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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Asda and Tesco Push Suppliers for Lower Prices
Some of the ways in which retailers keep prices down for customers are relatively harmless, while other methods are less painless and squeeze the supply chain as tightly as possible…
T.J. Maxx/Marshalls Urges Consumers to ‘Re-Think Retail’
For the first time ever, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls will be featured together in television spots to educate consumers on the merits of off-price retailing. Will the off-price campaign resonate…
SCDigest: What’s Going to Happen to ‘The China Price’?
Between lower wage pressures and the fact that most Chinese factories are operating at low levels of utilization, Western buyers are gaining more pricing clout than they have had in…
Looking at Literal as Well as Figurative Growth
In the U.K., The Independent on Sunday newspaper has joined highly respected gardening charity, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), in a “Let Children Grow” campaign. The idea is to improve…
Wal-Mart Ends Monthly Same-Store Sales Report
Wal-Mart is not the first retailer to decide against reporting monthly same-store sales numbers but being the biggest means it is going to get a lot of attention for doing…
BrainTrust Query: Should brands do more to ‘befriend’ consumers in difficult times?
There may be “no normal” to return to, once the recession is over. People’s heightened search for value and economizing have changed brand choices and shopping patterns. However, the news…
Shop & Stop and Giant Put Scanners in Shoppers’ Hands
Stop & Shop and Giant Food have added handheld scanners at 250 stores to help consumers track the cost of their purchases and to provide them with relevant coupons and…
Wal-Mart Vet to Take Over as Supervalu CEO
Supervalu has named Craig Herkert, currently president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart’s Americas’ operations, as its new CEO. What does Supervalu’s hire of Craig Herkert say about where the…
PL Buyer: A Growing Threat
With its market share rising dramatically during these past two years, private label represents a major opportunity for retailers – and a major threat to the national brands. How will…
Walmart Tests Rx Mail Order Program
Pharmacy benefits managers beware. Walmart is pushing further into your territory with the announcement it is testing a mail order prescription service in Michigan. Do you see Walmart changing the…
The Center Store Rebounds
Big food marketers have rediscovered the center store at the very same time consumers have expanded their search there for savings from perimeter departments. How would you compare the center…
RIS Study: Retail IT Budgets Holding Up
According to the 19th annual 2009 RIS Retail Technology Trends Study, IT budgets won’t likely be slashed in 2009 but retailers “will definitely reassess, redirect, reallocate and remove costs as…
Home Depot Shuts Down Spanish Language Site
Home Depot is committed to serving Hispanic consumers; it’s just that it has determined it doesn’t pay to try and do it online.Last week the company closed down its Spanish-language…
BrainTrust Query: Why is computer-based ordering suddenly an in-demand technology application?
According to the 2009 Supermarket News 15th Annual State of the Industry Report on Supermarket Technology, food retailers ranked computer-based ordering first for which new applications they will either test…
R&FF Retailer: Kroger SKU Rationalization Push Going Strong
Observers say Kroger is in the middle of an aggressive SKU rationalization program, significantly reducing the number of offerings store-wide. Vendors say the company is putting more focus on minimum…
Gourmet Retailer Balducci’s Leaves Manhattan
Balducci’s, a longtime mecca for Manhattan’s epicures, recently closed its last two flagship New York City stores in Chelsea and the Upper West Side in the face of the recession…
Working for Free
With the recession paralyzing corporate spending, some businesses are offering their services for free. The main hope is that the goodwill engendered will lead to paid work when the economy…
Retail TouchPoints: 3 Key Tenets for Retailers to Win the Customer Race
As chairman and president of automated feedback solution provider Mindshare, Rich Hanks simply wanted to publish a book that contained usable information for executives struggling with the practical applications of…
Maryland Puts End to Minimum Pricing Requirement
The state of Maryland has passed a law that prohibits product manufacturers from setting minimum prices at which retailers can sell their products. Retailers or the state can sue any…
Best Buy Expands Private Label Electronics
Hoping for a differentiator against its rivals such as Wal-Mart Stores and Amazon, Best Buy is rapidly expanding its private label assortments. What do you think of Best Buy’s push…
Houston, We Have a Problem (with Wal-Mart)
“What a way to assimilate – isolate yourselves into ethnic enclaves, trade at Hispanic-only stores, continue to speak Spanish….” This is a sampling of some of the comments in response…
