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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Customs Seizes Millions of Smuggled Cigarettes
Almost three million smuggled cigarettes destined for both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been seized in Co Antrim. What can be done about the black market…
New Kmart CEO Discusses Mistakes and Strategy
In an interview with BusinessWeek, Kmart’s new CEO, James B. Adamson discusses what went wrong, and his strategy for rebuilding Kmart. Did James Adamson, put too much blame on Charles…
CVS Withheld Annual Bonuses for 2001, 2002 Looks up
CVS Corp. did not award annual million-dollar bonuses to its top executives as it missed its financial targets for fiscal 2001. Should bonus programs for top management be directly…
Supermarkets Placate Customer Grievances
Several separate complaints about product quality submitted to a major supermarket by Benjamin Bateman of The Guardian elicited only a single response so far. Do retailers actively use customer complaints…
Girls Can Pick up Pill for Free at Supermarkets
Tesco supermarkets in north Somerset, England, is offering morning-after pills for free to teenagers after a detailed interview at their local supermarket. What do you think about Tesco’s program?
Acme Reclaims Market Share
Acme Markets Inc. may have stopped the decline in market share that has plagued the Philadelphia region’s largest grocery-store chain for more than a decade. Should Albertson’s continue with…
Burger King Flame-Broils First Veggie Burger
Burger King Corporation and its franchisees will introduce the first nationally available, fast-food veggie burger on Monday. Is there a mass consumer market for fast-food vegetarian meals?
CVS.com Launches Baby Department
CVS.com launched a new Baby Department with products and information devoted exclusively to mothers and babies last week. Are retailers fully leveraging the business opportunities associated with breastfeeding?
There’s No Joy in Brick/Click Toyland
Toys “R” Us wants to renegotiate its deal with Amazon.com to reduce the annual payments made by the giant toy retailer to its dotcom distribution partner. Can Amazon be…
Albertson’s to Exit Tennessee and Texas Markets
Albertson’s, Inc., intends to completely exit four under-performing markets — Memphis and Nashville, Tenn., and Houston and San Antonio, Texas. Was exiting these markets a good move for Albertson’s? Who…
Imported U.S. Wine Market Faces Revolution
This year will mark key changes among the dominant players of the wine market for importers in the United States. How can retailers grow their wine business further?
New Products Make Splash at Seafood Show
A panel of top industry buyers screened products based on uniqueness and appropriateness to the market to present nine winners at the New Product Conference of the 20th annual International…
USDA Finds No Foot and Mouth in Suspect Cattle
Five cattle in Kansas tested negative for the potentially devastating foot-and-mouth disease, not seen in the United States since 1929. Is a broad outbreak of foot-and-mouth or other disease likely…
Magazine Awards Best Places in America for Kids to Eat
Restaurant Hospitality magazine announced the winners of its seventh annual Best Kids Menu in America at the Kids Marketing Conference 2002 held recently in San Diego. What retailers/restaurants do…
Wild Oats Markets Will Donate 5% of March 18 Sales
More than 30 nonprofit groups across the country will benefit when Wild Oats and Nature’s stores donate five percent of sales to local charitable organizations on March 18. …
Fungi Found Tasty but Ill-labeled
Quorn, the latest alternative to poultry and ground beef made from a fungus discovered a few decades ago in British soil, arrived in frozen form in U.S. health-food stores mid-January…
Coffee Market Perks up to New Drinkers
A recent survey reports an increase of 1.8 million new daily coffee drinkers over 2001. Seventy-seven percent of U.S. adults, representing 161 million people, drink coffee on a daily…
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…
