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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Reusable Bag’s Slow Adoption Curve
Several grocers over the last few years have been providing a small rebate for each reusable bag shoppers bring in. But some are finding it not much of an incentive…
Explaining Women’s Shoe Obsession
Many a sociologist, marketer and stand-up comic has tried to discern women’s apparent obsession over shoes. A new survey at least tries to quantify it. Why do you think women…
Walgreens in Deal to Acquire Drugstore.com
Walgreens announced yesterday that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire drugstore.com and intends to continue operating it as a standalone business along with its Beauty.com, SkinStore.com and VisionDirect.com…
Food Industry Looking for Young Recruits
In a joint initiative in the U.K., a new campaign from the FDF, Taste Success, “aims to show potential entrants that the U.K. food and drink manufacturing sector is a…
Supervalu Looks to Save Millions on Bags
It’s no longer a question of paper or plastic at Supervalu. It’s strictly plastic at the chain’s stores unless customers bring their own bags or specifically request paper. What do…
Gap Seeks Out New Customers
Gap Inc. plans to shift its marketing “disproportionately to acquiring new customers” this year, including a younger demographic as well as African American, Hispanic and Asian customers. What challenges does…
Diversity Called ‘Workforce Imperative’
A new report by the Network of Executive Women maintains that “manufacturers and retailers who create and maintain a diverse workforce are more likely to increase innovation and meet consumer…
Roundy’s For Sale … Again
New reports by the Deal Pipeline and Supermarket News maintain that Willis Stein is looking to sell Roundy’s again. Do you think Roundy’s will be sold this time around? What…
Retail TouchPoints: Macy’s, Target Tap QR Codes for Extended Customer Interaction
The fascination around mobile for retail started with mobile marketing and the ability to communicate via SMS text messaging, and very soon graduated to mobile commerce. Now Quick Response (QR)…
Court Rejects Google’s Deal to Rule Book World
Google has a bit more work to do before it rules the digital book world. U.S. Circuit Court judge Denny Chin has struck down a $125 million settlement the company…
H-E-B Cleans Up with Guys-Only Aisle
When last RetailWire covered the Men’s Zone in February 2010, we discovered that a test of the guys-only grooming product aisle at H-E-B (brought to the retailer by Procter &…
Wealthy Consumers Go Shopping
While rising gas and food prices have already begun to slow the spending habits of middle-income consumers, the wealthiest in society appear to still be in high gear when it…
Supermarket Social Scenes
Some day a couple is going to tell their kids about how they met … singles are finding that the supermarket is the place to find a date, if not…
Microsoft CTO Turns Cooking Expert
Nathan Myhrvold, Microsoft’s former first chief technology officer, is making headlines with his new venture, a six-volume cookbook containing some 2,400 pages and weighing nearly 50 pounds. How will a…
Japan’s Aftermath
Eleven days after the earthquake and tsunami, it’s still highly uncertain how the devastation that has hit Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, will impact U.S. retail and consumers brands in…
Walmart Coupon Policy Getting Good Reviews
Walmart received some praise last week from consumer bloggers for restating its coupon policies to provide clearer explanations of its redemption procedures. Some saw the changes as more generous. What…
BrainTrust Query: Commerce, Anyway You Want It
The retail industry may finally be starting to realize the importance of removing the barriers between existing channels, in effect creating “omni-channel” retail. Do you agree that ‘multi-channel’ is becoming…
Double Digit Sales Growth and Babies Online
Online sales have never been healthier. Last year consumers pushed online revenues up nearly 15 percent and a new study by eMarketer projects solid year-over-year increases for the foreseeable future…
British Supermarket Buys into FreshDirect
At the beginning of March, Morrisons spent £32 million ($51.3 million) buying 10 percent of FreshDirect, an online grocer based in New York. What do you think Morrisons can learn…
Platt Retail Institute: In-Store Advertising Clutter
In-store, or point of purchase (POP), advertising helps trigger memory recall, effectively introduces new products, promotes sale items and educates consumers. Yet with the increasing number of ads, this results…
Hy-Vee Looks for Healthy Returns at Checkout
The message on the Blue Zones website is, “We help people live longer, better lives by optimizing their lifestyle and surroundings.” It now appears that part of the surroundings includes…
