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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Consensus Advisors: X(mas) Factors
As we consider the stream of macro news stories arriving daily and last week’s election results, it makes sense to explore some of the x-factors that could cause actual results…
Firing Over Facebook Could Change Labor Relations
Workers do it all the time. They talk about their bosses in unflattering terms. So should that language be used as a contributing factor in firing a worker? For American…
eBay Launches Crowdsource Gift Buying
eBay last week launched an online group gift buying service designed to make it easier for consumers to collectively purchase gifts. What do you think of the opportunity to drive…
PL Buyer: Which is Your Private Label Food Retailer of the Year?
There’s no question that private label food sales have benefitted from the recession and that private label is likely to hold onto some of the market share it gained this…
Amazon Buys Rival. What’s Next?
Amazon.com’s acquisition of Quidsi, owner of Diapers.com, Soap.com and BeautyBar.com, for $500 million in cash plus $45 million in assumed debt raises a boatload of questions. What do you make…
Anyone for Social Responsibility?
Two professors from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business debated the question of whether or not it is companies’ responsibility to act in the public interest and whether…
Study: Self-Service Trumps ‘Live’ Service
A recent study by Harvard Business Review and Corporate Executive Board concludes that companies are significantly over-emphasizing the value of “live” or personalized service. In fact, delivering top-notch self-service is…
BrainTrust Query: How Will Retailers Manage the Impact of Rising Commodity Costs?
The goal of the $600 billion buy-back plan for treasuries by the Fed is to lower the cost of borrowing for businesses and consumers. The unfortunate side effect will be…
BrainTrust Query: Salary = Success
American Express Open recently conducted a study that was reported in the Boston Herald that discovered that half of the business owners did not collect a salary. Of those that…
Walgreens Sees Opportunities for Growth
In a conference call with analysts yesterday, Walgreens executives said they didn’t expect to grow the company’s business through large acquisitions or a jump in new store openings, but by…
Retailers Pursue Item-Level RFID
The RFID bandwagon appears to be filling up quickly. Several reports and press releases hit this week expounding on the wonderfulness of item-level RFID and its effect on inventory management…
Belk Updates Branding, Tests Security
Belk is looking to shake things up. Last month the regional department store chain announced a $70 million rebranding effort that included a new logo, tagline and ad campaign. Are…
The Two A&F Strategy
Abercrombie & Fitch refused to follow the discounting route of its competitors when the economy turned downward and the result in 2009 was a 19 percent decrease in same-store sales…
Seeking Super Fans
Only a few stores have at least a few ‘super fans’. These are fanatics who will drive hours to reach their favorite store, follow rumor mills regarding nearby store…
Walgreens Sues Wegmans Over Its Logo
Walgreens recently filed suit against Wegmans for trademark infringement over the grocery chain’s new logo, saying that Wegmans’ logo is likely to be confused with its own and could lead…
Wanted: Leaders with New Perspectives
A new poll of 135 chief executives and presidents of retail chains finds that 74 percent expect to look outside the industry for new leaders over the next five years…
Walmart Takes Page from Groupon
Mimicking the popular daily deal services, Walmart’s CrowdSaver unlocks a discount once enough consumers opt in. The differences: it’s accessible through its Facebook page, it’s based more around weekly deals…
E-Tailer Opens ‘Destination’ Store
It says it right there on the Duluth Trading Company website. “If you’re a Duluth Trading fan, when you visit your new store… You’ll feel like you died and went…
Best Buy to Put Human Search Engines to Work
Today, Best Buy is looking to find employees who not only “get” technology, but people too. Will Best Buy’s increased emphasis on helping shoppers find the answers they are looking…
Compete Blog: Tracking Early Holiday Shoppers
Slowly but surely, consumers are already working their way through their holiday shopping list. Should retailers be promoting holiday sales well before the traditional Black Friday start of the…
Bristol Farms Regains Independence
Bristol Farms, the upscale 13-store grocery chain in Southern California, was sold last week by parent Supervalu Inc. to local management and an investor group. What are the pros and…
