Wednesday Tipsheet: Costco & H.E.B ‘Forgiven’ | Wmart Targets Auto Ins. | Ex H.Depot CIO to Target

 

“Target Hires New CIO (Who Used to be Home Depot’s CIO)” by Jennifer Bjorhus at Star-Tribune.  “Bob DeRodes, 63, held similar positions at Home Depot, Delta Air Lines, Citibank and First Data. He also founded DeRodes Enterprises LLC, a company that consults on information technology and business operations, including for several U.S. government agencies in Washington.”  Read more

 

“Yesterday:  Wal-Mart Convenes Key Partners to Talk Recycling, Sustainability” by Kim Souza at City Wire.  “Wal-Mart announced plans to create a sustainability store on Walmart.com – shopping portal, expected to launch by the of this year. This shop in a shop will allow customers to easily identify brands that are leading sustainability within a category via a special icon.” Read more

 

“Forgiveness Ratings”:  H.E.B most ‘Forgiven’ Company (Amazon/Costco/Kroger also Forgiven) by Tempkin Group.  “Forgiveness is an asset that companies earn from their customers,” states Bruce Temkin, managing partner of Temkin Group. “Every company makes mistakes, but the ones with high forgiveness ratings have customers who will work with them to more quickly and positively resolve the issues.”  Read the release  See the Top 23 Forgiven Companies

 

“Wal-Mart’s latest target: Auto insurance” by Courtney Reagan at CNBC.  “Through the site, drivers in eight states can now compare and purchase auto insurance policies offered by Progressive, Travelers, Esurance, 21st Century Insurance, The General Insurance and Safeco Insurance on AutoInsurance.com. In the coming months, drivers nationwide will be able to log on to compare rates.”  Read more

 

“True Value Q1 Same-Store Sales +7.3%”  “True Value reported gross billings of $460.1 million for the quarter ending March 29, 2014, up 3.6 percent or $15.9 million from $444.2 million for the same period a year ago. Revenue was $331.5 million, an increase of 6.0 percent or $18.9 million.”  Read the release

 

“Michaels Q4 Profit +36% on Rubber-Band Craft Craze” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “Michaels reported a profit of $143 million in the quarter that ended Feb. 1, up from $105 million in the same period last year. Total sales increased 2 percent, from $1.52 billion the prior year to $1.55 billion.  Same-store sales were up 4.6 percent, mostly from a rise in the chain’s average receipt.”  Read more

 

“Amazon creates section on its website for wearable device shopping” by Salvador Rodriguez at LA Times.  “The Amazon Wearable Technology store went live Tuesday, giving customers a one-stop shop to compare and learn about the various fitness trackers, wearable cameras and smartwatches that are available for purchase on Amazon.com.”  Read more

 

“Happening Today:  Walgreens (and other retailers) to Present at Barclays 2014 Retail & Consumer Conference” Read the release

 

“Lowe’s Brings Porch.com to Every Store in Nation”  “Every Lowe’s store in the country now features Porch as the in-store resource to help homeowners find the right home improvement professionals for nearly any project outside of Lowe’s current installation services. In addition, home improvement service professionals can sign up for a free Porch profile.”  Read the release

 

“Wal-Mart consolidating Dallas hiring & training at new Talent Center” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News.  “Every part of a Wal-Mart store that a new employee will encounter has been replicated, from the break room and cleaning closet to the loading dock. Aisle displays and fixtures used in the stores are set up for training. One room is equipped with 27 checkout stands.  There’s even a parking lot with a corral where employees will be trained to collect shopping carts.”  Read more

 

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Tuesday Tipsheet: Target #61 Citizen | Bezos #5 Leader | 80% Want Left Alone

 

“CNBC’s Top 25: Who Had the Biggest Impact on Business Since 1989 (Jeff Bezos #5)”  See the Top 25 list

 

“Deloitte:  80% Want to be Left Alone in Store”  “Consumers largely prefer to navigate the aisles and the checkout without a store associate’s help. Eight in 10 (80 percent) respondents in Deloitte Digital’s study said they prefer to obtain product information on their own device or from an in-store device like a kiosk, rather than ask a sales associate.”  Read more

 

“CR Magazine’s Top 100 Corporate Citizens (Target #61, CVS #79…)”  See the Top 100 list

 

