July 13, 2020 by Scot Meyer
brick-and-mortar, Scot Meyer
2020, Issue 07-13-2020, Issues
In his 2007 book, Where’s My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived, robotist and author Daniel Wilson took readers on a tour of some of the revolutionary technologies that were supposed to change everything, but didn’t. Something like that has happened in the retail industry, according to a new
June 22, 2020 by Scot Meyer
COVID-19, retailers, Scot Meyer
2020, Issue 06-22-20, Issues
Retailers are understandably wondering what consumer behavior will look like as the economy opens up again. Will people venture back to stores and restaurants, or will they still be afraid that they could be exposed to the novel coronavirus? Will those who have tried online shopping for the first time during the early days of
January 15, 2020 by Scot Meyer
Scot Meyer, Wakefern Food Corp.
2020, Featured Articles, Issue 01-13-2020, Issues, Leading Headlines, Retail News
KEASBEY, N.J. — Wakefern Food Corp. had its start in 1946, during a challenging time for independent food retailers. The problem back then was that independent operators were seeing their loyal customers lured away by the big self-service supermarkets of the day, which could offer lower prices. To compete, eight grocers in the Newark, N.J.,
January 13, 2020 by Scot Meyer
Dollar General, Retailer of the Year, Scot Meyer
2020, Featured Articles, Issue 01-13-2020, Issues, Leading Headlines, Retail News, Topics
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp. seems to defy the kind of gravity that is keeping much of the retail industry earthbound. At a time when some retailers are scaling back their brick-and-mortar expansion plans and may see their profits constrained by the need to invest in their omnichannel offerings, Dollar General has been growing
August 19, 2019 by Scot Meyer
A.T. Kearney, Global Market Development Center, GMDC)|Retail Tomorrow, Scot Meyer
2019, Issue 08-19-2019, Issues
As online shopping becomes more frictionless and ubiquitous, retailers with brick-and-mortar outlets need to pay more attention to the kinds of products they put in them. What do people still want to buy in a store these days? Two recent studies suggest some answers. One of these is the latest Global Market Development Center (GMDC)|Retail
August 5, 2019 by Scot Meyer
ICSC, International Council of Shopping Centers, Scot Meyer
2019, Issue 08-05-2019, Issues, Opinion
A customer who has a positive shopping experience with a retailer will come back for more, a new study suggests, which seems obvious enough. But the research, conducted for the ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers), found that a single in-store purchase translates into additional spending via the retailer’s online platform, and vice versa. The
July 22, 2019 by Scot Meyer
barcode, Scot Meyer, Universal Product Code, UPC
2019, Issue 6-24-2019, Issues, Opinion
Back in 1974, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign from office. Writer Steven King published his first novel. The Sears Tower in Chicago became the world’s tallest building. And in another first that year, a pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum was scanned at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. Although little appreciated
June 24, 2019 by Scot Meyer
Scot Meyer, steal, technology
2019, Issue 6-24-2019, Issues
Technology is not just changing the way people shop and buy. It also may be changing the way some of them steal, and the ways that retailers are fighting back. “We are seeing dramatic changes in the risks faced by retailers, and loss prevention practices and priorities are evolving to meet those challenges,” NRF vice
May 20, 2019 by Scot Meyer
German, Lidl, Scot Meyer
2019, Issue 05-20-2019, Issues
The German hard discount grocery retailer Lidl stumbled in its much anticipated U.S. debut two years ago. The retailer has proven a strong competitor throughout Europe, with a business model based on small stores, a no-frills shopping experience and low low prices, and Lidl had big plans for the U.S. market. After opening nine stores
April 22, 2019 by MMR
Scot Meyer, Sears
2019, Issue 04-22-2019, Issues, Opinion
For a growing number of brick-and-mortar retailers, the future looks small. Sears is the latest company to embrace the trend. The retailer, which emerged from bankruptcy and a court-supervised auction process in February with about 425 big-box stores, said it plans to open three small Sears Home & Life stores in May. The stores will
March 25, 2019 by Scot Meyer
Kroger, Scot Meyer, Smith's Food & Drug Stores, transaction fee
2019, Issue 3-25-2019, Issues, Opinion
The war between retailers and credit card companies over transaction fees continues. The latest battle in that war began on March 1, when Kroger Co. announced that its Smith’s Food & Drug Stores division will be the company’s second banner to stop accepting Visa credit cards as a form of payment, beginning on April 3. Foods
February 25, 2019 by Scot Meyer
economy, Hartman Group, Scot Meyer
2019, Issue 02-25-2019, Issues, Opinion
The overall U.S. economy is still strong. But many Americans, including people who have jobs, are still struggling financially. As a recent report from the Hartman Group points out, the fact that large numbers of American consumers are living paycheck to paycheck inevitably affects how and where they shop. The report — “The Business of