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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Dominick’s Not For Sale, Not Now Anyway
No one can say that Safeway’s chief executive, Steve Burd, isn’t a man who sticks to his guns. He has maintained all along that, while the company was looking to…
Home Shopping Network Upgrades Site
The Home Shopping Network (HSN) has revamped its Web site (www.hsn.com) to bring in new shoppers and to increase its functionality with the retailer’s televised shopping programs. Will greater synergy…
Sears Seals Card Deal
It’s a done deal. Sears has sold its credit card business to Citigroup for $3.2 billion, according to TheStreet.com Web site. What is or should be next for Sears now…
PT Marketing Exec Tries to Revive Field’s
The former top marketing honcho who was instrumental in making Target’s bulls-eye logo into a retailing icon is back two days a week in the company’s headquarters in an attempt…
Weather Forecast Too Bright for Black Friday
Planalytics, the technology and consulting company that helps retailers and manufacturers plan for the impact weather conditions have on business, says Black Friday 2003 may be better for browsing, at…
Medical Benefits Answer in Associate Scheduling
Surprisingly, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) may have something they can agree on. Supermarkets would spend less on medical benefits and reduce…
Do RFID Tags Work Well Enough?
Consumer privacy groups can take a deep breath, say retail industry analysts, because radio frequency identification (RFID) technology doesn’t work well enough for a broad rollout, even if costs for…
Wired Kids
It’s not enough to learn your ABC’s in kindergarten anymore. You also need to learn your WWW’s. What impact are today’s computer savvy kids having on retail marketing activity? What…
National Labor Gets Involved, Locals Promise Dramatic Development
The unions are not going down without a fight. Yesterday, John Sweeney, president, AFL-CIO announced the creation of a multi-union strike fund to pay picketing grocery workers represented by the…
P. Diddy Rapped for Child Labor
The rapper formerly known as Sean, then Puffy and now P. Diddy Combs has had a Kathie Lee Gifford kind of week with labor activists charging the Honduran factory that…
Bally Low-Fat Snacks
Bally Total Fitness is rolling out a new line of low-fat, low-calorie candy bars targeted at kids and the growing concern over childhood obesity in America, reports Jim Kirk in…
The Mother of All Union Battles
The Socialist Worker believes the outcome of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) strike in Southern California will determine the fate of unions throughout the grocery industry and is…
Why CRM Doesn’t Work
Why CRM Doesn’t Work, How to Win By Letting Customers Manage the Relationship by Frederick Newell (Bloomberg Press, 2003) provides a concisely written, easy-to-follow analysis of the missteps and opportunities…
After the Hype is Gone
A report in the Los Angeles Times covers the fall of antioxidant supplements from the next big thing in medical breakthroughs to the poster child for quackery in some scientific…
Kraft Target of Anti-GMO Consumers
Reuters reports that activists across the country demonstrated in front of supermarkets and Kraft Foods facilities to protest the manufacturer’s use of genetically modified ingredients in its branded products. Should…
Amazon Delivers Gourmet Groceries
Amazon.com is in the grocery retailing business. This past weekend, Jeff Bezos and company launched a gourmet-food department on the Web site offering products from nearly 200 merchants, including Seattle…
Barnesandnoble.com Ups Free Delivery Ante
Barnes & Noble’s online store shoppers in some eastern states were given an added reason to place an order when the books, music and gifts retailer sent an email earlier…
New Label Laws To Cost a COOL $4B
New country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements could cost the food industry up to $4 billion in the first year, more than twice the original estimate, according to anonymous sources…
Estee Lauder to Create New Line for Kohl’s
A deal is expected to be announced as early as today that would put Estee Lauder cosmetics counters in Kohl’s stores, reports the Wall Street Journal. What are your thoughts…
KFC Takes Healthy Marketing Approach
A new commercial form KFC will try and convince consumers that fried chicken has a place in the diets of people who want to eat more healthfully, reports the New…
RJR To Buy Brown & Williamson
R.J. Reynolds has agreed to buy Brown & Williamson from British American Tobacco in a stock deal valued at $2.6 billion, reports the New York Times. What will this deal…
