Today’s Tipsheet: Open: H.Depot Tech Center, Mini Target in South Park | Wmart Nabs K Street Exec | Costco: 26% of Eggs Cage-Free
Home Depot opens 1,000-employee Marietta tech center by Kimeko McCoy at Marietta Daily Journal. “The Home Depot on Tuesday opened a 200,000-square-foot technology center in Marietta, which houses 1,000 information technology associates…plans to add another 500 positions in the future…leasing a four-building campus on New Market Parkway near the corner of Cobb Parkway and Franklin Road.” Read more / See the ribbon cutting
Costco Sells Record Amount of Cage-Free Eggs Despite Feud by Jade Scipioni at Fox Business. “In 2015, we sold 2.9 billion eggs and 763 million of them were cage-free. That’s 26% of our total sales,” (Vice President Craig Wilson) says…Wilson says in 2006, Costco sold about 1.6 billion eggs and only 34 million of them were cage-free. “That’s only 2%,” he says. “We’re the largest seller of cage-free eggs in the world and we’ve been working on this for a long time.” Read more
Mini Target opens in South Park by Jennifer Van Grove at San-Diego Union Tribune. “Love it or hate it, the Target located at the intersection of Fern and Grape streets in South Park is officially open for business Wednesday…At least two groups, Care About South Park and Save South Park, sought to derail the mega-retailer’s plans to operate in the neighborhood. Save South Park’s online petition to keep all large chains out of the neighborhood received 2,020 signatures.” Read more
Wal-Mart nabs leader of K Street firm by Megan R. Wilson at The Hill. “Dan Bryant, who moved from PepsiCo’s lobbying operation to Covington in 2012, begins on Nov. 9…Wal-Mart remains outside of the top 50 spenders on lobbying, according to data provided to The Hill by the Center for Responsive Politics. It has retained 11 outside firms to work on its behalf, including Capitol Counsel, the Podesta Group, Mehlman Castegnetti Rosen & Thomas, the Alpine Group, Hannegan Landau Poersch Advocacy and the Nickles Group.” Read more
Amazon’s primed to add grocery delivery hub in Minneapolis by Sam Black at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. “The Seattle-based online retailer hasn’t made a formal announcement, but detailed its plans to begin food delivery in a letter to the city of Minneapolis. The letter was included with a building permit application for space Amazon quietly leased last month at 763 Kasota Ave. in Minneapolis, near the St. Paul border.” Read more
Wal-Mart expands protein bars to main grocery aisles via Chicago Tribune. “Wal-Mart also said Tuesday that it will be offering free blood glucose, blood pressure, and vision screening at all of its 4,400 stores on Saturday.” Read more
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Yesterday: Walmart EVP Michelle Gloecker’s Press Conference by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “The City Wire asked Gloecker for an update on the retailer’s medical clinic initiative launched in the summer of 2014. “I am happy to share that on Nov. 11 we will open a new health clinic in Royce City, Texas which will make our eighth clinic in Texas. We have five in South Carolina and five in Georgia as well,” Gloecker said. She said Wal-Mart is happy with the 18 clinics it has opened in the past year.” Read more
Effort launched to get Target to pull hypodermic pens at ABC 5 WCVB. “Teacher Susan Haight she saw the party packs of pens Sunday at a local Target. She said she found them to be in poor taste and appalling. She said the toys could be dangerous, especially when there are reports of children finding used hypodermic needles on playgrounds.” Read more
Food Lion offers $20 coupon incentive at Supermarket News. Read more
Amazon Prime causes massive influx of packages, forces college to rethink mailroom by Molly Brown at GeekWire. “University officials put the overload at about 3,000 more packages per day, which kept staff busy sorting until 3 a.m., at the beginning of the school year.” Read more
Walmart Rips Its Insurance Companies Over Tracy Morgan Crash Settlement by Erik De La Garza at Courthouse News Service. “We funded the settlement agreements in full but some of the insurance carriers failed to pay their portion of the settlement amount,” (Walmart spokesperson Randy) Hargrove said in an interview with Courthouse News Service. “Really, this lawsuit is about the defendant insurance companies not living up to the requirements of their own policies,” he said.” Read more
Amazon gets busy locking in domain names for Internet of things by Barb Darrow at Fortune. Read more
Tipsheet Extra
Target’s Only Male Plus-Size Model Zach Miko Hits a Bull’s-Eye for Body Positivity
Woman brought to tears by Home Depot’s generosity to veteran
P&G Ad Banned by U.K. Watchdog
The Twisted Tale of Slinky, the Most Popular Toy Ever
The Entrepreneur Behind Iran’s Billion-Dollar Super Mall
Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s really happening in the world of retail. See our website at www.eyeonretail.net