Archive for month: January, 2013

“Michelle Obama and Walmart: A Match Made in PR Heaven” by Matt Brownell at Daily Finance.  “The First Lady was effusive in her praise for the retailer, calling the commitment “historic” and saying that Walmart (WMT) was “setting a groundbreaking example for the private sector to follow.”  Anthony Bianco, a critic of Walmart and the author of “The Bully of Bentonville: How the High Cost of Everyday Low Prices Is Hurting America,” says it’s unlikely that the retailer is wooing Michelle Obama as a means of getting in the administration’s good graces. But the First Lady’s seal of approval does help Walmart with what Bianco sees as its main goal: Good PR.  “I see [the veteran initiative] almost purely as a PR play, and I think [Michelle] Obama’s comments gave them the PR bonanza they were looking for,” he says. “I don’t see anything too nefarious here, but they got good PR by linking up with Michelle Obama, who’s a very popular figure.”  Read more:  https://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/01/19/walmart-veterans-michelle-obama-pr/

“Target Skips Super Bowl Commercial in Favor of Mobile Game” by Lauren Indvik at Mashable.  “On Feb. 3, big brands and their agencies will line up to compete for what they hope will be remembered as the best TV commercial for Super Bowl XLVII, spending tens of millions of dollars in the process. One major retailer, Target, will be sitting on the sidelines, having developed a more modest (and budget-friendly) mobile game instead.  Snack Bowl, which can be played on mobile web browsers as well as downloadable apps for iPhone and Android devices, is pretty basic. You’re awarded points for tossing a carousel of branded snacks, including DiGiorno pizza and Coke Zero, to your jersey-wearing guests, who are inexplicably running across your living room one by one. Your guests move faster and faster, making the game increasingly difficult. Fail to feed three of your guests and it’s game over.”  Read more:  https://mashable.com/2013/01/20/target-super-bowl-mobile-game/

“Lowe’s magazine goes social, interactive” at Amarillo Globe News.  In February, Lowe’s Creative Ideas magazine will celebrate 15 years of redefining home improvement.  The magazine launched in 1998 now has a top-rated free iPad app at the iTunes Newsstand, a robust Pinterest following and more than 1,000 how-to videos available online at YouTube.com/Lowes.  Read more:  https://amarillo.com/blog-post/bizstream/2013-01-17/lowe%E2%80%99s-magazine-goes-social-interactive

“Wegman, Smucker Honored for Achievements” by David Orgel at Supermarket News.  “Call them the dynamic duo.  Danny Wegman, CEO, Wegmans Food Markets, and Tim Smucker, chairman, The J.M. Smucker Co., received Hall of Achievement Awards here during the 2013 GMA Chairman’s Lecture.  These executives, who have a history of working together, took the stage in front of some 400 industry leaders to accept their awards, which represent the highest honor given by GMA.  Read More: https://supermarketnews.com/2013-fmi-midwinter-executive-conference/wegman-smucker-honored-achievements#ixzz2IcHFx5Cb

“Walgreens Begins Review of $240 Million Media Account” by Maureen Morrison at Ad Age.  “For the first time in a decade, national pharmacy chain Walgreens is launching a formal review for its $240 million media-planning and -buying account.  “The reason we are inviting agencies for a review is that it has been 10 years since we’ve formally gone through this process for media planning and buying,” a spokeswoman told Ad Age in a statement. She added that the incumbent on the business, Publicis Groupe’s Starcom, has been invited to participate in the pitch process, which will be handled by consultancy R3:JLB.  The move comes as the company, which has about 8,000 locations in the U.S., is expanding its offerings, adding: services at its pharmacies and clinics, grocery items and fresh food in stores, enhanced beauty departments and more investment in private label.  Read more:  https://adage.com/article/agency-news/walgreens-begins-review-240-million-media-account/239287/

