Cross-Merchandising

Bounty created new sales opportunities for retailers by putting its “quicker picker upper” heritage to the ultimate test as sponsor of the 14th Annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship.

If there is ever a time when a paper towel brand doesn’t want to betray the trust of consumers it’s when they are cleaning up after their beloved pet. So what better place to put the capabilities of the Bounty brand to the test, and create sales opportunities for retailers in the process, than by sponsoring one of the nation’s largest dog shows.

Fresh & Easy, the former Tesco-owned grocery format, is testing a dramatically new look at seven-plus stores in the Las Vegas market.

The stores have been remodeled with a more modern feel and layout and a greater emphasis on ready meal solutions, with such features as a “Fresh to Go” hot food bar, a pizza oven, a coffee bar and made-to-order sandwiches. There's also a revamped product selection with lower fixtures and a more abundant selection of fresh food. 

Seasonal excitement at seven of Gander Mountain’s 154 stores is being driven by a train-themed merchandising initiative called the Holiday Express.

In a first-of-its-kind effort, seven stores in Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, New York and Virginia feature the large seasonal display filled with activities and an area where kids can have a free photo taken with Santa.

Shoppers at Kmart who are looking for that must-have toy this holiday season will be also able to help raise money to end childhood cancer and other diseases.

Kmart has announced that beginning this Sunday through Dec. 13, the retailer will donate $1 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for every purchase from its annual Fab 15 toy list, up to a maximum donation of $25,000.  

In an effort to generate traffic and increase sales at its physical stores, Barnes & Noble has announced a secret weapon against Amazon.com this Black Friday.

Barnes & Noble recruited 100 prominent authors — including Donna Tartt, David Mitchell, Dan Brown, E. L. James, Jeff Kinney, George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton — to each sign roughly 5,000 copies of their latest books. The company will distribute and sell the 500,000 signed books among its retail stores only. The signed books will not be available on the company’s website.

CROSSMARK veteran Jim Norred was named president of the sales and marketing services company’s Marketing Solutions Group.

Norred most recently served as EVP of corporate development with responsibility for client services, business development, insights and corporate marketing. Prior to that, he served as the company’s CIO. He also has served as president of G2, an integrated marketing joint venture that ultimately was acquired by WPP in 2008.

Winn-Dixie is partnering with the Hershey Co. to outfit stores with a “Candy Experience” section: a new concept that has replaced the traditional candy aisle in a Winn-Dixie in Baton Rouge, La.  

Tests show that the new candy section, best described as a “store within a store,” can lift confection category sales for retailers by strong double digits. The candy experience sits at the front of the store, a dramatically different location from an aisle where consumers must hunt around for the candy shelves.