Top Retailers

SUPPLIER NEWS — Beiersdorf’s Eucerin skin care brand has embarked on a yearlong Skin First Movement to help educate women across the country on the importance of skin health as part of overall wellness. As part of the effort, the brand has joined forces with its first-ever Skin First Ambassador, food writer and founder of Apartment Therapy’s TheKitchn.com, Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan.


A shift in consumers’ shopping behavior to one that is focused on value, coupled with a desire to escape everyday stresses, likely helped drive the growth of bath and body scrubbers/massagers.


As shoppers increasingly have been watching their dollars, many have been creating an at-home spa experience versus spending their money at a pricey salon. This desire to create an at-home oasis has benefited the bath and body segment.


It’s like if KITT, the talking car on the 80s TV hit “Knight Rider,” consulted Hasselhoff about his excessive drinking while the two used advanced automotive and information-based technology to fight crime — and improve health outcomes.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Such blog posts as the one from extreme couponer and Walgreens fan Christie Hardcastle announcing the shipment of a Walgreens Infant Care Booklet mailer to American Baby magazine subscribers are important as research shows that social media increasingly is becoming an effective way to communicate with consumers.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart is moving forward with what could be characterized as a rollout of its Neighborhood Market format nearly 13 years after the first unit opened in fall 1998. Just don’t call it a Neighborhood Market.

CHICAGO — The Windy City’s problem with food deserts is getting attention from the city’s mayor and some of the country’s top retailers, according to published reports.

CHICAGO — The private-label trend at retail continues to gain steam as Supervalu CEO Craig Herkert shared plans last month at the company's annual shareholders meeting to expand Supervalu's private-label program now through February 2012.

CINCINNATI — Kroger reported solid first-quarter results and marked 30 consecutive quarters in which identical-store sales increased, the supermarket retailer announced Thursday.

Kroger said that identical-store sales rose 4.6%, excluding fuel, to about $20.8 billion. Identical stores are defined as supermarkets open at least five quarters.

The company said its first-quarter revenue for the period ended May 21, including fuel, rose 11% to about $27.5 billion, compared with the year-ago period. Excluding fuel, total sales were 4.8% above last year.