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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Kids Buy Low-Tech and Cool Going Back-to-School
It was an idea that started out with making parenting easier but now a new combination lock that uses letters and words instead of numbers is being targeted to students…
Restaurant Workers Get Free Lessons in Financial Management
A program between a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, Casa de Maryland, in Silver Spring, and Washington, D.C.-area Pollo Campero franchises provides workers at the Guatemalan chicken restaurant chain with free…
Loyalty Baby Steps
Kimberly-Clark has announced the launch of a new online network, Huggies Baby Network, that delivers information and a support community for moms and moms-to-be, as a one-stop information resource for…
If Starbucks Started South of the Border, It Might Be Panaderia Taza
If Starbucks had originated in Mexico City or even Phoenix, Arizona or El Paso, Texas, it might look a lot different than it does today. It might look like Panaderia…
The Atkins Diet Fades Taking Company with It
The company founded by Dr. Robert Atkins, Atkins Nutritionals, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it struggles to redefine itself in an era when consumers are looking for…
Organic Demand Exceeds Supply
It’s probably safe to say that those who have maintained that “organics” were just another food fad were mistaken. According to The Natural Marketing Institute’s 2005 Organic Consumer Trends Report,…
Roundy’s Turns Wholesale Accounts Over to Supervalu
Roundy’s chairman and chief executive, Robert Mariano, clearly sees the future of his company is in retailing. His counterpart at Supervalu, Jeff Noddle, is apparently happy to help accommodate him…
Macy’s Is Bad, It’s Nationwide
Goodbye Famous-Barr, Robinsons-May, Foley’s, Hecht’s and Kaufmann’s. It was nice knowing you Filene’s, Strawbridge’s, Meier & Frank and L.S. Ayres. Federated Department Stores announced it will convert 330 stores…
A Tale of Two Languages
A new study, a “landmark” one with “startling results” as touted by its authors in a press release last week, proclaims that the Spanish language is here to stay –…
Wal-Mart Sues Former Vice Chairman Coughlin
Wal-Mart contends that the former vice chairman of the company, Tom Coughlin, stole millions from the company to pay for hunting trips and other personal expenses. Mr. Coughlin, according to…
The Art of Sales Prevention: Grocery Supply Chain Style
Although, it’s hard to imagine a level of incompetence on the same level as auto sales in the business-to-business arena, there are numerous accounts where suppliers have seemingly thrown common…
Wal-Mart’s Super Sticky
When it comes to keeping customers, no retailer does a better job than Wal-Mart. That is one of the findings from Retail Forward’s American ShopperScape 2005 report. Wal-Mart, says Mandy…
Role Reversal: Wine Replaces Beer as Favorite Drink
Perhaps it’s the Two-Buck Chuck phenomenon or the big screen spotlight provided by Sideways or the health benefits or simply the taste: Whatever the reason, more Americans now say they…
The Cadillac of Bicycles
According to a report in The Detroit News, Cadillac has entered into a special licensing deal with Kent International to produce a line of Caddy branded mid- to high-end bicycles…
Luxury Brands Go It Alone
The demand for luxury goods is strong but not all manufacturers feel as though they are getting the attention they deserve from the department store retailers that sell their products…
Buyout Firms Want Dunkin’ Donuts for Themselves
A group of buyout firms, including Bain Capital, Thomas H. Lee Partners, and The Carlyle Group, have been in talks to purchased Dunkin’ Donuts from its French parent, Pernod Ricard…
Dissension in Union Ranks
The decision by the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to leave the AFL-CIO has cast doubt over the future of organized labor in the U.S. The unions…
No Loyalty to eBay Anything Points Program
In a press release, eBay announced the discontinuation of the eBay Anything Points Program in the U.S. At this point, it appears as though eBay will continue to offer its…
Downloads Didn’t Kill the Record, er, CD Store
There’s no question that music download services, such as Apple’s iTunes Music Store, have had an impact on the bricks-and-mortar side of music business, but the prediction by some that…
REI Starts with One-Way Blog Approach
A report in the Puget Sound Business Journal says managers at Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) stores will begin making posts to weblogs next month to communicate information of interest to…
China Revaluates Yuan – Let the Scenario Planning Begin
China’s decision last week to peg the value of the yuan to a number of foreign currencies and not simply the U.S. dollar has generated a lot of speculation on…
