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Stacey Gray has to answer to more than just a corporate supervisor in her capacity as manager of a Walgreens drug store on Chicago's South Side. 'My mother still shops [...]

The German home-Improvement giant says a Web-accessed data warehouse will let its franchisees gear merchandise to local tastes. In a country with 600 kinds of beer, retailers have to pay [...]

The retail industry is beginning to share information from their databases more widely. The Home Depot has copied data from departmental databases into data warehouses accessible by the entire organization. In addition to buyers, store and department managers are beginning to use the information to help make individual buying decisions. Kentucky Fried Chicken has broken the information into hourly sales to help prepare for lunch hour sales. The Limited has allowed trading partners access to their order-management and freight-tracking systems.

Data warehouses have become increasingly important to retailers as chains seek ways to gather information from a wide variety of operational databases. Data warehousing takes information from separate databases covering areas such as store level point-of-sale reports, inventory, purchasing, and logistics, then copies the information into a single central database. This database can then be accessed to gather information for reports without disrupting the tasks served by the operational databases., Manufacturers gladly pay syndicated data companies for packaged, processed reports gleaned from retail point-of-sale data and demographic information. To the Proctor & Gambles and Levi Strausses of the world, it's [...]

There were two first place awards in the 1996 Retail Innovation Technology Awards. Toronto, Ontario-based menswear operator Harry Rosen won for its database marketing program which empowers sales associates. Sales associates can access the company's up-to-date customer database to contact customers to come to the store. Cyberplay won an award for its fusion of sophisticated marketing and computer education., Toronto-based menswear icon Harry Rosen and Cyberplay, a retail store/computer learning center that lets kids fool around with software and computer games before dad whips out that credit car, tied [...]

Fashion designers in the 1990s see themselves taking different strategies for success as they approach 2000. For example, Jhane Barnes will market a casual line of clothing overseas, but will continue to expand her high-end men's wear business. Alexander Julian will expand into different types of design markets, including home furnishings, furniture and clothes. John Bartlett has discovered that foreigners like his clothes more than Americans., NEW YORK -- As the apparel industry responds to the frugality of the '90s consumer, designers say they're having to rethink everything -- from what they create to how they [...]

Hannaford Brothers, Kash n' Karry Food Stores and Ralphs Grocery Co. are three supermarket chains that are using advanced technology for their own benefit. Hannaford Brothers has converted half of its units to CFC-free refrigeration systems and plans to convert the remaining stores' systems by Jun 1, 1993. Kash n' Karry has installed a point-of-sale-system that automatically tiers pricing to offer discounts for multiple purchases of the same item and buy-one-get-one-free promotions. Ralphs has a handheld scanner in its receiving department that has so simplified the deliveries and accounting for deliveries that the chain has cut the accounting department by 11 positions and cut an additional seven clerical positions., How three chains are turning the industry's technological challenges into opportunities For supermarkets, success in the lean 1990s could hinge on how readily retailers and wholesalers accept new technologies and [...]

The acceptance of debit and credit cards by supermarkets have grown as the retailers compete against such mass merchandisers and discounters as Kmart, Wal-Mart and Target, all of whom accept credit cards. Nevertheless, some supermarkets are unhappy about the rates banks charge them when customers use credit cards to pay for purchases. Despite this drawback, supermarkets realize that unlike checks, credit and debit cards guarantee immediate payment., Supermarkets increasingly are deciding the advantages of credit and debit cards outweigh the costs Credit and debit card purchases in supermarkets are soaring. But that doesn't mean there aren't some [...]

The grocery industry is in the early stages of implementing a cross-docking system for delivering wholesale goods to supermarkets. The cost-saving system works by carefully coordinating shipments from manufacturers so that they are immediately loaded onto trucks for supermarkets, avoiding transfer in and out of distribution centers. Adapting conventional loading docks to accommodate cross docking is one change the industry would have to make for successful implementation., Cross-docking, already a common practice in the warehouse club industry, could save supermarkets millions of dollars in storage and shipping costs. But thus far, most retailers and wholesalers still do [...]

At 2:15 every morning in the dark, silent fields of western New York, small reading lights come on one by one in the chapel stalls of the Abbey of the [...]

Teresa Chapman, manager of The Home Depot's Cumberland store in northwest Atlanta, is spending more time on the floor--a lot more time. 'I've taken back 20 hours a week that [...]

Like Wal-Mart, The Home Depot long felt that commercially available software couldn't meet the needs of a massive retail company. Like Wal-Mart, it wrote the vast majority of its applications [...]

Backers of UCCnet, an on-line clearinghouse for SKU data, came to the buttoned-down Mormon town of Salt Lake City with an equally austere message: Fall in line or pay the [...]

