STORES Magazine - February 2009 - (Page 16)

trEnDS 10 THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED Blast from the past … In an era when more supermarket names are fading from the scene than are being added, Valu King has been resurrected in Ohio. Once used for a chain of traditional supermarkets operated by the Tamarkin Co. of Youngstown, Valu King Food Market is the name on a single-store test of a no-frills, limited assortment concept run by Giant Eagle in the Cleveland suburb of Eastlake. Compiled by David P. Schulz 1 electrics category; Lowe’s for home environment electrics; Ulta in health and personal care appliances; Fortunoff for kitchen electrics; Target in storage and organization; QVC in tabletop; Kohl’s in cookware and bakeware; Wegmans for kitchenware; Meijer in furniture; and HomeGoods in lighting and decorative accessories. Food for thought … In an effort to reinvigorate their business this year, restaurants will use menus to tell positive stories about the 4 Optimistic … Now would not seem to be the time to grow a department store chain, considering that the segment’s share of holiday season sales shrank to 6 percent last year, according to the National Shopping Behavior Study. Yet Patrick Hackett Hardware Co. is now selling family apparel, footwear, home decor, domestics and giftware in space grafted onto full-line True Value hardware stores. The 10-store chain in upstate New York was spun off by the Seaway Valley Capital private equity firm. 2 Stirring and shaking … The economy is having an impact on where people drink and perhaps even where they may buy their spirited beverages. In Pennsylvania, the state Liquor Control Board says retail sales are up at its stores and “we’re seeing declines in sales to our licensees,” according to spokesman Nick Hays. New Hampshire may broaden the number of retail outlets selling alcohol as the State Liquor Commission is considering ending its monopoly on retail sales and allowing supermarkets and convenience stores to sell spirits. 6 VoicePay TV, a service of Voice Commerce Group, the system requires the advertising merchant and customer be registered with VoicePay, though there is no cost to the consumer. Self examination … Taco Bell restaurants trimmed paper use by 3.2 million pounds and plastic use by 4.5 million pounds last year. Now Yum! Brands, parent of Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver and A&W, has outlined plans for further reducing waste, recycling and expanding socially beneficial initiatives, including finding uses for spent cooking oil and examining corporate ethics and charitable donations. 9 Prizewinners … The Housewares Design Award has been presented to 10 retailers for their “commitment to innovative products” and their “merchandising and promotional creativity.” Costco was cited in the floor care 3 items, offer fresher ingredients and reinvent comfort food, according to market research firm Mintel International. Also in the works are more Mediterranean-inspired dishes from Italy, Greece and the Middle East, as well as a revival of cocktails, both classic and new concoctions featuring ginger, cucumber and chili pepper flavorings. Ciao … After nearly a year of trying, Brinker International has sold most of its Romano’s Macaroni Grill casual-dining restaurants. Brinker initially valued the chain at $283 million, but wound up selling all but seven of the units and only an 80.1 percent share of the chain to Mac Acquisition, an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital, for about $88 million. 5 Keeping score … Supermarkets and department stores are losers, dollar stores are winners and mass merchandisers are a mixed bag according to the latest Pulse survey from WSL Strategic Retail. Covering the last six months of 2008, the survey found that 36 percent of shoppers have changed where they buy something to save either time or money. More than a quarter of shoppers shifted out of supermarkets, but an 11 percent influx reduced the net loss to 15 percent. Dollar stores gained 15 percent and department stores lost 14 percent. 7 Read my lips … A new form of “contactless” payment has been launched in which consumers can order a product seen on television simply by calling a phone number and paying for the item by speaking into the phone, activating biometric voice verification. Provided by 8 Across the Rio Grande … Facing a gloomy economic environment in the United States and with a strong foothold in Canada, Best Buy is looking south of the border. The Minneapolis-based electronics retailer opened its first store in Mexico in December; the Mexico City unit is its secondlargest store worldwide. “While these are no doubt difficult times, this is also a time for great opportunity,” says Bob Willet, CEO of Best Buy International. 10 16 STORES / FEBRUARY 2009 WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - February 2009

STORES Magazine - February 2009 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Are You a Pusher or a Puller? What Shoppers Think Online Retail Satisfaction 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Cover Story - Something’s Got to Give First Look Concept2Watch Online Partners Merchandising Sustainability Inventory Systems Drug Store Systems Business Intelligence Inventory Managment Online Marketing Supply Chain - Better Data, Better Decisions Returns Management - Identifying Fraud Data Security - Securing Intimate Data Anti-Shoplifting - Mall of Shame? Risk Management - Securing Consumer Confidence Loeb Retail letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar End Cap

STORES Magazine - February 2009

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