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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Seven Steps Cement Gap Between Brick and Click
The Yankee Group’s Paul Ritter recommends that companies keep close tabs on marketing to make sure offline advertising and branding are consistent with their online messages. What retailers are doing…
Store Brands Pump Up Retailers’ Margins
To boost margins, supermarkets, drug stores, and mass merchandisers are filling as much as 40 percent of available shelf space with private-label or store brands, according to KPMG’s Kathleen Kiley…
Monsanto’s Biotech Traits Get Nod for Increased Acreage
Monsanto Company’s agricultural biotechnology traits experience regulatory approvals, renewals, and increased acreage in 2001. Is there a growing acceptance of biotechnology-enhanced foods by consumers?
Kmart Seeks Court Order to Sell Alcohol
Kmart Corp. is seeking an emergency order from a bankruptcy judge so it can pay select companies that supply its stores with alcohol. What are the most contentious issues in…
P&G Test Patch to Restore Female Libido
P&G Pharmaceuticals will invest several hundred million dollars developing a testosterone patch, called Intrinsa, that could restore the sex drive in post-menopausal women. From where is competition for Intrinsa most…
SuperAmerica Slapped for Cigarette Sales to Minors
SuperAmerica convenience store must pay a $10,000 fine for selling cigarettes to minors
five times in two years, and will not be allowed to sell any tobacco products for one…
Target Claims Race Bias Class-Action Suit Doesn’t Fit
Target Corp. defends itself to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which filed a lawsuit citing allegations that Target discriminated against African-American applicants seeking management jobs in Wisconsin. What…
DEA Stalled Taking Hemp Foods off the Shelf
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit that the “grace period” for hemp food products that contain “any
THC” will be extended…
PETA Recognizes Schools Supporting Vegetarians and Vegans
A list compiled by the campaigning group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) has put two New England schools among the top ten schools in the U.S. for…
First Psychedelic Ketchup, Now Its “Funky Fries”
Beginning in May, H.J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh will ship a new line of Ore-Ida frozen
potato products called “Funky Fries.” Food marketers are targeting the sweet tooth of today’s
…
Prunes Help Suppress Growth of Major Food-Borne Pathogens in Meat
According to Kansas State University and Texas A&M, dried plums possess anti-microbial properties that not only help make meat products safer, naturally, but also increase their yield and protect them…
New Milk Pouches Reduce Waste in Schools
College Place and three other schools in Washington state’s Edmonds School District have replaced milk cartons with milk in plastic pouches, as Eastern Washington state and some other states have…
Retail Advisory Board to Help Steer Natural Products Expos
Boulder, Colo.-based New Hope Natural Media has formed a 20-member advisory board including executives from mainstream Bashas, Kroger, Lowes and Roundy’s to provide guidance to the industry’s two leading annual…
Publix Aims to Drive Sales Inside the Supermarket with Loyalty Program
Publix Super Markets’ new Pix convenience stores have added a loyalty program tying sales at Publix supermarkets to gas prices at its two Polk-county Pix stores. Will the Publix/Pix program…
Killer Obesity Slays 300,000 a Year in the U.S. and 30,000 in England
Obesity causes at least 300,000 excess deaths in the U.S. and associated health-care costs with obese adults amounts to about $100 billion. What type of impact are obesity and…
Warehouse Clubs Reign in January Sales
Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s posted jumps in same-store sales in January. However, warehouse club chains did not conquer the world as predicted.
Anheuser-Busch, Bacardi Team up to Enter Malternative Race
Anheuser-Busch Cos. rushes in with Bacardi USA to launch its entry “malternative” product, potenitally beating malt beverage releases from Miller Brewing Co. and SKYY Spirits, and Miller and Allied Domecq…
Tobacco Giant Puts the Kibosh on Magazine Ads
Philip Morris’ cutting back significantly for the rest of the year in what could be a last call for its paid media advertising, is hardly good news for magazine publishers…
Blimpie Swaps Coke for Pepsi
Atlanta-based Blimpie International is dumping Coca-Cola from its 1,900 sandwich outlets for a better deal from Pepsi. Is Coke losing its grip fountain-side?
Moody’s Cuts Rite Aid, Prematurely?
Moody’s Investors Service cut Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid Corp.’s credit and debt ratings, warning that the struggling number-three U.S. drugstore chain could have difficulty making interest payments and that…
Wal-Mart Puerto Rico Acquires Supermercados Amigo
Wal-Mart Puerto Rico has acquired Supermercados Amigo, the number one supermarket chain in Puerto Rico, operating 35 supermarkets and employing more than 4,500. As soon as the pertinent government authorities…
