Marks and Spencer saves money with supply-base refocusing

December 19, 2007

A.T. Kearney worked with Marks and Spencer and their leading suppliers to deliver cost savings from supply-base re-focusing, joint retailer/supplier process…

Whole Foods to get rid of plastic bags

December 19, 2007

Progressive Grocer: In a first step that may soon spread companywide, Whole Foods Market said yesterday that it will no longer offer plastic grocery bags at…

Survey: customer service trumps price

December 18, 2007

A recent benchmark survey on "The State of Retail Workforce Management," conducted by Retail Systems Research (RSR), and sponsored by Kronos Inc., indicates…

POPAI research: digital window signage increases footfall

December 18, 2007

Research commissioned by 3M and POPAI demonstrates the effectiveness of back-projecting dynamic promotional messages onto shop windows.

More gift cards going unredeemed

December 17, 2007

A Consumer Reports survey conducted in October found that among people who received a gift card during the 2006 holiday season, 27 percent of them left one or…

Customer satisfaction takes first dip in two years

December 17, 2007

Customer satisfaction is down for the first time since early 2005, according to the third quarter report of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

Stop & Shop offers language assistance to pharmacy customers

December 16, 2007

Boston Herald: Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. is giving some translation assistance to its pharmacy customers who speak little or no English. The supermarket…

Let your customers break (fresh) bread

December 13, 2007

If Ron Wilkinson has his way, consumers are about to acquire a taste for very, very fresh bread. His Bread Bakery, a 7-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide machine, churns…

Aldi to open 100 new U.S. stores in 2008

December 12, 2007

The Wichita Eagle: Aldi, the Germany-based discount grocery chain, is launching an aggressive U.S. growth plan. No specifics are in place, but company…

The planning puzzle

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

For technology, intelligent planning makes all the difference.

Co-Op offers surcharge-free ATM use at Costco

December 11, 2007

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — Co-Op Financial Services, which operates the Co-Op Network, now offers surcharge-free ATM access at 341 Costco Wholesale…

Snag shoppers with self-service

Self-service is a key part of any smart multi-channel strategy.

The psychology of digital signage

by David Drain

A neuroscientist analyzes the effects digital signage has on the brain.

Tapping the POS to test content

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

POS data can provide insight into how well in-store media is working.

Wegmans goes a cut above with RFID for supermarkets

November 19, 2007

Supermarket chain Wegmans successfully piloted tracking meat products with EPC Gen 2 RFID so cuts could be tracked to individual stores to improve…