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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Windy City Wal-Mart to Open in 2005
Wal-Mart is looking to open its first store inside the Chicago city’s limits by 2005. According to Reuters, “The proposed Chicago store would replace a vacant shampoo factory formerly owned…
Line Extensions Deliver Short Term Boost
Sales of Vanilla Coke are down from the brand’s introductory highs and, while not necessarily positive news for the long haul, it does provide a lesson that manufacturers can use…
Sam Walton U.
Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer and, as such, has become the subject of case studies in institutes of higher education across the country. Eugene Fram, professor of marketing, Rochester…
Costco Continues to Climb
Costco has established its niche and expanded it in a soft economy precisely, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal, because of its “focus on delivering quality, name-branded bargains to…
Trader Joe’s Does More With Less
Trader Joe’s concentrates on offering unique specialty and natural food items, mostly under its own store labels, at prices at or below mainstream supermarkets.Chief executive officer and chairman, Dan Bane…
The High Cost of Spam
The cost of spam to business is high and growing by the day. According to Nucleus Research, the cost of spam to the US economy averages out to $874 a…
Applebee’s to Watch Weight
The Applebee’s restaurant chain has announced it will add a new and separate section to its menus, with food items developed in cooperation with Weight Watchers. Concern over rising obesity…
Lynch Leaves Albertsons
Peter Lynch, president and chief operating officer, Albertsons has resigned from the supermarket chain to “pursue other interests,” according to a report by The Idaho Statesman. Mr. Lynch’s departure means…
Old Shopping Trip Rules No Longer Apply
Jim Hertel of Willard Bishop Consulting writes in the July 2003 Competitive Edge, “the old paradigm of stock-up, routine, fill-in shopping trips made to supermarkets doesn’t really apply anymore.” Instead, consumers…
Shoppers Not Buying Martha’s Story (Products)
A survey by America’s Research Group shows 28.6 percent of respondents being less likely to buy Martha Stewart products since she was indicted for obstruction of justice in connection with…
Consumers Grilling Out
Americans love the taste of food grilled outdoors, which helps explain why they are firing up their grills year-round across the US. According to NPD Foodworld’s 17th Annual Report on…
Hershey’s Edible Collectibles
Hershey’s is using limited edition releases of items such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with white chocolate to keep consumer interest high and drive incremental sales and profits for the…
GMA Goes Beyond Grocery
The Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) has announced changes the association says will better enable it and its members to address cross-channel challenges and opportunities. GMA has named staff to…
Influential 10 Percent Prefer Surfing
The 10 percent of people who influence the behavior of the other ninety-percent prefer to get their information on the Web, according to a RoperASW and WashingtonPost/Newsweek Interactive study. How…
Who Will Pass Back-to-School Test?
A new study from The National Retail Federation says families with school-age kids will spend an average of $9.16 more this year on school supplies, clothing and other back-to-school items…
Are Dollar Sections Producing Big Bucks?
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then retailers such as Dollar General, Family Dollar and others must feel highly flattered as retailers from A&P to Wal-Mart test dollar…
No Pudge! Goes Nationwide
In an era of consolidation and mega-brand corporations, it isn’t often a small food manufacturer to make it big in supermarkets. No Pudge! Foods appears as though it will become…
Diversity Benefits Questioned
A slow growth economy and new research has helped renew the debate on whether there are any tangible benefits to promoting diversity in the workplace, reports USA Today. A recent…
Slotting Fees Retard Differentiation
Differentiation in grocery retailing is being hampered by the supermarket industry’s reliance on slotting allowances, according to KPMG’s Consumer Markets Insider. Industry insiders and analysts don’t see grocers giving up…
Oil Companies Leaving Retail Behind
Shell, ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil and others have been turning over company-owned properties to multi-store operators (MSOs) in the face of “an increasingly-tough uphill battle trying to compete with heavily-subsidized…
Store Vs. National Brands
Retailers are emphasizing their own store brands as branded manufacturers such as Kraft Foods are saying it’s hurting their business. Last week, Kraft attributed weaker than expected financial results for…