“Shopko Announces Promotion Of Jill Soltau To Company President.”  “Shopko announced today that Jill Soltau has been promoted to the position of President and Chief Merchandising Officer.  Soltau has more than 25 years of experience in the retail industry and joined Shopko in 2007 as Senior Vice President and GMM Apparel and Accessories.  n her expanded role, Soltau will continue to oversee Shopko’s merchandising and product development, while assuming responsibility for marketing, e-commerce, inventory management and supply chain departments.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6155194&access=EH

“Uncut: Whole Foods Co-CEO John Mackey ‘On the Record'”(Fox News — Video).  “Co-CEO gives Greta tour of Whole Foods, dishes on new book, on whether he regrets calling ObamaCare ‘fascism’ and more”  See more:  https://video.foxnews.com/v/2101957143001/uncut-whole-foods-co-ceo-john-mackey-on-the-record/

“Target to Launch Evening Wear Line With Top Hollywood Stylist” by Lauren Torrisi at ABC News.  “Starting this spring, you’ll have the opportunity to get your housewares and evening wear in the same place. Target announced its newest designer collaboration today with top Hollywood stylist Kate Young. “I’ve been working with Target for a number of years as a stylist, so having the chance to design my own collection with a brand I already know and love is like a dream come true,” said Young in a statement. Young’s celebrity clients include Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz. She consults for designers Jason Wu and Derek Lam and was named the most powerful stylist last year by The Hollywood Reporter.  Read more:  https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2013/01/target-to-launch-evening-wear-line-with-top-hollywood-stylist/

“Trader Joe’s Raises Price Of ‘Two Buck Chuck'” in laist.  “Attention cheap wine fans: the price is going up on Trader Joe’s famous “Two Buck Chuck” for the first time since it debuted over a decade ago.  Until now, Californians have only had to fork over $1.99 to pay for a bottle of the wine whose low price was made possible in part by a glut of California grapes. Trader Joe’s told the Los Angeles Business Journal this week that the wine would now cost a whopping extra 50 cents, making it Two-And-Half Buck Chuck.”  Read more: https://laist.com/2013/01/20/two_buck_chuck_raises_its_price.php

 “Will Wal-Mart Sell Your Small Business Health Insurance?” by Bill Tozzi at Bloomberg Businessweek.  “Will Wal-Mart Stores soon be selling health insurance to small businesses? A report published Friday in the Orlando Business Journal quoted a Wal-Mart vice president saying the world’s largest retailer was exploring plans to work with insurers to sell low-cost coverage to small businesses: “It would allow small employers to piggyback [on] Wal-Mart,” Marcus Osborne, vice president for health and wellness payer relations at Wal-Mart Stores] said. “We haven’t got it all figured out, but it’s one of the things we’re looking at.”  Read more: https://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-16/will-wal-mart-sell-your-small-business-health-insurance

“Amazon holiday results to show sales tax impact” at Reuters.  “Acting as a tax collector may have hurt Amazon.com, Inc’s holiday sales analysts and industry executives said, but they expect to know more when the internet retailer reports its fourth-quarter results on January 29. Best Buy Co., an archrival of Amazon in consumer electronics, saw holiday online sales increase in three states where Amazon started collecting sales tax ahead of the period. “There was a little softness in states where Amazon is now collecting sales tax,” said R.J. Hottovy, an equity analyst at Morningstar. “That isn’t surprising to me. It levels the playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers.”  Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/17/us-amazon-salestax-idUSBRE90G0JZ20130117

“What I learned from Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer (via Leadership Atlanta)”  by Jeff Hilimire at Begin the Begin.

“Rosalind talked about the six points of her leadership philosophy, which are:

* Create a clear vision for your team and inspire them to march toward it

* Live the values you want to instill in your organization. For her, these values are: Trust, Candor (frank conversations), Integrity and Respect.

* Be ready to lead. Be prepared to lead when you’re not the leader. She said that you can pick a leader out as soon as they walk into a room, even if they aren’t technically the leader. This is a point I agree with wholeheartedly.

