INDUSTRY PHILANTHROPY — Support Research for Breast Cancer
In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, commissaries and exchanges are merchandising a wide variety of products that allow patrons to make their own contributions to the fight against breast cancer. While space constraints prevent E and C News from listing all the companies sponsoring related promotions, the following is a sampling of what is happening in the world of military resale.
• APPLE & EVE • McNETT • GENERAL MILLS • WILEY X • BIC WORLD
Read the complete INDUSTRY PHILANTHROPY ...AAFES INTERVIEW: AAFES Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mike Howard
Focusing On What Makes Our Business Unique
In his more than 40 years with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), and in particular the past six years as chief operating officer (COO), Mike Howard has witnessed the transformation of a resale organization with a strong 117- year history of service into one that is even more committed to closely aligning itself with patrons' desires, and enhancing their shopping experience.
In this exclusive interview with E and C News, Howard discusses the expansion of the Exchange's online sales portfolio; the current challenges that face the exchange service; its efforts to understand patrons and improve their shopping experience; and leadership's plans to grow the business to match customers' wants and needs. ...
“Good category management
needs to understand how the customer
behaves. The approach is
simple: we want to understand
and listen to the feedback shoppers
give us every day so that we
can provide an experience that
drives a return visit.”
— AAFES COO Mike Howard
NEXCOM Q&A:
NEXCOM Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer Michael Good
NEXCOM's Customer-Centric Benefit: Relevant and Connected
With its retail sector reflecting growth of 1.4 percent over prior year and services generating a 2.6 percent increase, the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) is holding a steady course through stiff economic headwinds. It's a vector that NEXCOM Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Michael Good anticipates will hold for the balance of the year. Although commodity fluctuations, such as a 5.5-percent decline in gasoline prices, have temporarily flattened out the overall sales curve, the Navy Exchange's retail operations remain healthy. NEXCOM's committment to adjust and ensure its offerings and services are relevant to the Navy, and Navy patrons' needs, form the foundation of its strategy to deliver the benefit. ...
“The leadership of the military exchanges
and DeCA has a firm commitment
to pursue collaborative
efforts to the maximum extent. The
CEOs and directors meet quarterly
to review progress, and individual
working groups meet monthly.”
— NEXCOM EVP and COO Michael Good
CGX: Coast Guard Exchange Director of Merchandise Sarah Mikus
Refining Store Formats, Increasing Branded Presence
It's all going on at the Coast Guard Exchange (CGX) — a new CGXpress store model, a “MarketPlace” grocery collaboration with the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), a softlines collaboration with the Army & Air Force Exchange System (AAFES), to name but a few exciting new initiatives.
The business model shift away from reliance on traditional cornerstone categories such as tobacco may represent a significant change of heading for the exchange system, but the course has been reset for increased sales and productivity in other product categories.
In this exclusive interview, CGX's Director of Merchandise, Sarah Mikus discusses the exchange service's newest merchandising strategies; the powerful impact of advertised categories; and how CGX is reaching out to authorized shoppers wherever they are stationed. ...
“Recently, there has been a sales decline in the tobacco
industry. Coupled with the business model shift
away from the category, it places even more importance
on our continued efforts to modernize our stores and
create an exciting and enjoyable shopping experience
for our customers.”
— Coast Guard Exchange Director of Merchandise Sarah Mikus
AAFES TACTICAL — Total Team Effort
JR Chidester, Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) divisional merchandise manager (DMM) responsible for Military Clothing (MC) since April 2011, is proud of the MC program that he serves. He recently told E and C News that the team he is part of is one of the keys to the success of this area in Exchange stores.
“The Military Clothing team is a unique team, and we support Airmen and Soldiers like no other store within the Exchange,” he said. Members of the team include Tactical Pod teammates Senior Buyer Paul Atherton; Planning, Allocation and Replenishment (PAR) Manager Roger Wulff; Planner Christi Redfearn; and Allocators Andrea Jones and Christine Chu Ba.
“Our store managers are experts of their trade and do a phenomenal job of supporting customers, whether for a service dress for a formal occasion or a utility uniform, tactical gear or equipment as the member deploys,” he observed. “As such, our buying staff supports the troops in a unique way, providing uniforms and boots specifically approved by the service for their wear.” ...
Read more AAFES TACTICAL ...MILITARY RESALE MARKET DEMOGRAPHICS
Operating 503 exchanges and 247 commissaries, as well as hundreds of smaller convenience stores, package stores, troop stores and other facilities, the military resale system is to be found wherever U.S. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines or Coastguardsmen fly the flag, providing essential quality-of-life support for servicemembers and their families. These pages present statistical information — demographic, geographic and financial — on the military resale system and its customers. ...
Review the complete MILITARY RESALE MARKET DEMOGRAPHICS ...MILITARY RESALE MARKET DEMOGRAPHICS — WHERE THEY SERVE
As of Dec. 31, 2011, there were 1,217,901 U.S. military personnel stationed in the United States or its territories (up 89,203 from June 30, 2011): 491,298 Army personnel; 292,887 Navy; 157,016 Marine Corps; 276,700 Air Force. A total of 80,516 were posted in Europe (up 1,118 from June): 42,854 Army; 5,993 Navy; 1,011 Marine Corps; 30,658 Air Force. East Asia and the Pacific (primarily Japan and Korea**) quartered approximately 79,670 U.S. armed forces (up 5,313 from the number reported for June 2011): approximately 22,747 Army; 18,765 Navy; 17,535 Marine Corps; 20,623 Air Force. Excluding Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq, an additional 5,113 troops were stationed in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia (down 5,344 from June), and more than 57,000 elsewhere in the world. ...
Review the complete MILITARY RESALE MARKET DEMOGRAPHICS — Where They Serve ...