In-Store articles from March 2007

In-Store archives from March 2007

Heinz means business with biggest ever promotion.("Dreamz Meanz Heinz" campaign, giving consumers access to prizes )(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Grocery giant Heinz has launched its biggest ever on-pack promotion. The "Dreamz Meanz Heinz" campaign will run across product categories, with on-pack numbers giving consumers access to #1m worth of prizes when submitted by text message or...

Anti-supermarket lobby gets backing from celebrity chef.
March 12, 2007... Campaign groups have come together to protest about the power of supermarkets. TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has called for a shake up of the 'big four' in a public meeting organised by pressure groups ActionAid, Friends of the...

KP's new range.
March 12, 2007... Shelves will be groaning under the weight of KP's new Big Nuts range from March. Using packaging design by Springetts, the new range brings mainstream crisp flavours to the nuts market. Char Grilled Steak, Hickory Smoked BBQ, Cheddar & Onion...

Argos's cracking Easter campaign is no yolk.(Argos Distributors Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Argos is selling Easter-themed products to raise money for its national charity partner, Help the Hospices. One hundred thousand "Yolky Folk" characters are on sale in-store as part of a cause-related marketing campaign expected to raise...

Customers say JLP delivers according to Which? survey.
March 12, 2007... John Lewis Partnership's multi-channel retailing has received further accolades. Consumer group Which? says Waitrose.com and Ocado came top in its survey of customer satisfaction with online supermarkets. Some 69 per cent of respondents...

Dale Air hopes Thomson campaign is up to scratch.
March 12, 2007... Travel agent Thomson has launched a "scratch 'n' sniff" promotion in selected stores across London. The group has sprayed a liquid infused with coconut aroma onto store windows, and the scent is released by scratching the window. This...

Red Nose stocks novelty chocs.
March 12, 2007... Comic Relief is selling its trademark Red Noses, along with a promotional chocolate product, in-store and online to raise money for the charity event on Friday 16 March. The 2007 theme is "The Big One" and the nose is the biggest yet, to...

Fairtrade message gains ground.(Fairtrade-certified products)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Sales of Fairtrade-certified products have increased by 46 per cent to #290m in 2006. Retailers have been stocking greater ranges of the products, which guarantee minimum prices to producers in developing countries. Some 2,500 retail and...

Bud banks beer money.
March 12, 2007... Budweiser has launched an interactive promotion, which gives customers the chance to acquire a currency called 'Bud Bucks'. A unique code will be displayed on 400 million bottles and cans, making this campaign the brand's biggest UK...

Unilever campaign.(Unilever Group)
March 12, 2007... Unilever is spending #4m on a high profile through-the-line campaign to convince shoppers to "say goodbye to cardboard jeans" by using Comfort fabric conditioner. An on-pack promotion and an in-store sampling campaign will support a series...

Big gums square up for forecourt showdown.
March 12, 2007... Rival chewing gum ranges from Wrigley's and Cadbury have gone head-to- head on petrol station forecourts with competing ad campaigns. The new Trident range of chewing gum from Cadbury is being promoted on 4,500 petrol nozzles at 150 Tesco...

Window display in flagship store.
March 12, 2007... A window display has been installed in the Diesel UK flagship store on New Bond Street in London. The campaign was created by Elemental Design, based on Diesel's worldwide "global warming ready" campaign. A giant antique gold fan is the focal...

Spar self-checkout gets UK roll-out.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... A self-checkout system is to be rolled out to Spar stores around the UK, after trials in a branch at Dundonald in Northern Ireland. Henderson Group, which owns the Spar franchise in Dundonald, says it has seen positive customer feedback...

IN BRIEF: Schoolkids fair game for Game.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Video game specialist Game ran a half-term promotion on video games aimed at school-aged children. A three-for-two promotion on pre-owned titles was one initiative, with prices starting from #3.99. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

IN BRIEF: BRIT of alright for HMV customers.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... BRIT Awards sponsor MasterCard teamed up with multimedia entertainment retailer HMV last month to offer customers discounts on albums by awards nominees. The 10 per cent discount was offered between 5-24 February. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Card fraudsters get away Scot free.(Scotland)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Card crime in Scottish convenience stores has increased by 54 per cent since the introduction of Chip and Pin payments, according to new figures from the Scottish Grocers' Federation in its Retail Crime Survey. A survey of 1,000 stores also...

