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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Why It’s More Important Than Ever Not to Be Overpriced
“Price continues to be an important element in the shopper’s value equation, but it’s not always clear what this means in today’s retail environment”, writes RetailWire BrainTrust panelist, Bill Bishop…
Starbucks Banks on New Location
The Albany Times Union reports Starbucks will open a full-service shop inside a branch of a Charter One bank next month. Charter One plans to keep the branch open from…
Creating the Shopping Experience
The Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Todd Hultquist says supermarkets ‘want consumers to think of shopping as fun, not a chore.’ One-way stores are looking to accomplish this goal is by…
The Low-carb Big Time
USA Today reports that the low-carb lifestyle has gone mainstream as millions abandon popular dietary wisdom in search of weight loss via bacon consumption. Specialty shops (200 and counting) are…
Association Calls For Blackout Relief
The Associated Food Dealers of Michigan are calling for $75 million in disaster relief for the state’s food industry to deal with the losses incurred as the result of last…
Slotting Fees Increase Duplication
Says RetailWire BrainTrust panelist Mark Boyer, “A lot of new items are making it onto the grocery shelves. Many shouldn’t be there. We are seeing an alarming rise in…
Coupon Counterfeiting Scam
Atlanta’s grocers took notice when shoppers tried to cash in computer-generated coupons giving them $150 in free merchandise, reports the city’s Journal-Constitution newspaper. The coupons, offering items such as Häagen-Dazs…
Message in a Box, Not a Bottle
Mokelumne Rim Vineyards has produced a super-premium, oak-barrel-aged zinfandel packaged in a box holding the equivalent of four 750-milliliter bottles. Marketed under the brand name, Le Cask, it retails for…
Zydeco is the Way to Go for McD’s
McDonald’s is opening a new restaurant in New Orleans, according to The Associated Press. The menu, however, will not include Big Macs. Chef Mac’s, a Cajun-style restaurant with an interior…
C-Store Sniper Strikes Again
Investigators in West Virginia are not willing to say three convenience store shooting incidents were connected, even though evidence appears to be pointing to the same weapon being used in…
Supermarket M&A Activity Up
The Food Institute says merger and acquisition activity was up in the supermarket industry in the first half of this year compared to 2002. In all, 20 M&A deals…
RFID for Improving Supply Chain – Period
A report on the CNET News.com Web site says Gillette is only interested in testing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to improve supply chain operations. The company has no interest…
Blackout Thursday
A major power failure left consumers and businesses from New York to the Midwest in the black yesterday with many still wondering when the lights will come back on. Wal-Mart…
Grocer Tries to Stop Fights at Checkouts
Safeway in Australia is doing away with its eight items or less express lanes in an attempt to reduce arguments between customers at the checkout. The arguments, which can be…
Some May Pay More Online
An Associated Press report suggests that access to personal information may help retailers get top dollar on sales to some consumers while others pay lower prices for the same items…
Kings Not For Sale Again
Reuters reports Marks & Spencer has decided to take Kings Super Markets off the market citing current market conditions, which made it impossible for potential buyers to raise sufficient cash…
Wal-Mart Hires Image Consultant
Wal-Mart hired the consultancy of Fleishman-Hillard to research how stakeholder groups, including consumers, employees, community leaders and vendors, view the relationships each has with the retailer, reports The New York…
Drugstore.com Going Au Naturale
Drugstore.com has launched a new online store featuring natural HBC products produced by environmentally friendly companies. The natural store features the slogan “Good for You. Good for the Earth.” The…
Companies That Lose Weight Together, Stay Together
VSM Abrasives, a maker of industrial sandpaper, needed to find a way to reduce health insurance costs for its employees and so it did. The company created its “Get Healthy…
Drivers Should Be Liable For Being Drunk
The Quad City Times reports restaurant and bar owners are unhappy about a rate hike in their dram-shop insurance. The coverage offers protection for establishments sued for selling alcohol to…
Amazon Targets Future Growth With Agreement
Amazon.com and Target have extended their agreement for Amazon to provide order fulfillment and customer service for Target’s online businesses including Target.com, MarshallFields.com and Mervyns.com until August 2008. How important…
