Target is looking to set apart its SuperTarget food operation with the same type of distinctive company brand marketing it has done in its discount stores. Will Target’s unique marketing…
Atkins Squeezing OJ Category
Falling demand and a bumper crop are not good news for farmers in the orange groves of Florida. According to an Atlanta Journal Constitution piece, demand for orange juice appears…
The Giant Green Eagle
Giant Eagle seeks to be a leader in the grocery industry and now it is being recognized for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the Green Building Council…
Popping Off About Pop-Ups
We’ve all had it happen. Click on link to read a story online and get an unwanted pop-up ad first. At yesterday’s @d:tech New York conference, executives discussed how to…
Maytag Repairmen Goes on a House Call
Maytag, the manufacturer known for repairmen with nothing to do because it makes its home appliances so well, has finally found a job for them. Fix other manufacturers’ machines. Will…
Eddie Bauer Lives!
They’re back. In what appears to be a partial reversal of an earlier decision to close 60 stores, Spiegel has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for approval to open seven…
