The Great Recession hit the image-drivenTarget particularly hard, and now its path forward must balance its historical commitment to innovation with a practical orientation that will resonate with a more deliberative guest. As Walmart refines Project Impact and other retailers refashion key departments, Target’s position on the shopper decision tree will require fine-tuning its reliance on “edginess” while asserting its emphasis on functional value. Among many new initiatives underway, PFresh has generated the greatest investment, but some see a tension between the financial and shopper motivations of the strategy and are more intrigued by the prospects of mobile media vehicles and newer store formats to propel Target’s growth.

Constrained by the limits imposed by debt, competition, the economy, and its own structural challenges, Supervalu remains a customer more focused on risk than it is on growth. In a slow-to-no-growth environment, it is difficult for a supplier brand to engage and manage category or item development without a clear understanding of the total context of the retailer’s concerns. Join Kantar Retail as we assess Supervalu’s strategy in the context of the ever-changing US retail supermarket landscape, look at areas of opportunity as well as concern from the customer’s perspective, and outline areas where a vendor can create positive value with this complex and deeply challenged customer.