A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak to a group of independent retailers operating stores here in the Northeast. The topic was health and wellness, but all the talk focused on the economy, and how it might impact sales of natural and...
Anyone who travels on the retail conference circuit has heard countless speakers urge supermarkets to get out in front of major consumer trends. Some have accused retailers of reacting too slowly or failing to be on the cutting edge of what...
Can a small supermarket player in a big market gain wide notice with a bold advertising campaign? At what point does such a campaign become so nontraditional as to risk turning off consumers...
Sam's Club is celebrating 25 years of operation, but its greatest feat hasn't been its longevity. The biggest success was finding its own path in a world of two giants: Wal-Mart and Costco. Sam's has honed its own identity under the umbrella of...
The mysterious credit and debit card security breach revealed at Hannaford Bros. last month raises questions about the effectiveness of standards to protect the public against fraudulent practices, whether it be breaching data or securing the food...
There's nothing so exciting in retailing as a chain expanding at a breakneck pace. But such rollouts eventually slow or end, often accompanied by lots of soul-searching...
In the rugged mountain towns of Colorado, many local residents are quite fond of poking fun at the flatlanders from Texas...
Although the sexual indiscretions of disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer amounted to his political ruin, the episode may not have been such a bad thing for New York grocers. In fact, several conditions — including Spitzer's recent...
In 2006 and 2007, Tesco's every move toward the United States was closely tracked by American retailers hungry for competitive information. Retailers were told to expect the worst from the savvy British operator and its new Fresh & Easy small...
Like doctors, food retailers have a paramount duty to “do no harm.” Yet lately, it's become increasingly difficult for retailers to keep consumers out of harm's way...