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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Convenience, Health, Innovation Grows Categories
According to ACNielsen, convenience, health and innovation drove the fastest-growing categories in 2001. What is the key to new product introductions? What should retailers do to register the full advantage…
Kmart Grants Officers Big Loans Before Bankruptcy
Kmart Corp. gave more than $30 million in retention and relocation loans to top executives before it filed for bankruptcy-law protection. Are forgivable loans, or personal loans of any kind,…
Boomers Aim to Stay Forever Young
A “heightened concern for personal well-being” will be a critical force affecting spending by consumers in the coming economy. Does category management as practiced at retail, give merchants the tools…
Do Unto Employees as You Would Have Done Unto Customers
A study released earlier this month calls America “the land of the rude” and suggests that we are simply meaner and more hostile to each other today than ever before…
Slotting Fees Still Needed to Fire-Up Salsa Sales
Stephen Bowling’s Valley of Mexico fire-roasted salsa has come a long way in seven years from its humble beginnings peddled from the back seat of his car, struggling against obstacles…
Royal Ahold-Big V Faces Antitrust Scrutiny
The joint bid by Royal Ahold NV and Pathmark Stores Inc. for bankrupt Big V Supermarkets Inc. is raising a novel antitrust issue that could make it tough for the…
Tasters Praise Panama Coffee as World Class
International connoisseurs say that Panama’s specialty coffee is some of the finest in the world. Can retailers increase sales from the shelf by promoting coffee grown in different regions from…
Specialty Vinegars Come of Age in the U.S.
American chefs and consumers are discovering that vinegar, a relatively inexpensive product, can lend enormous flavor to foods and transform simple dishes into more complex ones. What lessons can grocery…
U.S. Retailers Take Notice of Coffee Cards
Starbucks prepaid card’s runaway success has surprised many analysts who expected the so-called “cash card” to be unattractive in a consumer market dominated by direct debit and credit cards. Do…
A Decade of Consumption Rings in Restrained
The 2000 Consumer Expenditure Survey found that the 1990s were a decade of less flash and more cash for life’s necessities than some may have thought previously. What current view…
Albertson’s Fails to Perpetuate Seessel’s Reputation
Although Albertson’s paid a premium to get the Seessel’s name along with its stores, the investment was rendered worthless when it eliminated virtually everything that made the chain special. Is…
Aurora Foods, Wal-Mart Launch Cream Cheese
Aurora Foods Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. launched a line of Lender’s Cream Cheese to be distributed in Wal-Mart Super Centers. Will the Wal-Mart deal for distribution of the…
PETA Gets It Their Way Except at Safeway
As PETA has allied itself with one-time enemy, Burger King, to help promote the fast-food chain’s veggie burger, Safeway may find itself a renewed target for animal welfare actions. Do…
Retail Springs up for Easter
U.S. retailers’ same-store sales had their biggest gain in almost two years last month, helped by an early Easter. Will retailers be able to maintain strong comparable store sales growth…
Poore Bros Plans Additional Branded Snacks
Poore Brothers Inc. executives say that they’re in talks with holders of several other prominent brand names regarding the launch of additional snack-food lines following its introduction of T.G.I. Friday’s…
Venture Capitalists Save Roundy’s for a Rainy Day
Roundy’s Inc. has agreed to be sold to Willis Stein & Partners, a Chicago investment firm. What will this deal mean to the Roundy’s?
FDA Deems Nicotine Candy & Lip Balm Illegal
The FDA has found nicotine lollipops and lip balm to be illegal based on the fact that they are are promoted by Internet pharmacists as aids for smoking cessation or…
Uniqueness Reigns Success at KFC
Success is more than just a recognizable brand name or a good product at KFC, where its secret recipe preserves uniqueness, giving it its competitive edge. Will the presence of…
Giant Pharmacists to Process Paperless Prescriptions
Doctors will be able to write paperless prescriptions to Giant Food pharmacists in less than 30 seconds using a desktop computer, handheld PC or a cell phone. What impact will…
P&G Chief Lafley to Succeed Chairman Pepper
Procter & Gamble Co. Chairman John Pepper plans to retire July 1 and pass the title to A.G. Lafley, the company’s chief executive and president. What are the challenges and…
Survey Shows Strong Downtown Economies
The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center found that retail sales in America’s Main Streets increased after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Do you expect new urbanism…
