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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Starbucks Takes on the Egg McMuffin
While Starbucks last week announced another round of job cuts, a bigger surprise to many was that the upscale coffee chain was entering the breakfast value-meal race. Using uniform national…
Research Consortium: Price Rollbacks Better Than Discounts
After a huge run-up over the past year, commodity prices are back down again. But vendors unwisely have been more inclined to deal off higher list prices or offer more…
SCDigest: Here Soon, Technology that will Dramatically Impact Supply Chains
In his book, Jump the Curve, Jack Uldrich discusses how rapidly growing technologies (or trends) can stay small for a long time when starting from a tiny base, but then…
Boscov’s Needs Loan Even After Record Month
The Boscov’s Department Store chain had its most profitable December ever, but the company’s chairman said it still needs the $35 million in loan guarantees it negotiated with the state…
Amazon Takes a Pass on the Recession
It’s hard for any retailer to say they haven’t in some way been hurt by the recession. But, if you were looking for a merchant that has made navigating the…
The Value of Time
All this rampant bargain hunting may be saving consumers money, but it also takes up a lot of time, according to a research report from NCR Corp., the self-service solutions…
The Downside of One Big Customer
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, has ended its exclusive deal to have Cott Corp. supply its private label soft drinks. Cott, which happens to be the largest supplier of store…
Studies Link Corn Syrup and Mercury
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, almost all people have some trace of methylmercury in their tissues as a result of eating seafood or exposure through the environment. Now,…
Kraft’s iPhone App Draws Shoppers
The iFood Assistant from Kraft Foods now ranks among iPhone’s top 100 paid apps, and number three in the lifestyle category. Advertising Age said the app has clearly caught on…
Kellogg Testing New Space-Saving Cereal Box
The cereal box as we know it may be about to change. Kellogg announced on Monday that it is testing a new shorter and deeper cereal box in Detroit-area stores…
Wawa Cleans Up for the Recession
While retailers of various box sizes have engaged in large-scale store closings and layoffs since the recession hit, the Media, Penn.-based convenience store chain chose a different path when it…
Retail TouchPoints: 5 Key Trends From NRF Which May Separate the ‘Has Beens,’ the ‘Survivors’ & ‘Thrivers’
While retailers may have cut back and sent fewer team members to this year’s NRF event, those retailers in attendance were active buyers in pursuit of solutions that could help…
New Agriculture Chief Talks Food Safety
The new Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak said the U.S. needs to modernize its food safety system before it tackles the issue of whether responsibility for protecting what Americans eat should…
Journal of Trading Partner Practices: Building the Perfect Supplier
It is often forgotten, particularly in difficult economic cycles, that suppliers choose their retail customers by targeting specific, prospective customers – and not vice versa. To truly improve margins and…
Home Depot Closing Expo Biz, Cutting 7,000 Jobs
Yesterday, Home Depot was the latest chain to announce a massive layoff with nearly 7,000, roughly two percent of its workforce, joining a growing list of former retail workers. The…
CPGmatters: Dannon Expands Dairy Space With Mobile Display Cooler
To find shelf space for retailers to sell its fast-selling DanActive and Activia brands, Dannon USA recently formed what it calls a “Shelf Obsession Team” that came up with a…
Supermarkets Coping with Recession
While many retailers have gone broke or initiated massive store closings, the list hasn’t yet included a major or even notable minor grocer. How do you think supermarkets will fare…
Why Young People Should Opt for a Retail Career
In an effort to look at the bright side of life, anyone managing to launch a retail career nowadays will have the excitement of unsurpassed opportunities to persuade shoppers to…
Reconsidering Retailers as Bankers
Now that many large banks have put themselves in the position of having to seek loans from the government to stay afloat, perhaps it’s time to reconsider whether retailers should…
Do Trade Shows Still Work in the Retailing Industry?
Is the real-world trade show format still viable in this age of advanced communication? Judging from last week’s NRF convention, Al McClain’s vote is “yes.” While a lot of trade…
CSD: Reaching Your Target Audience
With tremendous pressure to cut costs today, advertising budgets are usually considered the most expendable luxury. But to succumb to this pressure puts the long-term viability of companies and brands…
