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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Target Is Trading Cards for Profits
Trading cards have quietly become one of the most profitable product departments in retailers managed by Excell Marketing, a leading distributor of trading cards, collectibles and gaming products. How should…
Apparel Sites Become Better e-tailors
Apparel remains the second-biggest e-tail category, behind computers and software. Online apparel sales, which include footwear and jewelry, are expected to rise to $14 billion by 2006, up from…
Coca-Cola Adds Seagram’s to the Mix
The Coca-Cola Co. says it has agreed with Diageo PLC and Pernod Ricard to acquire Seagram’s mixers for an undisclosed sum. What will be the near and long term impact…
Pepsi Blue to Grace Store Shelves This Summer
Pepsi Blue, a bright blue, berry-cola hybrid targeted to teens is expected to be on store shelves by early August. Are movement numbers alone enough to make the decision on…
Whole Grains May Improve Insulin Sensitivity
A recent report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that consuming whole grains may help overweight adults reduce their risk of type-two diabetes. The study found that…
Consumers Go Online for Health Information
The use of the Internet related to health and health care continues to grow, according to a recent report. What retailers (bricks and/or clicks) are effectively using web content to…
Smoke Leaves Nicotine By-Product in Kids’ Hair
A recent Columbus Children’s Hospital study found that, even in homes where parents report never smoking inside the house, children had measurable levels of cotinine in their hair. What…
UCC Readies New Produce UPC’s for Prime Time
With perishables now representing fifty percent of grocery store sales, and growing, its not hard to convince most operators that a barcode standard covering produce, deli, fish and other variable…
ACNielsen Pre*Views Consumer Opportunities
ACNielsen U.S. released new research from its new Consumer Pre*View service at FMI including the trend toward dining-at-home. What should retailers and CPG manufacturers be doing to exploit the opportunities…
Busch’s Partners with AirClic-Acquired Beeline Shopper
Busch’s Supermarkets has partnered with Beeline Shopper, a kitchen-based grocery scanner and web service, recently acquired by AirClic Inc., provider of enabling technology such as wireless scanning devices. What…
SimonDelivers.com Plans Expansion to Second City
According to a report on the Internet Retailer website, SimonDelivers.com is preparing to expand into a similarly mid-sized second city with the $21.3 million in new financing it obtained in…
Pathmark’s Jim Donald Sets a Sailing Course for a Flat Economy
In a Monday morning FMI Super Session, Jim Donald, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Pathmark made use of his own turn-around story to illustrate his chosen techniques for…
Retailers Monitor Consumer Behavior
A small but growing number of retailers in the United States are using hidden video cameras and microphones to provide clues about why certain products sell and why others don’t…
Medical Products Maker Plunges into Bottled Water
Baxter International Inc. will introduce a line of vitamin-laced, bottled waters as its first foray into the consumer food and beverage market. How can retailers most effectively introduce new products…
Convenience Drives New Products at FMI
Food makers are putting their efforts into developing pre-mixed or bundled foods that travel easily and offer consumers a greater variety of flavors. Which new products being featured at the…
Value and Nutrition Drive Shopping Decisions
American consumers continue to incorporate economizing behaviors in their weekly grocery shopping, according to the latest Food Marketing Institute trend report. Which of the trends or other findings in…
Grocery Loses Consumer Shopping Trips to Supercenters
Consumers still shop in traditional grocery stores, but the annual number of trips households make to such stores is continuing to decline, according to the latest “channel blurring” study from…
Retailers, Producers Find Growth in Cooperation
According to executives at a consumer goods conference in Barcelona last week, a lack of cooperation is a frequent obstacle to supply chain improvements needed to meet the profit expectations…
Minute Maid Plans Major Fruitopia Relaunch
Minute Maid’s Fruitopia brand is scheduled for a major relaunch backed by what may be more than $10 million in marketing support. Will Fruitopia find a new and larger…
Michelob Bets on Low-Carb Beer
Anheuser-Busch plans to roll out its “low-carbohydrate” Michelob Ultra in Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and the rest of Florida on May 13. Will Michelob Ultra help to increase
…
Magazine Buyers’ Make Good Grocery Store Customers
A new market-basket study, commissioned by Magazine Publishers of America, provides evidence that magazine purchasers shop more often and spend significantly more than non-magazine buying shoppers. Which of the MPA…
