Target, Inc.

Walgreens chief innovation officer Colin Watts was in town last week to host a jury preview of the upcoming Product of the Year awards, an annual consumer-driven competition.

Walmart, Kroger, Target, Safeway, Publix and Wegmans were cited as consistent top performers in the eyes of their trading partners since 1997, according to results of Cannondale Associates’ annual PoweRanking Study.

Lingering fickle consumer purchasing behavior, coupled with deflationary pressures and an aggressive pricing and promotional strategy, significantly affected Supervalu’s second-quarter sales and margins, with a 42 percent plunge in profits that dropped to $74 million, or 35 cents a share, from $128 million, or 60 cents, a year earlier.

The home front has become the battlefront in the consumer’s war against shrinking incomes and budgets. Home-cooked meals have replaced restaurant dining.

According to the recent J.D. Power and Associates 2009 National Pharmacy Study, in the area of customer satisfaction, Wegmans ranked highest in the supermarket segment, with a score of 865, followed by Winn-Dixie with 860 and Publix with 855. In the mass merchandiser segment, Target came in first in customer satisfaction for a third straight year, with a score of 831, while Costco (818) and Sam’s Club (813) were second and third.

Keene, N.H.-based C&S Wholesale Grocers plans to use wireless technology with its fleet for better cold chain visibility and control of its refrigerated products.

Long lines and poorly stocked shelves may well await holiday shoppers this season. According to an annual hiring report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement agency, retailers will be hesitant in adding seasonal employees to their staffs this year.

Target Corp.’s directors have voted to declassify its board structure, which, subject to approval by 75 percent of shareholders at its 2010 annual meeting, would reduce directors’ terms to one year from three.