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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Kmart to Show Board Members the Door
The Detroit News is reporting today that Kmart plans to replace its current nine-member Board of Directors when the company emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 30. What…
Skip Breakfast, Drink a Snapple-a-Day
Snapple Beverage plans on taking on competing with the likes of Slim-Fast with the expectation of capturing share of the meal replacement category. Snapple-a-Day is the company’s first product foray…
Larry’s Revamps Its Image, Finds Its Niche
Larry’s Markets, a six store independent grocer, wants to carve out a greater niche in the highly-competitive Seattle-area market. Mark McKinney, chief executive officer, believes that Larry’s can improve performance…
The Keyes to 7-Eleven’s Growth Plan
Jim Keyes, president and chief executive officer, 7-Eleven is on a mission to “continually redefine convenience”, and offered insights into 7-Eleven’s strategies and practices. What is your evaluation of…
Kmart Promotes Day to CEO
Kmart announced that Julian Day, president/coo, has been promoted to chief executive officer of the troubled retailer. Mr. Day replaces Jim Adamson, chairman and ceo of Kmart since March. What…
Canadian Rx Pipeline Drying Up
GlaxoSmithKline is planning to halt shipments of its products to wholesalers that supply Canadian pharmacies that resell the medicines to consumers in the US, saying that, “Canadian-approved medicines cannot be…
Retail Forward: Convenience Store Growth To Slow
A new report from Retail Forward, Convenience Stores Industry Outlook, says convenience store industry growth will slow to an average rate of 3.8 percent through 2006. This compares to the…
McD’s CEO Gets Grilled and Then Toasted
By most accounts, Jim Cantalupo, chief executive officer, McDonald’s, under-whelmed the investment community with his first public comments on turning the fast-food giant’s fortunes around. So, what did Mr…
Study: American Youth Facing Dim Prospects
A new survey, America’s Youth Look to the Future, found that twenty-five percent of 16 to 24-year olds “lack the resources, financial savvy and skills to achieve their college and…
Gaining a Competitive Edge with Price
The latest issue of Competitive Edge offers “a new approach to retail pricing that increases price competitiveness — and drives top-line sales and gross profit dollars — without unnecessarily sacrificing…
Take This Job…
CareerBuilder’s On the Job 2002 survey on job satisfaction found that only 42 percent of retail employees are satisfied with their jobs while 36 percent are dissatisfied. Why do some…
Excess for Success
At the recent FMI Midwinter Executive Conference, Ann Rhoades, Vice President of People at JetBlue Airways, shared some of the company’s unorthodox methods for success, which they term “Crew Excesses”…
BJ’s Pays Rx Tax for Customers, Sales Increase Significantly
The Boston Globe reports that three pharmacies operated by BJ’s Wholesale Club as well as five others are not charging their customers for the new $1.30 prescription tax levied in…
Eckerd’s 10 Point Strategy
Wayne Harris, ceo, Eckerd and other company executives, yesterday, unveiled the drugstore chain’s plan for its business to a meeting of 90 financial analysts in Palm Harbor, FL. A…
Coke Units Merger Combines Soft Drinks and Juice Businesses
Coca-Cola announced Tuesday that it was integrating its Minute Maid juice and North American soft drink division into a single business unit. The company expects the move to help it…
Kmart Announces It Will Close 326 More Stores
Kmart announced Tuesday that it will close 326 stores in addition to the 283 it previously shuttered in its continuing effort to turn its business around. The retailer also…
NACDS Criticizes GAO on PBM Study
The General Accounting Office’s study on Pharmacy Benefit Managers got it wrong, according to Craig Fuller, president and ceo, NACDS, who said in a released statement, “The GAO report ignores…
Convenience Store Follows in Wawa’s Footsteps
Two Pantry 1 Food Marts have opened for business in locations left by the Wawa convenience store chain. They aren’t wasting time either. On Dec. 2, Wawa closed a location…
Wal-Mart Offers to Pay Cash for UK Safeway
No retailer in the world has deeper pockets than Wal-Mart. That explains how the retail chain was able to up the ante for the Safeway British supermarket chain when it…
Gas Prices and Supply Uncertainty Going Up
According to the Lundberg Study, drivers in the US paid an average of $1.47 a gallon for gasoline over the past three weeks. The latest numbers represent a 5.6 cents…
Robot Pharmacist On Duty
Rice’s Pharmacy in Nashua, New Hampshire has a new pharmacist on staff. He never makes mistakes, takes vacations or sick days and he fills prescriptions five times faster than the…
