Tipsheet: Retail ‘Shipping Crisis’ | Pilot’s $100M Bathrooms | New Wmart Center in NC? | Pippen Touts Kmart

 

Retailers Seek U.S. Help With Shipping Crisis by Paul Ziobro & Costas Paris at Wall Street Journal. “While the situation is still developing, the prospect of harm is significant and apparent,” Sandra Kennedy, president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, wrote in a letter to the Department of Commerce and the Federal Maritime Commission. Hanjin’s recent bankruptcy filing “presents an enormous challenge to U.S. shippers,” she said, and “could have a substantial impact on consumers and the economy at large.” Read more (subscription)

 

Hanjin, the world’s seventh-largest container shipper, represents nearly 8 percent of the trans-Pacific trade volume for the U.S. market by Robert Jablon at AP via AJC. Read more

 

When buying on Amazon means a sale for Wal-Mart or Target by Courtney Reagan at CNBC. “…The orders were placed with standard shipping, and without the use of membership program. Of the 32 items ordered from Amazon, the majority of which were fulfilled by third-party vendors, six came with Wal-Mart or Target labeling or packaging.” Read more

 

Lands End Q2 Comp Sales -2.5% by Melanie Lawder at Milwaukee Business Journal. “Direct segment net revenue fell 6.9 percent for the quarter to $246.6 million. Retail segment net revenue also declined 4.3 percent to $45.5 million.” Read more

 

Walmart cuts 7,000 jobs, promises to relocate workers by Jackie Wattles at CNN Money. “Barnett said the positions are being cut because Walmart is implementing a modernized system for bookkeeping and tracking inventory.” Read more

 

…Walmart will centralize some of the accounting and invoicing roles into one location and hire 1,000 employees in that center, which is tentatively set for North Carolina by Kim Souza at The City Wire. Read more

 

GeekWire: What happened when we tested Fred Meyer’s drive-up grocery service by Nat Levy. “Apart from setting up shop closer to my house and not adding an extra cost for the service, there’s not a lot of room for Amazon’s future service to improve on the Fred Meyer experience.” Read more

 

US created 151,000 jobs in August vs. 180,000 jobs expected at CNBC. Read more

 

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Costco says August sales hurt after it opened too many warehouses overseas by Tonya Garcia at MarketWatch. “Results were negatively impacted in the U.S. and Canada by tobacco, the company said, while hardware, health and beauty aids and tires performed well. Jewelry, media, home furnishings and apparel were “better performing” departments in the softlines area.” Read more

 

Meijer to launch home delivery service in Detroit & SE Michigan by Ian Thibodeau at Detroit News. Read more

 

J.C.Penney to live stream plus-size fashion show from New York City on Sept. 6 by Tonya Garcia at MarketWatch. Read more

 

Australia: Bunnings’ price promise will not apply to Masters fire-sale prices by Catie Low at Sydney Morning Herald. “There is a lot of speculation over exactly how much stock there is in Masters, with hardware insiders reporting there is inventory in the stores, distribution centres as well as “on the water” in containers that haven’t arrived in Australia yet.” Read more

 

Kmart Woos Millennials With Concierge Service, Scottie Pippen, and … Paint? by Polly Mosendz at Bloomberg. “Scottie Pippen signed basketballs, a disc jockey spun tunes, and a red sportscar glistened in the parking lot at a newly revamped Kmart store in Des Plaines, Ill., over the weekend…Dubbed the “Whole Lotta Awesome” store initiative, the store redesign and lavish, if eccentric, grand reopening are all part of the struggling retailer’s master plan to get millennials in the door.” Read more

 

Pilot Flying J’s ‘$100 Million Bathrooms’ Star in Its New Ad Campaign by Robert Klara at Adweek. “According to vp of brand and consumer experience Whitney Johnson, the restroom was a necessary thing to spotlight—not that it was easy. “There’s nothing hugely sexy and glamorous about travel centers along the interstate, and restrooms are a hard thing to showcase,” she said. “But they’re important to customers and especially families.” Read more

 

Lululemon Athletica set to open smaller hyper-local stores by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “Sales at stores open for more than a year…rose four per cent (five per cent in constant dollars). Online sales were up six per cent to US$87.4 million.” Read more

 

Gap August Comp Sales -3.0% “Gap Global: negative 5 percent…Banana Republic Global: negative 10 percent…Old Navy Global: positive 1 percent.” Press release

 

The Home Depot Foundation Pledges Quarter of a Billion Dollars to Veteran-Related Causes by 2020 Press release

 

Dollarama Inc considers offering online sales for bulk buyers to complement business model by Damon Van Der Linde at Financial Post. “Dollarama confirms it has been working with the Montreal-based Orckestra e-commerce company, though it only is a research stage and has no immediate plans to launch into online retail.” Read more

 

L.L. Bean sticks to core promises in competitive backpack market by Megan Woolhouse at Boston Globe. “Nearby, a maroon backpack hung like a slab of meat, loaded with 150-pounds of steel, just to see if the handle could survive a sixth-grader’s toss, while lab techs in white coats documented how quickly sandpaper destroys polyester. It’s the height of backpack season in a region that may have more packs per capita than any other, and few know the industry better than L.L. Bean.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Another Big Apple supermarket chain can’t pay the bills

‘Like it’s been nuked’: Millions of bees dead after South Carolina sprays for Zika mosquitoes

Kroger adds outside mural to spruce up renovovated store (pics)

Bass Pro Shops names senior director of Conservation and lead director of the Johnny Morris Foundation

CVS agrees in $795K settlement to change opioid prescribing practices in Mass.

Residents worry Costco location could bring ‘chaos’ to Lincoln area

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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