Comag Marketing Group, LLC

Shoppers normally devoted to Britain’s Marks & Spencer are reconsidering their loyalty due to pricing competition from Aldi .  Consumers are realizing significant savings through Aldi’s competitive pricing strategies.  Their corporate web-site includes a savings calculator used to determine how much money one can save by shopping in their outlets.
The Times of London
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The Times of London

White Plains, NY-based yogurt maker Dannon last fall assembled a “shelf-obsession team” to press its case for expanded display space at retail.  The special-operations-type unit supports existing sales teams with account-specific market research and merchandising concepts gleaned from Dannon’s global operations.  Sure to be among their oft-cited research is that the dairy category comprises 9% of grocery store sales, [...]

With the price of gas increasing weekly, magazines are facing steeper-then-usual sales declines.  Particularly, men’s titles and news magazines are down the most, though categories across the board show declines.  To combat this decline, some different options are being thrown around.  Some titles have the opportunity of hiking up cover prices.  For others, with the average cover [...]

Condé Nast plans to launch a UK version of Wired magazine and its accompanying website sometime in the first half of next year. David Rowan, who will be the lead editor of the title, is very excited about the launch and had this to say: “When I got approached by the best magazine publisher in [...]

Italian publisher Mondadori has finalized a deal to sell six sports magazines to the French publisher Motor Presse France for 8.3 million euros. The magazines included in the transaction are Le Cycle, l’Officiel du Cycle de la Moto et du Quad, Bateaux, Golf Europeen, Golf Magazine and Guides Bel-air. The magazines, published by Mondadori’s French [...]

On Friday, Safeway opened its Lifestyle format in Bellevue, Washingon, replacing an older Safeway supermarket. The store is the first of its kind in the Seattle market. The upscale Lifestyle format features a gelato bar, a nut bar, wine cellar, fireplace, sushi bar, and a Starbucks. Progressive Grocer (June 30, 2008)

Bob Gremillion has been named interim publisher for the Chicago Tribune. Gremillion expects to hold the job for a couple of months maximum and said that he would decline a permanent job if offered.  E and P (June 29, 2008)

Some $50 billion worth of U.S. Treasury economic stimulus checks mailed to taxpayers in April and May led to an after-tax income gain of 5.4% and an inflation-adjusted consumer spending gain of 0.4% last month.  “‘You pump out $50 billion in a couple months time, and there ought to be some noticeable impact,’ said Joshua [...]

Empire Company Ltd., owner of the Sobeys grocery chain,  has announced a 4th Q2007 profit of $66.5-million, up from $64.8-million for the 4thQ 2006.Â
The Canadian Press

War on Want, the charity group, has accused Tesco, the United Kingdom’s largest grocery chain, of retailing clothes that were created under slave labor conditions.   It is alleged that Tesco is buying their clothes from a textile factory that, in India, pays it’s employees $17.29 (USD) for a 54 hour week.  This equates to $.32 per hour.
The Times [...]