How strict are the diets retail IT departments are adhering to lately? When some of retail's top CIOs met in the gastronomic capital of the world recently, answers varied widely. [...]

The management skills of retail's technology chiefs are being put to the test this year: tight budgets, rigorous project prioritization and a much-needed refocusing on sales forecasting as a hedge [...]

Kmart's implosion may have registered a devastating 7 on the Richter Scale, but it has sent relatively mild shock waves through the retail industry. Hundreds of stores will indeed go [...]

The average store manager is a lifer. A 42-year-old college graduate, he has been working in retail for 21 years, 10 as a store manager, all 10 at the company [...]

H.E. Butt cio Glenn Habern says supply-chain efficiency initiatives downplay the final link. He vows not to. Supermarkets have had some success driving costs out of the supply chain. But [...]

Retailers are refocusing the debate over enterprisewide suites vs. best-of-breed applications. Vendors of enterprise suites had presented the choice between their offerings and best-of-breed packages in black-and-white terms. Take the [...]

Many retailers are moving to frame relay communications, as this system can be much faster and cheaper than other methods. Data transmission via frame is nearly instantaneous, eliminating the wait typical of dial-up systems such as modems. Frame relay is less expensive to install and can send batch files. Satellites are useful for short transactions and international businesses that lack integrated land-based systems., As the volume of information retailers shuttle back and forth between headquarters and stores balloons, they are rethinking how they move that data. The vast majority are moving to frame [...]

The 1998 MarkeTechnics supermarket technology conference will address a variety of supermarket concerns, including making use of the Internet, increasing customer loyalty, increasing access to information at the point of sale, and introducing frequent-shopper programs. The conference is expected to focus on the Year 2000 problem, electronics benefits transfer (EBT) mandates, and frequent-shopper programs. Communications systems and off-the shelf software are other likely topics., A raft of issues, some retailers must face and others they choose to, are expected to generate productive conversation when MarkeTechnics '98 comes to the Los Angeles Convention Center, Feb. [...]

Safeway Stores PLC maintains its profitability and competitive edge through the personal attention it pays to its customers. Sales increased by 10% in 1996 and earnings increased by 11% for the year through determining the profitable customers and keeping them. The program was initiated with a target couponing program in 1989 and has continued with the use of data warehousing, category management and a loyalty card., At Safeway, they know who you are and what you want to buy. If you're one of their best customers, their stores are stocked for you. Personal attention is the [...]

Peapod Delivery System Inc delivers groceries from seven chains in exclusive area agreements. Peapod customers pay a monthly membership fee and a delivery charge per order. Customers order on the Internet using a historic shopping list of previous regular purchases or a list of staples to be used in future shopping forays. Peapod membership has grown from 12,500 at the beginning of 1996 to 45,000 at the end of the 1st quarter of 1997. Peapod uses Hewlett-Packard hardware and Informix database software.

Microsoft Windows NT, the operating system software, will continue to attract retailers as customers during the ongoing shift away from Unix Systems Laboratories Inc. software, say information technology execs from Office Depot Inc. and Sears, Roebuck and Co. However, Reebok International Ltd. CIO Peter Burrows believes only small firms can use NT for corporate functions. Data warehousing, custom software development and computer networking are also discussed.

Many retailers are outsourcing selected aspects of their information systems operations. Outsourcing of information systems was done for economic reasons in 1991 but is done for strategic reasons in 1996. Sears, Roebuck and Co. has evolved its information systems operations beyond doing all aspects of this facet of operations in-house., Outsourcing of information systems functions, once considered the desperate strategy of cash-starved companies, is rehabilitating its image. Most major retailers still wince at the thought of outsourcing their entire IS [...]

The Dept of Commerce reported that department store sales increased .8% in 1995, down from 4.1% in the previous year. Some sources say that by touting the convenience of one-stop shopping, the category can recover consumer interest, which has been flagging due to the rise of discount stores among other factors. Dayton Hudson, Dillard, Nordstrom, and Proffitt's are among the chains that posted large declines in operating income in 1995, while Federated Department Stores and Mercantile Stores reported sizeable gains., Mergers and the elimination of underperforming divisions have made department stores more efficient operators, but when it comes to wooing shoppers, their efforts are falling flat. Department store sales rose [...]

Vons and Safeway led the supermarket retail segment in operating income growth during 1995, with 54.3% and 20.2% growth over the previous year, respectively. The segment has been reconfiguring itself to incorporate more fresh produce and prepared foods and to prepare for a more electronically-oriented shopping environment. The changes bode well for the industry, which is expected to grow at a rate of 3% between 1997 and 2000., Supermarkets are leaner and more efficient than ever before. But the behind-the-scenes efficiencies wrought by the Efficient Consumer Response initiative isn't the only story here. Supermarkets are also changing their [...]

