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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Tesco Chairman Promotes Mandarin Lessons
David Reid, chairman of Tesco PLC, criticized the U.K. educational system for not teaching enough Mandarin in its schools. According to Mr. Reid only 10 percent of schools in the…
Standards Sought for Retail PLM
A group of leading retailers are working together to establish the first PLM (product life-cycle management) standards. The PLM for Retail Standards Committee inaugural event took place at TradeStone headquarters…
Digital Signage Expo 2009: Key Retail Trends
In spite of recent economic woes, last week’s 2009 Digital Signage Expo appeared to be a rousing success. Specific to retail, the trends that emerged from the show floor were…
Store Credit Cards Exposed
With financial institutions pulling back exposure everywhere, it’s becoming harder for consumers to get a store credit card. The credit pullback is expected to put a crimp on sales at…
R&FF Retailer: It’s ‘Win, Play and Show’
Having written the book about taking costs out of the supply chain, Wal-Mart is now focusing on building growth categories and taking market share. To bring all this about, Wal-Mart…
Sears’ Lengthy CEO Hunt
Since late 2007, Sears has been searching for a CEO. In his annual note to shareholders, chairman Edward Lampert said the company’s board had met “a number of very talented…
Snooty Attitude Tones Down at Luxe Boutiques
Techniques for sizing up potential customers at designer boutiques have tagged clerks at high-end stores with a reputation for snootiness and all-out rudeness. But the The New York Times notes…
Off-Pricers in Demand
Off-pricers seem to have it all these days. Consumers are heading to chains such as T.J. Maxx and Ross Stores to save money while more premium brands are dumping their…
BrainTrust Query: The faster you close sales, the more you will sell
Every salesman wearing out shoe leather calling on prospects/customers knows the rule, “close early and close often.” What do you think of in-store digital media’s potential as a way to…
Some Continue Supporting Organics, Others Not
Two articles on just-food.com recently addressed differing attitudes in France and Italy on the issue of organics. In Italy, “growth almost halved last year,” presumably influenced by the economy. And…
JTPP: Elevating Deduction Management Roles
As the transformation from manual to automated deduction management systems becomes more prevalent in the consumer products industry, the skills required of credit and financial professionals is likewise evolving with…
Being a Media Buzzkill: The Future of Digital Signage Measurement
BrainTrust panelist Nikki Baird believes it is critically important to understand how in-store media works – what messages work, what formats of messages work, how people view it, and most…
Luxury Hits the Sales Rack
Luxury-goods sales are expected to fall 15 percent this year, according to Bernstein Research, as even the well-to-do are trading down or cutting back on unnecessary expenditures. Should luxury…
R&FF Retailer: Wal-Mart’s Big Plans for Private Brands
Wal-Mart has significant plans for its private label program, with the unveiling of its redesigned Great Value line expected any day now. What do you think of Wal-Mart’s Great Value…
BrainTrust Query: Is Red The New Black?
BrainTrust Panelist Ted Hurlbut was speaking with the owner of a small women’s specialty store the other day, discussing the state of her business when she said something that made…
Bud.tv Signs Off
Anheuser-Busch last week pulled the plug on its broadband humor website, Bud.tv. In bypassing traditional media and programming its own content, Bud.tv had promised to transform the way brands reach…
Retail TouchPoints: Professor Tom Davenport Advises Retailers to Cultivate Potential Benefits of Analytics
Industry experts and retailers themselves agree that most retail companies have not yet realized the full potential of the breadth of analytics available to them today. Do you agree that…
Platt Retail Institute: Digital Signage – Many Factors Influence In-Store Purchase Decisions
It has long been stated that “70 percent of purchase decisions are made in the store.” Thinking more about this inspired a journey to trace the accuracy of the “70…
Women’s Purchasing Power Grows
An often-cited marketing maxim holds that around 80 percent of consumer purchases are driven by women. The figure is often cited to emphasize how women are underestimated and under-served as…
Employees Make it, Then Buy it
While many companies worldwide are debating the wisdom of bonuses for employees at all levels, Panasonic has gone even further. The company is demanding that they give something back by…
BrainTrust Query: How is the economy affecting the value perception of brands?
Months ago, a spat occurred between the leading retail company in India, Future Group, and branded supplier Cadbury’s with respect to margins offered to the retailer. Now, there’s a battle…
