"Costco July Comp Sales +5%" "Costco reported net sales of $8.55 billion for the month of July, the four weeks ended August 3, 2014, an increase of nine percent from $7.87 billion during the similar four-week period last year." Read the release   "Home Depot's Craig Menear Appears on CNBC" "KELLY EVANS: Have you been involved in succession talks? CRAIG MENEAR: You know, at this point, that is all up to the board and to Frank. I have been given the opportunity to be the president of U.S. Retail and that's an enormous opportunity and responsibility. And that's really what I'm focused on right [...]

  "WSJ Interview with Walmart CEO Int'l - David Cheesewright" by Shelly Banjo.  "With 80% of retail industry growth that is going to happen over the next 10 years coming from outside of the U.S., I have to be the growth engine for our business. We are disappointed with the growth levels from last year, so that's going to have to be the priority." Read more   "Dollar General Said to Explore Family Dollar Bid" by David Welch/Matthew Campbell/Matt Townsend at Bloomberg.  "While Dollar General had earlier passed on the chance to bid for Family Dollar, the company is re-evaluating [...]

  "Target opens office in heart of Silicon Valley" by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune.  "The 7,000-square-foot Sunnyvale office will initially have about 15 employees, but could one day have upward of 70, Baeb said. The new space, which held a small open house on Monday night, will also provide a home base for Target executives from Minneapolis when they fly out to California to meet with technology partners." Read more   "Walgreen CFO replaced by Kraft Foods Exec" at Chicago Bus. Journal.  "Walgreen Co. CFO Wade Miquelon is no longer in that post after serving in that role since 2008. The [...]

  "Target Beat Out J.C. Penney in Landing Brian Cornell" by Joann S. Lublin at WSJ.  "The battered department store chain pursued Mr. Cornell about succeeding CEO Mike Ullman. Penney, which has been seeking Mr. Ullman’s successor for a year, contacted Mr. Cornell earlier this year." Read more   "Wal-Mart's website to personalize shopping" by Anne D'Innocenzio at AP via SF Gate.  "Other retailers, including home-improvement chain Home Depot and office-supplies retailer Staples, have been ahead of Wal-Mart in the race to personalize the online shopping experience. In fact, a quarter of customers who visit Home Depot's home page see [...]

  Thoughts on New Target CEO...   Where's the Digital Experience? by Nick Halter at Minn./St. Paul Bus. Journal "He doesn't really have that true ominchannel retail experience," said Edward Jones analyst Brian Yarbrough. "He doesn't have that experience of shopping on cell phones and tablets. All this has become so popular in the last two years, when he hasn't really been involved in retail." Read more   Polaris CEO on Cornell: "A real high-energy guy" "Wish I could buy stock in Target" by Sam Black at Minn./St. Paul Bus. Journal.  "Brian Cornell is "one of those rare examples of somebody who can [...]