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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Ozzy Swears for Pepsi
Bad language and addled brains will be front and center on Sunday when Pepsi launches commercials featuring Ozzy Osbourne and clan during the Super Bowl. The soft drink maker will…
Is It Time to Sell Eight O’Clock Coffee?
The parent of the A&P supermarket chain, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., may be putting its Eight O’Clock Coffee business up for sale, according to published reports. The…
Store Closings Bring Opportunities for Others
One Michigan-based retailer is reporting that Kmart’s problems have been good for its business. According to Meijer, its stores in the metropolitan Detroit area are “busy signing up new customers…
Study: Health and Wellness Sales Up 7.3%
Sales of health and wellness consumer packaged goods grew 7.3% last year to $59 billion according to The Natural Marketing Institute’s (NMI) Health and Wellness Trends Database (HWTD). How will…
Schnuck’s to Sample Excitement
Schnuck Markets has announced that Mass Connections will handle retail event marketing services (primarily sampling) for the family-owned chain. Do you expect to see a marked increase in sampling and…
Nash Finch Listing to Remain on Nasdaq
Nash Finch will continue to have its stock listed without exception on Nasdaq after complying with the requirements of maintaining a listing, says an Associated Press report. Did the market…
Will Superquinn Follow Safeway?
UTV out of Belfast has reported on its web site that “a major American or British supermarket chain may be set to buy-out the Superquinn group of 19 stores throughout…
Judge Tosses Out McDonald’s Suit
Judge Robert Sweet of the Federal District Court in New York dismissed a lawsuit that sought to hold McDonald’s liable for making teenagers overweight. Did the court make the correct…
Journal Gets Cranky with Grocery Discount Cards
An article by The Wall Street Journal’s Katy McLaughlin concludes that stores that distribute club cards are more expensive for consumers than those that do not. Are consumer press reports…
Counter-Clockwise Traffic Good for Sales
A new in-store shopping study from Sorenson Associates suggests American consumers will shop longer in stores that have entrances on the right compared to those with center or left side…
Viewpoints Differ on Neighborhood Markets
Wayne Hood, retail analyst, Prudential Securities told the New York Times, “If I was a supermarket or drugstore chain and I saw this (Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market) coming, I’d be worried.”…
Wegmans Samples New Organic Dressing Online
Consumers receiving the Wegmans Natural and Organic News email last week were invited by Amy Vaughan, food editor, to print out a coupon for a free bottle of the grocer’s…
Poll: McD’s to Go the Way of HoJo’s
A new poll from SupermarketGuru.com reports that six out of ten respondents are eating less fast food than they were last year. One out of three expect to see fast…
Energizer Bunny Keeps on Going into Shaving Business
Reuters reports that Pfizer has agreed to sell Schick-Wilkinson Sword to Energizer Holdings for $930 million. The acquisition by Energizer makes it the number two player in the shaving category…
Kmart to Show Board Members the Door
The Detroit News is reporting today that Kmart plans to replace its current nine-member Board of Directors when the company emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 30. What…
Skip Breakfast, Drink a Snapple-a-Day
Snapple Beverage plans on taking on competing with the likes of Slim-Fast with the expectation of capturing share of the meal replacement category. Snapple-a-Day is the company’s first product foray…
Larry’s Revamps Its Image, Finds Its Niche
Larry’s Markets, a six store independent grocer, wants to carve out a greater niche in the highly-competitive Seattle-area market. Mark McKinney, chief executive officer, believes that Larry’s can improve performance…
The Keyes to 7-Eleven’s Growth Plan
Jim Keyes, president and chief executive officer, 7-Eleven is on a mission to “continually redefine convenience”, and offered insights into 7-Eleven’s strategies and practices. What is your evaluation of…
Kmart Promotes Day to CEO
Kmart announced that Julian Day, president/coo, has been promoted to chief executive officer of the troubled retailer. Mr. Day replaces Jim Adamson, chairman and ceo of Kmart since March. What…
Canadian Rx Pipeline Drying Up
GlaxoSmithKline is planning to halt shipments of its products to wholesalers that supply Canadian pharmacies that resell the medicines to consumers in the US, saying that, “Canadian-approved medicines cannot be…
Retail Forward: Convenience Store Growth To Slow
A new report from Retail Forward, Convenience Stores Industry Outlook, says convenience store industry growth will slow to an average rate of 3.8 percent through 2006. This compares to the…