“Tornado Impacts Walmart Workers” at The City Wire.  “The tornadic storms that cut a path across the Midwest on Sunday directly impacted 11 Wal-Mart workers — the majority of those in central Arkansas with others in Baxter Springs, Kansas and Miami, Okla. Ten of those lost their homes and/or their vehicles. One Walmart worker tragically lost two grandchildren in the storm, according to Dianna Gee, corporate spokeswoman with Wal-Mart Stores.”  Read more

 

“Walmart Offers a Helping Hand after Arkansas Tornadoes”  “Kevin Stephens, store manager in Conway, loaded his personal truck with water and supplies to take to the devastated areas this morning. Several other associates followed his lead by bringing aid to the damaged communities in Mayflower and Vilonia until Walmart trucks could arrive this afternoon with bottled water from the Walmart Foundation.”  Read more

 

“Container Store results were hurt by weather” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “Its 28 stores in areas where severe weather regularly forced store closings posted a same-store sales decline of 3 percent. Stores in areas with less of a weather impact posted a same-store sales increase of 4.1 percent.” Read more

 

****A message from Juicebar Chargers – Get ready for Hurricane season!  Juicebar’s Hurricane Travel Charger holds enough juice to weather a full week’s worth of hurricanes, blizzards and power outages! With up to 5 full smartphone charges or a full tablet charge and more, Juicebar’s Hurricane is the perfect sidekick when life disconnects you from the grid. Peggable, shipper display or open-stock. See the full lineup: www.juicebarchargers.com. See the video. Email: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for program details.

 

“Home Depot’s mission: ‘To ensure every veteran has a safe place to call home’ “ by Marsha Keefer at Community News.  “So that’s when we decided to put in for a Team Depot grant, which the VVA helped us with.”  The Home Depot Foundation has a mission: “To ensure every veteran has a safe place to call home.” It’s a good fit. The foundation said more than 35,000 of its associates are veterans.”  Read more

 

“Graphic:  How Much Data Is Generated Every Minute? (277,000 Tweets, 3,472 Pins…)”  See the graphic

 

“Man Sucker Punches Walmart Self Checkout Machine” at WGNS Radio.  “A Walmart customer who told police he was angry because he could not get any assistance, allegedly punched a self-checkout machine causing over $800 in damages.”  Read more

 

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Monday Tipsheet: Sears ‘Culture of Losing’ | Deloitte on Digital | SkyMall Losing

 

“The $1.5 trillion opportunity retailers overlook” by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC.  “By the year’s end, Deloitte predicts $1.5 trillion, or 50 percent, of all in-store sales will be influenced by digital devices.  “The fact is, traditional retailers are leaving too much money on the table and are allowing strictly online retailers to capture a growing share of revenue that could be theirs,” the study said.” Read more

 

“A Walmart Fortune, Spreading Charter Schools” by Motoko Rich at NY Times.  “In effect, Walton has subsidized an entire charter school system in the nation’s capital, helping to fuel enrollment growth so that close to half of all public school students in the city now attend charters, which receive taxpayer dollars but are privately operated…The foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants nationally to educational efforts since 2000, making it one of the largest private contributors to education in the country.”  Read more

 

“SkyMall loses its captive audience” by Hugo Martin at LA Times.  “SkyMall lost $3.2 million in May through September of 2013, the only period reported in detail by its new parent company, Xhibit Corp., an Arizona marketing firm.  Analysts warn that SkyMall must modernize or join the Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs on the scrap heap of retail history.”  Read more

 

“Retailers get creative with Pinterest to boost sales” by Mae Anderson at AP via Denver Post.  “A report last week from software company Adobe found that year over year, revenue per visit, or revenue from sending users to retail sites through ads, social-media pages or brand posts, is 65 cents at Pinterest, 62 cents at Twitter and $1.24 at Facebook.”  Read more

 

“Walmart Gives Texas Boy An Awesome Surprise After Learning His Good Deed” at KIIS FM.  “A 9 year old in Texas used $300 of his money that was supposed to be for a video game system to buy smoke detectors. Why? He saw a story of a mother and child dying in a fire when they didn’t have a smoke detector…When Walmart heard of his good deed, they decided to do something about it…  See the video / Read more

 

“The Disturbing Disintegration of Sears is Happening Daily on these Secret Twitter Feeds” by Brian Sozzi at Belus.  “How can this be inferred? Rather simply, just have to know where to investigate in this new digital age. There are two little followed corporate operated Twitter accounts, @SearsCares and @KmartCares, that are responding to a disturbing number (and disturbing undertone to each complaint) of customer complaints literally around the clock.”  Read more