IN BRIEF: Relaunch is a Sure thing.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Deodorant brand Sure for Women is being relaunched. New packaging and a #9m marketing campaign will be used to highlight the product. In-store activity will include a sampling campaign. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors...

IN BRIEF: Tesco rewards eco-customers.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Tesco is awarding double Clubcard points to customers buying products from its green and organic ranges, for an eight-week period starting in mid-February. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

IN BRIEF: Runners Need growth continues apace.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Specialist store Runners Need has opened its fourth, and largest, store. Situated in Churchill Place at Canary wharf, London, the running supplies store features four treadmills allowing customers to have their running style analysed to inform...

IN BRIEF: Retailers show bags of commitment.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Retailers have agreed to make more of an effort to go green, by reducing the overall environmental impact of their carrier bags by a quarter by the end of 2008. A number of high-street chains are supporting the campaign together with the...

IN BRIEF: Beans go international.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Heinz is relaunching its Mean Beanz products introducing two new flavours, Smokey BBQ and Italian. The range has a new pack design showing beans being used in a variety of different foods. Recipes will also be printed on the back of the tins....

ANALYSIS: Sweets talking.
March 12, 2007... Do industry pledges to stop targeting children mark a genuine concern for the nation's health, asks Matthew Valentine, or an attempt to stem the advancing tide of advertising regulation? Masterfoods, one of the biggest players in the UK...

ANALYSIS: Ofcom's planned regulatory framework.(Office of Communications (United Kingdom))(broadcasting regulations)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... * Ofcom has completed its review of the rules relating to TV advertising of food and drink products to children, meaning a new set of rules will be implemented by the Broadcast Committee on Advertising Practice and the Advertising Standards...

LETTER: A small disagreement.(Letter to the editor)
March 12, 2007... I was amazed to read the unqualified and totally unsubstantiated comments suggesting larger installation companies are inflexible and uninterested in smaller jobs ('Fit for purpose', In-store, February) - comments which also seemingly missed...

LETTER: Seeing the (green) light.(Letter to the editor)
March 12, 2007... It was good to see In-store kick off the year with issues that are bound to prevail throughout 2007 - our food habits and broader ecological issues. Retailers are quick to respond to changing mindsets by honing products to appeal to our...

LEADER: Tesco at home on the range?
March 12, 2007... Tesco's seemingly unstoppable march towards total domination of the global retail market has taken another stride, with a move into the heartland of the southern United States. A store in Arizona is likely to be followed by many more, with a...

SCREEN TALK: BENEFITS PLANE TO SEE.
March 12, 2007... Ben Deller, strategic marketing controller at Alpha Airports Group, explains how a screen network is helping passengers spend their time and money in an informed way World News, one of the retail chains owned by Alpha Airports Group,...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Walgreen expands US drugstore empire.
March 12, 2007... US drugstore group Walgreen has agreed to buy 53 pharmacies from Familymeds Group, for $60m (#31m). Walgreen plans to keep most of the stores open, except for ones close to existing Walgreen branches. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Tesco checkouts top in Slovakia.
March 12, 2007... Tesco is now the largest food retailer in Slovakia, according to new figures. The UK chain's Slovakian operation achieved revenues of #320m (15.93bn Slovak Crowns) in 2006. German groups Metro and Rewe came in second and third places. ...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: On-form Asda boosts Wal-Mart profits.(UK division)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Wal-Mart has seen profits increase by 6.7 per cent to $12.1bn (#6.1bn) for the year to January. The US-based international supermarket group says it benefitted from a particularly strong performance at UK division Asda. "It was a turnaround...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Superquinn customers get their rewards.
March 12, 2007... Irish supermarket chain Superquinn is to upgrade its SuperClub loyalty card scheme, spending E1m (#0.67m) to issue a quarter of a million active cardholders with a Superquinn Reward Card.The retailer is linking with the Gift Voucher Company...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Organic food boom sparks price war.
March 12, 2007... Sales of organic food products are booming in Germany. The organic sector is currently seeing annual growth in the region of 15 per cent, and now represents 5 per cent of total German food sales. The country's deputy agriculture minister fears...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Profit reports sweet reading for Nestle.(Financial report)
March 12, 2007... Swiss confectionery group Nestle has seen net profits increase by 13.8 per cent to SF9.2bn (#3.79bn) for 2006. Organic growth - not including acquisitions or factors such as additional profits from favourable exchange rate shifts - was 6.2...

