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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Tesco Takes Virtual Store to Subway Riders in South Korea
Tesco was looking for answers in South Korea. According to a video from the company, its Home Plus chain was investigating ways to gain share without adding physical stores. So…
Duane Reade Opens ‘Most Exciting Drugstore in the World’
Things are different on Wall Street than they are on Main Street, so it makes sense that a drugstore serving the financial district in downtown Manhattan would be different than…
BrainTrust Query: Mobile Marketing – Separating Trend From Fad
While mobile life is a trend, the device technologies and software have been fads so far. How about mobile as a marketing platform? BrainTrust panelist Joel Rubinson thinks it has…
Customers Not Coming Back for More Online Groceries
Off or online, grocers face a perpetual struggle to keep customers coming back for more. However, research by Kingston University in the U.K. identified higher rates of attrition at supermarket…
Retail Sales Take Flight with Free WiFi Service
WiFi is becoming more widely available and affordable in flights. As such, e-commerce is increasingly taking place at 35,000 feet with a crop of deals enabling online shopping for free…
BrainTrust Query: Is a Chink Opening in the Apple Distribution Armor?
Apple has been the envy of every business operating in the physical world. With popular computing platforms consuming applications and content, and the App Store being the only source, Apple…
Amazon’s Reviews Somewhat Slanted
According to a new study, reviews on Amazon.com are at least slightly skewed, in large part because positive reviews help reviewers achieve higher rankings. What do you think of the…
Runways, Malls and Stores: Where the Boys Are
A blog by Raquel Laneri on the Forbes website reported that the recently completed fashion runway shows in Paris included men in skirts. Does the increased attention being paid to…
Zero Waste Grocery Store Readies for Debut
Billing itself as “the first package-free and zero waste grocery store in the United States,” in.gredients, the concept scheduled to open sometime this year in East Austin, TX, is significantly…
The Growth Solution: Strategic Relevance
Companies continue to think and operate with a limited view of today’s marketplace even as the “core” market on which they focus continues to shrink and age. Is it really…
Walmart Rolls Back Fuel Prices
Walmart wants consumers to use its reloadable Walmart gift cards, MoneyCards or a company branded Discover credit card so it is now offering a perk for those who use the…
FDBuyer: Bi-Lo is 50!
Brian Carney, Bi-Lo’s CFO, was quoted as saying at the time that when he joined Bi-Lo in 2005, he was told that the chain had to “get out of the…
Walgreens Offers Online Ordering and Store Pickup Service
It appears Walgreens is looking to become an even more convenient multi-channel shopping option for consumers with the announcement that it will offer online ordering with in-store pickup at 480…
Abercrombie & Fitch Sued by Muslim Employee Over Head Scarf
A former employee at Hollister, an Abercrombie & Fitch chain, claims she was fired after refusing to remove her headscarf (hijab). The young woman is joining a suit with the…
Retail Customer Experience: Retailers, Manufacturers Need to Work on Collaboration
With collaboration between retailers and manufacturers, a disconnect develops when the retailer or manufacturer believes they can only maximize their own position at the expense of the other rather than…
Consumers Looking at Higher Fees for Debit Cards
According to the Los Angeles Times, banks are looking to cut out rewards programs or add fees to recoup the dollars they expect to lose with the Durbin amendment. Is…
Supreme Court: Kids Can Buy Violent Video Games
Video game makers, retailers and libertarians are feeling pretty good today. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law that prevented retailers from renting or selling violent video…
RSR Research: How to Fix a Broken Store
In-store employees are bringing a knife to a gun fight. Customers are walking in off the street armed with knowledge and technology, while store managers are tethered to back room…
Whole Foods Looks Toward 1,000 Stores in the U.S.
As part of a plan to “reaccelerate” its growth, Whole Foods has set a new goal of reaching 1,000 stores in the U.S., up from around 300 currently. What do…
Consmr.com: Yelp for CPG Brands
The latest social network designed for making life — and opinion sharing — easier has just been launched with a philosophy dedicated to consumers and the products they love or…
StorefrontBacktalk: Mobile Payment Brawl – POS Players Vs. Reader Vendors
The battle for control of mobile payments is now pitting the POS players against the reader vendors, with large retail chains squeezed uncomfortably in the middle. It hasn’t taken long…