 

“Shoppers line up for Dick’s Sporting Goods grand opening (Tampa)” by Sarah Hagen at 10 News.  “There’s a new game in town when it comes to shopping for sporting goods.  Dick’s Sporting Goods, the largest retailer of its kind in the country, had its grand opening at Westshore Plaza Friday morning.”  See the video / Read more

 

“Home Depot Fraudsters Indicted (One Still at Large)” at Atlanta Bus. Chronicle.  “After fraudulently purchasing the merchandise, Hatcher, Lynch, and Oliver removed the lower-priced UPC label, revealing the original, higher-priced UPC label. Hatcher, Lynch, and Oliver then returned the fraudulently purchased merchandise to Home Depot without a receipt, in order to obtain refund credit cards in the amount of the actual, and higher, retail price of the merchandise.”  Read more

 

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Friday Tipsheet: Amazon +23% | Cabela’s Comp -21.7% | Wmart’s $439 Mil in Legal Fees

 

“Amazon’s Q1 Sales Satisfy the Street (Reports Profit!)” by Brad Stone at Businessweek.  “Amazon reported first-quarter earnings on Thursday, notching $19.74 billion in net sales. That beat Wall Street’s estimates of $19.43 billion and marked a 23 percent jump, compared with the same period a year ago. The company also reintroduced something its investors haven’t seen in a while: a profit. It reported earnings per share of 23¢, in line with estimates.”  Read more

 

“Amazon.com Announces First Quarter Sales up 23% to $19.74 Billion”  “Second Quarter 2014 Guidance:  Net sales are expected to be between $18.1 billion and $19.8 billion, or to grow between 15% and 26% compared with second quarter 2013.  Operating income (loss) is expected to be between $(455) million and $(55) million, compared to $79 million in second quarter 2013.” Read the release

 

“Cabela’s:  Q1 Same-Store Sales Down 21.7%”  “Comparable store sales for the quarter decreased 21.7% as firearms and ammunition declined 39% and 32%, respectively,” Millner said. “Through the first six weeks of the quarter, comparable store sales were down 25% to 30%. Comparable store sales improved each month through the quarter, and we expect this trend to continue throughout the second quarter.”  Read the release 

 

“The History of Target’s Logo” at a Bullseye View.  “A 2003 Target study found more than 96 percent of American shoppers know what that bold, red Bullseye represents…We went through the Target archives to find the story behind our favorite symbol, and then hit the streets of New York (opinions were therefore expressed boldly, to say the least) to find out which iteration they like best. Logo lovers, read on.”  Read more

 

“Amazon launches grocery service for Prime members” by Mae Anderson at Seattle Times.  “Amazon is taking aim at grocery stores and discounters like Wal-Mart with a grocery service that lets its Prime loyalty club members fill up to a 45-pound box with groceries and get it shipped for a flat rate of $5.99.”  Read more

 

“Dick’s Sporting Goods Ball-Jokes Ad Infuriates Golf Purists” by Michael McCarthy at Ad Age.  “In the spot that’s aired on the Golf Channel, we see a golfer disappointing his buddies by announcing he’s going to “lay up” on his tee shot — rather than manfully driving over a hazard.  Suddenly, a Top Flite rep pulls up in her branded golf cart and cheerfully asks: “Does someone here need some balls?”…Golf Digest wrote the new campaign is “sophomoric, inappropriate, and very funny.”  Read more

 

“Stihl Takes on Home Depot & Lowe’s…and is Winning” by Kyle Stock at Businessweek.  “To an independent dealer, a Stihl chain saw or weed whacker isn’t just one product in a warehouse stacked with drywall screws, plumbing fixtures, and gallons upon gallons of paint. It’s a survival tool—one of the only ones it has…“Maybe I’m ignorant,” Wilson says. “But Home Depot doesn’t really scare me anymore.”  Read more

 

“Walmart Has Spent $439 Million in Legal Fees the Past Two Years related to Anti-Corruption” by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  “Including the costs incurred in fiscal 2014, the company estimates it will spend more than $100 million on compliance systems enhancements around the globe over the course of the next several years.”  Read more

 

