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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
BrainTrust Advice 2006: ‘Told You So, Home Depot’
It’s not over, but 2006 has certainly been a busy year for Home Depot. RetailWire followed the developments at Home Depot closely over the year and, as is usually the…
Wal-Mart Sticks to Vendor Relations Code
The recent departure of Julie Roehm from Wal-Mart has thrown on a spotlight on the company’s strict policies concerning relations with vendors. Ms. Roehm, it has been reported, was…
Kroger Alum Sargent Joins Its Board
The newest member of Kroger’s board of directors is no stranger to the company. Ron Sargent, the chairman and CEO of Staples, spent 10 years working for Kroger in a…
Chain Store Age: ‘Tis the Season for Item Movement
Last-minute shoppers are navigating among dwindling stock levels and price slashes in hopes of completing their gift-giving obligations. And retailers are probably relying on two solutions to lure in harried…
Merger Creates Stronger Union
Next year, the United Food and Commercial Workers believe they will go into negotiations with northern California retailers holding a much stronger hand than they did in 2004. The reason…
The Lands’ End Brand Plan: Insanity or Genius?
Shopping for a winter coat or cashmere sweater for the holidays? How about getting Peppermint Crunch chocolate wafers, a Panasonic 42″ Plasma Television, a China Pearl Necklace, a NordicTrack Audio…
R&FF Retailer: Face 2 Face
Part 1: Vinnie Vendor has a problem with Rhonda Retailer. He thinks the two parties could accomplish much more together if Rhonda would make her customer data more “freely” available…
Groups Debate Regulating Functional Food Claims
A number of consumer groups are looking for the government to do a better and quicker job of evaluating the health claims made by a variety of functional food products,…
Whole Foods and Central Market Experiment
The American classical music composer Charles Ives once said, “Every great inspiration is but an experiment.” Based on the rollout of two new experimental concept stores in the Dallas/Fort…
Trade Promotion: Who decides?
Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year by HBC manufacturers to get their products promoted by their retail customers. Ideally, this should be a joint effort as the…
BrainTrust Query: Is the world ready for “cultured meat”?
Several weeks ago, we asked whether consumers were ready for meat products coming from cloned animals. But what if there were no animals involved at all? Does that make the…
Mr. Clean Gets Ready to Wash a lot of Cars
Procter & Gamble is going into the car wash business — really. The consumer products giant has gained approval to build and test its first Mr. Clean Performance Car…
Tesco Offers More Details on U.S. Plans
Tesco is prepared to spend up to $2 billion over the next five years as it looks to stake its claim to the American grocery market. The British retailer is…
Best Buy Realigns Work Environment for Results
Best Buy is looking for better results. The company, according to the Dec. 11 BusinessWeek cover story, has gone off in a radical direction to recreate its corporate culture and…
Martha Getting Into Food Biz
She’s done television, videos, cookbooks, magazines, housewares, paints, furniture, time in jail (we know, cheap shot), housing communities and now Martha Stewart is getting into the food business. Where (categories,…
Holiday Shoppers Waiting Out Merchants
Despite some of the consumer craziness caught by cameras on Black Friday, this year’s holiday shopping season is off to a slow start. Sales for the week following Thanksgiving fell…
The Traveling Salesman and the Grocery Shopper
Traveling salesmen are always moving from one customer to another looking to stay on schedule and get as much done as they can. The same is true of grocery shoppers…
Stores Magazine Makes Predictions for 2007
Stores magazine has dusted off its crystal ball to see what will happen in 2007. Here’s what the editors at the publication saw…. Which of the seven predictions made…
Customers Go to Work for Retailers
Retailers are looking for knowledgeable sales help. So where are they going to find people who have some real insights into how it operates and the products it sells? The…
BrainTrust Query: Does P&G’s Tremor have the formula for building “The Buzz”?
Marketing folks are still pondering how to deal with the continuing fragmentation of consumer lifestyles. Procter & Gamble has a new service for doing just that, called Tremor. They…
If It Makes You Happy, Pitch It
She’s already provided the soundtrack for Subaru as its vehicles motor down the winding road every day. Now, Sheryl Crow is putting her star power to work for Revlon in…
