In honor of pre-Revolutionary Cuba, we examine Havana-related brand names HAVANA – We all have nostalgia for pre-Castro Cuba, and this is the year to remember what was, especially as Jan 1 is the 50th anniversary of when Fidel Castro declared victory over Fulgencio Batista‘s government. We can look backMORE HERE
LONDON – Woolworths Group PLC, one of the last remaining pieces of America’s F.W. Woolworth Company, might have a saviour for its brand. While the company, which is in bankruptcy administration, would be shut down, there are apparently groups interested in the company’s intellectual property, including the brand. In addition,MORE HERE
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,MORE HERE
LONDON – Decades of missteps and a brutal retail recession have hurt the British retailer Woolworth’s, which was one of the few surviving legacies of the giant F.W. Woolworth Co., a company that closed in the U.S. in the late 1990s. In mid-November, the stock price was less than £2.MORE HERE
An often unsung, but interesting British department store chain is Fenwick. It is not one of the big London stores that tourists know, but instead it was one of literally hundreds that were across the British isles, and Empire. Others have disappeared, including Ricemans was a modern, post-war department storeMORE HERE
In slowdowns of years past, many retailers owned their own charge card portfolio. That meant something powerful. A retailer could talk directly to its consumers, without someone like GE as an intermediary, and run specials, reduce financing or in general juke up sales. This option has gone from most retailers.MORE HERE
Here, Bloomingdale’s at Orlando’s Mall of Millenia. Visit our main website, www.brandlandusa.com to find out about some of the department store brands that DIDN’T make it through the consolidations of the former Federated Department Stores. Questions? E-mail the editor, Sarasota freelance writer Garland PollardMORE HERE
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 thatMORE HERE
It looks like Wal-Mart has become the museum of Great American Brand Names. Need a Vassarette undergarment? There it is, on the shelves, just like it’s 1942! For the last four years, Wal-Mart has sold Grapette soda. It sells the soda as a sub-brand of the Sam’s Choice store brand.MORE HERE
On the way to church, walking down Palm Avenue in downtown Sarasota, a friend remarks on our daughter wearing a white smocked dress. She reminds him of his sister, wearing maBest & Co. and later shopping at DePinna with his mother. DePinna? What happened to DePinna? Lisa Birnbach in herMORE HERE