“Amazon, in Threat to UPS, Tries Its Own Deliveries” by Greg Bensinger & Laura Stevens at WSJ. “The future of Amazon.com Inc. is hiding in plain sight in a San Francisco parking lot. Adjacent to recently closed Candlestick Park, Amazon is testing its own delivery network for the “last mile,”…Ultimately, a delivery network could transform Amazon from an online retailer into a full-service logistics company that delivers packages for others, according to former Amazon executives. They caution that any such effort likely is years away.” Read more

 

“J.D. Power Ranks Paint Retailers on Customer Satisfaction:  Ace Beats Lowe’s/H.Depot/Wmart”  “Sherwin-Williams ranks highest (848) in customer satisfaction with paint retailers. Sherwin-Williams performs particularly well with staff, store services and merchandise and also has the highest repurchase (46%) and advocacy (48%) rates. Ace Hardware follows in the paint retailer ranking with a score of 835 and performs particularly well in store facility.”  See the rankings

 

“Lowe’s Names Customer Experience Executives”  “Joseph M. (Mike) Mabry has been named strategy and experience design executive…Michael P. McDermott has been promoted to chief merchandising officer, replacing Michael A. Jones, who will assume the role of chief customer officer, effective April 30. Both Mabry and McDermott will report to Jones.”  Read more

 

“Wal-Mart replaces China CEO in Asia leadership shuffle” at Reuters.  “Sean Clarke, a Wal-Mart veteran and current chief operating officer in China, will take over the China CEO role from June 1, a statement from the firm said on Friday. The current China chief executive, Greg Foran, will become Asia CEO.”  Read more

 

“Time’s 100 Most Influential People List (Jeff Bezos Makes the List)”  See the Business Leaders

 

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Have a great weekend!

Thursday Tipsheet: Wmart Ex CEO +$140 Mil | Target #22 in Diversity | Safeway Comp +1.8%

 

“Ex Wal-Mart CEO’s deferred pay: $140 million” by Gary Strauss at USA Today.  “Departed Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke’s deferred pay should provide enough money to shop beyond discount retailers for many years.  Duke, who retired Jan. 31, had $140.1 million in deferred compensation at year’s end, Wal-Mart said Wednesday in its annual proxy filing. That’s more than $27 million over what Duke had accumulated in retirement accounts in 2013.”  Read more

 

“Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon Received $25.6 Million Last Year (But Pay is Tied to Future Performance)” by Mark Friedman at Arkansas Business.  “Nearly all of the company’s other top executives saw their total compensations climb in fiscal 2014, mainly as a result of the stock awards…Charles M. Holley Jr., executive vice president and CFO, saw his total compensation increase to $8.2 million…Neil Ashe, executive vice president, had a total compensation of $13.2 million for the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31…Rosalind Brewer, an executive vice president, saw her total compensation fall from $14.46 million to $11.7 million for the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31.”  Read more

 

“Supervalu Beats Street, Comp Sales Climb” by Mike Hughlett at Star-Tribune.  “At Supervalu’s national discount grocery chain, Save-A-Lot, same-store sales were up 2.1 percent over a year ago…Supervalu’s conventional supermarket division saw same-store sales grow 0.2 percent, a baby step, but the first step forward since 2008. “I’m very encouraged by the progress we’ve made in retail,” Duncan said during the conference call.”  Read more

 

“Safeway Reports 1Q Loss – Comp Sales +1.8%” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News.  “The company said it lost $76.5 million, or 34 cents per share, in the three months ended March 22. That compares with net income of $118.9 million, or 49 cents per share, a year ago. Excluding one-time items, profit totaled 6 cents per share. Analysts expected adjusted net income of 18 cents per share.” Read more

 

“Top 50 Companies for Diversity, Target #22” at DiversityInc.  “A total of 1,215 companies participated in the survey in 2014. There is no fee involved to participate and every company receives a free report card assessing its performance against all competitors…”  See the Top 50 List

 

Tweet:  “The UK is by far the market leader in internet contribution to GDP at 12% (US second around 6%, China third)” via @AnthonyNT

 

“Can Home Depot Fight off the Retail Giants?” by Mark Lin at Motley Fool.  “While Wal-Mart generates more sales and buys more inventory than Home Depot, it doesn’t necessarily have greater relative purchasing power than Home Depot…If Wal-Mart’s and Home Depot’s total 2013 revenues of $476 billion and $78 billion are used for comparison, Wal-Mart’s estimated sales of home improvement products at about $33 billion (7% multiplied by total sales of $476 billion) are likely to be less than that of Home Depot.”  Read more

 

