RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Canadian Group Considers Buying Eckerd
The Canadian parent of Brooks Pharmacies, Jean Coutu Group, has asked the investment firm soliciting bids for the Eckerd drugstore chain to provide it with financial details on the company…
Men’s Clothing Retailer Banks on California
Jos. A. Bank knew opening stores in California was a smart move. After all, the retailer of men’s casual and tailored clothes and accessories was already doing 10 percent of…
Healthy Food Business Flowers in AZ
Sunflower Market, “The Serious Food, Silly Prices” retailer, opened a new store in Gilbert, AZ yesterday looking to carve out a healthy share for itself in the local natural foods…
Unmarried Adults Changing the Rules
According to Unmarried America, a report in Business Week, the percentage of married-couple households has fallen from around 80 percent in the 1950s to slightly more than half today. How…
Can Randall Onstead Fix Dominick’s?
According to a report by Crain’s Chicago Business, “Safeway has hired R. Randall Onstead Jr., previously CEO and part-owner of a Texas-based grocery chain that sold out to Safeway in…
Strike Sends Shoppers to Other Stores
Much of the talk around the negotiations between the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and Kroger, Safeway and Albertsons has centered around the competitive threat posed by Wal-Mart. How…
Cal Workers Strike, Chains Bring in Replacements
Kroger, Safeway and Albertsons were not able to come to an agreement with the union representing 70,000 store employees and the picketing has begun at the 850 supermarkets involved. How…
Blimpie Counts Carbs
Reuters reports Blimpie’s is testing the “Blimpie Carb Counter Menu,” offering “six-inch subs with fillings like roast beef and cheddar with wasabi dressing on seven-grain bread. What are your thoughts…
Consumers Want More, Pay More For Appliances
Home appliance retailers are reporting consumers are paying for more feature-laden and expensive models. What are your thoughts on consumers trading up in the home appliance category? Are there lessons…
Starbucks Prepaid Card: The Next Generation
The next generation of the successful Starbucks prepaid card is the first to also serve as a credit card, reports USA Today. The new card, Duetto, rolling out today, allows…
Albertsons Cuts Back
Albertsons chairman and chief executive officer, Larry Johnston, told the Idaho Statesman a little over a month ago that the company was doing business in one of the “toughest competitive…
Who Really Matters
Art Kleiner’s Who Really Matters focuses on the people who make businesses run – and they may not be who you think. According to Simon London’s review in the Financial…
The Book on Winning Customer Loyalty
A new book, Scoring Points: How Tesco is Winning Customer Loyalty, looks at how the retailing giant’s Clubcard program has helped it gain insights into the shopping habits of 10…
Consumers Plan To Eat Right, Next Year
A new study conducted for the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) on the SupermarketGuru web site, says consumers plan on eating healthier and cooking more of their own meals at…
Hitachi Tags and Tracks Veggies
Hitachi has developed a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag small enough to be embedded into the inedible parts of fresh vegetables, reports Just-Food.com. What will RFID technology mean to the…
No Insurance for GMO Farmers
A report in The Guardian on Tuesday, said insurance companies in the UK are refusing to cover farmers growing genetically modified crops or for others seeking insurance to cover possible…
Fortune Favors Companies With Chief Knowledge Officers
A new book by the economist Lester Thurow, Fortune Favors the Bold, contends that businesses such as Kmart and McDonald’s may have avoided some of their recent difficulties if they…
Kraft Joins Fair-Trade Movement
Kraft Foods announced yesterday it would begin selling “fair-trade” coffee certified by the Rainforest Alliance. Is fair-trade coffee ready to enter the mainstream coffee market? What will be the next…
7-Eleven in Coffee Program Revamp
Competition is fierce and 7-Eleven management intends to stay number one in the US convenience store industry by, among other things, revamping its coffee program. The chain announced earlier this…
Triple Bottom Line Performance
Scott Bedbury, founder and chief executive of Brandstream, and author of A New Brand World is a much sought after speaker on marketing and brand development issues. Do you agree…
KB Sets Up Toy Shop in Sears
KB Toys will be setting up temporary shops within 600 Sears stores from mid-October to early January, reports Reuters. What are your thoughts on the Sears/KB Toys deal?