Angelo Uslenghi anticipates that popular techno fabrics and stretch natural fibers will be used more frequently in men's clothing designs. Uslenghi believes that the popularity of pure techno fabrics will decrease, giving rise to ecological- and techno-fabric blends used in fashions. Cotton and nylon blends, updated gabardines and blends of 50% linen and 50% rayon will be used. Stretch fabrics will remain popular., NEW YORK - If it was the flamboyant Jean Paul Gaultier who brought techno fibers to the fore, it's the subdued stylist Nino Cerruti who is presiding over their marriage [...]

Clothing retailers are tackling the unique problems associated with selling on the Internet. The popularity of the Worldwide Web network makes shopping on the Internet easy, and sellers find it very inexpensive to enter the market. The challenge is getting browsers, who are predominantly males with an average household income of $85,000 per year, to stop and buy something. Sellers must make it easy to navigate through each presentation, and the presentation must be interesting enough to keep the browser's attention., NEW YORK - The Internet is drawing an ever-expanding pool of young, affluent, well-educated browsers - a demographic that brings tears of joy to the eyes of many a Madison [...]

Supermarkets and their suppliers remain wary of sharing data with each other even as they try to implement Efficient Consumer Response initiatives that may bring greater efficiency to the grocery industry. Supermarket operators worry that suppliers could share sensitive data with other retailers, though some suppliers such as Spartan Stores say they employ strict information security codes prohibiting such sharing. Other supermarkets feared they would lose an important bargaining tool by sharing product movement information., Ongoing cooperative efforts between supermarkets and manufacturers to boost distribution efficiency are proving a strong motivator for working together. But players on both sides of the net say trust is [...]

Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) proponents say that old corporate structures will hamper implementation of ECR across the grocery industry. ECR works best in structures that are made up of cross-functional work teams rather than traditional hierarchies, they say. Spartan Stores is altering its corporate structure to improve information sharing. G & R Felpausch Co is drawing on personnel outside its management information services department to increase data exchange competence throughout the company., Realigning organizations to share information is the next step in the ECR push Management information systems managers and systems gurus say the technology necessary to support Efficient Consumer Response is [...]

Personal computer-based open systems do live up to the positive publicity surrounding them within the food industry by increasing operation efficiencies. Installing the systems can be a step towards implementing Efficient Consumer Response initiatives. Felpausch Food Centers is installing such systems at 19 stores and are finding immediate improvements. One major benefit has been the capability of streamlining the payroll department., TAMPA, Fla. -- Don't be turned off by the mountain of hype surrounding open systems. Retailers and systems experts say there's a mountain of substance to back it up. Open [...]

Supermarket executives are trying to control theft through electronic sensor systems, internal public relations or a combination of the two. Megamart installed an electronic system at 12 Pick 'n Save stores and additional security cameras and guards at one store. Big Y Food executives, however, consider electronic systems detrimental to the stores' atmosphere and are relying on store surveillance by employees instead., Supermarkets say electronics gadgets and some good internal public relations are combining to bring shrink under control. The tandem approach is working for many retailers who've decided that in a [...]

Supermarkets are choosing to share formerly secret delivery data with manufacturers in order to develop the close partnerships needed to implement Efficient Consumer Response initiatives. For example, King Soopers uses electronic data interchange to give its manufacturers daily warehouse withdrawal information. The manufacturers, in turn, replenish the chain's merchandise under an everyday-low-price policy., Overcoming what were sometimes rocky relationships in the past, supermarkets are increasingly willing to ally themselves with manufacturers in pursuit of Efficient Consumer Response's common goals. 'Retailers have the item-movement [...]

There are three basic ways for supermarket retailers to integrate their information system applications. These include developing applications in-house, calling on wholesalers for assistance or hiring outside systems integrators to undertake the project. While there have been questions about which approach is the best, it has become apparent from the experiences of retailers who already have implemented systems applications that all three approaches are relevant., Some retailers look to outside systems integrators to bring new applications on line. Others rely on wholesalers. Still others find the talent to develop state-of-the-art applications right under their own [...]

The supermarket industry could be revolutionized by a new bar coding system that tracks shipping containers called UCC/EAN-128. The system can locate truck-loads, pallets and even individual package items. National-American Wholesale Grocers' Assn representative Chris Galen said that if embraced industry-wide, UCC/EAN-128 could boost overall distribution efficiencies, especially as an adjunct to Efficient Consumer Response strategies. Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Kmart Corp have already implemented the system., Federal Express has won accolades for being able to pinpoint the exact location of a package at any time en route to its destination. Now the supermarket industry is banking [...]