“As of January 2014, Walmart has donated 1.58 billion pounds of food, the equivalent of approximately 1.32 billion meals” “Walmart today released its seventh annual Global Responsibility Report, entitled “So Many Opportunities to Make a Difference.” The report outlines key accomplishments in the areas of social and environmental responsibility, specifically highlighting Walmart’s top achievements in fiscal year 2014.”  Read the release

 

“Harris Teeter lowering prices after Kroger acquisition” by Ely Portillo at Charlotte Observer.  “The cuts are focused on Harris Teeter’s grocery, organic and perishable items. Harris Teeter gave several examples of the price cuts. Rotisserie chickens have been marked down $1 to $5.99, hothouse tomatoes have been reduced $1.50 a pound, to a new price of $1.49 a pound, and Nature Valley Granola Bars have been reduced by 80 cents per package, to $2.65.”  Read more

 

“Here’s The Difference Between Walmart America And Whole Foods America” by Andy Kiersz at Business Insider.  “Morgan Stanley is out with a retail “atlas” that breaks down retail stores by geography. Based on their data, we made the following maps showing the number of Walmarts and Whole Foods per one million people in each state.”  See the maps / Read more

 

Today’s Earnings Watch:

Amazon:  Q1 2014 Amazon.com Inc Earnings Conference Call (Live).  04/24/14 at 5:00 p.m. ET.  Listen to Webcast

Cabela’s:  Q1 2014 Cabela’s Inc. Earnings Conference Call.  Thursday, April 24, 2014 11:00 a.m. ET.  Listen to Webcast

 

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Wednesday Tipsheet: Wmart Brazil ‘Hopeless’? | Costco CFO Invests in Startup | Miranda Lambert @ Wmart

 

“Wal-Mart de Mexico’s Net Profit Down on Year” by Anthony Harrup at WSJ.  “Sales rose 2.2% to 102.6 billion pesos…Walmex Chief Executive Scot Rank said the company continued to see lower customer traffic at its Sam’s Club membership stores, which account for 26% of its sales in Mexico.”  Read more

 

“Why Is Miranda Lambert Working at Walmart?” at Wild Country 97.1.  “Miranda Lambert served a lot of happy customers over the weekend.  The country megastar and avid animal lover worked outside a Walmart in Madill, Okla. to find forever homes for several shelter dogs.”  See the pics / Read more

 

“Home Depot Merchant Bolts for Tuesday Morning” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News.  “Tuesday Morning Corp. said it has hired Melissa Phillips to be executive vice president and general merchandise manager…Phillips has 15 years of experience buying merchandise for major retail chains. Since 2009, she’s been the general manager for The Home Decorators Collection at Home Depot.”  Read more

 

“Walmart Brazil ‘Hopeless’ ?” by Renee Dudley at Bloomberg.  “Wal-Mart is still losing money there two decades after entering South America’s biggest market, acquiring two local chains in the mid-2000s and opening more than 500 stores…“Brazil feels hopeless,” Michael Exstein, an analyst for Credit Suisse Group AG in New York, said in an interview.”  Read more

 

“Costco CFO Richard Galanti an Investor in Travel Planning Service – Utrip” by Steven Loeb at Investor News.  “Utrip is a new kind of travel guide, which combines both artificial intelligence, as well as human experience, to create personalized, and off the beaten track, itineraries.”  Read more

 

“Wal-Mart Set to Reveal How Compliance Moved Executives’ Pay” by Emily Chasan & Joel Schectman at WSJ.  “The results are in, the board has voted on how last year’s compliance objectives went, and they said this has done so well that this will be part of our regular corporate governance,” Jay Jorgensen, global chief compliance officer at Wal-Mart said at the Dow Jones Global Compliance Symposium in Washington, D.C,. on Tuesday.”  Read more

 

“Canada: Sobey’s CEO Interview” by Karl Moore at The Globe & Mail.  “It’s the customers who call the shots and our purpose is to always be a step ahead, to be there, and listen and try to extrapolate. You can’t extrapolate too far away because then what you will end up with is that you might be out of touch with the actual.”  Read more

 

“Publix Opens 5th Store in Charlotte Area Today” by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Bus. Journal.  “The 58,000-square-foot location is at 3110 Fincher Farm Road in the McKee Farms Shopping Center. The Lakeland, Fla. grocer spent the past six months transforming the site, a former BiLo grocery location.”  See the 20 pics / Read more

 

