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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Innovation Comes in Small Brand Packages
Innovation is a vital function in business and it is not easy to achieve. At large CPGs, it is very carefully programmed and backed by product and market research. And…
Store Cards Rejected for Good Credit
Gander Mountain claims an Ohio bank has threatened to stop issuing co-branded credit cards to its customers who have good credit. The reason: such transactions are not profitable enough for…
Amazon to Woot it Up
Woot.com, a website that sells one item per day at discount price, announced yesterday that it had agreed to be acquired by Amazon.com. Do you see aspects of the Woot…
Pier 1 Taking Business Back Online
One of the first things that Alex Smith did when he took over as CEO of Pier 1 Imports was shut down the company’s website. Now, things are looking up…
‘Fashion Forwards’ Pack a Punch
Although a small part of the buying public, fashion forward customers drive and influence a large share of sales in apparel as well as other categories, according to a new…
Caution: College Kids PO’d Over Text Ads
A lot has been made about the opportunity of using mobile marketing with younger consumers. One of the elements of this topic that perhaps is not given enough attention is…
Insights at the Speed of Shoppers’ Lives
Listening to professionals in the area of shopper insights and marketing, it’s easy for the uninitiated to get the impression that we’ve entered something of a Wild West era when…
BrainTrust Query: What Happens to Traditional Media When it Goes Digital?
At the ARF Audience Measurement conference last week, some speakers brought up compelling points about what happens when all media becomes digital. What obvious and less obvious changes do you…
Neiman Marcus Looks to Future Growth
Last year was a tough one for many luxury retailers and the incoming chief executive at Neiman Marcus, Karen Katz, will tell you that her company was no exception. What…
BrainTrust Query: Filling in the Gaps
After decades of adding retail selling space faster than the population was growing, there is now over 46 square feet of selling space for every man, woman, and child in…
BP Stations Asking for Help, Too
BP has done little to repair its reputation since the tragic accident on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Among the innocent parties affected have been the thousands of independently-owned gas…
Uniqlo’s Six Phrases for Advisers
At every Uniqlo worldwide, store associates are trained to repeat six phrases they are expected to use while on the selling floor. And every morning before each store opens, associates…
Racy A&F Quarterly Returns
A&F Quarterly, Abercrombie & Fitch’s controversial magalog described by some as “Playboy for tweens,” is being relaunched after a seven-year absence. What do you think of the relaunch of the…
PL Buyer: Private Label Without National Brand Counterparts
As national brands have pulled back on the number of new items they’ve been introducing amid the downturn, there have been fewer targets from which retailers can draw inspiration to…
Rite Aid Looks for Better Results
Fortunately for Rite Aid, the company’s stock has climbed back over the dollar mark. The drugstore chain even got a boost this week when it reported a loss narrower than…
SCDigest: Is the Cheap Chinese Labor Party Quickly Coming to an End?
The rapid rise in manufacturing wages in China took a brief respite with the start of the global recession in 2008, but as China’s stimulus fed expansion quickly takes hold,…
Deal or No Deal, Wal-Mart Coming to Chicago
It’s a tale of two stories. One told by labor leaders in Chicago has them finally getting Wal-Mart to sit down and agree to basic principles. The other is Wal-Mart…
Ahold CEO Willing to Wait Out the Competition
Ahold CEO John Rishton doesn’t see the U.S. economy improving markedly this year and thinks that could work to his company’s advantage. What is your assessment of Ahold’s operations in…
Whole Foods Seeks ‘Organic’ Certification for Bodycare Products
The use of oil and petrochemicals in manufacturing bodycare products is something not all consumers consider when shopping. And some manufacturers label their products “organic” despite the presence of these…
Dinner and a Movie Take on New Meaning
It used to be that when people talked about going out to dinner and a movie it required two stops. Now, however, a new concept in entertainment lets consumers get…
J.C. Penney Gets ‘Maniacal’ About Digital Commerce
J.C. Penney has seen the future and it’s digital. The department store chain is looking to grow its online business by $1 billion within five years, according to a Dow…
