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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Lowe’s Heading to Mexico
The U.S. is just not big enough to hold Lowe’s. Previously, the world’s second largest home improvement chain announced plans to expand north into Canada and now the company is…
Image Propels Coach’s Growth
Coach has built its handbag and retail business around an upscale image, which has brought record numbers of consumers into the company’s retail stores and factory outlets to buy their…
Ads Get Consumer Production Value
Consumer marketers are looking to the YouTube and Ziddio generation to help brands make a splash–not just online, but on television screens. This year, Doritos, Chevrolet and the National…
BrainTrust Query: Is it just me, or are contradictions running rampant in retail marketing?
The mantra for a pilot with an instrument rating is “Crosscheck, Interpret, and React.” There were many instances during the NRF conference this year when pilot and BrainTrust panelist Bill…
Steve Burd on Improving Healthcare
Just about everyone agrees that healthcare costs are rising too fast, and Steve Burd, Chairman/President/CEO of Safeway, aims to do something about it. At this week’s FMI Midwinter Conference, he…
Wanted: CEO for Struggling Clothing Retailer
Four-plus years after being named chief executive officer at Gap Inc., Paul Pressler is out. The company announced yesterday that it and Mr. Pressler had “mutually agreed” on his departure…
The Right to Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness and Internet Access
The theme at NRF this year was all around customer relationship management (CRM) and building a loyal customer base, and the technology to accomplish it. But the challenge with…
Crisis Counselors Question TJX Response to Breach
It’s a really bad day when you discover that someone has hacked into your computer system and gotten hold of personal financial information of customers in your store. That…
GHQ: Out of the Box
Warehouse management systems (WMS) have become almost universally popular over the past decade. At first, manufacturer- and retailer-owned warehouses, as well as distribution centers, often either developed their own systems…
Retail Revolution in India: M&A’s and Bracing for Foreign Investment
The buzz around the topic of retail revolution in India continues to get stronger with every passing day. Following Wal-Mart’s joint venture with New Delhi-based Bharti Enterprises in late…
Customer-Centric Exec Joins Sears
John Walden has a big job ahead of him. Yesterday, he was named to the newly created position of chief customer officer (CCO) at Sears Holdings, making him responsible for…
FTC: Payments Keep Drug Costs High
Jon Leibowitz, a member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said the big pharmaceutical companies are causing consumers to pay much higher prices than they should for drugs by engaging…
Back To School: The Sequel
It may be freezing outside and Valentine merchandise is arriving in stores, but so are back-to-school (BTS) customers…namely the 55 million students attending schools in the U.S. who are in…
Differentiating to the Same Place
After years of beating the drum about how low their prices could be, Britain’s supermarkets are finding that they have a significant number of customers willing to pay a little…
Execs Told to Open Their Eyes to Talent
The former CEO of Gap Inc. and the current chief of J. Crew told attendees at the National Retail Federation convention that there are plenty of good merchants working in…
BrainTrust Query: Is the ASP Model for IT Services Inevitable?
Supermarkets and specialty retailers are at both ends of the retail spectrum, but maybe there is something to be learned from both their approaches to IT. The old argument for…
Retail Sales Headed for 4.8 Percent Growth in 2007
The National Retail Federation released its 2007 forecast Tuesday, predicting that retail industry sales will increase 4.8 percent from last year. According to its quarterly Retail Sales Outlook report, released…
Canadian Pharmacists Want Rx Meds to Stay Put
Last year, consumers in the U.S. spent millions buying prescription medicines from Canadian pharmacies. North of the U.S. border, however, there are groups that are asking the Canadian government…
Visionary CEOs Talk Innovation and Internationalization
There was a marked contrast in styles between the two charismatic corporate leaders who did back-to-back presentations Monday morning at the 96th Annual NRF Convention in Manhattan. Each, in…
Women Without Men
The bestselling book, “Are Men Necessary?”, by Maureen Dowd of The New York Times, took playful jabs (for the most part) at men seeking to find their way in a…
Online Organics Grocer Keeps on Trucking
Plumgood Foods, the internet grocer specializing in the delivery of organics and natural foods, prepared meals and household supplies, has yet to make money, but the company is getting bigger…
