Marketing Tactics

U.S. shoppers expect to spend more this holiday season, but also to drive a harder bargain, demanding more competitive pricing and an enhanced shopping experience  

A longtime San Francisco grocery banner will soon disappear.    Safeway will acquire Andronico’s Community Markets, which operates five Andronico’s stores in the San Francisco Bay Area.     

Story, the innovative retail store in Manhattan that totally reinvents itself every few months, is ready for the holidays with a one-stop shopping experience that offers something for everyone.    For its new installation, “Home for the Holidays,” the store has reconfigured its space into a series of designated rooms that correspond to different recipients on a shopper’s list: a living room for her, a library for him, a playroom for the kids, and a kitchen with something for everyone.   

Grocery retailer Winn-Dixie opened the second ever location of its next-generation store concept, in the Hyde Park section of Tampa, Florida.  

Petco will celebrate the grand opening of nine new stores nationwide in November and December.   The openings are in keeping with the company’s fast-paced 2016 growth plan, which includes 63 new Petco stores and one new Unleashed by Petco store year-to-date.   In addition to the nine new locations, Petco will also celebrate the grand reopening of a relocated store in Kettering, Ohio.  

Taubman is taking the Santa experience to a higher level — literally — at 12 malls this holiday season.   On Nov. 11, the mall owner and manager will debut “Santa’s Flight Academy,” where kids will be able to register as members of the jolly old elf’s flight crew, help Sleigh Mechanic George or Reindeer Caretaker Flash prepare for liftoff and engage in what Taubman is describing as an “immersive holiday experience.”  

Because of the tone and tenor of the presidential campaign, lots of folks might be surprised to learn there are many other significant races going on across the country. These so-called “down-ballot” elections for governors’ offices, U.S. House and Senate seats, state legislatures and other offices may hold the real clues for what the next four years entail for employers, no matter who wins the White House. Believe it or not, there are substantive candidates actually discussing substantive kitchen table issues that impact families and communities.