The importance of Remus

Why is the Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken Restaurant important? It's inside a Chicago Wal-Mart, of course, and it is a sign the retail giant is trying to be a good neighbor and sensitive to local needs. This AP story from STLtoday describes Wal-Mart's urban outreach, characterized by this Chicago store that opened last September. The success of local businesses around the urban Wal-Mart will be closely watched to see if this initiative is a "publicity stunt" or an anchor for redevelopment.

The New York Times takes a run at Whole Foods today in this feature, asking "Is Whole Foods Straying from its roots?" Some jilted organic consumers say the chain is not doing enough for the local growers. Whole Foods move toward the middle is not a problem until their stockholders tell them otherwise.

Here, Target misses the mark, but it's good news. The company beat fourth quarter estimates. It brings to mind what one former Target executive told me about the company. "Ready Fire Aim!", he said, is one of their tenets of business. Now I'm not sure what that means - perhaps they are more nimble and quicker to respond than Wal-Mart - but the concept of shooting first and asking questions later appears to work for them.