“Dollar General goes hostile with Family Dollar bid” at CNBC. “Dollar General said it would take its $9.1 billion offer directly to shareholders of Family Dollar Stores, after being spurned twice by its smaller rival. The company said it had started a tender offer to buy all shares of Family Dollar for $80 per share.” Read more

 

…Dollar General’s ‘Hostile’ Press Release “Dollar General’s all-cash offer of $80.00 per share provides Family Dollar shareholders with a substantially superior valuation to the $74.50 per share cash / stock offer announced by Dollar Tree, Inc. on July 28, 2014.” Read the release

 

“Target Narrows the Bull’s-Eye, With Emphasis on Signature Products” by Paul Ziobro at WSJ. “Target’s new CEO plans to double down on just a handful of departments like baby products and fashion, a strategic shift as the discounter works to bring shoppers back to its stores and better compete with online rivals…”We’ve got to major in these signature categories and make some bold changes to re-energize those businesses,” Mr. Cornell said in an interview. “All categories can’t be prioritized the same.” Read more

 

“Wal-Mart continues focus on helping women suppliers” by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Executives with Wal-Mart gathered Tuesday (Sept. 10) for a meeting designed to reinforce efforts to empower women like 20-year-old Avani Bhadra of India, and Veronica Moreno, a tortilla baker from Atlanta, Ga…(David) Cheesewright said he is proud of efforts by Walmart Canada to increase its number of women managers all because someone inside expressed the idea…the number of women managers in Walmart Canada has risen from 17% to 26%. In Chile, the same program has helped increase the number of female managers from 35% to 70%.” Read more

 

“Wal-Mart unveils its kid-approved toy list, holiday layaway dates” by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “To encourage early shopping the retailer said it’s kicking off the holiday layaway option in stores this Friday (Sept. 12). Wal-Mart also said all 20 of the kid-approved toys would be covered on its Savings Catcher program beginning Wednesday (Sept. 10).” See the top toys

 

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“How the Home Depot Credit-Card Breach Affects Small Contractors” by Patrick Clark at Bloomberg. “The hack may have disproportionately affected small business owners: Professional builders and contractors account for as much as 40 percent of Home Depot sales and 4 percent of the chain’s total customers, according to Drew Reading, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. “ Read more

 

…Here Come the Lawsuits at Chicago Tribune. “O’Brien said he used his credit card at two different Home Depot stores in Ilinois, once in Carpentersville on May 19 and the second in Palatine on June 2, and had his personal financial information exposed.” Read more

 

Gawker Won’t Let Up on Walmart’s New Dress Code…“A Walmart employee sends us this photo of a sign posted in a Walmart store, instructing employees on the finer points of the new Walmart dress code. “The followin positions can wear blue or black denim jeans” See the pic / Read more

 

“David Yurman Sues Sam’s Club for Selling its Jewelry” at The Fashion Law. “Yurman states: “Sam’s Club tortiously interfered with and intentionally induced the breach of Yurman’s contractual relations with one or more of its authorized retailers.” In addition to tortious interference, Yurman is charging Sam’s Club with trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition.” Read more

 

“Amazon to open first North Carolina fulfillment center this fall” by Ken Elkins at Charlotte Bus. Journal. “Amazon.com plans to open a 222,500-square-foot distribution center in Concord in November, sources with knowledge of the project tell us.” Read more

 

“Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in Baltimore pull Ray Rice jerseys from shelves immediately” by Josh Sanchez at Fansided. “One store in the area told The Wire that customers have come in to return Ray Rice jerseys. Read more

 

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