Shortly after Verizon Wireless introduced an unlimited calling plan for $99.99 a month yesterday, AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA responded with similar pricing. The impact could be as great as when Sprint introduced flat-rate long-distance price for landline phones in the 1990s, says Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett. Sprint's move made it easier to compare plans and hastened a rapid decline in prices. A small number of cell-phone power users are expected to benefit from the new plans, but investors see little chance for the carriers to recoup revenue by up-selling customers who pay less. Unlike …

Dillard's--which is repositioning itself above Macy's and Belk, and below Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's--is trying to evolve from moderate to better prices and update from traditional, basic product to more enticing fashion assortments. Some experts say Dillard's has not clearly differentiated itself, but Jim Stockman, Dillard's general merchandise manager of product development, says the key difference is that it brings fashion into more stores than its competitors. Dillard's has moved from the old "sea of racks" formula to showcasing key lines in in-store boutique settings. BCBG Max Azria, Peter Nygård, Lucky Brand Jeans and other labels have dedicated space, …

Authors of two book series for young readers have come to different conclusions about companies sponsoring mentions of their brands. The authors of "Cathy's Book: If Found Call (650) 266-8233," a genre-bending mystery, were criticized roundly by consumer groups in 2006 when it was revealed that they had agreed to have characters wear specific makeup lines made by Cover Girl in exchange for promotional ads for the book on beinggirl.com, a Web site aimed at adolescent girls and run by Procter & Gamble. Now the book is set to come out in paperback on Monday, and all references …

As rivals catch up to trend-setting Zara stores, the CEO of its parent company, Inditex SA, is attempting one of the fastest global expansions the fashion world has ever seen. Pablo Isla is opening hundreds of new stores and entering new markets. To save time and money, he's also changing the systems that have driven its success at Zara and its other store brands. Among the innovations, the world's second-largest clothing retailer by sales after Gap is introducing new methods to enable store managers to order and display merchandise faster and adding cargo routes for shipping goods. Stores are …

Several consumer groups have begun publicizing the recent settlement of a major lawsuit involving Sears kitchen ranges in an effort to step up federal consumer product safety legislation. The groups say that more than 100 people have been killed or injured from scalding and burns caused by hot foods and liquids spilling from the stove top, or from being crushed by a stove that has tipped over. Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, says the Sears case highlights the failure of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the shortcomings of legislation moving through Congress to strengthen it. "Voluntary …

As consumer concern about the impact of bottled water on the environment grows, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are fighting back with charitable ties and A-list celebrity endorsements. The efforts come as the $16 billion bottled water segment is suffering on two fronts: shifting consumer tastes to teas, enhanced waters and energy drinks; and plastic PET packaging which has riled environmentalists. PepsiCo will make a splash around World Water Day (March 22) when actor Matt Damon will promote his H20 Africa clean water initiative, to which PepsiCo donated $2.5 million, sources say. The star also is expected to trumpet the …

Bliss, Hershey's new premium chocolate candy, will be more closely watched next month than most product launches, as investors look for signs that the largest U.S. chocolate maker can recapture market share lost to rivals such as Mars. Hershey's management has acknowledged that it lacks the products to take advantage of demand for premium and dark chocolates. Missing out on growth in those segments was a key factor depressing Hershey sales and earnings last year, eventually leading to a sweeping overhaul of the board of directors. Hershey is counting on Bliss and a new line of chocolates it is …

Toshiba is preparing to drop its HD DVD format as early as today, sources say. The manufacturer--and the movie studios that backed HD DVD, such as Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Animation SKG and Universal Picture--now face the challenge of extricating themselves from the format without suffering further damage. Consumers who bought HD DVD players may still be able to add to their collections for a while. But the remaining studios still issuing titles in HD DVD are likely to make the switch to Blu-ray as soon as possible. "Your main impact could be consumers souring on your brand, because …