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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
RFID Entering New Phase
Companies involved in supplying radio frequency identification technology are on the verge of substantial revenue increases, according to a study by Gartner Research. Worldwide revenues for RFID are projected to…
L.L.Bean Takes First Steps Out of Northeast
L.L.Bean already has a national franchise with consumers placing orders every day from the retailer’s catalogs and website. Now the chain is looking to build on the third piece of…
Keep the Labels Simple, Stupid
Providing simple nutritional information is not a simple matter. Consensus has evolved in Britain and Europe over the past few years that a uniform labeling system should be introduced but…
Starbucks Trains, Rivals Seek to Gain
Customers walking into any of the nearly 7,100 Starbucks across the U.S. today will be greeted with a sign that reads: “Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not,…
Circuit City Tests Smaller Stores
Circuit City is testing a compact, interactive format, called The City, as a key part of its turnaround plan. The stores measure 20,000 square feet compared with up to 33,000…
Will Rising Prices Give Brands an Edge Over Private Label?
The prices on just about every commodity are going up and that could be good news for national brands and bad news for private label. Is the current economic environment…
Retail TouchPoints: Study Shows Circulars Still Most Impactful Ad Medium For Retail
Despite the increased attention to digital marketing, recent research shows that traditional mediums such as inserts and circulars are among the most impactful advertising mediums for retailers. Do you think…
The Shrinking Calorie War
The 100-calorie snack pack is so passé. CPG suppliers are coming out with not only 90 calorie versions but some as low as 80, 70, and even 60. Do you…
Wal-Mart Texts and Consumers Like (some of) It
A test in December taught Wal-Mart that it can get closer to its customers with cellphone text messages or it could completely turn them off. According to Storefront BackTalk,…
Price Optimization Rises to the Forefront for Grocers
With razor-thin margins and constant promotional efforts, supermarkets are increasingly looking to price optimization technologies as a core merchandising tool. According to RSS News, a growing number of supermarkets are…
Retired Celebrity Chef Looks to Make Triumphant Return
Television cooks, especially longtime British heroine Delia Smith, can massively increase product sales for retailers. Since her first version of How to Cheat at Cooking, published in 1971, Ms. Smith…
Business Women: Two Paths to Success
Two books have come out with distinct viewpoints on how women should aim to succeed in business. One urges women to make up their own rules and use tactics like…
Consumers Choosing to Tough It Out with Wal-Mart
When the going gets tough, Americans apparently go to Wal-Mart and not Target. That is the finding of a new consumer survey from Citi Investment Research. Why are consumers appearing…
CEO: Winn-Dixie is ‘Rocking and Rolling’
Most analysts were looking for Winn-Dixie to record a loss in the last quarter. Instead, the company surprised Wall Street with a profitable quarter that has the supermarket chain’s CEO…
Watchdog Questions Truthfulness of Retailers’ Advertising
Tesco and Lidl have both had complaints about advertising and promotional activities upheld against them recently by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority. Do ads that promote items that quickly…
Apparel Retailers Must Act Vertical
According to Kurt Salmon Associates, the top apparel retailers are increasingly “acting vertical,” or controlling every piece of the value chain, from creating product concepts to getting finished goods into…
Kwik Trip Offers Added Convenience of a Drive-Through
The Kwik Trip convenience store chain is looking to become a little more convenient for its customers by giving them the option of not having to get out of their…
TV Series to Get Kids to Try New Foods
There’s no guarantee it could lead to children eating Brussels sprouts, but a new show scheduled to debut this fall on Canadian television is looking to entertain young kids and…
Consumers Find Greater Satisfaction Online
When it comes to satisfying customers, it appears as though online retailers have the edge, hands down, on brick-and-mortar operations. The University of Michigan’s (UM) American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)…
U.K. Probe: Consumers Need More Supermarket Competition
A new report from the UK’s Competition Commission explores whether competition has been “prevented, distorted or restricted” by supermarkets in that country. The UK’s supermarket sector is dominated by four…
Nielsen Tracking African-Americans’ Media Usage
The Nielsen Company has come out with its first 12-month analysis of advertising spending on media outlets that reach African American consumers. One advertising exec called the survey “the first…
