What Freedonia Analysts Are Chatting About…

Freedonia analysts participate in a group chat where they share news, notes, and commentary of general interest... or things that entertain us. Sometimes, we are just sharing links. Other times, the links spark conversation. Below are excerpts from a few of those recent conversations:

• Lowe's Is Making This Major Change to Stores, Starting in February -- Lowe's is adding Petco shops to stores in February.

“This has been a store-within-a-store extension recently... they are going more the way of Tractor Supply with this (pet & home supplies in one place) concentrating more on the home/decor/consumer angle and leaving more of the contractor/professional side to Home Depot. You can see that in the look/style of the stores too.”

“Tractor Supply is big in our area and we get a ton of ads for their pet products.”

“Another recent store-within-a-store example is Sephora in Kohl’s.”

“Interesting! But stores have to be careful not to get too cluttered.”

“What happens when there is a store-within-a-store-within-a-store?... META”

• Electric roadway will charge your EV while you're driving -- Vehicles with wireless charging could drive non-stop, with unlimited range

“Who will pay for it?”

“I think the technology started in the electric/hybrid bus industry. There was a lot of innovative charging technologies being developed for transit buses over the last 5 years or so. A few years ago, scientists in the Netherlands also had an idea of incorporating light and screens into the road to broadcast warnings to motorists that are driving. Interesting that people are rethinking something as simple as the road.”

“They have those electric roadways that charge EVs in Sweden. It seems much more feasible in a country that small.”

“Does it matter that Sweden’s roads are colder? Would a desert area be able to use them?”

“Trivia: roads in Las Vegas can reach 160 degrees”

•  Shortage of Disposable Coffee Cups Stirs an American Energy Crisis -- Mucked-up supply chains, freak storms, unfilled paper-mill jobs all have a hand in turning to-go cups into one of the most precious goods in the U.S.

“Hahaha ‘energy crisis’… wait, my cup is empty now too – more coffee!”

“Might hurry along the BYOC trend again... sell the beverage, not the cup!”

“I think some people are still squeamish about handling others' stuff (maybe especially something like a cup)”

“They had a process for it pre-pandemic... I'm sure they can do it again.”

“Starbucks has had its reusable cup discount back in place since June. ‘Starbucks held extensive trials and has adopted this new process, using a ceramic mug to transport the reusable cup through the bar, in EMEA and Asia Pacific to reintroduce reusable cups with confidence. Only clean cups will be accepted.’”

•  Trucker protest over vaccine mandates at US-Canada bridge heightens economic worries

“Is the trucker protest in Canada going to cause a lot of trouble as the shipping containers parked out at sea?  I know that it's not nearly as expansive an event as the ships, but…”

“The bridge carries 30% of all truck trade between the US and Canada, so I think there will be pushes from both sides to cut this as short as possible.”

“See this? ‘New Zealand police arrest Covid protesters as 'freedom convoys' spread’ Some countries are already cracking down.”

“It may, if it persists or spreads. They are rerouting trucks north to a different bridge, but there is a 17 mile backup at this point.”

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