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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Chain Store Age: Store-Level Success Stories
Retailers are integrating IT into business strategies to operate companies more efficiently and to establish a point of differentiation in a very saturated marketplace. By educating store-level associates about how…
BrainTrust Query: Is it possible, and advisable, to establish a set of industry metrics to gauge in-store media effectiveness?
While participating in Ad Week in NYC last week, Laura Davis-Taylor attended the POPAI’s At-Retail Media conference. It was clear that most of the constituents feel that “media” efforts in…
Trans-Fat Ban Called Really Bad Idea
There is a saying that goes, “Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.” A recent piece by New York Times’ columnist John Tierney would suggest he…
How Can Publix Improve?
Publix is recognized as one of the strongest retail grocery chains in the United States. From the outside looking in, it appears as though the employee-owned operation makes all the…
FCC Creates Task Force on Media and Childhood Obesity
The FCC wants to know if TV commercials make kids fat. “Today, children watch two to four hours of television per day and view 40,000 ads per year. And…
Plus Stores Add Up to Huge Increases for H-E-B
It’s not exactly a hard sales figure, but when H-E-B spokesperson Dya Campos was asked by the San Antonio Express-News to compare the difference between the sales of a new…
Biometrics to Change Relationships
John Costello’s new job as president of the biometric payment company Pay By Touch, doesn’t seem as prestigious as his previous posts, but don’t tell that to Mr. Costello. …
Marketers Take A3 Approach
Marketers are looking to take their promotional programs and sales OTT (over the top) with ad campaigns delivered to individual cell phones using text messaging. The medium and…
Waste Management Challenges Retailers, Suppliers and Consumers
The path of good intentions never runs smooth, to recycle an old cliché. As more retailers, suppliers and consumers look for ways to reduce waste, the obstacles in the way…
Leveraging Total-Store Seasonal Events as a Growth Engine
Seasonal merchandising has emerged as a powerful source of growth for mass-market retailers. A recently released GMDC industry report suggests that one way retailers can establish competitive advantage during a…
Politics Play a Part in 7-Eleven’s Decision to Drop Citgo
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called George W. Bush the devil. Now it might be said that 7-Eleven is telling Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-run oil company, that it can…
Housing Becoming a Bigger Concern for Retailers
A weakening housing market is beginning to pinch consumers and retailers alike. Lowe’s reported on Monday that it expects its profit numbers to come in at the low end…
Columnist: No Sense in Ahold/Delhaize Deal
Jay Hancock, a columnist with the Baltimore Sun, doesn’t get it. What about a rumored merger between Ahold and Delhaize makes any sense at all? Even if the…
Retailers Face Seasonal Hiring Crunch and Paperwork
Complicating the search for warm and, preferably, talented bodies who will work cheap during the upcoming holiday season is the controversy surrounding illegal aliens in the U.S. As a…
Lifestyle Approach Goes to the Dogs
It is a common feature of the dog food category. Manufacturers have created products to meet the nutritional needs of dogs based on a number of factors, such as life-stage,…
Real Men Give/Get Greeting Cards
Women in the U.S. spend a lot of time picking out just the right greeting cards for family and friends. But Lisa Collins, co-owner of Nutz & Boltz Card Company,…
Retailers Try Again to Sell at Full Margin
Some may occasionally sell product at full retail, but it is becoming increasingly rare for merchants, especially those in apparel, to turn inventory without discounting it first, and the number…
Shopping for Frequent Flier Points
Want to take that trip to Hawaii? Go shopping. A growing number of airlines and hotels are joining with retailers in online shopping malls to reward consumers with frequent-flier miles…
Channel Picture Gets Blurry with Big Screen TVs
It’s a well established fact that the blurring of channels has continued to spread as products that once were controlled by one or two channels have begun popping up for…
Weight Loss/Health Clinic to Open in Rite Aid
The current “thing” for in-store services are medical clinics. Perhaps it is not too soon to start asking what stores with clinics will do in the not too distant future…
Chain Takes Shots at Competitor with Comparison Ads
Quiznos is looking to toast the competition with ads that draw a direct comparison between its menu offerings and those of the competition, specifically Subway. The campaign, which Quiznos…
