• Back To School: Parents Shop Earlier; Teens Cut Way Back by Sarah Mahoney

    [Retail] The National Retail Federation, which says 20% of parents have set aside a portion of their stimulus check for back-to-school purchases, says purse strings will be loosest in the electronics aisle, with average spending of $151.61 there, up from $129.24 last year. ...Read the whole story

  • Anheuser First-Half Performance Validates Strategy, Execs Report by Karlene Lukovitz

    [Beverages] Net sales grew 4.6% for the quarter (to $4.7 billion) and 5.3% year to date (to $8.8 billion), while diluted earnings per share increased 9.2% and 7.1% for the respective periods. A-B's initiatives over the past two years, including new products such as Bud Light Lime, "are gaining traction with consumers," said VP/CFO W. Randolph Baker, during the company's Q2 earnings conference call. ...Read the whole story

  • Duracell Spot Leads To Sales Spurt For Featured Product by Les Luchter

    [Packaged Goods] "I'd much rather be shipping product than taking backorders," says BrickHouse Security's Todd Morris. He says he had prepared for sales to double due to the Duracell commercial, but "the reaction has been much more than we expected." For one thing, the spot includes no info on where to buy the Child Locator, let alone any call for action. "Vast numbers of people have been hunting us down," Morris explains. "They have to Google us to find us." ...Read the whole story

  • PepsiCo Has Strong Q2 Despite N.A. Beverage Declines by Karlene Lukovitz

    [Beverages] The company cited cross-brand sales declines in convenience stores and slowing growth in unflavored waters as key factors in the N.A. performance. The region's carbonated soft drink portfolio gained market share, but volume declined 2%. Low single-digit gains for Mountain Dew and Sierra Mist partially offset a mid single-digit decline for Pepsi. Non-carbonated beverages volume dropped 4% due to unflavored water performance. ...Read the whole story

  • JC Penney Reaches For Teen Market On New Social Site by Nina Lentini

    [Retail] The digital advertising program for the back-to-school shopping season features a comprehensive guide called "Back-to-School Central" on Kaboodle.com. The guide will feature more than 500 products, many of which will be provided JC Penney. Says a spokesperson for the retailer: "We are always looking for unique, engaging ways to get to that target market. And this is where our customers are." ...Read the whole story

  • Will Smith: The Brand by Aaron Baar

    According to a study, Smith is the most likeable celebrity, with 83% of American consumers saying they liked him "strongly" or "somewhat." But here's the ... ...More

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