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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
CSD: Optimizing Everything
Though many people equate price optimization with finding the highest price the customer will pay, Ken Ouimet, a pioneer in the field, said the process actually works by lowering margins…
Publix Makes Rare Goof
Publix recent announcement that it would give away antibiotics should have been another case of the company demonstrating the right way to promote a point of difference in the marketplace…
Illegal Immigrant Crackdown Looms
Those who oppose a “get tough” approach to the illegal immigrant problem in the U.S. often argue that deporting these people will be counterproductive. Whether that assertion is true may…
GHQ: Women’s movement
While it’s generally accepted that females make or influence 80 percent of all purchases, they only made up 16.4 percent of corporate officers among Fortune 500 companies and only 1.6…
Target: Ratcheting up Competitive Pressures…Again?
Target has orchestrated a 42-store opening blitz at the end of July covering markets from central New Jersey to St. Paul, MN. And the fresh new merchandising concepts are focused…
Peter Pan Attempts to Regain Magic
Peter Pan peanut butter is in the process of making a comeback. The brand, which was forced into a national recall after it was discovered that some product was contaminated…
Minorities Becoming Majorities in More Places
If you want to see where America is heading just look to Texas. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas has more counties than any state–43 total–where the majority of…
PLBuyer: The Senior Market Transformation
The senior care products market is getting ready to explode. The basic premise is that as the baby boomer generation prepares to enter retirement age, the need for products that…
Midnight Madness Goes Online
The stores may be closed, but retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s and Sears are offering online-only discounts during overnight hours to keep consumers shopping after-hours. Is there a…
Kroger Pushes ‘Organics for Everyone’
Kroger is looking to make it easier for consumers to try organics with a new line of 65 items sold under the company’s Private Selection brand. The new line, which…
Supply Chain Digest: Inventory Management Challenges Continue
In early 2006, a look at the past several years of data from the annual CFO Magazine working capital report showed continuing upward pressure on inventory levels, despite the great…
Nutrition Labels on Alcoholic Beverage Packaging
The Treasury Department has proposed requiring alcoholic beverage packaging to include not only the serving size and alcohol by volume, but also the servings per container and some of the…
Publix: No Charge for Antibiotics
Publix has come up with one way to compete with the $4 charged for a 30-day supply of certain generic prescription drugs by Wal-Mart. The company will just give them…
CPGmatters: Kraft Scores with Concepts To Generate Center Store Traffic
Kraft Foods is relying on shopper insights and the power of its brands to help supermarket retailers lure shoppers from the jazzy perimeter into the center store aisles. One way…
Teen Splurge in Back-To-School Luxury
Forget notebooks and pencils. Teens and tweens enamored with celebrities and fashion are looking for $200 designer handbags and $100-plus jeans this back-to-school season How sizeable is the luxury…
Magazine Names Target’s Ulrich ‘CEO of the Year’
Chief Executive magazine has named Bob Ulrich of Target as its “2007 CEO of the Year.” While gracious in accepting the award (the 2006 honoree was A.G. Lafley of P&G),…
Changing Times Bring Growth Opportunities…or Challenges?
Supermarket and drug store retailers today are dealing with a lot more complexity in their markets than has been the case in the past, presenting a challenge in developing go-to-market…
Martha and Eddie: A Case of Irreconcilable Differences
It’s not quite at the War of the Roses stage, but it’s growing increasingly clear that Martha Stewart and Edward Lampert are not going to be able to work things…
Searching for Harry
Using a thinly disguised pseudonym based on one Jane Austen used herself, David Lassman, director of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, typed out the first three chapters of three…
Wal-Mart Seeks to Rule Consumer Electronics Market
Wal-Mart dominates any number of categories at retail and the retailing giant is intent on adding to that list. Among the categories the Bentonville behemoth has targeted are apparel, home…
A Rebellion of Modest Proportions
Espousing conservative dressing and even virginity, many girls are embracing modesty as part of a “good girl” movement. The leader of movement is author Wendy Shalit. Her new book,…
