June 26, 2009 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

ANNOUNCEMENT: There will not be a Retail Industry News sent for the week ending Friday, July 3rd The next edition will be for the week ending Friday, July 10th. Have a great 4th of July weekend!

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 6/26/09 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Kroger Names Rodney McMullen As New President
- Meijer Plans “Smaller Store”
- Walmart Opens New Version Of Neighborhood Market
- Study Points to Continued Private Brand Strength
- Food Chains Focus On Center Store To Satisfy The Middle
- Sansolo Speaks: “Taking It To The Tweets”
- Brookshire Embraces Facebook, YouTube
- Kroger’s Customer Focus Drives Sales, Profits
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- The Balance Sheet
- Executive Suite

Download the PDF

2009 Future of Food Retailing Report

by Heather Sowka

2008 was a year of nearly unprecedented challenges and change in the retail food industry. The global economic slowdown—and domestic recession—caused profound shifts in consumer shopping behavior. The search for low prices and great values was a consumer divining rod that introduced shoppers to new stores and formats, and continues to impact store choice and spending today.

This year’s edition of The Future of Food Retailing report examines changes in the retail food industry over the past year—which formats are gaining share and which are losing share—and forecasts how well all key formats will fare over the next five years, i.e., by 2013.

Download the entire PDF from WillardBishop.com

ISI Updates - June 29, 2009

The Tech Behind the Technique
Exclusive ISI Network Report Details Solutions for Merchandising Performance Management

Offered at a special discount to In-Store Implementation Network member firms, Merchandising Performance Management delivers an industry first market analysis and buyers’ guide to this emerging and important class of software solutions.
Read more

Next Webinar to Identify Retail Trends

As we go through the process of managing our day to day business, we sometimes forget to take a few steps back and view the battleground from a high vantage point. The next installment of the NARMS Webinar series – Emerging Retail Trends – takes just such a look into the near future and examines the happenings that will shape the marketplace. Join Mark Hunter on Tuesday, June 30 at 1:00 pm CDT as he shares updates on economic data and how it will impact our business in the 2nd half of 2009.

The economy continues to alter the retail landscape. Consumers and retailers are now being impacted in ways we have never seen before. This hour-long session will provide a closer look at how each trading partner will be affected and will allow you to be proactive in how you manage your at-retail merchandising and marketing business. After his presentation, Hunter will answer all your questions via a live chat function. The NARMS Webinar series is sponsored by NaturalInsight and brought to you through the technological prowess of associate member ReadyTalk.

Hunter is well positioned to address “2009 Emerging Retail Trends”. He has routinely fulfilled the challenge of looking towards the future at the NARMS Spring Conference, bringing his insights and depth of personal experiences to bear. Hunter is a frequent speaker on the subject of sales and sales motivation who helps companies and salespeople find and retain better customers. He works with companies ranging from Fortune 100 to small, one-person firms to help them grow their top-line sales and bottom-line profits

The Webinar Series has proven to be an extremely popular and beneficial educational service to our members. Some of our member companies gather in their conference rooms to take in the session as a group. The session is complimentary to NARMS members but is also made available to other interested persons at a non-member rate of $99.95. We encourage you to share this invitation with other co-workers and anyone else who might gain value from this information-sharing opportunity. We hope you will join the many of your association brethren who have already registered for this event. You can register by clicking here.

Essential Care/Rx Plan Inc

Essential Care/Rx Plan, Inc. offers health care plans nationwide to small businesses, independent contractors, part-time employees, distributors, agents, and individuals. They also have supplemental products available such as guarantee issue limited medical plans, life insurance, critical illness insurance, dental, short term disability, vision programs and short term medical coverage.

Visit the Web site.

Member Opportunities Abound

We see mixed messages about an economic recovery everyday. On one hand, leading economic indicators are starting to show signs of a turn around. On the other hand, sales reports are showing that numbers are still lagging. Here at NARMS, we are seeing more of the former. For instance, our JobBank listings for the month of June are at a high point for the year to date. While that may have something to do with the unlimited listing pricing program we recently established, it also shows that our at-retail merchandising and marketing service members need more field people, which means they have business!

