Today’s Tipsheet: May Retail Sales Beat Expectations | eBay Expands Same Day Delivery | Walmart’s “Eureka Moment”

 

“Retail sales beat expectations as automobiles surge” at Reuters.  “Retail sales rose more than expected in May as households stepped up purchases of automobiles and bought other goods, suggesting the economy was squeezing out of a recent soft patch.  The Commerce Department said on Thursday retail sales increased 0.6 percent after edging up 0.1 percent in April.”  Read more:  https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/13/us-usa-economy-retail-idUSBRE95C0IF20130613

 

“Leverage game promotes savings and growth at Wal-Mart” by Kim Souza at City Wire.  ““Leverage is a key word, a corporate reminder that they are to continue to make the most out of what they have …  Not all that long ago, a large brick and mortar presence was seen as clunky and cumbersome in a world going digital,” Spieckerman said.  She remembers the “Eureka moment” when Wal-Mart began to see its 10,000 or so stores around the globe as an asset when linked together with its growing online business.  “It was a big awakening, and now you see purely online retailers looking for ways to have a physical presence with pop-up stores and warehouses,” Spieckerman said.”  Read more:  https://www.thecitywire.com/node/28242#.UbmtFvnVDpU

 

“eBay Expands Same Day Delivery Service” by Ina Steiner at Ecommerce Bytes.  “eBay is expanding its same-day delivery service, eBay Now, which can be used to order items from brick-and-mortar retailer such as Urban Outfitters, ToysRUs, Macy’s, Walgreens, Home Depot, Target..The service is currently available in California and New York…In the coming weeks, eBay will expand its existing delivery zones to the Bay Area Peninsula, Queens and Brooklyn, and this summer, it will add Chicago and Dallas to the service.”  Read more:  https://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y13/m06/i12/s03

 

“Sobeys buys Safeway Canada in $5.7 billion ‘game-changing’ deal” at Reuters.  “Empire will gain control of 213 full-service grocery stores, cementing its position as Canada’s No. 2 grocer behind Loblaw Companies Ltd at a time when competition from U.S. retailers Wal-Mart Stores and Target is heating up.”  Read more:  https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/13/us-safewaycanada-sobeys-idUSBRE95B16520130613?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews

 

“Amazon Rolls Out 3-D Printing Shopping Section” by Cadie Thompson at CNBC.  “The online retailer recently launched a dedicated section on its website where consumers can buy 3-D printers as well as materials for them, including software, filaments and other accessories all in one place…3-D has been inching its way into the mainstream, though major retailers have been slow to embrace it. Staples entered the 3-D arena earlier this year, when it began selling systems called the Cube.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100809948

 

“Target’s REDcard revs up sales” by Martin Moylan at MN Public Radio.  “Target will not disclose how many customers are currently packing its REDcards. But the cards accounted for 17 percent of the company’s U.S. sales in its most recent quarter. That’s a three-fold increase in just three years.”  Read more:  https://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/06/12/business/target-customer-loyalty

 

“Walgreen to Pay $80 Million Fine in D.E.A. Inquiry” by Barry Meier at NY Times.  “The Walgreen Company, the nation’s biggest pharmacy operator, agreed on Tuesday to pay $80 million to resolve federal charges that it failed to properly control the sales of narcotic painkillers at some of its outlets.    Agents said Walgreen failed to properly control the sale of painkillers at some of its drugstores.  Officials at the Drug Enforcement Administration described the fine as the biggest ever paid by a pharmacy chain.”  Read more:  https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/business/walgreen-to-pay-80-million-settlement-over-painkiller-sales.html?_r=0

 

“Walmart’s Neighborhood Market ups competitive landscape in grocery sector (in Jacksonville, FL)” by Drew Dixon at Jacksonville.com.  “The Jacksonville area has plenty of grocery stores, including being a longtime hub for Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.  That marketplace just got more competitive as Walmart opened three of its neighborhood markets in the area Wednesday, a move that may be linked to the recent sale of Winn-Dixie to BI-LO Holdings.  Read more:  https://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-06-12/story/walmarts-neighborhood-market-ups-competitive-landscape-grocery-sector#ixzz2W6AZMnOU

 

“Meijer Opens New Supercenters in Northern Indiana”  Meijer will open two new 190,000-square-foot supercenters in Northern Indiana on Thursday, Meijer Co-Chairman Hank Meijer announced today. The Portage and Warsaw stores will create more than 500 new jobs.”  Read more:  https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meijer-opens-new-supercenters-in-northern-indiana-211172371.html

 

“J.D. Power Reports: While Distribution Channels Vary among Window Manufacturers, Customers Hold the Brand Accountable for Both the Process and Product”  “Simonton and Window World tie for highest in overall customer satisfaction with windows and patio doors with a score of 801 each (on a 1,000-point scale), which is 16 points higher than the next highest brand.”  Read more:  https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jd-power-reports-while-distribution-channels-vary-among-window-manufacturers-customers-hold-the-brand-accountable-for-both-the-process-and-product-211173721.html

 

“Thomson Reuters Gives Elite Traders Early Advantage” by Eamon Javers at CNBC.  “A closely watched consumer confidence number that routinely moves markets upon release is accessed by an elite group of traders, for a fee, a full two seconds before its official release, according to a document obtained by CNBC.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100809395

 

Thanks for reading…

 

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