Tipsheet: Wmart to Workers: Don’t Download App | H.Dep +5.5% | Dick’s +5.2% | TJX +5.0%

 

Home Depot Q3 Comp Sales +5.5% / +5.9% in US “The Company reaffirmed its fiscal 2016 sales guidance and expects sales will be up approximately 6.3 percent and comp sales will be up approximately 4.9 percent.” Press release

 

…Fox Business: Home Depot Sales and Revenue Rise as Customers Spend More Per Transaction “The company’s sales per square foot rose 4.3% as the amount the average customer spent rose 3%.” Read more

 

Dick’s Q3 Comp Sales +5.2% “…compared to the Company’s guidance of an approximate 2 to 3% increase. Same store sales for Dick’s Sporting Goods increased 5.5%, while Golf Galaxy decreased 3.3%. Third quarter 2015 consolidated same store sales increased 0.4%.” Press release

 

TJX Q3 Comp Sales +5.0% “Net sales for the third quarter of Fiscal 2017 increased a strong 7% to $8.3 billion, and over a 5% increase last year.” Press release

 

Retail sales surge in October, beating expectations; prior month revised higher at CNBC. “The Commerce Department said on Tuesday retail sales increased 0.8% last month (vs. 0.6% expected)…September retail sales were revised upward to show a 1.0 percent increase instead of the previously reported 0.6 percent rise. The combined September and October sales gain was the largest two-month rise since early 2014. Read more

 

Amazon files its first-ever lawsuits against alleged sellers of counterfeit goods by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “Amazon’s suits target sales of knockoff fitness products and heavy lifting equipment sold illegally under the TRX and Forearm Forklift brands, which are both legitimate sellers on the Amazon platform.” Read more

 

A Bed Sheets Scandal Hits the Cotton Industry at Bloomberg. “Target has decided not to rely on CEA certifications going forward, according to a person familiar with the retailer’s decisions who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. Wal-Mart, by contrast, has said it will continue to rely on the CEA standard…” Read more

 

Wal-Mart’s e-commerce push echoes through ‘Vendorville’ by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Some suppliers have put e-commerce support staff in San Bruno, Calif., near Walmart.com. They did so because they could not find the right talent locally to add to their Northwest Arkansas Walmart sales teams, Smith said.” Read more

 

Inside Kohl’s efforts to fill your online orders faster this holiday season by Sarah Halzack at Washington Post. “Kohl’s said it is finding there is another advantage to in-store pickup. For every $100 someone spends at Kohl’s on store pickup, people buy, on average, $25 worth of additional stuff when they set foot in the store.” Read more

 

Neiman Marcus loses top operations and finance exec by Korri Kezar at Dallas Business Journal. “(Donald) Grimes is leaving after just a year with the Dallas company. He was appointed to the position in June 2015 after serving as senior vice president, treasurer and CFO at footwear and apparel company Wolverine World Wide.” Read more

 

**A message from the 2017 Philadelphia Gift Show – See emerging artists, regional specialties, and gift, home décor, and color trends! Get a sneak peak in our Product Spotlight, and see our list of unique exhibitors. Sweetening the pot, this all-category gift show runs concurrently with the Philadelphia National Candy, Gift & Gourmet Show. See it all January 6-9, 2017, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, in Oaks, PA. Register now | Website

 

Labor Group Gets IBM’s Watson to Help Walmart Workers by Susan Berfield at Bloomberg. “Now, Marler has a second job: She’s one of about two dozen current and former employees who helped construct an app called WorkIt that answers questions about Walmart’s policies and workplace rights using Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence bot…OUR Walmart, the employee and labor activist group that’s been pushing for better wages and working conditions, is behind the effort and will roll out the free app on Nov. 14.” Read more

 

…Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “Wal-Mart has instructed store managers to tell their employees that the app wasn’t made by the company and described it as a scheme to gather workers’ personal information, according to a document viewed by The Wall Street Journal.” Read more (subscription)

 

The Holiday Shopping Season Won’t Bear Gifts for Private Equity by Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. “There is no exit,” said Jan Kniffen, founder of the consulting firm J. Rogers Kniffen Worldwide Enterprises in New York. “Retailing is fairly gruesome right now in terms of getting return on your investment. It doesn’t matter if you’re public or private — everyone is struggling.” Read more

 

Amazon to ‘radically’ simplify employee reviews, changing controversial program by Taylor Soper & Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “The buzz among employees is that Amazon will drop or significantly alter its existing employee ratings program as part of the changes in the broader review process. Amazon currently uses employee ratings as the basis for a forced curve or “stack-rank” system — also known as “rank-and-yank”” Read more

 

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Is Cashing Out of Walmart by Jen Wieczner at Fortune. “Buffett’s stake in Walmart is now worth less than $1 billion, down from nearly $3 billion in the middle of this year, according to new securities filings.” Read more

 

Study: 58% of shoppers say deal days like Black Friday don’t matter by April Berthene at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

Brands at a standstill for social media’s #MannequinChallenge at Luxury Daily. “Neiman Marcus and Marc Jacobs are among the luxury brands to strike their best mannequin pose for the now-viral challenge…” Read more

 

Pier 1 Imports Updates Third Quarter Fiscal 2017 Financial Guidance “…we now expect our fiscal third quarter results to be at the high-end of our previously guided ranges for comparable and net sales, merchandise margin, earnings per share and adjusted earnings per share.” Press release

 

Cramer uncovers what is really ailing CVS Health at CNBC. “Maybe they can turn things around, but for now, CVS remains in the penalty box until we see them take concrete steps to lessen their dependence on what was once the golden goose, now just a turkey headed for a carving,” Cramer said.” Read more

 

Stater Bros. leader Jack Brown dies at 78 by Michel Nolan at The Sun. “Brown joined Stater Bros. in 1981. He served as president and chief executive officer of Stater Bros. Markets for more than 35 years and as chairman for Stater Bros. for more than 30 years.” Read more

 

Amazon leases new 21-story Seattle office tower by Marc Stiles at Puget Sound Business Jounal. Read more

 

Study Suggests West Nile Virus Is Deadlier Than Expected by Betsy McCay at Wall Street Journal. “…researchers in Texas discovered a much higher death rate in an analysis of West Nile cases in their state. Of 4,144 patients who were ill from 2002 to 2012, 13% died, they found in their analysis of data, which went through the end of 2013.” Read more (subscription)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Woman sues clothing giant Zara after ‘finding dead rodent sewn into the hem of her dress’

Barneys New York Started With an Engagement Ring

Australia: Another supermarket fruit supplier caught allegedly underpaying migrants

Middleton family says Costco isn’t accommodating daughter’s special needs

Mob of young men pelt a defiant Family Dollar clerk with shopping baskets

How Walgreens plans to use Pinterest to drive holiday sales

Gucci is sponsoring an exhibition in one of Britain’s most famous stately homes

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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