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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Officials Worried About Al Quaeda Attack
Government officials are worried may al Quaeda change tactics and look to take advantage of so-called soft targets such as the food supply. What are your thoughts on the concerns…
Is Office Depot’s Advantage Real?
Office Depot is taking the leap into loyalty marketing when it launches its first customer loyalty program, Office Depot Advantage, on February 29. What will Office Depot need to do…
The New JCPenney To Take Center Stage
The plan at JCPenney is to recast the department store’s image in the minds of younger consumers and that’s why the retailer is spending $8.25 million on five new commercials…
Target To Use RFID In Backroom
Target wants its largest suppliers to have radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on pallets and cases by spring 2005 and everyone else to have the tracking technology in place by…
Asian Nation
Wal-Mart has its eye set on the 1.7 million consumers in the U.S. who trace their ancestry back to India. What is the difference between success and failure in marketing…
Albertsons Looks To Make Impact With Changes
The grocery and drugstore chain is reducing the number of divisions within the company from 11 to seven by combining its Southwest, Intermountain, Northwest and Rocky Mountain units into a…
Will Publix Bi-Lo
It’s not saying yes and it’s not saying no, but Publix Super Markets may be among the bidders for Bi-lo and Bruno’s now that Ahold has announced its intention to…
A Retail Toy Story
The cable company wants to buy the Magic Kingdom, KB Toys is closing stores, there’s a mini Toys “R” Us in the local supermarket and you may have a three-month…
Ten Survival Strategies for Retailing Industry Road Warriors
Knowing that many of you in the retailing industry travel for business as much or more than Al McClain does, and since travel budgets are down, we thought it might…
Wal-Mart Not Apologizing For Toy Success
Wal-Mart had an incredible holiday season selling toys and the company’s chief executive and president, Lee Scott, sees no reason to feel bad for those retailers who were not so…
Revised Rules From The New Economy
What We Learned In The New Economy, the cover story in the March issue of Fast Company, reminds us the new economy isn’t dead. It just didn’t turn out like…
The Low-Carb Way Of The World
Millions of American consumers, even those not following Atkins or South Beach, are watching the amount of carbohydrates in their diets and the number is growing. Are low-carb diets a…
Dean’s CEO Speaks About Milk and Silk
The chairman and chief executive officer of the largest dairy company in the U.S., Dean Foods, sees further consolidation in the dairy industry driven by lower sales of fluid-milk and…
A First: Bluefly Makes Money
Bluefly, the e-tailer of designer apparel and accessories at discount prices, has recorded its first-ever quarterly profit. Will Bluefly follow Amazon and prove it’s possible to be profitable as a…
Execs: We Don’t Deserve Customer’s Loyalty
New research from the Strativity Group, a global consulting firm specializing in customer experience management (CEM), says only 54 percent of American executives (director to vice president level) and 36…
Trader Joe’s Grows In Chicagoland
Trader Joe’s plans to add at least five new stores to the 12 it currently operates in the Chicagoland market by the end of next year. What impact will a…
Dollar General To Open New Stores
Dollar General will open two new locations in Louisiana this Saturday, bringing the chain’s total store count to 6,706, reports The Advertiser. What retail format is most vulnerable to dollar…
Krispy Kreme Rocks Little Rock
Krispy Kreme is open for business in Arkansas with the accompanying television coverage, traffic jams, and long lines outside the donut chain’s new location in Little Rock. How does (and…
Wal-Mart Has To Pay Some OT
A federal jury in Oregon has decided Wal-Mart needs to make good on unpaid overtime to 83 workers while another 25 are owed nothing. What will this ruling mean for…
Thinking Young More Important Than Looking It
Carol Hymowitz’s latest In The Lead column in the Wall Street Journal says many older executives are turning to cosmetic surgery and other procedures to appear more youthful and vibrant…
Labor Issues The Same, Resolutions Differ
Grocery store operators across the country are united in their concern about the cost of wages and medical benefits paid to unionized employees compared to the compensation paid by non-union…
