All articles by Greg Hodge
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AnalysisBest Buy returns to the basics in its bid for growth
Electronics retailer Best Buy has struggled of late and has outlined three new strategic priorities, which it believes will help it capture new growth opportunities in key categories and channels, fund growth efforts through structural opportunities and improve returns.
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Analysis
Tengelmann targets rising number of senior shoppers
A&P, the bankrupt Tengelmann-controlled retailer, is targeting a growing segment of the US population with a special discount scheme for seniors at all its Pathmark stores.
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OpinionPick n Pay launches Smart Shopper loyalty scheme
South Africa’s second largest grocery retailer Pick n Pay has launched the country’s largest and most extensive loyalty programme, named Smart Shopper.
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AnalysisLess is more strategy pays off for Abercrombie & Fitch
After three consecutive years of negative like-for-like sales growth, which also included a period of nine consecutive negative quarters, US-based fashion chain Abercrombie & Fitch has reported like-for-like sales increased 7% in fiscal 2010.
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AnalysisWalmart pledges healthier food with no added extras
Walmart is to embark upon a five-year plan to make its food offering healthier.
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AnalysisInternationalism is high on the agenda for 2011
In the past few years the retail sector has been dominated by the effects of the global economic crisis, with consumers in search of value and low prices.
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AnalysisCasino trumps Tesco to Carrefour’s Thai assets
Casino subsidiary Big C has emerged as the surprise purchaser of Carrefour’s assets in Thailand.
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AnalysisWalmart turns attention to small-format US stores
At its annual investor conference last week, Walmart announced plans to roll out 30 to 40 medium and small-sized stores in the US next year.
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AnalysisWalmart calls on India to relax retail investment
Walmart has called on the Indian government to relax Foreign Direct Investment laws that do not allow foreign investment in multi-brand retail, but do allow 51% foreign investment in single-brand retail and 100% in wholesaling. Walmart said it would open hundreds of stores in India if it were to change its laws.
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AnalysisCan Rewe Group continue its scale of sales growth?
German-based retailer Rewe Group passed the €50bn (£41.5bn) sales threshold for the first time last year. Total sales reached €50.91bn (£45.9bn) in the 2009 financial year - 2.7% up on the previous year. The number of stores increased 5% over the same period.Rewe’s sales clearly outperformed the overall market, with ...
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AnalysisCrisis in Greece hampers international retailers
International retailers such as Delhaize Group, which has seen almost double-digit growth every quarter for the past two years in Greece, will be watching the situation there closely.
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AnalysisDiscount conversion won’t solve hypermarket woes
Remodelling an underperforming store into a discount format does not really address the underlying concerns regarding the profitability of a particular hypermarket.
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OpinionGrocers to target smaller footprint stores for growth
With 2009 annual results flooding in, the overriding opinion of last year is that it was one when retailers cut back on expenditure and scaled back store openings. The outlook now is for conservative store growth through smaller footprint stores.
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AnalysisBest Buy could do worse than buy into Australia
While on the face of it an acquisition seems far fetched, Best Buy purchasing a top five player in a buoyant market wouldn’t be the craziest move.
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Analysis
Festive sales held up but expect a bleak first quarter
The first sets of Christmas trading results have started to trickle in this week and by all accounts Christmas 2009 is unlikely to have been the disaster that everybody was expecting.
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AnalysisUS’s toy wars could mean victory only for consumers
With Christmas fast approaching, US discount giant Target this week introduced price cuts on toys at its stores.
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NewsCarrefour’s retreat from Russia a mysterious move
French retailer Carrefour has surprised the retail world by announcing its decision to exit the Russian market, having only recently opened its first two hypermarkets in Moscow and Krasnodar.
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NewsAll roads lead to Russia for expanding retailers
A week cannot pass in retail without an international retailer being linked with a potential entry into the Russian market.