Bob Johns

ARTICLES BY BOB JOHNS

• An Interesting Approach To Loyalty — With Gift Cards

  10/9/2013

  Loyalty normally relies on discounts to bring people back, but this company is trying to help build loyalty for retailers through gift cards, points, and games.

• The Container Store Goes Global

  10/8/2013

  Just in time for the holidays, the Container Store is going global with its e-commerce channel. The Container Store is the leading retailers of storage and organization products in the U.S. The company’s e-commerce channel had previously only sold to U.S. and Canadian customers. Through its new partnership with Borderfree, the company is now able to sell into Australia, India, Mexico, Germany, France, Japan, Switzerland, Russia and The United Kingdom, making it a truly global brand.

• JCPenney Adds Disney Just In Time For The Holidays

  10/7/2013

  JCPenney’s (JCP) store-in-a-store concept continues to take shape with the launch of Disney Shops within 565 locations. The timing could not be better for JCP, as the crucial holiday shopping season quickly approaches, and children are a huge driver for sales. Disney merchandise has always been a huge seller at the holidays, and now JCP is positioned to capitalize on the holiday rush.

• Pricing And Efficiency — Key To This Grocer’s Bottom Line

  10/4/2013

  Consistent pricing is key to customer satisfaction and sales, and controlling this efficiently can be a real challenge for grocers like Geissler’s, who stock thousands of SKUs.

• How Mobility Is Changing Retail

  10/4/2013

  Christina Garcia, Senior Manager Retail Systems at OfficeMax, took an interesting route to working with mobility in the stores. She started as an engineer doing web development and managing ecommerce sites and later joined OfficeMax in the ecommerce department.

• Is Your Staff Ready For The Holidays?

  10/3/2013

  The holidays will be here before you know it. Retailers are finishing up their buys and planning their merchandising and promotions, some of which have already started. We will soon be inundated with holiday ads and requests to visit Santa. But, how much can retailers count on consumers spending this year, and are they ready?

• Hardee’s Returns To The Northeast With A Vengeance

  10/2/2013

  Hardee’s, the fast-food chain known for huge burgers and provocative ads, is planning to return to the Northeastern U.S. after pulling out in the 90s. The company had closed nearly all of its stores in the region before being acquired by CKE Restaurants in 1997. Since then, the company has enjoyed a rebound in brand popularity, sales, and growth.

• Walgreens Achieves Record Sales of $72.2 Billion

  10/2/2013

  Walgreens, the 8,116-location drugstore chain, posted record profits for its fiscal 2013 year ended August 31, 2013. Not only did the company achieve record sales of $72.2 billion for the year, but it also achieved a GAAP earnings increase of 86.4% for the fourth quarter versus a year ago. All of this has led to record free cash flow of $3.1 billion, a great indicator of the retailer’s financial health going forward.

• How To Build Loyalty Without A Loyalty Program

  9/27/2013

  Alon Brands, operator of 300 7-11 convenience stores and fuel supplier for 500 others, builds loyalty through brand recognition, rather than points and a card.

• ASIS 2013 — Video Steals The Show Again

  9/26/2013

  Cloud-based solutions, remote viewing, and cross-operational benefits show retailers where the ROI is right now.