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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Forget Cost, Think ROI with RFID
Concerns about the cost of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are keeping retailers and manufacturers from realizing the benefits of the technology, according to James Crawford, vice president, Retail Forward…
Restaurant Goes Low-Carb
Andrew Goldstein owner of the Good Ol’ Days restaurant wanted to lose weight so he went on a low-carb diet. Six inches smaller around the waist later, Mr. Goldstein decided…
Parking Lot Crimes Make Headlines
Violent crime taking place in the parking lots of retail establishments has taken on a higher profile in the news. Last year’s sniper shootings in the Washington, DC area and…
Top 10 List for Great Service
A list of top ten steps for creating superior customer service appeared in an article on the Hawaii Business Web site, beginning with, “Number 10 – Never settle for average…
E-Commerce Latino Style
Spanish-speaking consumers are flocking to the Internet and retailers and manufacturers are responding by building Spanish-language e-commerce sites, reports USA Today. The number of Hispanic consumers online grew seven percent…
Excess Inventory Drives Discounting
The weather and the war in Iraq are blamed for stores saddled with an oversupply of merchandise. To turn product, many are resorting to inventory markdowns. The net result, Todd…
Consumers Give Supermarkets High Marks
A new Harris Interactive survey asked respondents to rank 15 industries on how well they serve consumers. Supermarkets ranked first with 85 percent saying grocers were doing a good job…
Bob’s is for Guys
When David Farrell became president and chief executive officer of the Bob’s Store sportswear chain he discovered the company had an identity crisis. The retailer’s problems stemmed from a strategy…
Consumers Not Aware of Antibiotic Use
A new survey says only 48 percent of Americans are aware of livestock being given feed containing antibiotics. The research conducted by Synovate (formerly Market Facts) for Whole Foods found…
New Products on a Short Leash
It’s not enough for a new product to sell well anymore. It also needs to drive category growth if a retailer is going to give it dedicated shelf space, according…
A-B Tests New Brew
Anheuser-Busch is testing a new Pilsener-style beer the company hopes will achieve the same success in the high end of the category that A-B enjoys in the premium and light…
Grocer Looks for Organic Growth
The Irish supermarket chain, Superquinn, has made the decision to begin growing its own organic food to offset shortages in supply and keep pricing under control.
Moderator’s Comment: How much of…
BOGOs Come Under Scrutiny
The Beacon Journal in the Akron, Ohio area recently conducted a price comparison study that it says demonstrates items on sale as a buy-one, get-one had significantly lower single-unit prices…
Sears Cuts Prices to Capture Market Share
Sears said it planned to expand selection of low-end appliances and cut prices to help the chain capture sales currently being lost to Home Depot, Lowe’s and other retailers.
Moderator’s Comment:…
Accounting Tops Ahold’s Concerns
Those hoping that Ahold’s accounting scandals would end with US Foodservice and Disco appear as though they will be disappointed.
Moderator’s Comment: Should the retail grocery industry adopt a single standard…
Coke Looks to Swerve Past Competitors
Coca-Cola plans to launch Swerve, a skim milk-based drink in chocolate, vanilla/banana and blueberry flavors in July, according to The Associated Press.
Moderator’s Comment: What other beverage categories are most likely…
Big Revenues and Cheap Rent on the Web
Williams-Sonoma’s online division has had revenues grow 53 percent in the last year and the company plans to build on this effort by further integrating its stores, catalog and Internet…
Are Girls Smarter
The good news is that recent reports find “girls are graduating from high school and college and going into professions and businesses in record numbers.”
The bad news is boys…
Safeway Chief: It’s the Economy Stupid
Steve Burd, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Safeway, told attendees at the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas, the company’s performance was more about the…
Dirty Don’s Prices Beat Dollar Stores’
Dirty Don’s Bargain Center in Kansas City sells items salvaged from boxes that were broken due to accidents. It also sells manufacturer closeouts, irregular or flawed items and food near…
10 Questions for Success
The June 2003 issue of Fast Company article, “Is Your Company Up To Speed?”, asks what it calls “10 make-or-break questions” businesses need to answer positively if they wish to…
