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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Flipping the perspective on in-store technology
At a freewheeling session at last month’s Retail Connections in Dallas, one executive said (paraphrasing slightly): “I don’t want to invest in in-store technology in order to make my store…
Study: 17 minutes defines local
While Bass Pro says its average customer drives 50-plus miles to visit one of its experiential stores, a new study finds that consumers are willing to drive just 16 minutes…
Costco’s pay and perks set it apart from rivals
Costco was the only traditional retailer to make Glassdoor’s list of 2014’s Top 25 Companies for Compensation & Benefits, coming in second by a fraction of a point behind Google…
Zappos takes a different approach to recruiting employees
Instead of placing help wanted postings on LinkedIn, Monster, etc., the Zappos has decided to open Zappos Insiders, a social site where individuals interested in joining the company can network…
Should retailers talk to the trade press?
Some retailers generously talk to trade magazines and others don’t. That’s why Warren Thayer, editor of Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer and a RetailWire BrainTrust panelist, frequently consults vendors, competing retailers,…
How and why to reach the affluent
With the U.S. middle class shrinking, and retailers needing an influx of shoppers who actually have discretionary money to spend, it may be time for mainstream retailers to do more…
Should retailers hire job-hoppers?
According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, more than half of retail hiring managers and human resource professionals said they have hired a job-hopper and more than one-third said they have…
Target forms council to speed digital transformation
Digital transformation is still high on Target’s to-do list, despite its recent data breach debacle and the executive suite shakeup that followed. To help achieve that objective, Target has formed…
Survey says Trader Joe’s is America’s favorite grocery chain
For the second year in a row, Trader Joe’s ranks as the favorite grocery store chain in a survey of North Americans by Market Force Information. Which is your favorite…
Shareholder firms question independence of Walmart board
Two reports released over the past week question how well Walmart’s board is handling an investigation into alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and whether Walmart’s board…
Do retailers need a central content aggregation site?
With more merchants doing un-targeted e-mail blasts, the open rates tend to be lower for everyone. And most blogger-fed websites and the more established coupon distribution sites have passive relationships…
Grocery store with gym shapes healthy results
While some question just how dedicated food, drug and mass retailers are to helping their customers live healthier lives, the Hannaford supermarket in Albany, NY has a 5,600-square-foot gym that…
Consumer privacy concerns are overblown
When you think about it, a butler and a stalker may be indistinguishable to an uninformed onlooker. The big difference is in their motivation; the butler is trying to make…
Books-A-Million looks to exploit Amazon’s publishing dispute
Looking to take advantage of the increasingly public dispute between Amazon and Hachette Book Group, Books-A-Million has launched a number of promotions and media callouts in an attempt to exploit…
Are smaller stores a big opportunity for supermarkets?
Becoming the latest of several grocers testing smaller formats, Publix is reportedly working on a 20,000-square-foot prototype to serve seaside communities and college towns. Do traditional grocers have any advantages…
Connecting social media and the store
Retailers use e-mail and their websites to promote their social commerce services to customers, according to the Retail TouchPoints Social Commerce Survey. But only 24 percent of retailers promote their…
Nordstrom cousins change places in chain’s executive suite
Here’s something you don’t see every day. Nordstrom announced earlier this week that Erik and Jamie Nordstrom, cousins and members of the company’s executive team, would be swapping jobs. What…
Sprouts beats Whole Foods on price
A new market basket study by Bloomberg Industries finds that Sprouts Farmers Market is about two percent less expensive than Whole Foods when it comes to everyday retail prices. Is…
Google becomes king of the global brand hill
Google is the most valuable brand on the planet, according to the 2014 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brand report by Millward Brown. Is innovation the key to growing…
TJX discounts its way to growth
Retailing has swung to the extremes, especially since the onset of the Great Recession, as consumers gravitated to deep discounters on one end and luxury goods merchants on the other…
What will Gen Z eat?
Breakfast and fresh food that requires some preparation register high in preference rankings for the post-millennial generation, according to NPD research. How may the coming of age of Gen Z…
