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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Private Label Household and Personal Care Sales Surge
Private-label sales surged up to 35 percent in categories such as diapers and batteries, and showed strong double-digit growth across more than a dozen other household and personal care products…
Food Marketers Focus on Teens and Tweens
Creating a brand attitude has proven effective in winning the kid dollar. Should food retailers leave marketing to teens and tweens solely to the brand manufacturers or create their own…
Nestle Serves up Coffee in Self-Heating Cans
Thermotic Developments Ltd. of Britain has developed what it considers the safest and most reliable self-heating can ever produced for Nescafe Hot When You Want coffee. Is there a market…
Wal-Mart to Plant Supercenter Front on Dallas Street
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has chosen an in-town Dallas location for the first of a new generation of “urban” discount stores. How active a role should retailers encourage communities to…
Chipmaker Weaves Technology into Clothing
Infineon Technologies unveiled prototype wearable chips that it says can be sewn directly into clothing and other textiles. What do you think are the retail and consumer applications for…
Studying Spending Changes May Prevent Customer Loss
According to an article in The McKinsey Quarterly, “better appreciation of the underlying forces that influence customer loyalty, particularly attitudes and changing needs, can help companies develop targeted efforts to…
Winn-Dixie Quarterly Profits Quadruple
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. says fiscal third-quarter earnings rose fourfold from a year ago, when it was burdened with the cost of remodeling stores. The supermarket chain has shed unprofitable food…
Beer and Wine Consumers Break the Mould
The beverages one imbibes often doesn’t match what one is “supposed” to be drinking, a new study found. What do the insights from Scarborough research mean for retailers that sell…
Dollar General Emerges from Accounting Onus
Dollar General is emerging from the shadow of accounting errors, which resulted in a nearly $200 million overstatement of earnings, shareholder lawsuits and an investigation by the SEC, with aggressive…
Kids Manage Winn-Dixie Store for a Day
Winn-Dixie promotes more than 10,000 associates between the ages of 14 and 20 to managers in more than 1,100 stores in 14 states for its Youth Management Day. What do…
7-Eleven Faces Profit Crunch with Strategy
Several analysts are highly critical of 7-Eleven’s aggressive plans to invest in technological initiatives, staff training and a ramp-up of its fresh-food program, expressing concern about increased spending in a…
Coca-Cola to Distribute Evian in North America
Coca-Cola Co. and Groupe Danone have signed an agreement under which Coke will distribute the French food group’s Evian bottled water in North America. What will the Coca-Cola and Danone…
Group Protests Sunny Delight’s Deceptive Image
The Florida Department of Citrus, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the Children’s Foundation, and the Center for Florida’s Children have formed an alliance of consumers, parents…
Anheuser-Busch’s Profits Rise, New CEO Named
On Wednesday, Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. posted a 16-percent jump in first quarter profits and ended a family tradition in naming its first chief executive in 142 years who is neither…
Acquisitions Open Big Doors for Fleming
Fleming reports that it is acquiring privately-held companies Core-Mark International, Inc. and Head Distributing, two convenience store distributors. Will Fleming’s historic grocery expertise be of particular benefit to convenience retailers…
FBI Warns of Terrorist Threat at Supermarkets
The FBI has received unsubstantiated information from a captured al-Qaida official that terrorists could be planning to target U.S. civilians in supermarkets, shopping centers and banks. What should/can U.S. retailers…
Parenting and Family Web Sites Traffic Skyrockets
Traffic to parenting and family Web sites jumped during the month of March. How can retailers more effectively reach first-time parents in their marketing areas?
Excise Taxes Raise Smokers’ Happiness
A recent study by two MIT economists found that, not only are higher taxes good for smokers, they actually make them happy. Are higher taxes giving Native American stores and…
C-Store Customers Find POP Ads Helpful
Nearly eight of 10 consumers who enter a convenience store say that in-store ads, or point-of-purchase advertising, provide helpful information. Does widespread use of manufacturer supplied POP materials clarify or…
Shaving Products Bolster Gillette Sales
The Gillette Co. announced a 23 percent increase in profits for the first quarter, citing strong sales of its Mach3 and Venus shaving products. How does Gillette stack up…
Smart Cards Best Credit Cards
Although widely used in Europe, adoption of smart cards continues to stall in the U.S. where Americans seem comfortable with the existing credit card infrastructure. Is it up to retailers…
