Tipsheet: WM Sr. Leader Sls Contest | Target Fidget Response | WM LGBT Score Yanked
JCPenney Q3 Comp Sales +1.7% “Marvin R. Ellison: “During the third quarter, we took aggressive actions to clear slow-moving inventory, primarily allowing for an improved apparel assortment heading in to the Holiday season.” Press release
…Fox Business: J.C. Penney’s same-store sales come in above its estimates “Net loss widened to $128 million, or 41 cents per share, in the quarter ended Oct. 28, from $67 million, or 22 cents per share, a year earlier.” Read more
Wal-Mart’s Web Push Includes Turning Marc Lore Into Yoga-Mat Salesman by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “U.S. Chief Technology Officer Jeremy King, meanwhile, is working on pitching abdominal-toning machines. And the e-commerce unit’s chief revenue officer, Scott Hilton, is overseeing exercise balls. They’ve been locked in a 90-day contest since Oct. 5 to see who can improve the performance of their assigned product category.” Read more
Will Amazon delivery app raise home insurance rate? There’s a good chance by Frank Witsil at Detroit Free Press via Chicago Tribune. “What if someone gets injured — slips on a wet floor — while delivering? What if a pet gets out or violently attacks the delivery person? What if the front door doesn’t get closed, or the system is hacked? “In any of those situations, will Amazon be held liable or will the homeowner be at fault?” said Michael Macauley.” Read more
Nordstrom Q3 total company comp sales -0.9% “Nordstrom brand: including U.S. and Canada full-line stores and Nordstrom.com – comparable sales decreased 1.9 percent…Nordstrom Rack brand: comparable sales increased 0.8 percent.” Press release
…CNBC: Nordstrom shares fall as sales at its growth engine Nordstrom Rack stall “Nordstrom said (Rack) stores were stuck with merchandise that customers were not buying, but was unable to quickly replenish with more popular items. It said it is working to rectify those issues.” Read more
Target insists lead-laced fidget spinners found in toy aisle aren’t intended for kids by Joe Vitale at NY Post. “The two fidget spinners cited in your letter are clearly marked on the package ‘appropriate for customers 14 and older,’ and are not marketed to children,” a Target official wrote in an email shared with Business Insider. “As a result, the fidget spinners identified are not regulated as toys or children’s products and are not required to meet children’s product standards.” Read more
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Dillard’s Q3 Comp Sales -1.0% Press release
Alibaba’s Singles Day Faces Fatigue in China by Liza Lin at Wall Street Journal. “…almost a decade in, Singles Day is starting to lose its cachet, according to a survey by marketing data firm AdMaster. Less than 65% of the consumers polled said they would participate in this year’s Singles Day, versus 84% in 2015.” Read more (subs.)
Macy’s Q3 comp sales: owned basis -4.0%, owned plus licensed basis -3.6% Press release
Amazon faces fines following the death of a second warehouse worker in as many months by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Amazon could face $28,000 in potential fines after an inspection by the state of Indiana found potential workplace safety violations at a warehouse where a 59-year-old worker was killed in late September.” Read more
Canadian Tire starts home delivery rollout to challenge Walmart and Costco by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “same-store sales…+4.7 per cent in the period ended Sept. 30 at Canadian Tire’s retail stores.” Read more | Press release
Wal-Mart’s Perfect LGBT Equality Score Suspended After Employee Complaints by Jeff Green at Bloomberg. “Two investigations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission “pointed to significant enforcement gaps in Wal-Mart’s non-discrimination policy, specifically with regards to sex and gender identity,” according to the Human Rights Campaign report. “Pending remedial steps by the company, the CEI rating is suspended.” Read more
…Scoring 100: Amazon, Kroger, CVS, Costco, Walgreens…Read report
J.Crew approached Amazon about a sale, chairman Mickey Drexler says by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “We went to visit some of his team members on that,” Drexler said of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin on Thursday. “And to me, it would have been an extraordinarily smart thing to do.” “I thought Walmart should have done it, too,” he said. “I thought Target should have done it. The thing that these big companies need is creativity.” Read more
Brands are having a big impact in the produce department by Angelica LaVito at CNBC. “Branded products’ dollar share gained 7.7 percentage points in that time period, lifting the group to 38.5 percent of the total. Unbranded produce, meanwhile, lost 8.6 percentage points…Branded produce represents 72 percent of the $1.1 billion produce snacking category, according to Nielsen.” Read more
Walmart’s “Outside The Box” Podcast Is Engaging, But… by Jeff Beer At Fast Company. “The podcast recently wrapped up its first eight-episode season and will return with a second season in 2018…It’s good content, but I can’t quite shake the feeling that the Outside the Box doesn’t feel all that Walmart-y.” Read more
Amazon will open pop-up stores inside Whole Foods to sell more devices for holiday season by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “The pop-up stores will open next week at Whole Foods locations in Chicago, Ill.; Rochester Hills, Mich.; Davie, Fla.; Pasadena, Calif; and Denver, Colo.” Read more
Tipsheet Extra Stories
Franchisees to Boycott Annual 7-Eleven Trade Show
Walmart shopper wins $7.5M verdict after he tripped when buying a watermelon
South Carolina slaps a $500 million price tag on Amazon’s sales tax obligations over five years
Jony Ive’s perfect magazine is one with no content
Kids clothing store recalls tens of thousands of baby’s jackets over choking fears
Tourists came to San Diego for Metallica, left with hepatitis A
Retailers are charging the same prices across US, boosting income inequality
Jewelers Are Still Struggling a Year After India’s Cash Ban
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