* Lead for change. Things will always change and as a leader, you should be a catalyst for that change rather than a roadblock. “Always challenge the status quo”.

* Keep it simple and consistent. Your team should clearly understand their goals and what’s expected of them. Strive for simplicity as a leader.

* Own your mistakes. Communicate a lot, early and often, and have a plan for how to correct your mistake. Again, admitting mistakes is something I try to live by as well.”

Read more:  https://jeffhilimire.com/2013/01/what-i-learned-from-sam%E2%80%99s-club-ceo-rosalind-brewer-via-leadership-atlanta/

“Amazon’s Same-Day Delivery Will Shake Up Retail” by Theodore di Stefano at E-Commerce Times.  “The hard fact is that we are now pretty far down the road to an online economy. More and more people realize that Amazon’s prices are hard to beat. When they can couple Amazon’s prices with same-day delivery, would you be willing to pay a little more for that same-day delivery and stay in the comfort of your home and, with just a few clicks, order merchandise to be delivered that very day?”  Read more:  https://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Amazons-Same-Day-Delivery-Will-Shake-Up-Retail-76955.html

“Whole Foods CEO: Obamacare Is ‘Like Fascism’” by SyMukherjee at Think Progress Health.  “In an interview with NPR, Whole Foods CEO and self-professed libertarian John Mackey revived his previous criticism of Obamacare — but this time, with a new twist:  “Technically speaking, it’s more like fascism. Socialism is where the government owns the means of production. In fascism, the government doesn’t own the means of production, but they do control it, and that’s what’s happening with our healthcare programs and these reforms.”  Read more:  https://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/01/16/1456571/whole-foods-obamacare-fascism/?mobile=nc

“Businesses Cashing in on Flu Season” by Josh Haskel at ABC News.  “As Americans cope with flu symptoms, the onslaught of germaphobia and the debate over whether to get the vaccine, U.S. businesses are cashing in.We’re not just talking about medical businesses that produce the vaccine and treat the flu: everything from tissues to hand sanitizers to orange juice are flying off the shelves. Walgreens Pharmacy tells ABCNews.com that they increase their store inventories of flu-related products every flu season. “We’re seeing an increase in demand for facial tissues, sports drinks, and thermometers among other items,” said Jim Graham, senior manager of corporate communications for Walgreens.”  Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Flu/businesses-cashing-flu-season/story?id=18229802

“Cramer’s Mad Money – The Dollar Store Debacle” at Seeking Alpha.  “The rising payroll taxes should hit low income shoppers at these stores especially hard, and they are likely to keep tightening their belts. The dollar stores are facing increasing competition from Wal-Mart, Target and CVS Caremark. As a result, the dollar stores may have to enact dramatic discounts to compete, a strategy that will further cut into gross margins. While multiples for the sector are low, there are no catalysts to drive these companies. For those who want to invest in the discount space, Cramer recommends Five Below which has doubled since its IPO in July. Given the amount the stock has jumped, Cramer would wait for a pullback in FIVE before buying.”  Read more:  https://seekingalpha.com/article/1116581-cramer-s-mad-money-the-dollar-store-debacle-1-16-13

“Winter is Most Popular Season for Retail Therapy, Finds New CouponCabin.com Survey.”  “26 percent of U.S. adults agree that bad weather, like cloudy, cold, and gray skies has prompted them to shop in pursuit of a better mood… Regardless of the time of year, the number of people who shop in hunt of a mood enhancement has increased. Nearly half (45 percent) of U.S. adults have shopped for retail therapy, i.e. gone shopping or purchased something solely because they were in a bad mood. This is up from 24 percent who said the same in a 2011 CouponCabin.com retail therapy survey.  More women shop in search of retail therapy than men, at 53 percent and 36 percent, respectively. Women ages 18-34 were the most likely to hit the mall to improve their mood, at 63 percent.  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6136624&access=EH