“GameStop to open 300 to 400 new technology stores” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News.  “GameStop CEO Paul Raines told analysts on Tuesday that each one of its three new technology store brands have the potential to become $1 billion businesses.  While GameStop is closing about 120 to 130 U.S. stores this year, it expects to open or buy 300 to 400 stores from its newly acquired brands.”  Read more

 

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Tuesday Tipsheet: Wmart Plans 35 in C.America | Amazon Sls -10% in Tax States | 56% Buy in Bed

 

“Report:  Wal-Mart Plans to Open up to 35 Central America Locations in 2014” at CNBC via Women’s Wear Daily.  “According to the report, the company’s Walmex unit—made up of its Mexico and Central America operations—will look to add between 30 and 35 stores in Central America this year. Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras could all house new Walmex locations, the retailer’s regional corporate affairs director, Aquileo Sánchez Viquez, told the newspaper.” Read more

 

“Walmart’s Director for Social Media Strategy Bolts for Campbell Soup Co.” by E.J. Schultz at Ad Age.  “Campbell Soup Co. has hired a former Walmart and Microsoft marketer as global director for social media and digital marketing. Umang Shah, who was Walmart’s director for social media strategy for the past two years, will start at Campbell on April 28.”  Read more

 

“Amazon Sales Take a Hit in States With Online Tax” by Adam Satariano at Bloomberg.  “Researchers at Ohio State University published a paper this month that found sales dropped for Amazon when the online charge was introduced. In states that have the tax, households reduced their spending on Amazon by about 10 percent compared to those in states that don’t have the levy. For online purchases of more than $300, sales fell by 24 percent, according to the report titled “The Amazon Tax.”  Read more

 

“Amazon May Expand Grocer Program To Chicago/D.C./NYC” by Doug Tsuruoka at Investor’s Bus. Daily.  “Amazon.com, which plans this year to expand its AmazonFresh online grocery business from West Coast test areas to 20 urban centers across the U.S. and possibly overseas, might soon offer the service in parts of the greater Chicago and New York metropolitan areas, and Washington, D.C.”  Read more

 

“Modell’s Sporting Goods CEO in a Heap of Trouble” by Joan Verdon at North Jersey.  “The petition, which details numerous trips and personal expenses that Mitchell Modell allegedly charged to his company, is the second embarrassing legal action this yearagainst Mitchell Modell.  Two months ago, Mitchell Modell was accused of spying on his competitor, Dick’s Sporting Goods, by posing as a Dick’s executive at a Dick’s store in Princeton.”  Read more

 

****A message from Juicebar Chargers – Get ready for Hurricane season!   Juicebar’s Hurricane Travel Charger holds enough juice to weather a full week’s worth of hurricanes, blizzards and power outages! With up to 5 full smartphone charges or a full tablet charge and more, Juicebar’s Hurricane is the perfect sidekick when life disconnects you from the grid. Peggable, shipper display or open-stock. See the full lineup: www.juicebarchargers.com. See the video. Email: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for program details.

 

“U.K.: 56% of Online Shoppers Most Likely to Buy While Browsing in Bed” by Michelle Stevens at Retail Systems.  “Six in ten UK consumers shop online every week, with the bedroom proving the most popular place to make a purchase via a laptop or tablet.  That’s according to a new survey of 1,000 people from Redshift Research, commissioned by personalised communications technology provider Sailthru.”  Read more

 

“Jewel president is ‘constructively dissatisfied’: Grocer has ‘long way to go’ to stand out” by Jessica Wohl at Chicago Tribune.  “It’s getting better but we’ve got a long way to go,” Sampson said. “We’re on a journey to be the finest supermarket in the United States.”…The company…has an outside firm track customer service scores and does its own surveys. Sampson has already visited more than 100 stores – both Jewel-Osco stores and the competition – and is “constructively dissatisfied” with what he has seen so far.”  Read more

 

“Walmart shoppers can now get $99 wills” by Francine Kopun at Toronto Star. “Behind the plastic jugs of liquid Tide stacked near the entrance of a new Walmart in Markham is an innovation in discount retailing: Axess Law. Founded by Toronto lawyers Lena Koke and Mark Morris, Axess Law provides fast and affordable legal services to time-pressed shoppers.” Read more

 

“A Pharmacist Pitches Comparison Shopping for Prescription Drugs” by Patrick Clark at Businessweek.  “After launching the company in 2008, Rea kept his day job at Walgreens and started seeking customers for Rx Savings with online ads…Rx Savings stopped marketing to individuals and raised $1.5 million in seed investment last year to help pitch its service to companies with from 500 to 100,000 workers.”  Read more

