I came upon this entry at a forum at IVillage Garden web. It concerns Proven Winners entry into the box stores. I find it interesting that the comments soon morph into peoples feelings about Wal Mart and Home Depot, and less about Proven Winners. Never the less, a brand which was exclusive to independents has decided to  get involved with the box stores. It's a shame, and in the long run will diminish the brand. Until then they will reap the benefits of the alliance, and slowly what made them special will be no more. I am surprised, yet not surprised at Proven Winners decision to enter the box store market. It seems it's the trend to start with the independents, have them build the brand into something special, and then offer that same product to the mass merchandisers, leaving the very people who built the brand behind. Here is the results for a search of my zip code and the nearest retailer for Proven Winners. Of course, Home Depot comes up first, before the retailers that have been carrying the brand all this time.

The worst part for Proven Winners is all the negative publicity this move has already made. The fact that the brand is being talked about at IVillage Forum does not bode well. I would also hope that other retailers will think twice about putting their time and money behind brands that head down that road.