“Ahold 4Q Sales Up 7.7% Due To New Store Openings” at Automated Trader.  “Dutch food retailer Royal Ahold NV said Thursday its fourth quarter sales were up 7.5% compared to a year earlier, mainly due to opening of new stores.  Ahold consolidated net sales of EUR7.8 billion for the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of 7.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2011. At constant exchange rates net sales were up 5.1%.”  Read more:  https://www.automatedtrader.net/real-time-dow-jones/123765/ahold-4q-sales-up-77-due-to-new-store-openings

“People Want To Get Personal With Brands — When A “Like” Is Make Or Break For A Brand’s Bottom Line.”  “The initial findings from the study have shown that 80% of shoppers are digitally engaged with brands in some way. However, some consumers, termed ‘Brand Connected Consumers’ (BCCs), are more connected than others, and can have a great impact on the public opinion and the potential sales of a brand…Although the majority of posts are positive, when BCCs do post a negative comment, it goes unanswered by brands more than half (56%) of the time. Seven in ten shoppers report that they stop buying the brand in these cases.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6138795&access=EH

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 “Walmart to Boost Sourcing of U.S. Products by $50 Billion Over the Next 10 Years.”  “Walmart today announced bold commitments to increase domestic sourcing of the products it sells…Speaking at the National Retail Federation’s annual BIG Show, Walmart U.S. President and CEO Bill Simon also announced the company is helping part-time associates who want to be full time, make that transition…On domestic sourcing, Walmart and Sam’s Club will buy an additional $50 billion in U.S. products over the next 10 years. The company will grow U.S. manufacturing on two fronts: by increasing what it already buys here – in categories like sporting goods, apparel basics, storage products, games, and paper products, and by helping to onshore U.S. production in high potential areas like textiles, furniture and higher-end appliances.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6130650&access=EH

“Facebook rolls out friends-based search product” at Reuters.  “Facebook Inc took the wraps off a new search tool on Tuesday that lets people trawl their network of friends to find everything from restaurants to movie recommendations, an improvement that’s likely to increase competition with review websites like Yelp and potentially even Google Inc…”Graph search is designed to take a precise query and return to you the answer, not links to other places where you might get the answer,” Zuckerberg told reporters at its Menlo Park, California, headquarters. “What you’ve seen today is a really different product from anything else that’s out there.”  Read more:  https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/16/us-facebook-search-idUSBRE90E0WM20130116

“Hey, where’s my Tylenol? CVS pulls popular pain-reliever from some stores” at NY Daily News.”  “If you cannot find Tylenol pain reliever at your local CVS store this flu season, it might be because that store is no longer stocking it.  CVS this month changed how it stocks Tylenol at its stores in the wake of manufacturing problems at the drug’s maker, Johnson & Johnson, that have disrupted supplies for more than three years.  Under the new plan, CVS will try to have Tylenol in stores in each market, but will not have it in every store, spokesman Michael DeAngelis said… At the same time, CVS and other retailers have been putting more emphasis on their private-label products, which cost less than brand-name products but can be more profitable for retailers.  Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/cvs-won-stock-tylenol-stores-article-1.1240622#ixzz2I8eYqrdv

“Minnetonka Moccasin’s suit against Target tip-toes away” by David Phelps at Star-Tribune.  “Minnetonka Moccasin’s well-publicized lawsuit against Target for trademark infringement involving a beaded thunderbird design on its shoes has quietly gone away…Minnetonka filed its lawsuit in September after it discovered that Target was selling a moccasin that had a toe design similar to Minnetonka Moccasin’s “iconic” thunderbird design on its $40 suede moccasin. The Target version sold for $20. The lawsuit said Target began selling the similar moccasin after Minnetonka Moccasin “promptly and politely passed” on an offer from Target to sell the Minnetonka Moccasin line on “prime real estate” in its stores.”  Read more:  https://www.startribune.com/business/186888522.html

