Sports fans know that great athletes are distinguished by intangibles as much as their physical prowess. The phenomenon was neatly encapsulated by hockey star Wayne Gretzky when he said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” The ability to respond to a situation while it’s unfolding, accurately
Stew Turley recently passed away, a victim of deteriorating health and advancing age. To those who knew and worked with Turley, no explanation of the man’s impact and influence on chain drug retailing in America during the last half of the 20th century would suffice to explain the impact the news of his passing had
Funny how quickly things change. Remember when a prominent speaker at Cannes this past June declared, “The era of the brand is over!” and escalated the debate about how to invest marketing dollars? Flash-forward to December, though, and over a third of marketers told WARC they planned to significantly increase their brand marketing while lowering
At a time when consumer packaged goods companies and retailers face constant profit pressures, reassessing commercial strategies is paramount. As companies focus on driving long-term profitable growth, revenue growth management (RGM) is more critical than ever. Yet, a significant number of companies report their RGM capabilities as suboptimal, with many struggling to effectively manage and
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — In the ever-shifting landscape of retail, the dynamics of the workforce and store merchandising are undergoing significant transformations. Both the composition of the workforce and the merchandising tasks they are assigned in the store are central to this change. The structure of the retail workforce, whether managed by the store operator
In retail’s fast-paced landscape, it is imperative for grocers to automate traditional operations. Retailers leveraging technology to transform their category strategies are positioned to stay ahead of the curve, meet evolving consumer demands — and drive long-term loyalty. One innovation poised to revolutionize category management strategies is digital shelf tags. Replacing traditional paper tags, electronic
Artificial Intelligence, you may have heard, is kind of a big deal, as much in retail as elsewhere. In fact, AI was a big deal in retail before the current gold rush kicked off by the splash success of ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies, though you wouldn’t know it from the media coverage. Because
MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corp. achieved stunning profit growth in fiscal 2023 despite continued soft sales that ameliorated somewhat over the second half. Looking to the future, management expects to reignite growth by reinforcing, refining and enhancing the strengths that have driven top- and bottom-line expansion for the retailer over the past decade. No strategic reset
WASHINGTON — Consumers are expected to spend about $22.4 billion on food, clothing and gifts to celebrate Easter, which falls on March 31 this year. That’s according to the annual survey conducted by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The total figure is the second highest in the survey’s history, after last
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Dollar Tree Inc. reported disappointing quarterly earnings and offered a downbeat outlook on March 13 and announced plans to shutter about 1,000 stores, nearly all of which operate under its Family Dollar banner. As part of an ongoing portfolio review, company executives have identified some 600 Family Dollar stores to close in
BATAVIA, Ill. — ALDI, a retailer already known for its rapid growth, has unveiled plans to increase its store count by 800 locations across the country by the end of 2028. The ambitious five-year expansion plan involves opening new stores and converting existing ones. As part of this expansion effort, ALDI announced that it has
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Supermarket operators have sold nonfood products for decades, but they still aren’t getting their fair share of the business. Despite the frequent trips that shoppers make to the grocery store, the channel only accounts for 8% of volume in the health and beauty care, household products and general merchandise categories, according to