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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Vector Group Dubs Nicotine-free Cigarette, Quest
Vector Group Ltd. has named its new, nicotine-free cigarette product Quest, and has combined the sales and marketing functions of its Liggett Group and Vector Tobacco subsidiaries into a new…
BJ’s May Soup up Gas Stations with Car Washes
Car washes may be the next product offering from BJ’s Wholesale Club. Will car washes drive substantial incremental club traffic for BJ’s?
Kmart Shakes up Helm
Kmart Corp. finds itself replacing Chief Executive Chuck Conaway with Chairman James Adamson just three days after announcing it would close 284 stores and cut 22,000 jobs. Does Kmart’s…
Tweens Esteem Appearance over Nutrition
Eleven- to 13-year-old kids consider outward appearances more important than eating nutritious foods, and early half of tweens consider a parent to be their biggest role model. Will these research…
States Seek Stance on Frankenfish while FDA Ponders
Efforts of at least two states to make their own decisions about genetically-modified fish, in addition to Aqua Bounty Farms Inc.’s 1996 application for FDA approval, have brought the “Frankenfish”…
Wal-Mart Plants Neighborhood Markets in Alabama
Wal-Mart’s four-year-old Neighborhood Market grocery concept will be applied in Alabama early next year, when the first of several Birmingham-area locations is set to open. Does the Federal Trade Commission…
Budweiser Looms Bigger for Diageo than Allied
According to Paul Clinton, CEO of Diageo North America, Diageo will look to reduce the number of distributors it used to a single operator per state in order to expand…
Miller Orders Ad Campaign and Another Malt Drink
In an effort to re-energize its flagging alcohol brands, Miller Brewing Co. is mounting its most aggressive advertising push in years, and will launch another “malternative”product, this time with Brown-Forman…
Silver Star Shoots for Re-establishment in Frozen Foods
In a move to shore up its position in the frozen food industry, Silver Star Foods, Inc., has hired Z Mark Sales and Marketing, Inc. Are sales and marketing companies…
New Web Service Promotes Global Food Trade
FoodMarketExchange.com has introduced a web-based service, “Trade Leads,” to promote trade offers for food buyers and sellers from around the world. Does the international nature of FoodMarketExchange.com make it…
Kmart Shutters 284 Stores, 22,000 Jobs, Gets $2B
Kmart Corp. will close 13 percent of its stores, cutting cut nearly nine percent of its work force as part of its reorganization under bankruptcy protection. Should publicly traded…
Miller and Allied Toast RTD Joint Venture
Miller Brewing Company and Allied Domecq will launch two beverages, Stolichnaya Citrona and Sauza Diablo. Will the Stolichnaya brand translate into sales success with products that are not made with…
Natrol Launches Stress Complex for Sleepy Consumers
Natrol, Inc. plans to launch Natrol Stress Complex, which helps consumers manage their stress and get a restful night’s sleep, into the $10 million sleep aid category. What strategies/tactics can…
Winn-Dixie Rewards Customer Loyalty
Winn-Dixie will launch the new Customer Reward Card, the first such reward program of its kind by a major Florida grocer. Has Winn-Dixie turned it around?
Coke Targets Hispanics with U.S. Return of Fanta
After 20 years on the sidelines, Coca-Cola is trying to gain a new foothold for Fanta in the burgeoning Hispanic population in America. Will Coca-Cola be successful with its relaunch…
FDI Blurs Boundaries with FMI
The Board of Governors of Food Distributors International (FDI) approved a plan for future trade association representation of its membership under which wholesale grocery companies will join an umbrella organization…
Survey Finds Americans Eating In More Often
The fall of 2001 was difficult for the dining industry because Americans ate out less often. The decline appears to be due to broad social factors such as the state…
Whole Foods Market Lights the Way with Solar Power
Whole Foods Market is the nation’s first major food retailer to introduce solar energy as its primary lighting power source. Which of the alternatives to petroleum-based energy sources is…
Day Care Infection Control May Save Millions
A study shows that the introduction of a basic infection-control program in day care centers could significantly reduce the amount of sickness and its associated costs by approximately 70 percent…
Experienced Net Surfers Get Busier Shopping Online
Two reports set for release present complementary reasons that now might not be such a bad time to be an e-tailer. What have retailers learned from the demise of so…
Credit Cards’ Boost E-security
More than 18 percent of 1,000 online consumers polled by research firm GartnerG2 either already use or are planning to use new protocols from Visa and MasterCard that require a…
