Channel Strategies

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For decades, TV shows like “Cheers,” “The Simpsons,” “Sex and the City,” and “How I Met Your Mother,” among others, have highlighted the social tradition of meeting friends at a local bar or club for a drink. However, since the Great Recession, consumers seem to be pulling back on this tradition because of their lower levels of discretionary income.

Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, announced that through its partnership with Oprah Winfrey, which began a year ago, sales of Teavana Oprah Chai have now raised more than $5 million for youth organizations in the United States and Canada.

Beverage Marketing Corp. (BMC), New York, and Technomic Inc., Chicago, announced a new strategic alliance between the two firms. Through this alliance, BMC and Technomic will provide unparalleled depth of market information to the ever-evolving beverage industry, its suppliers and advisers, the companies report.

Although consumers tend to be loyal to their preferred drug stores, 30 percent are more likely to patronize a drug store if it has a loyalty card that offers savings, thus increasing shopper loyalty, according to Diana Smith, senior research analyst of retail and apparel at Mintel.

During the recession, the countercyclical discount retail channel experienced years of growth, even to the point of becoming one of the fastest-growing retail channels during the time period, according to “Dollar & Variety Stores in the US,” an April 2014 report by IBISWorld.

Seattle-based Jones Soda Co. announced the official launch and expansion of its premium Jones Cane Sugar Soda fountain program.

The Nightclub & Bar Show (NCB) will celebrate its 30^th anniversary this year. The event will take place March 30-April 1 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. An estimated 39,000 industry professionals will be in attendance.

With gas prices down 31 percent since June 2014 and oil prices were around $85 a barrel, American Consumer Confidence has improved, going up 12 percentage points year over year, New York-based Nielsen reports.

During the recession, private-label products enjoyed increasing popularity as consumers looked for new ways to save on everyday purchases during the economic downturn. In fact, U.S. consumers spent $120 billion on private-label products during the past year, marking a year-over-year increase of 2.1 percent, according to Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI). However, this growth now seems to be leveling off, and this small uptick was largely driven by price increases, it reports.

In celebration of National Hot Tea Month, Starbucks Coffee Co. brand Teavana released its newest handcrafted variety: Winterberry Green Tea Blend. Available in all Teavana stores, Winterberry is a blend of green tea infused with hints of strawberry and citrus, the Seattle-based company says.