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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Retailers Need to Prepare for Heavy Hurricane Season
New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast remain in ruins today nearly two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought devastation to the area. The lessons learned from…
BrainTrust Query: How will assortments change in the green future?
Consumer companies are quickly responding to studies, statistics, and sound blasts regarding the need to reduce greenhouse gasses and preserve ecosystems with a rush to introduce more environmentally friendly products,…
CPGmatters: It’s Time to Get Tough With Vendor Allowances
CPG manufacturers should toughen up when dealing with retailers who don’t respect the true purpose of trade promotion. In fact, CPGs should use Sarbanes-Oxley “as the excuse to put teeth…
Home Depot Fuel Plans Get Muddied
Home Depot had grand plans for the company’s gas station/convenience store concept, Home Depot Fuel, under former chief executive Bob Nardelli. The home improvement retailer had its sights set on…
Consumers Look Past Wal-Mart for Clothing
Wal-Mart has been making serious efforts in the past couple of years to become more top-of-mind as a shopping destination for clothing. Unfortunately, while the retailer continues to ring up…
Sales Talk Stalling Wendy’s Turnaround
A report by Dow Jones suggests that it isn’t business as usual at Wendy’s as the company’s management team finds itself being distracted by a possible sale instead of being…
Cosmetics Mine the Potential of Minerals
Retailers and manufacturers are mining the potential of minerals to boost cosmetics sales. Mineral-based products are the latest rage on the cosmetics peg wall and the new lines are being…
Geeks Seek Speedier Repairs and Competitive Edge
Best Buy has created a decided advantage with its Geek Squad trouble-shooting and repair service and now the chain is looking to build on that point of difference by turning…
Wal-Mart Partially Lifts Data Ban for In-Store Media Study
Wal-Mart Stores is partially lifting its six-year ban on providing sales data to syndicated market-research firms as part of a new study into the effectiveness of in-store media. How will…
Publix Opens Make-Ahead Meal Assembly Stores
Publix Super Markets has announced that it is hopping on the meal assembly business bandwagon with two pilot stores operating as Publix Apron’s Make-Ahead Meals stores. Is the demand there…
Associates Who Can’t Be Bothered, Bother Customers
Findings of the second annual Retail Customer Dissatisfaction Study from the Wharton School’s Jay H. Baker Retail Initiative and the Verde Group show that there are a lot of really…
RetailWire Webinar: Rewarding Shoppers and Retailers
Concept Shopping Inc. and HSBC have joined forces to introduce a combination loyalty and PIN-based payment card. The OptiPay card promises to significantly lower payment processing costs while also driving…
Winn-Dixie’s Winning Numbers
It is still a long way from its glory days, but the signs are positive for Winn-Dixie after the company posted a profit in its first full quarter of operating…
Walgreen Follows CVS Into Clinic Business
Walgreens has followed the lead of its chief rival, CVS, and bought an in-store health clinic operator of its own. What is your reaction to the news that Walgreens will…
Federated Buys Stake in Web Mall Concept
Federated Department Stores plans to convert a former Lord & Taylor store in Delaware into a showcase for catalog and online retailers that traditionally have not had storefronts. Called The…
No Softer Side to Sears Pilot Stores
Sears is looking for ways to hold off competitors such as Lowe’s and Home Depot who have been eating into the department store’s share of home appliance sales. The company…
Rebates: Mailing It In
Consumers have long had a love-hate relationship with rebates. Although they love the deals, they hate the paperwork, the wait, and all the hoops required to actually get the promised…
Dash’s Marches to its Own Beat
Joe Dash, president of Dash’s Market in upstate NY, knows what it takes to be successful as an independent grocer. The first requirement is an independent streak. Mr. Dash told…
Rentals Bring Some Into Luxury Clothing Market
Many looking to dress to impress these days are faced with a fairly sizable obstacle: to look like a million, you’re likely going to have to spend thousands on clothing…
Online Retailing Goes Mainstream, Clothes Rule
A new study from Shop.org and Forrester Research, The State of Retailing Online 2007, reports clothing has overtaken computer hardware and software to become the top-selling consumer product category (excluding…
Chain Store Age: Online Loyalty
As shoppers rely on the web to research merchandise and make purchases, they are also demanding that the medium support store-level services, including loyalty programs. But traditional point-based, or clipless…
