Progressive Grocer

Retailers continue to use Private Label Merchandise to highlight their “value message” and also support gross margin improvements, but economic conditions have hampered the ability of small and mid-sized retailers’ ability to grow that side of their business. Not...

Babies’ needs are paramount, recession or not. Still, cashstrapped parents must consider prices when purchasing those seemingly endless supplies of diapers, wipes and other incidental items their little ones require, although most shoppers are loath to trade quality for...

At the recently concluded Food Forum India 2010 in Mumbai, there were discussions held on retailer-supplier relationships based on issues such as retailer’s margin, in-store marketing, category expansion, shopper data sharing, etc. Many agreed on the need for mutual...

Leading a healthy lifestyle is no longer a Hollywood or Bollywood trend or Doctor’s Advice given on a regular visit; rather it’s being practiced by most GenNext workaholics who are trying to adopt a better way of living. With...

The word “Snack” is understood differently by different people. Often described as quick light meals, or as foods consumed in-between regular meals, or simple, small, pocket-energy providers that keeps one going from one meal to the other. However, in...

As soon as one walks into the lower ground floor of the spanking new Mantri Square mall in Bangalore, one is hit by the sheer presence of a massive 90,000 square feet SPAR store, the retailer’s largest outlet yet...

I’ve spent an inordinate amount of my career working on coupons and couponing, and while I have plenty to show for it in terms of patents, accomplishments, bonuses and press coverage, I used to feel I spent too much...

Kanti Sweets has come a long way from a small six feet by six feet shop, at Kempe Gowda Circle, Bangalore, established in 1957. Over the years, the retailer has become the preferred mithai-wala (as Indian confectionery makers are...

The year 2010 is shaping up as even more challenging than 2009 for retailers in most industries, according to published forecasts. Many consumers are changing their buying habits. Some are “buying down” with less expensive products, while others are...

The recession has taken some of the sizzle out of refrigerated breakfast meat sales in the U.S., but the category is still cooking. The introduction of healthier products and added convenience – to encourage consumers to add bacon or...

Have you ever wondered why a store merchandises dusters next to cleaning chemicals, a shampoo next to hair dye or chips next to soft drinks? As a shopper, have you ever stopped to think why price is important to...

The advance of mobile technology – assisted, of course, by the ubiquitous iPhone App – has opened up a whole new world of solutions going way beyond mere SMS promotions to shoppers' cell phones. And U.S. grocers are embracing...

In today’s tight economy, businesses are often forced to push human resource issues to the back burner or, unfortunately, face layoffs to cut costs. When supermarkets post a job opening, they’re deluged with applications due to the high unemployment...

As U.S. grocers gear up for an ongoing slugfest rife with lingering deflation, cautious shoppers, precipitous promotional activity and cutthroat competition, several recent culinary trend forecasts offer retail produce- pushers plenty of prime possibilities to blunt the onslaught by...