 

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Monday Tipsheet: Millionaires Prefer Costco/Target/H.Depot | Wmart Prefers Sustainable Palm Oil

 

“Millionaires Prefer Costco, Target, Home Depot” by Sarah Mahoney at Marketing Daily.  “The American Affluence Research Center finds the country’s richest are looking forward to major home improvements, with the accompanying large furniture and durable good purchases that go with them, in the months ahead…The twice-yearly survey is based on a sampling of 330 adults, in households with a net worth of at least $828,000, and an average net worth of $3.1 million.”  Read more

 

“Barron’s Cover Story: Buy Home Depot” at Timothy Kelleher Corp.  “Seventy-eight percent of Home Depot’s stores were within 10 miles of a Sears location…The bank’s analysts estimate that Sears sells about $9 billion a year in appliances and home-improvement goods. If its sales decline by 5% in the next three years, Home Depot could add at least $100 million in yearly sales…That’s all the more reason Home Depot’s shares look cheap. Given the company’s continued operating improvements and growth potential, investors can buy the house now for the price of the two-by-fours.”  Read more

 

“1 Strategy That May Allow Walgreen to Surpass CVS and Crush Rite Aid” at Motley Fool.  “A transfer from the U.S. to Switzerland would decrease the company’s tax rate from an estimated 37.5% for its 2014 fiscal year to 20%. Using 2013’s pre-tax income of $3.9 billion, Walgreen’s bottom line of $2.45 billion would have increased 27% to $3.1 billion, which equates to a net profit margin of 4.3%.”  Read more

 

“How a 13-Year-Old Got Her Fashion Line in Nordstrom” by Stephanie Vozza at Fast Company.  “Whatever you want to do in life, chances are, someone else has been there, done that. Instead of admiring–or envying–their success from afar, savvy entrepreneurs tap one to be a mentor…Jennifer Jackson, the merchandising manager for children’s clothing at Nordstrom, told Women’s Wear Daily that Taylor has the “unique ability to create fun, stylish clothes that really represent her customer, who are also her peers.”  Read more

 

“California company ‘represents a nightmare for the retail electronics industry’ “ at Orange County Register via SF Gate.  “Off Interstate 15 is the 173,000-square-foot distribution facility and headquarters of Monoprice, an online store which is trying to thrive by selling the electronic esoterica that carry a hefty markup at brick-and-mortar retailers.  Stuffed into one corner of the facility is a small physical store where you could pick up an HDMI cord for $3.61. A similar cord from Best Buy or RadioShack is about $20.” Read more

 

“Why Subway Doesn’t Serve a $14 Reuben Sandwich” by Michael Saltsman at WSJ.  “Costco charges its customers as much as $110 a year for the privilege of shopping at the store. That’s a $2 billion-per-year luxury no grocer or restaurant enjoys.  As a result, the warehouse retailer rakes in what amounts to a more than $10,000 profit per employee, according to data from business research company Hoovers. A casual dining restaurant, on the other hand, earns a roughly $2,000 profit per employee.” Read more

 

“General Mills ‘Stunning Reversal’:  Go ahead and Sue” by Stephanie Strom at Star-Tribune.  “The announcement was a stunning reversal for the company, which had quietly put up the new terms requiring consumers downloading coupons, “joining its online communities,” participating in sweepstakes and other promotions, and interacting with General Mills in a variety of other ways to agree to arbitration in lieu of suing the company in the event of a dispute.”  Read more

 

“Clock is ticking for Walmart suppliers on certified sustainable palm oil” by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  “In 2010, Wal-Mart made a public commitment to source 100% CSPO by the start of 2015 and it’s an important milestone the retailer plans to meet. The goal was one of several set by corporations coming under pressure from environmental groups to help stem the deforestation taking place in Malaysia and other developing countries to make room for tree plantations helping to fuel global demand.” Read more

 

Random:  “Kraft recalls 96,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer wieners (there’s cheese in them)” by Jessica Wohl at Chicago Tribune.  “A spokeswoman for Kraft said in an email that the recall is “isolated to about 8,000 cases of product that were distributed nationwide.”  “We apologize for this situation and are working hard to communicate with consumers about it,” said Joyce Hodel, with Kraft Corporate Affairs.”  Read more

 

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