It’s funny how the little things get you thinking. There was a story in The New York Times about consumers who stubbornly refuse to wash clothes in cold water, even as popular detergent makers have developed formulas specifically for the job. Evidently, that’s too much of a sacrifice, or at least, that’s how it read […]
Category: National
Posted in, National
SymphonyIRI: Private Label Could Be Much More
Increasingly, private label products are strategic weapons that separate a retailer from its competitors in a way that helps to build loyalty and purchase behavior. But Symphony IRI Group states in its latest Times & Trend Report that private label can be—should be—even more. Much opportunity remains for private label marketers and national brand marketers […]
Posted in, Grocery Store Layout, National
FMI Energy & Store Development Conference: Integrated Design Can Change Everything
Rocky Mountain Institute’s Hutchinson says ‘put doors on everything’ by Terrie Ellerbee/associate editor Grocers operate on paper-thin profit margins, and for the industry as a whole, those margins are trending smaller. Store profitability has slipped below 1 percent. Meanwhile, energy costs have, on average, risen well above 1 percent. Throw in the current regulatory environment, […]
Posted in, National, New Products
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew House Blend, Breakfast Blend Hit Grocery Shelves
Marking the two-year anniversary of the Starbucks VIA® product line, the company on Oct. 19 made available Starbucks VIA Ready Brew in House Blend and Breakfast Blend at select grocery stores across the U.S. The introduction of the new instant coffee varieties further reinforces Starbucks global coffee leadership and its commitment to offering customers high-quality […]
Posted in, Executive News, National
GMA Appoints Burns VP, Health and Nutrition Policy
Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey on Oct. 19 announced the appointment of Robert Burns, Ph.D., as GMA VP, health and nutrition policy. “I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Burns to GMA,” said Bailey. “Health and nutrition policy is critically important to GMA and its member companies and Dr. Burns […]
Posted in, Bonus Content, National
African-American Buying Power
In 2010, African Americans will constitute the nation’s largest racial minority market, but the buying power of Hispanics—an ethnic group—is larger. Despite the severe impact of the 2007-2009 recession, however, blacks’ economic clout will continue to energize the U.S. consumer market. The Selig Center projects that the nation’s black buying power will rise from $316 […]
Posted in, National
Study: Reusable Shopping Bags Could Harbor Bacteria
The International Association for Food Protection’s Food Protection Trends published a study in its latest issue revealing that most consumers surveyed never wash their reusable bags between uses, permitting bacteria to grow. The peer-reviewed study, completed by University of Arizona Microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba, found that large numbers of bacteria were found in almost all […]
Posted in, From My Point of View, National
Of Stellar Customer Service
My column this month will be in two parts, somewhat unrelated but as always, anything that affects our business is a part of us. A couple of years ago I wrote a column about an incident that happened one Sunday on the way home after church. We stopped at a supermarket to pick up a […]