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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Thai Invasion of Auto Parts Aftermarket
A report in the Bangkok Post said the Thailand’s Board of Investment is working with manufacturers of automotive parts in that country to break into the U.S. market by taking…
Save On Books, Skip The Latte
Book Market stores do not have a coffee bar or the other departments found in the likes of Barnes & Noble. They do have a point of difference, however, as…
What Have You Got On Your Lawn
They’re big. They’re bright. They’re on just about every lawn in New Jersey (and many other states) this Christmas season. They’re inflatable Christmas decorations. Are inflatables a one-season wonder or…
Silver Lining News
In a growing number of cases, consumers are choosing to skip the holiday shopping experience that includes searching for a parking space (and later the car), waiting on long lines,…
Selfish Shopping Boosts Sales
A report in the Christian Science Monitor says nearly one out of four holiday shoppers last year bought a gift for someone very near and dear — themselves. How has…
Chains Take a Walk Over Talks
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) believed they were taking the necessary steps to settle the 10-week lockout/strike that has kept 70,000 grocery store workers out of the…
Red Christmas is a Nightmare
British retailers are saying this year will go down as the worst in recent years, barring some unforeseen shopping miracle, according to a report in The Observer. Will retailing rebound…
Orange Christmas is a Bad Dream
The federal government has increased the national alert status to orange (high risk) after receiving intelligence suggesting al Qaeda is planning multiple terrorist attacks in the U.S. over the Christmas…
Amazon Goes Into Drugstore.com Business
In its ever-expanding quest to be all things retail to all consumers, Amazon launched a beta test of a new health and personal care storefront on its site Wednesday with…
Kmart’s Christmas Story is One of Hope
If Kmart had a wish this Christmas season, it would probably be for consumers who stopped shopping at the store to come back and give the chain another look. The…
Targeting Preferred Customers
Retailers have long known that it costs less money to keep an old customer than to bring in a new one. Despite this, many retail-marketing programs deal more with attracting…
Checkout Rage
We’ve all been there. You’re in a hurry, waiting in line to checkout and something happens to slow the line down. The customer in front of you has brought 20…
Savings Quest 2003
The consumer quest to save has taken on new proportions and, as it turns out, it pays to cherry pick if you’re a retail shopper. That is the conclusion of…
Electronics Top Early Christmas Shopping Lists
While many consumers are waiting out retailers for even better deals on gifts for this holiday season, one category of products, consumer electronics, has defied the late-buying trend as shoppers…
Value, Location, Value
Retailers looking for business to improve once the economy fully kicks in may be waiting for an event that will not come, according to a new report from McKinsey &…
Kraft Makes Changes At The Top
The Associated Press reported Kraft Foods has demoted Betsy Holden from her position as co-chief executive officer of the company making Roger Deromedi the sole CEO. What does Roger Deromedi…
America: The Red, White and Zinfandel
The Two Buck Chuck craze and the health benefits associated with drinking wine are just two of the factors contributing to a steady increase in the amount of wine purchased…
Now You See the Store, Now You Don’t
It’s not enough to handle certain merchandise on an in and out basis anymore. Today, to be successful, retailers are finding they need to work on and in and out…
Specialty Roaster Com-Peet’s For Direct Delivery Biz
Peet’s Coffee & Tea announced yesterday it has re-launched its Web site, Peets.com (www.peets.com), “to accelerate sales within its direct delivery business.” Will the Peets.com redesigned Web site and direct…
McD’s Sells Off One Partner
McDonald’s announced yesterday it was selling the 182 unit Donatos Pizzeria chain back to the chain’s founder, James Grote, less than five years after it acquired the business. Will McDonald’s…
A Less Merry Christmas Shaping Up
Expectations were high heading into the 2003 holiday period as many retailers and manufacturers were looking to ring up solid gains for the season. The performance to date of bellwether…
