MONTVALE, N.J. – We somehow missed this one over the holidays. Jane Parker is BACK. Apparently, the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (NYSE: GAP) re-introduced Jane Parker Fruitcake, and now is making the selling of this brand a yearly holiday tradition. Could Ann Page spices be next? As farMORE HERE
RICHMOND – So Circuit City is in trouble, and the press is reporting that the company has days to either be purchased, or liquidated. We can’t predict what will happen. All we know is that we went int o the Sarasota store today, and there were customers. That might showMORE HERE
If General Motors has a hard time selling cars, at least they can sell some parts. Their AC Delco brand is gold. Use it. BrandlandUSA.com is the website of business and travel writer and editor Garland Pollard. Contact him about freelance writing and editing; his personal website is at GarlandPollard.comMORE HERE
NORWAY – So it’s an awful time to launch a new boat model, but a new model might just sell if it as good looking as the Fjord 40, a Norwegian powerboat designed by Patrick Banfield and Jim Wilshire. It was 2008 European Powerboat of the Year. First, we don’tMORE HERE
Amazingly, pieces of the 1964 New York World’s Fair are still around, and draw interest. Not only is the park there, with all its pieces (museum, marina) but pieces of the fair are scattered about the United States, still drawing attendance. This is proof that the idea of the parkMORE HERE
Here, a little AMF Bowling pre-Christmas promotion, connected to DreamWorks’ Madagascar. The reverse gives a free bowling game for 10, as well as a promo for the Madagascar Bowling Club. Keeping bowling fresh, and making it a great family activity, are exactly what the brand needs to do. BrandlandUSA.com isMORE HERE
Drive Thru Restaurant Analysis? SARASOTA – Here in this retiree mecca, you can get a pretty good indication of the health of America’s restaurants as you drive down our highway strip, Tamiami Trail. Of the chains along U.S. 41, a newly opened Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) is packed, and allMORE HERE
Sometimes you bury pride and sell on price. Remember Ed Rooney, in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? He drove a government issue K-car. During the 1980s, the Plymouth K-car was what the government bought when it needed something basic. If you were lucky, it had a $79 AM radio. We heardMORE HERE
NEW YORK– So you need an idea for a business card? Try this one. The above card was in the back of an old desk that was once in the Abraham & Straus department store in Brooklyn. It is a simple card, no ostentation, all business. Those who know, knowMORE HERE
DUBLIN – The Irish-based owners of Wedgwood, Waterford, Royal Doulton and Rosenthal have put the company into receivership, the British word for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The 1986 merger of the two into Waterford Wedgwood PLC, with ticker WTFU, was a mistake; a company like Waterford or Wedgwood is NOT aboutMORE HERE