DISPLAY OF THE MONTH: Go with the flow.
March 12, 2007... Attractive, well-thought out layouts at River Island make spending a pleasure, says Clare Barton of George As the high street gets ready for the change of season and the January sales tail off, River Island is ahead of the game with...

CITY TALK: Who will buy?(implications of buyout rumors of J Sainsbury PLC on share prices)
March 12, 2007... Market interest in Sainsbury's may be fickle, but if and when the big boy-out comes, it will take retail takeovers to a whole new level says Lauren Mills, retail correspondent at the Mail on Sunday More than a fortnight has passed since a...

IN BRIEF: Evans looking to ride tandem.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Market interest in Sainsbury's may be fickle, but if and when the big buy-out comes, it will take retail takeovers to a whole new level says Lauren Mills, retail correspondent at the Mail on Sunday Evans, the UK's largest specialist cycle...

IN BRIEF: Rubicon tributaries flow together.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Exotic juice drinks brand Rubicon is consolidating its marketing and production arms into one company, called Rubicon Drinks. The brand achieved growth of 17 per cent during 2006, and now achieves annual sales of #45m. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Thomas Cook and MyTravel merge.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... UK travel company MyTravel and Thomas Cook, Europe's second largest travel group, have announced a merger. Thomas Cook will have a 52 per cent stake while MyTravel will have a 48 per cent share of the new merged company. It is estimated the...

IN BRIEF: Figures refresh Cadbury Schweppes.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Confectionary and drinks group Cadbury Schweppes has reported growth in underlying revenue of 4 per cent for the year ending 31 December 2006, with underlying profit before tax up 9 per cent to more than #1bn. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Argos confirms Indian joint venture.(Argos Distributors Ltd.)(Shopper's Stop)(Hypercity Retail India)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Home Retail Group has confirmed that Argos is to expand into India. The company has signed a deal to develop a franchised retail format as a joint venture with Indian companies Shopper's Stop and Hypercity Retail India. 'Hypercity - Argos'...

IN BRIEF: Earnings up, but Penney drops profits.(Financial report)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... US department store group JC Penney has reported earnings of $457m (#235m) for its fourth quarter, $7m (#3.6m) more than the same period a year ago. However, the retailer says first quarter performance is likely to be below Wall Street...

IN BRIEF: Primark marches ahead for ABF.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Associated British Foods has issued a trading update prior to its close period before announcing its interim results to 3 March, which are due to be published in late April. Sales and profit at Primark are expected to be substantially ahead...

PROFILE - BARNI EVANS: The luck of the Irish.
March 12, 2007... In a sector that normally likes its customers to take all the risks, relative newcomer Paddy Power has gambled on innovation to freshen up the staid image of the high-street bookie, marketing director Barni Evans tells Jo Roberts - and it's...

MARKET REPORT: Weathering a storm.
March 12, 2007... From salmonella in eggs to glass in your jam, food scares are a fact of life for brands and retailers alike. So why, asks Jo Roberts, do some cope so much better than others? The food sector has been hit by a number of health scares in...

Design & build focus.
March 12, 2007... Clare Dowdy reports on the logistical complexities of creating a complete multimedia retail environment from scratch for the latest Virgin Megastore in central Manchester Virgin Retail's decision to introduce a brand new store format did...

