Best Practices

NEW YORK - Consumer confidence fell in January for the second straight month, largely because Americans are less optimistic about the job market and any increases in their incomes, the New York-based Conference Board reported Tuesday.

MILFORD, Conn. - The Subway restaurant chain has been named the No. 1 franchise opportunity for 2003 by Entrepreneur Magazine in its 24th annual Franchise 500 rankings.

SAN FRANCISCO - Environmentalists have sued the federal government to prevent it from labeling tuna "dolphin safe" if fishermen encircled the dolphins to make the catch.

The Michigan retailer challenges Wal-Mart and maintains local product assortments with a solution from NCR's Teradata.

Publix Super Markets is eyeing 15 to 30 stores in the Nashville, Tenn., area, according to industry experts and published reports.

November 20, 2002 -- SAN DIEGO, CA -- ICON Group International Ltd. today released two comprehensive studies on labor productivity and vertical gap analysis benchmarks for The Kroger Co.

MILWAUKEE - While consumer confidence has been low for the past several months despite a recent upturn, customer satisfaction and consumer spending continue to rise, according to the latest results of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday it would not challenge Kroger Co.'s acquisition of 18 Raley's Corp. supermarkets in Las Vegas.