The Kmart division of Sears Holdings recently garnered some favorable notice for the overhaul of its discount store in Des Plaines, Ill., not far from the parent company’s headquarters in Hoffman Estates. By all accounts, the outlet represents a significant step up for Kmart customers, who during the course of the chain’s long, slow decline
Walmart’s decision to acquire Jet.com speaks volumes about how the leadership team at the world’s largest retailer sees the impact of e-commerce on the consumer goods market, the company’s future role within the sector, and the transformation of the corporate culture created by Sam Walton more than half a century ago to ensure that Walmart
A recent report from Accenture highlights a troubling fact about most retailers — they are so hemmed in by existing operating models that they are unable to respond quickly or effectively enough to changes in the marketplace that have a direct bearing on the business, undercutting their competitiveness and growth potential. Companies hindered by that
Retailers would do well to pay more attention to macroeconomic trends and work to push them in a direction that is conducive to their business. The International Monetary Fund’s annual assessment of the U.S. economy, which was released last month, includes some findings that raise troubling questions about the long-term health of the mass market.
Health insurance companies are in the midst of negotiating with regulators about the size of premium increases for 2017, and early indications are that consumers and other payers won’t be happy with the results. A new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation examines rates for the first and second lowest-cost Silver options, the most commonly
Now that the Memorial Day weekend is over, it is time for any mass market retailers, CPG companies or supply chain providers that haven’t already done so to gear up for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Total Store Expo. The annual event, which this year will be held from August 6 through August
As the U.S. marketplace is reshaped by the country’s growing cultural diversity, one of the pivotal consumer segments that every mass retailer will have to address is comprised of people whose heritage goes back to Spain, Mexico, Latin America and parts of the Caribbean. Hispanics are already the nation’s biggest minority group, whose 55 million
A recent study serves as a reminder of the substantial opportunity that supermarket operators have in the field of health and wellness. In a report entitled “The Health of Health & Beauty Care in the Grocery Channel,” Acosta points out that of the $84 billion a year spent on H&BAs in this country, supermarkets garner
Everyone recognizes CVS Health’s importance in the delivery of pharmacy care to Americans. During the past decade, the company not only augmented its already formidable presence in the drug store business but emerged as a major force in the pharmacy benefits management and retail clinic sectors. With the launch earlier this month of an initiative
Results from the latest iteraton of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) were released late last month, and they contain some worrisome findings for most of the nation’s mass market retailers. After reaching its pinnacle two years ago, the index, which is based on data drawn from interviews with some 70,000 consumers, fell for the
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — If the activity at last month’s FMI Midwinter Executive Conference is a true indication, the nation’s supermarket retailers, a group that has traditionally adhered to a conservative business model, are gearing up to reshape the way they meet the needs of consumers. “We’re seeing unprecedented levels of change in our industry
Leslie Sarasin is in the midst of a good run at the Food Marketing Institute. When she became president and CEO of the organization in 2008, FMI was widely perceived as having lost its focus, leaving people inside and outside the association unclear about its agenda and how it was being pursued. Sarasin changed all