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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Malternatives Give Beer Category a Shot
Malternative category sales for the 12-week period ending April 13 in food, drug, mass and convenience stores combined (excluding Wal-Mart data) were nearly $129 million; a 90-percent increase compared to…
Wal-Mart Shows Softer Side with Settlements
Wal-Mart has replaced its top lawyer and is settling customer lawsuits that it has fought for years. Will a less litigiously combative Wal-Mart produce positive or negative results for the…
Lands’ End’s Web Site Profitability Beats Catalog
Lands’ End Inc.’s web site’s profits topped those of its catalog for the first time in fiscal 2002. Is the sales migration to online unique to Lands’ End among catalogers?…
Pecans Consistently Deliver Vitamin E
University of Georgia (UGA) researchers say pecans are a consistent, rich source of the antioxidant vitamin E, no matter where they’re grown in the United States. Will all the recent…
Coming to a C-Store Near You: Disposable Cell Phones
Hop-On has won U.S. regulatory approval for the nationwide introduction of a no-frills recyclable phone for prepaid mobile calling. Will disposable cellphones significantly cut into the calling card market?
Rite Aid Still Turning It Around
Although it has far to go, analysts say that Rite Aid’s new management team has done a good job of dealing with the legacy left by Martin L. Grass and…
Man Chains Obesity Responsibility to Fast Food
A 5-foot, 10-inch, 272-pound man has sued four major fast food chains, claiming their fare contributed to his obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Should food manufacturers and retailers be legally…
Five Charged in $1.75 Million Theft from Demoulas
U.S. Attorney General Michael J. Sullivan, the FBI and the IRS, charged five people with various crimes related to the theft of checks from the Demoulas Market Basket chain and…
Americans Demand Laws to Combat Corruption
The latest Harris Poll finds that Americans have little faith in corporate leadership. Are corporate executives less trustworthy today than they were 10 years ago?
An Equal Opportunity Athlete’s Foot Cream
Novartis Consumer Health has spent six million dollars to inform women that Lamisil AT athlete’s foot cream is not just for men. Will Novartis Consumer Health’s plans to market Lamisil…
DIYers Let Others Do It
Potential do-it-yourselfers are increasingly calling on professionals to do those jobs rather than tackle them themselves. How will an aging population affect the DIY retailing market?
Hershey Looks for New Owner
On putting itself up for sale, Hershey Foods Co. awoke to find major food companies already chomping at the bit. Kraft, Nestle and Cadbury Schweppes Plc top analysts’ lists for…
Fanta Berry Takes the Edge off Pepsi Blue
As PepsiCo Inc.’s new blue cola hits store shelves this week, Coca-Cola is planning to launch a blue soda of its own, Fanta Berry. Will Fanta Berry and Pepsi Blue…
17,000 German Workers to Take a Long Weekend
Workers at Wal-Mart’s German unit are planning to go on strike this Friday and Saturday in a bid to secure a wage contract. Should Wal-Mart abandon the German market?…
Federated Leverages Online Auctions via B2B Exchange
Having completed a successful auction pilot program, Federated Department Stores plans to integrate the GlobalNetXchange B2B negotiations solution into their global procurement process for apparel and other goods for resale…
Kmart Launches Joe Boxer from a Cannon
Kmart Corp. plans to launch two men dressed in Joe Boxer clothing and underwear from a cannon signifing the start of an advertising campaign to revive the struggling brand, which…
Business as Usual on 9/11?
“Retailers have a tough decision to make in the next few weeks: how to mark the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and plan for…
Help Black Males to Stop Smoking
In the study of 600 adult black smokers who are more susceptible smoking-related disease and deaths than whites, Zyban, an anti-depressant approved for helping people stop smoking, was more effective…
Aversion to Risk Infects Investors
Historically, sharp declines in stocks have lured temporary buyers. However, recent sell-offs have only served to hasten investors’ exit plans. How is the stock market’s dive affecting how publicly-traded retail…
Delhaize CEO Tells Wal-Mart ‘Bring It On’
Pierre-Olivier Beckers, the 42-year old CEO of Delhaize Freres et Compagnie-Le Lion, must prove that he is tough enough to fight off attacks from two of the world’s biggest retailers,…
Moderation in All Things, Save Starbucks
The numbers argue that Starbucks’ growth rate might be slow to slow. In San Francisco, there are now more of its outlets than publicly traded Internet companies. How much Starbucks…
