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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Coca-Cola Gains Share, Cuts Jobs
Coca-Cola’s market share reportedly reached 37 percent last year after a gain of 0.7 percent of category sales. Despite the gains made, Coke is cutting jobs as part of…
Aisle Experts Have Competitive Edge
Paul Weitzel, Willard Bishop Consulting writes, “When you’re an aisle expert, you’re in a position to offer a complete understanding of and vision for delivering greater value across the entire…
Home Depot’s Nardelli Seeks Successor
Bob Nardelli, chairman, chief executive and president, Home Depot has told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he is developing a succession plan to appoint a number two executive at the DIY chain…
Europeans Just Say No to GMOs
The New York Times reports, “Many supermarket chains across France, Britain, Italy and Austria, among others, yanked all genetically modified products from their shelves three years ago and are in…
Women Neutral on DIY Retailers
A study from Forrester Research says that female shoppers have no clear preference when it comes to shopping in either Lowe’s or Home Depot. Do you agree? Is Lowe’s or…
Wal-Mart on the Plus Side
Mary-Kate and Ashley are putting on weight for followers of their fashion merchandise. Wal-Mart announced yesterday that it will begin selling mary-kateandashley and Faded Glory apparel in plus sizes at…
Loblaw Takes On All Competitors
Loblaw’s is on a roll. The Toronto Star reports that Canada’s largest supermarket chain grew total sales 7.4 percent and profits by 29 percent last year. The company said that…
Cancer Risk Posed by Wood Play Sets
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned that children playing on wood playground equipment could be at an increased risk of lung or bladder cancer. A report by the Associated…
CRM Leaves Out the Customer
If you’re looking for reasons to explain why your CRM program is not living up to its advanced billing, then perhaps you’ve focused too much attention on technology and marketing…
Consumption Tax Gets White House Backing
A report prepared by the White House Council of Economic Advisers makes the case for sweeping changes in how Americans are taxed, says a report in The Wall Street Journal…
The Lion’s Share of Food is Dwindling
Food Lion’s share of the grocery market in North Carolina dropped 2.51 percent last year according to The Shelby Report. Although the chain remains the number one food retailer in…
AG to Outsource Transportation
Associated Grocers (AG) has announced it will outsource its grocery transportation to Ruan Transportation Management Systems, and has notified Teamster Local 174 that it will not renew its contract with…
Nash Finch’s Marshall Can’t Sign Off on Report
Chief executive of Nash Finch, Ron Marshall, has written the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to inform regulators that he still can not sign off on the accuracy of the…
Independent’s Day Out
RetailWire Commentator Ron Margulis returns from this week’s NGA convention with renewed optimism over the future of the community-based supermarket retailer. “The unifying message of the convention was creating differentiation,”…
A Ludacris Situation
Russell Simmons of Run DMC fame has called on lovers of the music to boycott Pepsi-Cola products, saying there is a double standard in Pepsi’s decision to drop the performing…
Cola Wars Takes on New Meaning
Cola brands such Mecca Cola and Qibla Cola are seeking to take advantage of anti-American feelings in the Middle East and elsewhere to grab market share and make a political…
Convenience Store Chain Dropped the Ball
Cindy Sherlin was doing her civic duty when she called 911 from her job at a Wilco convenience store to alert police she had spotted a wanted fugitive in the…
Workers Sue Over Clothing Policies
Two separate lawsuits filed in San Francisco Superior Court allege that workers at Abercrombrie & Fitch and the Gap were pressured by the retailers to buy clothes sold in company…
Friday’s Look Good for Pathmark Shoppers
Consumer shopping habits have changed and beginning this week, Pathmark will alter the timing of its sales to reflect that. The NJ-based chain has announced that it will no longer…
Kohl’s Sale Rumored
A&P may reportedly be looking to sell 31 stores in Wisconsin operating under the Kohl’s grocery store banner. A&P has admitted publicly that it will consider selling assets to stay…
Sixty Percent Fail E. coli Test
The US Department of Agriculture said yesterday that 60 percent of the nation’s largest meat processing plants “failed to meet federal food safety regulations for preventing a deadly E. coli…
