Retail Roundtable: Sam's Club offering SBA loans

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Is this a natural extension of the brand, or is the company overextending itself and getting away from its retail roots?

Sam's Club now offering small business loans

July 5, 2010

Existing small business owners and entrepreneurs with hopes of starting up continue to seek access to capital in the form of bank loans, yet are still…

Pennsylvania's new wine kiosks get panned

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

A massive new kiosk that dispenses wine by the bottle is being met with ridicule in oenophile circles.

BI-LO launches customer health and wellness initiative

June 22, 2010

South Carolina-based supermarket chain BI-LO has launched a new health and wellness initiative called BI-LO thrive!, which includes a full-time registered…

Hannaford's new website offers shopping list, product recall info

June 10, 2010

Hannaford Supermarkets, which operates more than 170 stores in the northeast, has rolled out a new website that not only includes an interactive shopping list…

Unified Grocers selects Agilence’s POS video auditing solution

June 9, 2010

Unified Grocers, the largest retailer-owned grocery cooperative in the western United States, now recommends its retail customers consider Agilence’s POS video…

Study: Grocery shoppers highly susceptible to in-store marketing

Two-thirds of consumers buy 'off list,' and 90 percent will pick up impulse items perceived to be a bargain.

Study: 60 percent of customers look for coupons before shopping

Coupons are still an important preplanning mechanism, especially within the grocery channel.

Five tips for winning shoppers in new categories

How retailers can use data and an understanding of the customer to increase shopping trips, basket size.

Let's Call Customer Service Counters What They Are: Damage Control

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Customer service to me happens prior to the sale. Damage control is what happens after. Frequently it is run by people dis-empowered to do anything but cut…

Food Lion kiosks create coupons based on shopper habits

April 28, 2010

According to Colloquy.com, Food Lion is deploying kiosks that will generate and print coupons for customers based on their shopping habits. The kiosks were…

Big Y Foods rolls out targeted shopper promotion system

April 27, 2010

Big Y Foods, one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England, and Incentive Targeting, a provider of targeted shopper promotion…

Hispanic Grocery Network coming to 500 locations

April 27, 2010

Provision Interactive Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Provision Holding Inc., announced today that it has signed an agreement with New York-based Charter…

Whole Foods adds electric car charging station

April 12, 2010

In what is being called "an experiment," Whole Foods has installed an electric car charging station at its store in downtown Austin, Texas.

LUCY may make health matter for Kroger customers

Retail food chain Kroger is deploying a self-service healthcare and nutritional information program for its shoppers.

Whole Foods recycling program collects 2 millionth container

April 6, 2010

The Greenopolis Recycling System celebrated the collection of its 2 millionth container this weekend at Whole Foods Market in West Hollywood, when Wayne Meza…

Whole Foods to stop accepting checks

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

OnMilwaukee.com reports that Whole Foods is about to take away several payment options.

Survey: Low prices replace customer service as primary loyalty driver

Walmart dominated the 2010 COLLOQUY Retail Loyalty Index, in results that reflect a reality of the Great Recession.

Grocer Waitrose gathering real-time customer feedback

March 30, 2010

United Kingdom-based Retail Week reports that grocer Waitrose is deploying a real-time customer feedback system from Fizzback. The system will allow shoppers…

Sears, Meijer test drive-through shops

March 30, 2010

It's an ultra-convenient concept that works for quick-service restaurants and oil change parlors, so why not retail? The Chicago Tribune reports that retailers…