The grocery industry is trying to improve diminishing margins by improving efficiency through better pallet exchange systems. The Grocery Industry Pallet Subcommittee in 1992 had criticized the traditional system as unnecessarily expensive. Alternatives to the traditional pallet transportation, which typically adds up to $10.09 a trip, include private pallet pools at $3.14-$5.44 a trip. The industry is also testing closed-loop systems using plastic pallets and four-way pallets., The food industry is stepping up efforts to devise a more efficient pallet One year after the Grocery Industry Pallet Subcommittee issued its scathing critique of the traditional pallet exchange [...]

Supermarket executives representing Pathmark, Harvest Foods, Randall's Food Markets and Marsh Supermarkets discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing their management information systems operations. Retailers who have already invested heavily in their own systems might find such a move unprofitable. Building up an in-house department could also position retailers well for implementing Efficient Consumer Response strategies. Those looking for a capital injection could be rewarded by outsourcing, however., Retailers need to weigh the costs and benefits before outsourcing MIS functinas Outsourcing of management information systems functions is not a decision supermarkets undertake lightly. A move that might greatly [...]

Ahold is testing self-scanners in a Holland Albert Heijn Inc store. Customers use the handheld devices to scan their selections, when the scanner is returned, the purchases are totaled and then customers pay at a check-stand. Self-scanning is a popular concept to the Dutch since supermarkets close early and lines are often very long. One problem with the self-scanners is that of shoplifting. Albert Heijn relies on the honor system and random rescanning to cut shrinkage. US chains have been investigating stationary self-scanners., GELDERMALSEN, Netherlands -- The future of self-scanning may be taking shape here in this sleepy hamlet outside Utrecht. Albert Heijn Inc., the 602-store subsidiary of Ahold, Zaandam, is testing a [...]

Full-service in-store banks have been proliferating and supermarkets are delighted by the increased traffic the service generates. Already there are 1,750 supermarket banks throughout the US. Tops Markets VP and director of point-of-sale Dan Shanahan notes that in-store banking offers customers convenient hours that more traditional banks do not offer. The appeal of supermarket banking is not confined to the large chains alone, as small rural independent chains also are introducing the technology., Supermarkets have been cashing checks for decades. But now they are cashing in on a big trend: full-service, in-store banking. Offering full-service in-store banking increases store traffic, puts cash in [...]

Retailers who believe that just-in-time inventory-replacement systems, or continuous replenishment, will generate substantial savings are still apprehensive about abandoning their current forward buying systems. While they acknowledge the savings to be accrued, many worry that their profit margins will be affected if the continuous replenishment system does not work as effectively as anticipated. To forestall any adverse effects, several retailers have installed safeguards., Retailers can almost taste the savings continuous replenishment promises. But they are taking a guarded approach to the concept and, in many cases, putting in safeguards to ensure its proper [...]

Supermarket chain executives feel that in-store electronic marketing is here to stay and achieves results, but want to avoid the situation where shoppers are distracted and annoyed by it. Wholesaler Fleming Companies Inc is promoting a novel approach to the problem to its client supermarkets. Fleming is offering On-Site Media's NBC On-Site, an in-store television broadcast that features a silent, 20-minute programming loop designed to prevent customer sensory overload. Other promotional systems that are available to supermarkets include instant couponing, in-store radio broadcasts, electronic signs and frequent-purchasing programs., Retailers are fine-tuning the benefits of in-store electronic promotions. The question for many retailers is no longer simply whether or not to test sophisticated in-store promotional vehicles, such as radio [...]

How one of the world's most vigilant malls thwarts terrorists Gracie Ford squirms in her stroller, squinting to avoid the sunlight streaming through the skylights at Bluewater, Europe's largest mall. [...]

The Brixton Bomber, a young man with little tolerance for diversity, got away with his first crime: the bombing of a busy shopping street in Brixton, a mostly black neighborhood [...]

Leaner times call for encouragement Remember the episode of 'Cheers' when company-picked bar manager Rebecca dupes barback Woody into accepting an inflated title in lieu of the raise he had [...]

Leitmotif: Staples' Light stresses common systems in Retail Systems 2001 keynote A commitment to common systems is helping Staples get the biggest bang for its IT buck, according to Brian [...]

Discounts, promotions, desperate strategies to move overstocks. This is not how retailers are reacting to the current economic malaise. It's the response of technology vendors. And the retailers who buy [...]

Retail companies are wise to pay close attention to budgets this year. But they should also be thinking strategically about how technology spending can bolster the bottom line. The bear [...]

Women tell how they got to the top of some of retail's most potent IT organizations Judy Formicella began her IT career in 1981 making $13,500 a year as an [...]

Dutch, Belgians see little value in stored-value vehicles A man leans over the bar of a Brussels nightclub and orders a Trappist beer. The price: 150 Belgian Francs, about $3. [...]