Kmart is confident about the future of retail. [Brandweek]

Consumers are regaining trust in retail companies. [Adweek]

FreeCreditReport isn't actually free at all. [Consumerist]

Banning drinking at work made Carlsberg workers mad. [Reuters]

Wal-Mart will cut prices on thousands of products. [WSJ]

Jamie Oliver makes fast food brands nervous. [Daily Finance]Continue reading...

Paperless Post, Evite's most recent competitor, found a way to make money. [NY Times]

British Airways employees continue into the second day of their strike. [WSJ]

Old-school fruit drink Zarex is experiencing a comeback in the Northeast. [Boston Herald]

Since Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment, who truly owns the heroes? [NY Times]

Palm is doing so poorly with sales, it just wants to break even. [CNN Money]

Kmart posts a too-good-to-be-true coupon that is too good to be true. [Consumerist]Continue reading...

Zappos.com dedicates its latest promotional ads to hard workers. [NY Times]

Apple finally decides on an April 3 release date for the iPad. [WSJ]

Coach lays a lawsuit on Kmart for counterfeiting. [Chicago Business]

Microsoft's new phones are not compatible with its old applications. [AP]

Many see the 2010 Academy Awards best film field as groundbreaking because the number of nominees has been increased from five to ten. There is however another way this year's nominee field is groundbreaking; for the first time, product placement plays an important role in a number of the best picture contenders. Continue reading...

In 1960, the Lady Kenmore washer offered everything you could dream of – a power timer with rinse and spin selection, a dispensing unit for detergent or fabric softener and a super-wash cycle for cold or warm water.

The 83-year old Kenmore brand is a piece of American history, launching the first freestanding range. Even Harry Truman purchased a Kenmore washing machine in 1969. Today, nearly one in every three American homes contains a Kenmore appliance. But for those stuck on memories of avocado-hued dishwashers from the 1970s, Sears wants to provide you with an update.
 
In a total revamp, Sears Holding Corp. is re-launching approximately 450 Kenmore appliance models with a more contemporary feel. The company realized that female consumers saw Kenmore as a brand that their grandmothers and mothers bought, but that didn’t necessarily speak to them. Betsy Owens, Kenmore vp told Brandweek, “… even great brands like Kenmore need to adopt and adjust and reinvent themselves periodically, and that is really what we’re doing [in this campaign],” she said.Continue reading...

Louis Vuitton gives consumers the chance to design their own bag with its new service. [WWD]

Tufts University has given prospective students the chance to apply via YouTube. [NY Times]

AOL created software for journalists that helps track data and traffic. [Businessweek]

Recently-formed credit card laws help shoppers organize spending and debt. [Reuters]

The Kia Sorento will be advertised in 45 magazines from 15 publishing houses. [Adweek]

Honda's Facebook fan page for its new Crosstour reveals unexpected complaints. [Boston Herald]Continue reading...

In recent years, Sears and its corporate sibling Kmart have been the ailing cousins to the virile Target and Wal-Mart, but some aggressive marketing and Web 2.0 thinking might keep those brands from joining A&S and Kaufmann’s in department store heaven.

Sears and Kmart are operated by Sears Holding Corporation, whose chairman is the billionaire Edward S. Lampert. The mercurial Lampert tends to run Sears the way George Steinbrenner ran the Yankees (constant executive turnover, pound-foolish penny-pinching), but just like “The Boss,” Lampert has opened his wallet for the players on the field, in this case apps and websites in the league of online retail, the Wall Street Journal reports.Continue reading...

What do Gibson Guitar, United Airlines, DHL, Hertz, and AutoZone have in common?

They are in the top ten of the 25 lowest-rated companies according to a survey of employees conducted by Glassdoor, an organization focused on transparency in the workplace.

The survey targeted eight key workplace factors: Senior Leadership, Communication, Employee Morale, Career Opportunities, Work/Life Balance, Compensation and Benefits, Recognition and Feedback, and Fairness and Respect. The results also address CEO approval ratings. Take this comment, for example:

“Good people overall…[but] An absolutely bizarre culture that top-to-bottom seems to revolve solely around trying not to upset the CEO.” – Anonymous Gibson EmployeeContinue reading...