While we are in the mode of offering incentives and promotions, let’s take some time to review the latest NARMS member opportunity. We’re talking about a brand new offering available to all NARMS members looking to raise awareness on the products and services provided by their company.

This will take shape in a new ad opportunity on the NARMS home page at www.narms.com. We are now selling a horizontal feature ad that is 728 pixels X 90 pixels in high profile middle top half of home page view area. Up to three NARMS members per month will have their ads tell their story as they appear on a rotational basis, each at a cost of $500 per month paid in advance.

We recommend use of AJAX-based interactive features for those placing motion/activity into this ad space to achieve more interactivity and to make it electronically attractive! This new opportunity is available now on a first-come, first-serve basis, so act now. Please contact Paulette Blaskey at 715-342-0948 or membership@narms.com.

Not unlike other businesses, we at NARMS have had to get creative to make our service offerings more attractive. Judging by the early response, it looks like the members approve. So take advantage of these chances while they last. Once you give us a try, you will be sold on the effectiveness of our programs and you will be supporting your trade association at the same time.

Frugal Shoppers Drive Grocers Back to Basics

The recession-driven shift to eating at home more often is giving new life to grocery stores’ most basic offerings, and upending a multiyear strategy of using coffee bars, fancy bakeries and exotic products to attract shoppers.

Kroger Co. on Tuesday posted a 13% rise in quarterly profit, fueled in part by higher sales of private-label goods. Store brands accounted for 35% of the Cincinnati-based chain’s item sales for the quarter, up three percentage points in the last two years.

Read the entire article at WSJ.com

June 19, 2009 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 6/19/09 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Reporting In: From The CIES World Food Business Summit, Day One
- Reporting In: From The CIES World Food Business Summit, Day Two
- Amazon Tests Private Brands
- Whole Foods Launches iPhone App
- Food Lion Gains First Place Market Share In Richmond Market
- Stater Bros. Cuts Prices On 10,000 SKUs
- Walmart Grades Its Own Sustainability Efforts
- Sansolo Speaks: “Faster Horses”
- Aldi One-Ups Walmart In Chicago
- Safeway Launches “Locally Grown” Produce Initiative
- Making The Case For In-Store Health Clinics
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- The Balance Sheet
- Executive Suite

Read the entire newsletter

Walgreens Reports Record Q3 ‘09 Sales

Drugstore retailer Walgreen Co. reported record sales of $16.2 billion in its Q3 fiscal 2009 (ended May 31, 2009). Despite this result, Walgreens still saw net earnings decline almost 9%. Selected financial highlights and analysis follow.

Read the entire article.

Member Program Offers Health Care Solutions

Health Benefits are a critical component in assuring financial well being for you, your associates, and your families. As your trade association, NARMS is introducing a new, exciting and affordable option. NARMS Health Care Solutions is a health benefit service provided exclusively for members and individuals associated with NARMS. Click on the link to view the rest of the story. NARMS 6/19/09

NARMS is partnering with Essential Care/Rx Plan, Inc. to offer affordable health care plans to our members and individuals who are associated with us. They are a provider of health care plans nationwide to small businesses, independent contractors, part-time employees, distributors, agents, and individuals. The plans can be customized to fit your needs and you own the policy.

According to Dan Borschke, NARMS President and CEO, the program is an ideal fit for the membership, “I am excited that NARMS is now offering our members and the individuals associated with us the opportunity to receive access to quality and affordable health care. These programs from leading providers are competitively priced, and I believe that you should look at them with confidence. Your health and well-being are important to us, and we want to do everything we can to help you and your family.”

The providers that Borschke mentions are top carriers such as Aetna, Assurant Health, American Community Mutual Insurance Company, Humana, UnitedHealthOne and World Insurance. EssentialCare/Rx Plan, Inc. also has supplemental products available such as guarantee issue limited medical plans, life insurance, critical illness insurance, dental, short term disability, vision programs (including their Association Plan) and short term medical coverage.

A dedicated website has been established to provide you with all the information you need. Please log on to http://narms.essentialcarerx.com or call 877.666.2604 to schedule a telephone or online consultation. Their team of experienced health care specialists will work with you to find a plan that fits your needs.