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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
The Top Mistakes of Independent Retailers
In his new book, “The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business: A Step-by-Step Approach to Quickly Diagnose, Treat, and Cure,” Bob Phibbs explains the pitfalls many independent businesses fall…
Wal-Mart Gets Truckin’
Among Wal-Mart’s strengths has been an ability to find ways to drive costs out of the supply chain. Now, the company has decided that there are more supply chain savings…
Gap Grows as Consumers Buy Clothes
Eli Portnoy, chief brand strategist of Portnoy Group, is among those who are having trouble rationalizing sales growth at retail apparel chains and some of the more troubling aspects of…
Asda to Sell Cancer Drugs at Cost
Wal-Mart Store’s Asda division in the U.K. announced yesterday that it would sell drugs prescribed to treat various cancers at cost to consumers unable to get the medicines through the…
Fast Food Keeps Pushing Value Envelope
Taking the value menu down yet one more rung, Taco Bell has introduced a $2.00 combo meal. The move is seen as a direct strike at popular dollar menus at…
P&G Opens eStore to the Public
Back in January, a Procter & Gamble spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that the consumer packaged goods giant was looking at its new eStore pilot project as a “learning…
FMI 2010: Shopper Marketing Comes of Age in Grocery Channel
One of the clear themes at the Food Marketing Institute’s Show last week in Las Vegas was that shopper marketing is a trend that’s here to stay. While the precise…
BrainTrust Query: We Have Met Retail’s Future, and it is Sears
Sears is quietly incubating and activating the business models and platforms that will transform retail’s future, even as it appears to lose at the ones everyone watches now. What’s going…
Spartan Looks Outside Michigan for Growth
Spartan Stores’ numbers look good and the company has set its sites on bigger and better things ahead, according to The Grand Rapids Press. Do you see Spartan Stores making…
CSD: Cornering the Nontraditional Market
For convenience store owners, good corners are much harder to come by. Enter Street Corner Sips, Snax & Stuff, a convenience concept targeting customers across the country in malls, airports,…
Kmart Looks to Kwash the Kompetition
Kmart is hoping to clean up with a new laundromat concept it is testing in Iowa City, IA. Do you think Kmart’s Kwash laundromat service will help boost sales in…
Food Allergies Not as Widespread as People Believe
With a significant proportion of the population believing that they suffer from food allergies, a newly published, U.S. government-commissioned report suggests that improvements to testing methods need to be implemented…
Clothing Vendors Take Chargeback Hit
The reality is this: large retail chains hold most of the cards when dealing with designers of clothing and accessories. As a Crain’s New York Business article points out, retailers…
Food Lion’s Goal to Become Low Price Leader
Wal-Mart’s shadow usually looms large whenever grocers start talking about establishing a stronger price position in the markets they serve. Is Food Lion in any better or worse position to…
Blockbuster Plays Hard Ball with Hollywood
Earlier this year, Blockbuster reached agreements with Warner Bros., Fox and Universal that gave them access to new releases for a period of 28 days before Netflix and Redbox, as…
iPhone-Inspired Technologies Coming to Vending Machines
At the recent National Automatic Merchandising Association show in Chicago, both Kraft and Coca-Cola wowed the crowd by showcasing vending machines with screens similar to those of iPhones. What do…
BrainTrust Query: Privacy is Dead … and It Could Be Great
Recently Facebook announced its intentions to develop what it calls the Open Graph, a means of connecting data about an individual based on their choices, tastes and preferences by profiling…
Starbucks Markets Seattle’s Best for ‘Regular People’
In response to heightened fast-food competition, Starbucks is re-branding Seattle’s Best and moving quickly to expand the coffee brand to convenience stores, drive-through kiosks, coffee carts, vending machines and mobile…
Is Apple’s Rep Rottening?
With its string of successes, some restrictive policies, and perhaps a newfound arrogance, Apple’s hip reputation is taking a hit in the techie community. To what degree is Apple’s success…
Redesigning Supermarkets to Better Engage Shoppers
Kevin Kelley, Founding Partner and Principal of Shook Kelley, reminded the audience at an FMI Customer Connect workshop this week that consumers still spend money when they really want something…
BrainTrust Query: Social Network Stalking
Think about this: By reading this blog, we are connected. We have this blog and its topics in common, so there’s a chance we have other things in common as…