“LA Times Post Features Lowe’s Iris Explainer Video” by Andrew Follett at Demo Duck (Overview Video).  “Lowe’s has been making a splash this week at CES 2013, the annual consumer electronics show held in Las Vegas, with their Iris home automation system. Iris allows you to wirelessly control and monitor your home from just about anywhere.”  Read/see more:  https://www.demoduck.com/2013/01/la-times-features-lowes-iris-explainer-video/

“Branding Brand Mobile Commerce Index Shows Holiday Sales up 171%, Conversion up 30%.”  “The Branding Brand Mobile Commerce Index is a compilation of 84 mobile sites developed by Branding Brand for retailers across a variety of industries including apparel, health and beauty, and home goods.

The Index had the following results for the Holiday 2012 period:

* 77 million visitors

* 413 million page views (63% iOS; 33% Android)

* 620,000 orders (69% iOS; 28% Android)

* $84.66 average order value ($85.21 iOS; $81.54 Android)

* 21% of total e-commerce traffic came from smartphones

Compared to the 2011, the Branding Brand Mobile Commerce Index showed the following year-over-year holiday gains for the 21 sites that were live during both periods:

* Visits increased 109%

* Page views increased 116%

* Average order value decreased 5%

* Mobile sales increased 171%

* Conversion rate was up 30%

Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6135457&access=EH

Whole Foods Market announces debut of ‘Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business’.  “In this book, Mackey and co-author Raj Sisodia, business professor and co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism Institute, boldly defend the good of business and free market capitalism by presenting Conscious Capitalism —a way of thinking about the higher purpose of a business, its relationships with interconnected stakeholders and the impact it has on the world…The book is a new blueprint for capitalism explaining that business is inherently good because it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity.  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6129864&access=EH

“Class action against Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid settled for $20.9 million” by Gina Passarella in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  “A federal judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania has approved a $20.9 million settlement in a wage-and-hour class and collective action against Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid Corp., stemming from unpaid overtime.  The judge’s approval brings a formal end to the years-long labor case.  U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III’s final approval in the consolidated cases of Craig v. Rite Aid settles 14 class and collective actions brought across the country against Rite Aid, over allegations the drugstore chain improperly designated assistant store managers and co-managers as exempt employees not eligible for overtime pay.  Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/class-action-against-pennsylvania-based-rite-aid-settled-for-209-million-670290/#ixzz2I8jHbSvc

“Survey Reveals Bombarding Consumers with Marketing Results in Brand Resentment.”  “New research shows that poor email marketing correspondence can negatively affect consumer sentiment toward a company or brand. According to an online YouGov survey commissioned by Emailvision, the leader in relationship marketing and customer intelligence,a massive 75 percent of respondents reported they would resent a brand after being bombarded by emails, while 71 percent cited being sent unsolicited messages as a reason to become resentful.  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6131211&access=EH

“Meijer Announces Appointment of J.K. Symancyk to President.”  “Meijer announced today the appointment of J.K. Symancyk as president of the company, one year after he assumed the role of chief operating officer for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer. In addition, Meijer has announced the appointment of Mark Murray to the new position of Co-CEO, where he will serve with current CEO Hank Meijer. In this position, Mark will serve as a partner in the development of future business strategy with Hank Meijer, Doug Meijer and J.K. Symancyk. Murray will also serve as vice chairman of the Meijer board of directors.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6133254&access=EH

“Judge throws out antitrust case against Supervalu” by Mike Hughlett at Star-Tribune.  “A federal judge in Minneapolis has tossed out an antitrust lawsuit against Supervalu and C&S Wholesale Grocers, ruling that a 2003 deal between the nation’s two largest grocery wholesalers didn’t restrain competition.  Two supermarkets, one each in Iowa and Massachusetts, sued the wholesalers in 2009, claiming the companies divvied up regions so they wouldn’t have to compete with each other.”  Read more:  https://www.startribune.com/business/187054771.html

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