RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Malls Are Getting Mauled
Reuters reported on Friday that consumer purchases in stores located within malls are half of what they were in 1995. Mall stores represent 19 percent of retail sales in 2002…
Tax Free Makes Consumers Feel Good
According to an article in USA Today, “There’s a growing recognition among retailers and savvy mall owners that shoppers are suckers for ‘tax-free’ sales — discounts equal to the sales…
Former Manager Competes with Wal-Mart
Don Koontz knows how to compete against Wal-Mart better than most. He managed a Wal-Mart for five years before opening his own hardware store business in Hiawatha, Kansas in 1997…
Dyer Turned Around Lands’ End, Leaves Sears
Dave Dyer, credited with leading Lands’ End’s turnaround before the company was sold to Sears told employees this week he would be leaving the company on August 8 to pursue…
Americans, President and Pope Oppose Same-Sex Marriages
A new CBS News/New York Times poll has found 55 percent of Americans surveyed would oppose a law allowing homosexual couples to marry. Sixty-one percent of 18- to 29-year-olds favor…
Know Thy Online Consumer
Ken Treske, chief marketing officer, CoolSavings, writes in the latest issue of the company newsletter, Know Thy Customer, “By and large, retail has missed the opportunity to embrace the Internet…
Food Lion Puts Its Label on Healthy Ice Cream
Food Lion is introducing what it says is the first premium store brand ice cream that is sweetened with sucralose and is gluten-free. Donna Smith, a spokesperson for the…
Department Store Seeks Help for Schizophrenia
By most accounts, the department store chain, Lord & Taylor, has had difficulty finding its place among competitors ranging from Bloomingdale’s to Kohl’s. Marvin Traub, retail consultant and former…
Guitar Center Sales Hit High Note
Based on Guitar Center’s latest quarterly report, people are making their own music (or at least attempting to) in growing numbers. Sales for stores open at least a year were…
Barnes & Noble Shows Bertelsmann the Money
Barnes & Noble has agreed to pay $164 million to acquire Bertelsmann AG’s share of barnesandnoble.com. Bertelsmann sells its stake at a time when the dot-com venture appears to be…
Late Night with Ronald McDonald
The introduction of premium salads has sparked consumer interest and helped boost sales. Now, McDonald’s is expanding store hours in a further attempt to build business, reports Reuters. What are…
Staples To Text Message Teens
Staples in Canada wants teenagers going back to school to buy supplies in its stores. That’s why the company has launched a marketing campaign that will send text messages to…
Safeway.com Making Money, Opening New Markets
Critics contend Safeway has turned-off once loyal shoppers and lost business with its one-size-fits-all approach. In contrast, however, two years ago, Safeway partnered with Tesco to run its e-tail business…
Middle America Grocers See Organic Growth
Organic foods aren’t just for consumers in Boston and San Francisco anymore. Today, shoppers in places such as Fort Wayne, Indiana are increasingly turning to organic foods rather than purchasing…
UFCW Wants Alternative to Supervalu
Two presidents of United Food & Commercial Workers’ locals have thrown cold water on the prospects of a negotiated deal with Supervalu over its acquisition of Dominick’s Finer Foods from…
Windy City Wal-Mart to Open in 2005
Wal-Mart is looking to open its first store inside the Chicago city’s limits by 2005. According to Reuters, “The proposed Chicago store would replace a vacant shampoo factory formerly owned…
Line Extensions Deliver Short Term Boost
Sales of Vanilla Coke are down from the brand’s introductory highs and, while not necessarily positive news for the long haul, it does provide a lesson that manufacturers can use…
Sam Walton U.
Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer and, as such, has become the subject of case studies in institutes of higher education across the country. Eugene Fram, professor of marketing, Rochester…
Costco Continues to Climb
Costco has established its niche and expanded it in a soft economy precisely, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal, because of its “focus on delivering quality, name-branded bargains to…
Trader Joe’s Does More With Less
Trader Joe’s concentrates on offering unique specialty and natural food items, mostly under its own store labels, at prices at or below mainstream supermarkets.Chief executive officer and chairman, Dan Bane…
The High Cost of Spam
The cost of spam to business is high and growing by the day. According to Nucleus Research, the cost of spam to the US economy averages out to $874 a…
