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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
What’s In A Name
Philip Morris is no longer Philip Morris. It is now Altria Group after the company officially changed its name yesterday to broaden the corporate umbrella that covers its tobacco and…
Branding Begins at Home
A Strategy + Business article, begins, “Conventional wisdom says branding is for external communication; it aims to influence current and prospective customers. But this view of branding is too narrow,…
Marsh Gets Out of Home Delivery
Marsh Supermarkets announced that it is closing its Fresh Express home delivery service. What are your thoughts on Marsh’s decision to close its Fresh Express service? Is home delivery of…
Giant Eagle Merges Into Convenience Store Business
Giant Eagle is going into the convenience store business with its merger with the Crossroads convenience store chain. The 26 Crossroads’ stores will be jointly owned and operated by Giant…
A-B Wins Battle of the Ads
The Ozzy and the Obsbourne clan may have received the most pre-game attention but it was Anheuser-Busch’s Clydesdales and a zebra that won the competition for the best Super Bowl…
Cashiers Suspected in Identity Theft
Cashiers and clerks at retail establishments in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut tri-state area reportedly took part in a massive identity theft scheme that stole the credit card…
Grocery Stores Watch Market Baskets Go Elsewhere
The Food Institute has released a new sales report that says “Supermarket sales during December posted the largest decline since March of 1998, dropping 1.5%.” And that ,”A good portion…
Ozzy Swears for Pepsi
Bad language and addled brains will be front and center on Sunday when Pepsi launches commercials featuring Ozzy Osbourne and clan during the Super Bowl. The soft drink maker will…
Is It Time to Sell Eight O’Clock Coffee?
The parent of the A&P supermarket chain, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., may be putting its Eight O’Clock Coffee business up for sale, according to published reports. The…
Store Closings Bring Opportunities for Others
One Michigan-based retailer is reporting that Kmart’s problems have been good for its business. According to Meijer, its stores in the metropolitan Detroit area are “busy signing up new customers…
Study: Health and Wellness Sales Up 7.3%
Sales of health and wellness consumer packaged goods grew 7.3% last year to $59 billion according to The Natural Marketing Institute’s (NMI) Health and Wellness Trends Database (HWTD). How will…
Schnuck’s to Sample Excitement
Schnuck Markets has announced that Mass Connections will handle retail event marketing services (primarily sampling) for the family-owned chain. Do you expect to see a marked increase in sampling and…
Nash Finch Listing to Remain on Nasdaq
Nash Finch will continue to have its stock listed without exception on Nasdaq after complying with the requirements of maintaining a listing, says an Associated Press report. Did the market…
Will Superquinn Follow Safeway?
UTV out of Belfast has reported on its web site that “a major American or British supermarket chain may be set to buy-out the Superquinn group of 19 stores throughout…
Judge Tosses Out McDonald’s Suit
Judge Robert Sweet of the Federal District Court in New York dismissed a lawsuit that sought to hold McDonald’s liable for making teenagers overweight. Did the court make the correct…
Journal Gets Cranky with Grocery Discount Cards
An article by The Wall Street Journal’s Katy McLaughlin concludes that stores that distribute club cards are more expensive for consumers than those that do not. Are consumer press reports…
Counter-Clockwise Traffic Good for Sales
A new in-store shopping study from Sorenson Associates suggests American consumers will shop longer in stores that have entrances on the right compared to those with center or left side…
Viewpoints Differ on Neighborhood Markets
Wayne Hood, retail analyst, Prudential Securities told the New York Times, “If I was a supermarket or drugstore chain and I saw this (Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market) coming, I’d be worried.”…
Wegmans Samples New Organic Dressing Online
Consumers receiving the Wegmans Natural and Organic News email last week were invited by Amy Vaughan, food editor, to print out a coupon for a free bottle of the grocer’s…
Poll: McD’s to Go the Way of HoJo’s
A new poll from SupermarketGuru.com reports that six out of ten respondents are eating less fast food than they were last year. One out of three expect to see fast…
Energizer Bunny Keeps on Going into Shaving Business
Reuters reports that Pfizer has agreed to sell Schick-Wilkinson Sword to Energizer Holdings for $930 million. The acquisition by Energizer makes it the number two player in the shaving category…
