RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Study Raises Safety Concerns for Plastic Containers
A research study has concluded that bisphenol A, a common ingredient found in plastic food and beverage containers, causes birth defects in mice. The types of abnormalities found in the…
Aussies Choose Anything But Plastic
Fifty-three percent of Australian shoppers say they “are likely to refuse plastic bags offered at the supermarket”, according to a Newspoll survey. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the government…
Former President Bush Joins Grocery Chain
Rumors are circulating that former president, George H. Bush, has joined a local Houston supermarket chain. Someone close to the former president, said, “When the former president said he…
General Mills, Whole Foods Among Best Corporate Citizens
General Mills heads the list of its 100 Best Corporate Citizens for 2003 as ranked by Business Ethics magazine. The list also includes a number of other prominent CPG manufacturers…
Frozen Fresher Than Fresh (Healthier Too)
A study from the Austrian Consumers Association says frozen vegetables are healthier than imported fresh vegetables. Is it to food retailers’ benefit to get consumers to switch from fresh to…
Consumers Go Window Shopping
Look but don’t buy seems to be the rule for many consumers with the war raging in Iraq, reports The New York Times. Is uncertainty over the war’s impact on…
Mom and Pops Find Life After Wal-Mart
Bob Hermanns, chief executive officer of Associated Grocers, told the Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) that independents are succeeding in markets, even if Wal-Mart is there. What does the future…
Combination of Red, White and Blue Makes Green
The majority of Americans support the war in Iraq and many are wearing their allegiance on their sleeves and elsewhere. Some retailers are finding that, even in uncertain economic…
The CNN 15
You’ve heard of the freshman 15, the term used to describe the weight gain many college students experience their first year away from home. Another phenomena, we’ll call the CNN…
Smart Pricing for Profits
So-called smart pricing systems promise retailers greater inventory control and higher profits, according to BusinessWeek. Web-based systems from companies such as SAP, DemandTec and ProfitLogic can provide foods retailers with…
Everyone Agrees But Nothing Changes
According to a piece in Strategy + Business, corporate dysfunction or paralysis is when (most) everyone within an organization agrees that change needs to happen and yet nothing changes. …
Consumers Refuse to Pay Full Retail
Consumers have become so trained by retail marketers to wait for the next big deal they’ve virtually stopped buying anything that isn’t on sale, says a New York Times article…
Tom Thumb’s Gas for Food Program
Shoppers of Safeway’s Tom Thumb and Simon David grocer store division will be eligible to receive credit for gasoline as part of the retailer’s Fuel Rewards Free Gas program. Shoppers…
Retailers Support Troops
With a lengthy involvement in Iraq guaranteed regardless of how long it takes to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime, consumers and retailers are sending care packages to reinforce the nation’s support…
Would Sears and Kmart Be Perfect Together?
A Detroit Free Press article questions where Edward Lampert plans on taking Kmart and Sears. Mr. Lampert’s company, ESL Investments, will be the largest shareholder of Kmart stock once…
Boycott America Movement Grows
Consumers and businesses overseas are demonstrating their objections to the US war in Iraq by boycotting American brands. In Germany, a small number of restaurants have stopped selling Coca-Cola, according…
Solid Growth Brewing at Starbucks
Starbucks sees plenty of room for growth in the US and its overseas sales have not hurt by calls for boycotting American brands overseas, according to Reuters. “We don’t know…
Target Gets Into Home Remodeling
The Wall Street Journal reports that Target is going to begin selling pre-fabricated home addition kits designed by architect Michael Graves. The kits, priced from $10,000 to $26,000, will be…
Chapter 11: A Survival Guide
The odds are not in your favor if you are a retailer trying to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to a research report from the Clear Thinking Group…
Nitrate Free Pork Named Best New Product
Beeler’s 100 percent natural mini-ham has been named the best new product of 2002 by the Iowa Pork Producers. The company owes it success to a new curing process it…
A&P Focuses on Selling (Stores)
A&P is looking to boost sales to get itself out of its current $1 billion debt dilemma. The anticipated revenues, however, are not coming from selling merchandise but selling stores…
