Tuesday Tipsheet: H.Depot US Comp +5.8% | CVS Tech Hub | Lowe’s=Appliance King in ’16?
“Home Depot Q3 Comp +5.2% (+5.8% in US)” “During the quarter we saw strong performance across all geographies led by growth in transactions and continued strength in the core of the store,” said Craig Menear, CEO and president.” Read more
“Home Depot 3Q earnings top expectations” by Terri Cullen at CNBC. “Earnings for America’s largest home improvement company increased to $1.15 a share from 95 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Home Depot’s quarterly revenue rose to $20.5 billion from $19.5 billion a year ago.” Read more
Q3 2014 The Home Depot, Inc. Earnings Conference Call Tuesday, November 18, 2014 9:00 a.m. ET Webcast
“CVS to open tech hub in Boston” by Scott Kirsner at Boston Globe. “Chief digital officer Brian Tilzer said the CVS Health Digital Innovation Lab will accommodate about 100 people…Tilzer said CVS has another interesting project in the works: “lab stores” in Boston, New York City, and Menlo Park, Calif., that are scheduled to open next year…the lab stores will provide a “live environment” to help the company “explore whether they can be meaningful,” Tilzer said.” Read more
“Lowe’s Could be King of Appliance Sales by 2016” at Bloomberg News via Chicago Tribune. “Sears had 28 percent of the major appliance market in the United States last year, and that share may plummet to 10 percent by the end of 2016, Gary Balter, an analyst at Credit Suisse Group in New York, said in a report. If Lowe’s Cos. picks up a quarter of the share Sears loses, it would be the top appliance seller by the end of 2016, Balter said.” Read more
***New Product Spotlight (Sponsored). SunMoon Energy’s Smart Light provides 24+ hours of beautiful bright LED lighting from single solar charge. Use for emergency lighting, outdoor lighting, camping, hunting and tailgate parties. Water-resistant and portable and comes with a 3-year warranty. Easily charged with solar panel or AC Adapter (both included). Full charge takes 4 hours and provides 24 hours of on-demand lighting at the 60-Watt setting. See sell sheet. Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for program details.
“Target adds in-store spin to iPhone app by adding interactive maps for all 1,800 U.S. stores” by Tricia Duryee at GeekWire. “Next up for in-store innovations could be something Marti calls the “Blue Dot,” which allows customers to track their exact location on the map to easily find items on the map. Maybe next year Point Inside’s customers will be ready for that, he says.” Read more
“Home Depot #1 in Radio Spots Again (Walgreen #2)” at Radio Ink. “For the second consecutive week, home-improvement powerhouse the Home Depot leads the Media Monitors chart, with a mighty 49,119 spots aired the week of November 10-16. Walgreens, which topped the list a few weeks back, comes in second with 44,228 spots during the week.” Read more
Canada: “Watchdog probes alleged ‘restrictive trade practices’ at Loblaw” by Marina Strauss & Jeff Gray at Globe & Mail. “The Competition Bureau is investigating Loblaw Cos. Ltd. pricing strategies in a probe that is demanding that some of the chain’s key suppliers hand over secret records about their dealings with the grocery giant.” Read more
LA Times: “Why doesn’t CVS clearly define its ExtraCare rewards for customers?” by David Lazarus. “CVS Health is playing fast and loose with its ExtraCare rewards program. The company says discounts don’t apply to products that are on sale. But it sneakily excludes some full-priced items as well.” Read more
“One in five UK supermarkets must close to restore profit growth, say analysts” at The Guardian. “With 56% of Tesco’s stores bigger than 40,000 sq ft, the report concludes the market leader has the biggest problem on its hands.” Read more
“Coming to a mall near you: a green alternative to Home Depot” by Bruce Watson at The Guardian. “Ballard’s goals are ambitious: he plans to have TreeHouse in every major market within five to 10 years. “Within 20 years, we want to be in every market,” he said. It’s an aggressive goal, particularly for a company that – at present – only has one store.” Read more
“Calif. ‘Made In USA’ Law Leaves Retailers In Bind” by Jonathan Randles at Law 360. “Macy’s Inc., Nordstrom Inc. and Land’s End Inc. are among the growing number of retailers facing lawsuits in California for allegedly selling apparel marketed as being American-made but including foreign-made fabrics, zippers, buttons, rivets and other components.” Read more (Subscription)
Variety: “Martha Stewart Launches Line of 3D-Printable Home Products” by Todd Spangler. “The first Martha Stewart products for MakerBot’s line of 3D printers are the Trellis Collection: a three-piece set that includes a coaster, napkin ring/place-card holder, and LED votive holder. Individual designs start at 99 cents and the full collection is available for $2.99.” Read more
***
Eye-on-Retail is a daily tipsheet read by thousands of Retail Merchants & Executives every weekday morning. Eye-on-Retail is unique because it’s timely, smart and fun. It’s created early AM every weekday and delivered between 7-8 am CST. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us @ info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.