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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Marsh Goes Smaller
A report in the Indianapolis Star says Marsh Supermarkets is creating a smaller 20,000 square foot store concept to meet the needs of consumers in growing communities. Which grocery operators…
Frito-Lay Cuts The Carbs
Frito-Lay announced yesterday it would rollout a new line of lower-carb tortilla chips nationally by May. How will the rollout of low-carb versions of tier one and two brands impact…
Republicans Want to Abstain From Morning After Pill
A group of 49 House Republicans have written to President Bush asking him to order the Food and Drug Administration to reject a proposal to approve the “morning after” pill…
Sick Workplace Habits
While employers frown on workers who take sick days, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that there would be fewer workers calling in sick if more people were unwilling…
Kodak Goes Digital
Eastman Kodak announced yesterday that it would stop selling traditional film cameras in North America and Western Europe to focus exclusively on digital hardware. What are your thoughts on Kodak’s…
Good Job Hunting
A new survey from CareerBuilder.com, Trends in Retail, says forty-six percent of retail workers plan on looking for a new job this year. The common complaints of low pay, unsatisfying…
Consumer Engine In Danger of Running Out of Gas
It’s often said that consumer activity is the engine that drives the American economy. If that’s true, than ready credit is often the fuel that keeps the engine running, which…
Life Sciences: Should We Do It Because We Can?
At this week’s FMI Midwinter Executive Conference, Juan Enriquez, founding director of Harvard Business School’s Life Science Project, made the case for pushing forward with life sciences, in spite of…
Group Wants Gun Dealer List Made Public
Guns used in a crime often come from illegal sources. In other instances, however, as in the case of 120 stores across 22 states, people later involved in criminal activity…
METRO brings Future Store to New York
The METRO Group, the world’s fifth-largest retailer, recreated the technologies deployed and even a bit of the look of its Future Store located in Rheinberg, Germany on the show floor…
Harris Teeter Looks to Build Capital
A report in the Washington Business Journal says Harris Teeter is about to sign a deal to place its first store in the nation’s capital. What will Harris Teeter’s opening…
Malls Become Alls
The mall many of us grew up with needs to reinvent itself and, according to Michael McCarty, president of the development firm, Simon Property Group, that means transforming facilities from…
Wal-Mart’s CEO Speaks To Competition
Wal-Mart has its share of critics but some of them may be given pause after a speech yesterday by the company’s chief executive officer, Lee Scott, to kickoff the National…
Analyst Expects End to SoCal Strike
A report written by Merrill Lynch retail analyst, Mark Husson, says both parties in the Southern California grocery lockout/strike are nearing a point where they will have no option but…
Fed Prosecutor is W-M Compliance Lawyer
Tom Gean, a federal prosecutor for the Western District of Arkansas, is getting a new job in the private sector. Mr. Gean has been named Wal-Mart Stores’ legal compliance officer…
Red Lobster’s Customers Escaping
Once is enough. That’s the lesson that many consumers have learned about eating at Red Lobster and it’s also the reason that sales and customer traffic have fallen off at…
AAA Repairs Consumer Confidence
Local American Automobile Association (AAA) chapters have opened their own car repair service shops in response to the growing number of complaints the group has received from consumers about shoddy…
Daschle Wants COOL Implemented Now
The recent discovery of mad cow disease has prompted a call by the Senate Democratic leader, Tom Daschle, to call for an immediate implementation of country-of-origin (COOL) labeling requirements instead…
Safeway To Change Board Rules
Last May, Safeway shareholders voted for a non-binding referendum seeking to revise the company’s policy toward the selection of its Board of Directors. Yesterday, the board voted unanimously to declassify…
Industries Favor President’s Immigration Plan
President Bush’s proposal to grant temporary visas to allow illegal aliens to temporarily work in the U.S. is drawing fire from many quarters, but it is also being supported by…
McD’s To Give Nutritional Details
If you live in Connecticut, New Jersey or New York, you no longer have to wonder just how good or bad a particular McDonald’s menu item is for you. The…
