RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Hot Food Trends: Part 3 – A Matter of Experience
Food brands were king back in the 1950s and 1960s and, while still important, consumers are much more focused on what Jarrett Paschal, Ph. D. calls “food experiences.” According to…
DIY Giants Seek Ways to Build Business
Home Depot and Lowe’s want consumers to know they are there to help them handle even the most difficult do-it-yourself projects. With signs the housing market is softening and taking…
Gas Putting the Brakes on Upscale Consumer Purchases
According to a Wall Street Journal article, retailers such as Starbucks, Whole Food, Williams-Sonoma and Panera Bread Co. have turned in disappointing sales numbers and “the chief culprit is gasoline…
Hot Food Trends: Part 2 – It’s a Small Food World After All
American consumers have always loved to have choices and they’ve never had more than they do today as a world of food comes right to their door. A particularly interesting…
BrainTrust Query: Will Wal-Mart’s Appointment of an ‘In-Store Agency of Record’ Spark a New Trend?
Last week, Wal-Mart stores appointed agency Saatchi & Saatchi X agency of record for their shopper, in-store and associate communications. The agency will direct all in-store media used to reach…
Wal-Mart Grows Organically, Responsibly
Wal-Mart’s announcement and subsequent ad campaign touting its organic product offerings certainly has gotten the attention of other retailers, manufacturers, industry organizations. To date, those in organic products retailing have…
New Day at RadioShack
Julian Day, the former Kmart and Sears exec, hired last month to turn around the struggling RadioShack chain, said goodbye to Claire Babrowski, the former interim CEO and president and…
Hot Food Trends: Part 1 – Fresh Presents Challenges to Center Store
Consumers equate fresh with quality and, as such, a trend is developing that will see a gradual replacement of processed and packaged items with “fresh counterparts,” according to Jarrett Paschel,…
Wal-Mart Advocate Puts Foot in Mouth, Then Resigns
It appears as though Wal-Mart needed to do a deeper background check on Andrew Young. While his resume may have looked impressive, what recently came out of Mr. Young’s mouth…
Judge Drops Gavel on Tobacco Companies
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler has found tobacco companies guilty of racketeering and has banned the use of terms such as light, low tar, ultra light or mild on packages…
More of the Same at Sears, Except…
While the words of industry analysts are eerily similar to what has been said of Sears Holdings before, the latest financial report came with an interesting switch. Sears Holdings is…
Consumers Factor Shipping Into Cost Comparisons
In a study conducted by ForSee Results, more than one-third of consumers said free shipping was the most influential factor in their decision where to shop online. Retailers from Amazon.com…
Will It Be a Merry (or Not) Christmas for Retail?
Many analysts view the retail industry as being fundamentally strong and see little indication consumers will drastically reign in spending during the upcoming holiday season. Still, there are worrisome signs…
BrainTrust Query: Will the Sustainability movement be successful in changing the retail business?
Sustainability is all about delivering superior business solutions – ones that are economically, socially and ecologically positive – and the primary proponents are representative of the entire packaging value chain…
Companies Offshore Medical Care
All businesses have a similar complaint. The cost of health care is becoming increasingly burdensome to companies faced with so many other cost and competitive pressures. To help it keep…
IKEA Goes Public, Sorta
Alla and Alexander are on display. The couple is currently living in a 55 square-meter glass box outside an IKEA store in Moscow as part of a promotional campaign for…
CSD Cover Story: All in the Family — Inside Japan’s FamilyMart
With the experience of operating 12,452 convenience stores worldwide, Tokyo-based FamilyMart Co. felt the time was right to take on the complex U.S. market. So while much of the attention…
Are wage caps good or bad for a retailer’s business?
Wal-Mart’s recent announcement that the company would increase its starting wage for all employees was greeted with almost universal praise (albeit grudgingly from the company’s critics). Less well received was…
Aye, Aye Category Captain
Where would retailers be without their category captains? Depending on the person you speak with, the answers would range from the equivalent of “in deep doo-doo” to “we don’t need…
BrainTrust Query: Polo’s e-commerce store windows…innovation or a strategic misfire?
The industry is buzzing with the news that a NYC Polo Ralph Lauren store is now featuring “payment at the glass.” Shoppers can browse and order merchandise 24/7 by touching…
Prepaid Cell Phone Sales Lead to Terrorist Charges
Three men from Texas have been arrested on terrorism related charges after having been found with about 1,000 prepaid cell phones in their minivan. The men were pulled over in…
