The economic recovery may not be ripe yet, but affluent shoppers are having no problems paying a premium for high-end groceries. Shares of upscale supermarket operator The Fresh Market hit fresh highs on Wednesday after the company posted blowout quarterly results.
The complaint among those who don't dig Starbucks' coffee is that it tastes "burnt," or as java connoisseurs say, "bold." With those people in mind, it's trying something new. But can Starbucks' milder Blonde roast lure customers away from its budget-priced competition?
Jason Bauer, CEO of the popular Crumbs Bake Shop, isn't worried about competition. In fact, he welcomes it. But with his company going public and with plans to expand from 34 stores to 200, he'll have to avoid the pitfalls of other dessert companies that rose too fast and fell.
Americans are returning to indulging in specialty foods the way they did before the recession, and they'll likely make big purchases of these affordable luxuries during the holidays. A recent survey showed 63% of American consumers purchased specialty food this year, up from 46% in 2009.
After Conde Nast's surprise shuttering of Gourmet last fall, Ruth Reichl, its editor-in-chief, was out of a job. While the 70-year-old title is back as an iPad app, Reichl herself has moved away from magazines and back to book publishing.
Conde Nast launched an iPad version of The New Yorker today. The editors of the venerable magazine say they are delighted -- if a little bewildered -- by the new technology.
In the last two years, dozens of top retailers have liquidated merchandise, shuttered stores and filed for bankruptcy. But thanks to customer loyalty and management smarts, brands once given up for dead are now alive and kicking.
Conde Nast was ruthless with its print magazine titles in 2009, shuttering many niche favorites like Domino. Fans were thrilled this week when content from Domino began reappearing under the Brides magazine masthead on the company's Brides.com website.
Conde Nast is using 'Gourmet,' the food magazine it shut down last fall, as a low-risk guinea pig for digital development.
