CHICAGO – The recent addition of the storied Cannon brand to Sears, Roebuck (NYSE: SHLD) is further evidence that the chain has a smart brand strategy. Cannon is now appearing in revamped home decorating sections in Sears, and they are making full use of the power of the brand to make Sears unique. Sears is [...]

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NEW YORK – We need to end this crap right now. Does everything have to be torn down, rebuilt, and then torn down again. So we are reading an AP story about Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs. It reads: Standing in the plush visitors’ clubhouse of Yankee Stadium, Carlos Zambrano made a plea for Chicago [...]

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Except for the success of discounters like Wal-Mart Stores (WMT), BJ’s Wholesale Club (BJ), Dollar Tree (DLTR), Family Dollar Stores (FDO) and Dollar General, it feels like 1932. That being said, not all retailers will go the way of Circuit City and Linens-n-Things. So the question becomes what retailers can do to tread water through [...]

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OH COME ALL YE FAITHFUL DOWNTOWN, USA – It’s the Christmas shopping season. Not less than a decade ago, most parents had a nearby downtown department store. The visit would usually entail seeing Santa, buying some presents, and in general, picking up some civic spirit and sense of community. That is all gone. Almost. Thankfully, [...]

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Those fans of the Marshall Field’s department store will rally again Tuesday, not only to express support for the Field’s name TWO years after Macy’s killed it off, but to celebrate a new book on the iconic Chicago department store. Details and information are at FieldsFansChicago.org. It’s quite amazing that folks love a department store [...]

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It is always a good idea to remember the lessons of brand-killing mistakes. While most know the case of New Coke, there are other products that have returned because of consumer pressure. One of our favorite fan sites relating to a bad decision is Bovril. In 2004, Unilever removed beef from the product and made [...]

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The brand licensing company that brought Candie’s back will now own some of the greatest linen, home and bath brands in the world. New York based Iconix Brand Group Inc. (Ticker ICON) announced Oct. 3, 2007 that it had purchased Official Pillowtex LLC, the licensing company that owns the towel and sheet brands Cannon, Royal [...]

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Target now sells the U.K.’s Boots-branded health and beauty products in their U.S. discount stores. CVS is now selling out of Boots No7 Restore & Renew Beauty Serum. Why is this of interest to BrandlandUSA, which is usually concerned with reviving dead brands?

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Give the Lady What She Wants. Are you listening, Macy’s? You heard a protest of 200 folks, telling you that they loved your store. While it might not seem like alot to you, the reality is that if 200 people would dress up on a Sunday afternoon in odd costume and protest, there are about [...]

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BrandlandUSA’s first polling contest is over. In our poll, we asked readers the simple question. “What department store do you miss most?” Our readers top pick for a store to bring back? F. W. Woolworth, America’s legendary five and dime. We assume it’s probably because we’ve been writing about the tragedy of former parent company [...]

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