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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
The Storm Over Nielsen’s People Meters
This week, Senate Commerce committee hearings are slated to investigate Nielsen Media Research’s controversial new ratings measurement system known as Local People Meters (LPM). This set-top, black box technology, designed…
New Product Pipeline News
New products are the lifeblood of consumer packaged goods manufacturers and the retailers that resell their products. Making the most of new product introductions is tantamount to achieving success in…
Macy’s Looks To Differentiate With Eateries
The chief of Federated Department stores, Terry Lundgren, which operates Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, thinks the chain has found one way of setting his businesses apart — a wide selection of…
BK Has Another New Turnaround Expert
Burger King has a new turnaround expert to lead the hamburger chain as its chief executive. The number two fast-food chain in the U.S. has hired Mr. Brenneman, a former…
Indulgence USA
Forget about “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.” You no longer have to be among the rich and famous to enjoy luxury items. What factors do you believe are chiefly responsible…
Sears: Help Wanted
Sears has a job opening. The company is looking for a president to turn its struggling retail business around. The new hire will be responsible for running all of Sears’…
Refined, Fortified and Out-Of-Favor
“The Department of Agriculture (USDA),” according to a Knight-Ridder report, “is considering a recommendation that consumers should drastically cut their consumption of fortified grains, which are used to enrich a…
Wal-Mart’s Half-Size Big Box
The lack of suitable acreage and local ordinances banning construction of so-called big boxes has forced Wal-Mart to rethink and reconfigure its Supercenter format. The chain is currently testing its…
Where We Shop, What It Means
Stores magazine’s top 10 retailers list left Margaret Webb Pressler wondering what the list says about Americans as shoppers and the state of retailing in the country. “What’s clear is…
Understanding Your Customers Improves Your Business
An article by John Goff in the July 1 CFO Magazine, gives several examples of how companies, including Harrah’s, Volvo Cars of North America, and Brother International, are using customer…
Kmart Accused of Age Discrimination
A lawyer, Hilary K. Johnson, representing a Kmart worker who is suing her employer for age discrimination bluntly says the retailer wants “to get rid of older people.” With an…
Store Brands: How High Can They Go?
According to the Food Institute, 80 percent of private/store label sales are being driven by 20 percent of the categories where these products have a presence. How do retailers find…
Mystery Shoppers Do Reconnaissance
It’s like a scene from Dirty Harry, minus the facial grimacing, gritted teeth and background music. A shopper pushes a cart up to a checkout and the cashier hears a…
IKEA Grows In The Midwest
A piece in the Chicago Tribune says Bolingbrook’s (Il.) gain is Chicago’s loss. The loss referred to is the decision by the Swedish furniture retailer, IKEA, to build its newest…
Reinventing Kash ‘n Karry
The changes taking place at Kash n’ Karry are more than giving a new name to its stores (Sweetbay Supermarket), say those inside the company. What will the new Sweetbay…
Gays and Lesbians: The Latest Emerging Market?
While the issue of gay marriage has emerged as one of the hot-button issues in this election year, corporate America and others are seeing opportunity. For years, many had ignored…
Retail Politics
The upcoming party conventions in New York and Boston, as well as yesterday’s announcement that John Kerry has selected Sen. John Edwards (D – NC) to be his running mate…
Food Protection and Defense Center Launched
The Secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced yesterday that the Homeland Security National Center for Post-harvest Food Protection and Defense would be…
Customers Told, “You’re Fired!”
Larry Selden, co-author of Angel Customers & Demon Customers, says retailers need to face up to a hard fact. “There are those customers that are just evil customers… fundamentally…
Grocer Doing What It Needs To Survive
The president and chief operating officer of Minyard Food Stores, J.L. “Sonny” Williams, said larger retail competitors have a luxury this Dallas-Ft. Worth-area grocer doesn’t. “The larger chains have other…
Buy Now, Pay Later Online
Although credit cards are still the payment method of choice, e-tailers are finding ways to offer the one in five adults without plastic, or those who simply don’t want to…