DESIGN & BUILD FOCUS: Deltalight hits the small time.
March 12, 2007... Belgian lighting specialist Deltalight has launched a more environmentally responsible range of products to reflect concerns about using energy more effectively in retail spaces. Some of the range is designed to be kinder to the planet,...

DESIGN & BUILD FOCUS: Long-lasting rolls from anaglypta.
March 12, 2007... Anaglypta has introduced brand new range of wallcoverings for the spring. The collection has been designed to be long-lasting and hard wearing. The pattern textured paper can be used in retail outlets and in busy areas like corridors and...

DESIGN & BUILD FOCUS: Trumedia reaches a new audience.(product introduction of iCapture video imaging system)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... TruMedia, a company that develops computer-based imaging systems, has launched a video imaging system. It can measure customer response to digital displays and screens. The system can detect, track and count viewers' faces enabling companies...

DESIGN & BUILD FOCUS: Flash screens from Fairfield.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... A digital screen and lightbox display is being launched by Fairfield displays. The 27-inch screen with a matching light box can be wall mounted or displayed in a window. New information can be uploaded quickly using flash cards or USB...

PRINTING: Print gets keen to be green.
March 12, 2007... The P-O-P printing industry is gearing up to become more eco-friendly, says Jo Roberts, but are retail clients as eager to get onboard? Everyone's talking about it. It's difficult to get through a day without a mention. The environment...

PRINTING: Print gets keen to be green.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Environmental Assessment Schemes There are voluntary environmental assessment schemes available to printers, of which the internationally recognised ISO 14001 scheme is perhaps the best known. Key benefits according to DEFRA on...

PRODUCT NEWS: New recycled ideas from Eco.(Eco Incentives)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Eco Incentives has launched a new range of environmentally-friendly products to be used for marketing purposes. The company is the only one in the UK and Europe that currently specialises in promotional products made from recycled, sustainable,...

PRODUCT NEWS: Tension mounts for bigger flags.(Zephyr TVC)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... A new flagpole system has been launched by Zephyr TVC, with the aim of providing a bigger-than-usual surface area for graphics and reduced wear. "Rather than have an arm at the top that rotated, we made the top half of the pole rotate....

PRODUCT NEWS: NXT makes Sound move.
March 12, 2007... Sound Leisure Retail has acquired a general licnce from NXT to manufacture the MicroPro flat panel speaker. The product, previously manufactured by Fane Acoustics, covers the area of an A4 sheet of paper. It has a flat profile and a meftal...

PRODUCT NEWS: Minicom has Vision for NEC.
March 12, 2007... Minicom is supporting the launch of the new Multeos range of LCD screens from NEC Display Solutions by launching its own DS Vision 3000 player-to-screen distribution system. The two ranges have been designed to allow full integration. The...

PRODUCT NEWS: Octanorm top of the pop-ups.(product introduction of Vario D400)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Octanorm has launched a modular, pop-up display system for use in retail outlets or at events such as exhibitions. The Vario D400 features anodised aluminium end caps which allow accessories such as literature racks, digital screens and...

EYE ON DESIGN: HMV Oxford Street.
March 12, 2007... Deja vu is the first impression at HMV. The lucky customers might find the sign telling them that DVDs are on another floor, otherwise the yellow-signed promotional chart zone from #12.95, hidden behind the front window, is the only giveaway...

EYE ON DESIGN: FOPP Tottenham Court Road.
March 12, 2007... I recognise this? Yes, it's HMV again. It's the same design of low, black fixtures on - this time - a timber vinyl and grey/black floor. If I hadn't been looking for it I would have walked straight past, its sombre facade and unclear signage...

EYE ON DESIGN: Virgin Piccadilly.
March 12, 2007... I can't believe it - it's HMV again! Same design, same low, black fixtures, same floor. The music makes the atmosphere more upbeat here and there are a few happy looking staff, but it's basically the same as the other stores. Impressive how...