2017Issue6_Alabama_v9.indd

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OUTSIDE THE BOX NEW RETAIL PERSPECTIVES

Opening an ice cream shop in the summer seems like a no-brainer and a potential cash cow. But Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream in Cary, N.C. – the middle of the lucrative area known as the Research Triangle or Silicon Valley East – is bringing a new twist to the business with flavors like baklava, lemon- basil sorbet and a rotating vegan option made with coconut milk. There will also be doughnut ice cream sundaes and ice cream cannoli. Not exactly diet food, but who cares?

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MILK WARS

Remember the neighborhood milkman who delivered daily to your door – he’s back! Illinois-based Oberweis Dairy has begun delivering “gently pasteurized” milk in glass bottles, cheese, ice cream and other products to homes in Morrisville, N.C., in an effort to muscle in on territory claimed by two other local dairies. Seems like an old-fashioned price war is shaping up with the new kid on the block offering a free cooler and a reduced delivery fee, although product prices are about 10 percent higher than local supermarkets. Maybe Amazon will want a piece and start drone deliveries to the front porch!

The annual payments survey by the Retail Bulletin has found that in the UK debit cards have surpassed cash as the top payment method. New rules by the EU Interchange Fee Regulation are delivering savings of nearly $600 million to retailers and customers. However, cash isn’t going to disappear any time soon due to the relatively high cost of processing card payments. Meanwhile, the survey found that credit card payments continue to fall an indication of where investments in technology should be. CASH AIN’T KING ANYMORE

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If you’ve never heard of Cheerwine don’t worry – fewpeople have. This soft drinkhas been a Southern staple since it was introduced in 1917 and the North Carolina-based company recently brought the cherry flavored beverage to the White House as part of American-Made week. But there’s a newer twist. Cheerwine has partnered with Krispy Kreme for a soda that tastes like the doughnut’s original glaze. If you listen closely you can hear the cheers from dentists all over the Carolinas. Cheers

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