Tipsheet: Blue Apron-Like Food Stamps | Costco Food-Court Kiosks | Coca-Cola C-store Slushy
Equifax names Home Depot exec to lead security by Michael E. Kannel at AJC. “Jamil Farshchi, who was hired by Home Depot after that company’s data breach, takes the slot at Equifax about five months after the company revealed that hackers had accessed the personal information of more than 145 million Americans held in Equifax systems.” Read more
Amazon’s Latest Ambition: To Be a Major Hospital Supplier by Melanie Evans & Laura Stevens at Wall Street Journal. “Amazon recently dispatched employees to a large Midwestern hospital system, where hospital officials are testing whether they can use Amazon Business to order health-care supplies for the hospital system’s roughly 150 outpatient facilities, according to a hospital official overseeing the efforts.” Read more (subs.)
Trump Wants to Cut Food Stamps—And Replace Them With Blue Apron-Like Meal Kits by Natasha Bach at Fortune. “Mick Mulvaney explained that “part” of food stamp recipients’ benefits would “come in…a Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash.” The proposal, called “America’s Harvest Box,” would reportedly contain “homegrown” products…” Read more
…Dollar Store Stocks Drop on News at Bloomberg via Fortune. “But the changes — if implemented — would extend to a broad swath of the grocery industry, including Walmart Inc. and Kroger Co. The food-stamp program served 42.2 million people during the 2017 fiscal year.” Read more
…Blue Apron shares spike on earnings beat, improvements at New Jersey facility at CNBC. Read more
Target partners with Honeyfund to add cash gifts to its wedding registry by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “The team responsible for building Target’s online registry saw Honeyfund appear on “Shark Tank,” and thought it would be cool to integrate the honeymoon registry service into Target’s own.” Read more
Costco stores test computerized food-court ordering kiosks by Samantha Gowen at Orange Country Register. “Shoppers simply tap icons on a touch-screen, click to pay with a credit or debit card, and slide over to the pickup window with a receipt. (Sorry, no cash at the kiosk.) We tried it Sunday at the Tustin District location and had an order of chicken Caesar salad, a hot dog and soda in about 2 minutes from beginning to end.” Pics/Read more
**A message from Innovation Avenue at 2018 Sweets & Snacks Expo – Be first to market with the newest candy and snack products! Nominees chosen for Innovative Awards go on to enjoy sweet success – see the 2017 Innovation Winners. Put yourself in the center of the single largest gathering of confectionery & snack companies under one roof – schedule your trip now! Chicago, May 22-24, 2018. Website | Exhibitors
THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS – 80% of Sears’ U.S. stores are within a 15-minute drive of a Home Depot, Lowe’s and/or Best Buy location at CNBC. Read more
Barnes & Noble is laying off lead cashiers and digital leads at CNBC. “ Read more
…Barnes & Noble Appoints Timothy Mantel as Chief Merchandising Officer “Mr. Mantel previously held the role of Chief Merchandising Officer for GNC Corporation.” Press release
Coca-Cola expands its instant slushy-making machine by Eric Mendel at Atlanta Business Chronicle. “Put a bottle on the platform and, after an “invisible shiver” through the liquid, it transforms into a slushy within seconds. Kim Drucker, director of platform innovation for Coca-Cola North America, likens the resulting product to being a Coke “in a cup with soft, crushed ice.” Video/Read more
Land of Nod shutters brick-and-mortar locations by Gina Hall at Chicago Business Journal. “Crate & Barrel, which owns the ritzy children’s furniture store, confirmed that it shuttered its Land of Nod retail stores…Land of Nod will continue to have an e-commerce presence, and Land of Nod products will roll out in 15 Crate & Barrel brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S.” Read more
Walgreens in talks to buy AmerisourceBergen at Reuters. Read more
Target will roll out same-day delivery in Twin Cities next month by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “As Shipt launches in the Twin Cities, Target will end its partnership with Instacart in this market. It is expected to do the same in the other markets where it had offered delivery through Instacart — Chicago and San Francisco — once Shipt rolls out to those areas.” Read more (tiered subs.)
California’s drought restrictions on wasteful water habits could be coming back — this time they’ll be permanent by Steve Scauzillo at Orange County Register. “This means the powerful agency would no longer need a “drought emergency” declaration from the governor to act, like the ones issued by Gov. Jerry Brown during the state drought between 2012 and 2017.” Read more
Amazon confirms job cuts at Seattle headquarters, hundreds of positions impacted by John Cook at GeekWire. “About 500 people are losing their jobs, though those impacted were offered other positions inside the company, a source tells GeekWire.” Read more
Exxon Sues Its Antagonists in a Fierce Climate-Change Lawsuit by Bob Van Vorris at Bloomberg. “The company has targeted at least 30 people and organizations, including the attorneys general of New York and Massachusetts, hitting them with suits, threats of suits or demands for sworn depositions.” Read more
While U.S. malls are dying a slow death, malls in Mexico are thriving by Robbie Whelan at Wall Street Journal. “…there are 34 shopping mall projects under construction in Mexico right now comprising a total of 15.8 million square feet of leasable retail space expected to be completed in 2018. That is roughly twice the amount of mall square footage delivered last year.” Read more (subs.)
Stone Brewery sues Keystone over “‘stone” name by Daniel Wheaton at San Diego Tribune. “Keystone’s rebranding is no accident,” said Dominic Engels, Stone Brewing CEO. “MillerCoors tried to register our name years ago and was rejected. Now its marketing team is making 30-pack boxes stacked high with nothing but the word ‘STONE’ visible.” Read more
Tipsheet Extra Stories
Former country crooner with amazing musical past found working in Kroger store
O.J. Simpson spotted on a Costco run
Deputies capture gator in Winn-Dixie parking lot, toss it in back of cop car (Video)
Why Diesel Opened a NYC Pop-Up Store Selling Knockoffs of Its Own Clothes
‘Oh Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven’ Creator Passes Away
DeLorean could be producing new cars next year
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