RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Kroger Pumps up Gasoline, Natural Food and GM Sales
Gas pumps will be added to the parking lots of about 350 Kroger stores nationwide by year’s end. Natural food departments will be opening in about 120 of its stores…
Visocan Admits to Check Kiting
Steve Visocan pleaded guilty yesterday to federal bank fraud charges in connection with a check-kiting scheme. Has executive America lost its moral compass?
Hypocritical Corporate Practices Breed Cynicism
Workers as well as investors suffer from management greed and dishonesty. Barbara Ehrenreich experienced “time theft” first-hand as a low-wage worker for Wal-Mart and others while doing research for a…
Economists See Glass Half-Full, Consumers, Half-Empty
Of 55 economists polled by The Wall Street Journal, most say the economy will continue to grow throughout the year and won’t make a return trip into recession despite two…
Complaints Make a Better Company
Worse than getting a complaint from a customer is when customers don’t complain. How can retailers learn (in a timely fashion) if consumers are walking away unhappy even though…
Big V Goes to Wakefern
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware has approved the sale of nearly all the assets of Big V Supermarkets to Wakefern. Did Wakefern need to make…
Phillips/Conoco Merger Deal Close to Approval
Phillips Petroleum is preparing to sell its Woods Cross oil refinery and 22 company-owned retail stores in Utah to help it gain approval from the Federal Trade Commission for its…
Kmart Planning New Store Prototype and Old Promotion
Kmart is working with the design firm, the Arnell Group to develop “the store of the future.” What are your reactions to: The reported Kmart new store prototype project?…
Study Says Cigarette Causes Fewer Tumors
Vector Group Ltd. found that reduced-carcinogen cigarette, Omni, produces significantly fewer skin tumors in laboratory mice than the leading national brand. Assuming the research holds up: How will the results…
Cott Buys Bottler
Cott Corp. has acquired private U.S. bottler Premium Beverage Packers Inc. with bottling facilities in Wyomissing, Penn. Is there a grand plan behind Cott’s recent acquisitions?
Yahoo! Signs Wine Auction Deal
Yahoo! has signed a multiyear deal with USWineAuction to bring the licensed wine seller’s entire inventory of collectible bottles to Yahoo’s auction site. Will online sales of wine have any…
Pen Scanner Speeds Grocery Shopping
Leading kiosk provider NCR Corporation has teamed with A.T. Cross Company, known for its fine writing instruments, to offer a kiosk solution that uses bar code scanning technology to provide…
Nestlé and L’Oréal Make Beautiful Food
Nestlé and L’Oréal are planning to set up an equal joint venture to develop “functional food” to enhance consumers’ physical appearances. What is the market opportunity for functional foods?
Starbucks Prospers in Blue-Collar Location
Following last weekend’s grand opening and a successful test run since June 8, Starbucks is already turning a profit and has attracted a loyal following in the blue-collar city of…
Rainbow Foods, Food4Less Gain In-Store Marketer
Chain Reaction, a unit of Bcom3 focused on marketing through retail, reports that it has been named the lead product demonstration management company for Rainbow Foods and Food4Less retail stores,…
Loyalty Programs and POS Top Retailers Priorities
Thirty-seven percent of survey respondents consider customer loyalty programs to be among their top priorities this year, tied with point-of-sale systems. Will Wal-Mart ever use a loyalty-card program? Is the…
Technology to Streamline Supply Chains
Companies presented a number of solutions to help retailers streamline supply chains and bolster their bottom line at the Retail Systems 2002 Conference in Chicago. What technologies offer retailers and…
Rite Aid Profits and Loses
Rite Aid Corp. posted its first quarterly profit for the three months ended June 1 in at least four years, while simultaneously continuing its 16-quarter losing streak. Did Rite Aid…
Nuts Good For the Heart
A new study has found that men who eat nuts regularly have roughly half the risk of sudden cardiac death as those who don’t consume them. As the population ages…
Cascadian Farm Introduces Tasty Organic Cereals
Cascadian Farm, a division of Small Planet Foods, a business unit of General Mills, Inc., offers a new line of four organic cereals focused on tastiness. Will Cascadian Farm be…
Observational Research Determines How Consumers Shop
Nowadays, technology allows retailers to conduct “observational” research of consumers. Many projects are being done quietly, because retailers fear a backlash from privacy-minded customers. Do retailers have systems in place…
