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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Clinically Speaking, Wal-Mart Sees Healthy Opportunity
Wal-Mart has tested 75 in-store clinics in 12 states and it has all the information it needs to make an informed decision on what it will do next, according to…
Rite Aid Ready to Run with Deal Approval
Rite Aid announced yesterday that it expects to close the deal to acquire the Brooks and Eckerd chains by the end of next month, pending final approval from the Federal…
BrainTrust Query: Why don’t car dealers just give people the price?
BrainTrust panelist Mark Lilien recently employed a systematic approach in buying a new car. Using two manufacturer websites, he faxed detailed pricing requests to 19 Suzuki and 30 Subaru dealers…
Sales Way Up, Profits Way Down for C-Stores
The good news, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), is convenience store sales increased 15 percent last year. The bad news is profits tumbled 23.5 percent at…
Publix BOGO Involves National and Own Brand
As Supermarket News reported yesterday, Publix is running a promotion over the next five weeks that will pair a well-known national brand and its store brand equivalent. If a shopper…
CPGmatters: Eye-Catching Shelves
More CPG manufacturers nowadays are evaluating the category structures in place. Are they getting to consumers’ sweet spots? The way they position needs to align with how consumers approach the…
Dogs to Get Place at Outdoor Café Tables
If a bill introduced by State Rep. John Fritchey becomes law then people and their pooches will be dining together outdoors at foodservice establishments all over Illinois. Do you expect…
BI-LO to Hang Out ‘For Sale’ Sign
Last month, Lone Star Funds announced that BI-LO would no longer own Bruno’s Supermarkets and the latter would move its headquarters back to its original home of Birmingham, Alabama. …
Supply Chain Digest: EPC/RFID Success Requirements Revisited
Supply Chain Digest took a fresh look at the list we compiled in 2005 of What is Necessary for ECP/RFID to Thrive in the retail supply chain. That list, with…
BrainTrust Query: How will consumers respond to BP’s Gutsy New Marketing Campaign?
Last week, BP unveiled a $36 million marketing campaign dubbed “Helios Power” focused on going back to its roots and making drivers’ gas station experience ‘a little better.” It’s a…
Taking Aging Personally
Blame it on the media. Of all the images non-Americans have of the U.S., one becoming more prevalent is that of Baby Boomers in hot pursuit of the fountain of…
Marketers Hunt Alpha Moms
Marketers are learning that Alpha Moms are having a tremendous impact within their substantial sphere of influence in the consumer marketplace. Companies including Kimberly-Clark, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Nintendo…
Kroger CEO Says No to LBO
Last Friday, The Wall Street Journal ran a report that a number of private equity firms were considering the possibility of pursuing a leveraged buyout at Kroger. In quick order,…
DIY Retailer Sells Flooring and Food
Home Depot has experimented with grocery item sales with its test of convenience stores in its parking lots. Now, Menards is taking the grocery angle one step further with in-store…
Chain Store Age: Digital Signage – Blazing a New Trail
Looking to engage the consumer during each shopping trip, Roots Canada hopes to leverage its existing digital-signage network to create a more interactive, customized and unique store-level experience. What do…
Big, Ugly Obstacle Holds Back Online Growth
It’s kind of hard to find fault when you look at the year-to-year upward sales arc that has been ongoing in the world of e-commerce. But, that is exactly what…
Sales Drivers: Women Golfers
Overlooked for years, women golfers are slowly getting the attention of retailers. Golf Galaxy’s fourth annual Women’s Night Out event on April 24 promises women a chance to shop, try…
Refrigerated and Frozen Foods: Ca$h in On Food Trend$
Is it a fad or is it a trend? Yes, the words often are used interchangeably – but in reality, they convey two very different meanings. For most food companies,…
HD Takes Appliance Sales to a Higher Level
Home Depot is serious about building up its home appliance sales to a higher level and it’s adding a second floor inside 25 older stores by mid-June to help it…
What Will Tariffs on Chinese Imports Mean for Consumers?
It’s not as if all imports from China are suddenly going to have tariffs imposed on them. Now that some will, however, it leads to the inevitable questions of how…
BrainTrust Query: Will digitally-based customer assistance help solve store customer service woes?
Plenty of our posts have navel-gazed the ongoing challenges of in-store customer service and how we might resolve them. Exciting new technologies are now appearing that may empower retailers with…
