November 11, 2019 by David Pinto
David Pinto, grocers, Wegmans
2019, Issue 11-11-2019, Issues, Opinion
Wegmans, arguably the finest grocery retailer the United States has to offer, opened its first supermarket in New York City late last month, a 74,000-square-foot store in Brooklyn. So significant was the opening that The New York Times, often referred to as America’s newspaper of record, devoted the back page of its first section to
October 28, 2019 by David Pinto
David Pinto, mass retailers
2019, Issue 10-28-2019, Issues, Opinion
Lots going on in the mass retailing community these days — as is usually the case. With the holiday season fast approaching, mass retailers are sharpening their games, extending their reach, unveiling some dramatic new concepts and honing their basic skills. With all the activity, the editors of MMR have arbitrarily selected five must-visits in
October 14, 2019 by David Pinto
David Pinto, Walmart
2019, Issue 10-14-2019, Issues, Opinion
Amid all the activity that promises to characterize mass market retailing this fall, one name stands out above the rest when it comes to innovation: Walmart. With the usual group of pundits and soothsayers once again predicting the demise or minimization of brick-and mortar retailing, and with online shopping threatening to crowd out the traditional
September 16, 2019 by David Pinto
David Pinto, Doug McMillon, Walmart
2019, Issue 9-16-2019, Issues, Opinion
Doug McMillon, chief executive officer of Walmart, was in the news recently for all the right reasons. Bucking traditional business wisdom, he announced new restrictions on Walmart’s program around gun sales. No longer, he announced, would the nation’s largest retailer sell certain types of ammunition. More than that, customers would be discouraged from entering Walmart
October 2, 2017 by David Pinto
David Pinto, retailing future
2017, Issue 10-02-2017, Issues, Opinion
Autumn is here — and with it, the critical fourth calendar quarter, that make-or-break period that separates the golden performers from the rest of the retailing community. This year, in particular, change has been the retailing constant, but in many quarters of the retailing community things have been remarkably consistent, with many companies doing very
September 11, 2017 by David Pinto
Amazon.com Inc., David Pinto
2017, Issue 09-11-2017, Issues, Opinion
Suddenly, without warning, mass retailing is experiencing a transformation without precedent — or, at the least, without precedent in this century. Within the space of days, Amazon.com Inc. has purchased Whole Foods Market Inc., an alliance that brings together two of the most fascinating retailers currently vying for business in America, while Walmart has entered
August 14, 2017 by David Pinto
Amazon.com Inc., David Pinto, Whole Foods Market Inc.
2017, Issue 08-14-2017, Issues, Opinion
The fallout from Amazon.com Inc.’s agreement to acquire Whole Foods Market Inc. is just beginning. But the implications are already clear: This transaction, if completed, will shake up the mass retailing community as nothing has done in years, if not decades. Parallels do not come readily to mind. Walgreen Co.’s merger with Alliance Boots GmbH
July 10, 2017 by David Pinto
David Pinto, Rite Aid Corp., Stefano Pessina, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., WBA
2017, Issue 07-17-2017, Issues, Opinion
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s (WBA’s) plan to acquire Rite Aid Corp. in its entirety is, for now, dead. For some, it was an inevitable conclusion to a strategy that was full of holes. For others, by far the majority, it was a surprising conclusion to a well-conceived plan to increase the already dynamic presence of
June 26, 2017 by David Pinto
David Pinto, drug chains, Rite Aid Corp., Walgreens Boots Alliance
2017, Issue 06-26-2017, Issues, Opinion
It begins to look like the chain drug industry will toil through 2017 much as it did last year. In other words, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s acquisition of Rite Aid Corp. will likely not happen. This comes as a surprise to many industry people, despite overwhelming evidence that the federal government has long viewed this alliance
June 12, 2017 by David Pinto
David Pinto, Target Corp., Walmart
2017, Issue 06-12-2017, Issues
There’s been a pickup in retail activity and energy, perhaps a result of the optimistic performance reports a few leading retailers have posted of late. Suddenly, major companies that appeared to be daunted by even minor challenges are responding more positively — and more aggressively — to the stresses of doing business. Leading the way
May 22, 2017 by David Pinto
David Pinto, mass retailing
2017, Issue 05-22-2017, Issues, Opinion
The quiet year continues. Mass retailing has changed, but only insofar as new faces have replaced the old and new formats have come along to challenge existing ones. The major players remain in place, and new retailing forms have thus far not disturbed the balance of power. This is not to say that retailing is
April 17, 2017 by David Pinto
David Pinto, National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting
2017, Issue 04-17-2017, Issues, Opinion
For many executives, this year’s National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting could just as easily be labeled a weeklong First-Timers Reception. So dramatic has been the turnover of staffers at some of America’s leading mass retailers that many of the attendees at the 2017 event in Scottsdale, Ariz., have never been to an