Wednesday Tipsheet: Target’s Jeff Jones Iview | Alibaba Market Cap Passes Wmart

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Deloitte: 56% of consumers will do holiday shopping at retailers that have experienced a data breach at CNBC. “The consumer’s now somewhat desensitized [to breaches],” said Rod Sides, principal at Deloitte Consulting. This is particularly true among higher-income households, according to the CreditCards.com report…only 31 percent of households earning $75,000 or more annually said they were likely to avoid affected stores, compared with 56 percent of those with an annual income of less than $30,000.” Read more

 

Time: “This Is How Walmart Can Win Its War With Apple” by Jacob Davidson. “Apple Pay supporters have a point. CurrentC is clunky—at least in its current beta state—and Apple Pay certainly wins on privacy by keeping all transaction data away from merchants. But as hard as it is for Walmart detractors to admit, CurrenC also also has some advantages over Apple Pay.” Read more

 

Forbes: Interview with Target’s Jeff Jones by John Ellett. “There’s a simple question that we ask that can guide people really easily, which is, “Are we doing something for our guest or to our guest?” And if we’re doing something for our guests it implies that there’s a value exchange: In return for information we are giving them something of value.” Read the interview

 

“Retailers Banning Apple Pay Are Taking a Big Security Risk” by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “That’s because the mobile payments app that they’re backing, called CurrrentC, won’t launch until sometime next year, leaving customers with the same old clone-friendly credit cards they’re using now.” Read more

 

India: Target aims to put start-ups on accelerator at Economic Times. “The new batch includes Torch Technologies, which has developed a hardware plug-in device for brick and mortar stores to make data-driven decisions on store opening hours, staff assignments, product placements and promotion strategies. Other solutions include tools to sell ads on a smartphone’s lock screen (Twiddly), platforms to help companies create 3D ads and apps (Visarity), a visual search engine for e-commerce (Wazzat Fashion), and tools for augmented reality (Whodat Spaces).” Read more

 

“Will Family Dollar’s shareholders play it safe?” by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Bus. Journal. “Family Dollar’s stock was trading at $77.78 at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday — hovering between the two bids. That signals the stock market believes Family Dollar remains in play, with a deal with Dollar General or a bidding war possible, says Brian Yarbrough, an equity analyst with Edward Jones. “I just don’t think by the way the stock’s trading they’re going to get enough votes to approve the (Dollar Tree) deal,” he says.” Read more

 

“Video of Lowe’s New ‘OSHbot'” by Mae Anderson at AP via Mercury News. See the video

 

“Having built out Home Depot Canada, Annette Verschuren turns to energy storage” by Zoe McNight at Financial Post.”I’m an entrepreneur. I’m a serial entrepreneur. I love building. So I loved Home Depot but I built it out. There was no growth left. I just said, “I’m still young. There’s something more.” So I went around the world with my husband to 17 countries. I took a year off. Water, energy, food: around the world, I saw that as the three big issues.” Read the interview

 

***A message from Lock-it Block-it: Keep the Bad Guys Out and Let the Fresh-Air In. Adjustable window security bar blocks criminals from entering a home through open windows. Windows can be open AND homes remain secured. Helps prevent children from falling out open windows. Easily installs with velcro.  Watch the video  See the sell sheet  info@shiftmarketinggroup.net 

 

“Alibaba’s market cap passes Wal-Mart” by Tom Huddleston Jr. at Fortune. “Wal-Mart’s status as the world’s largest retailer is on shaky ground today after a bump in Alibaba’s share price drove the Chinese e-commerce giant’s market capitalization to $251 billion, compared with roughly $246 billion for Wal-Mart.” Read more

 

Dallas: 4th Nebraska Furniture Mart Expects to Draw 8 Million Customers per Year by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “Grandscape is a project being built by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway that’s estimated to cost a whopping $1.5 billion. The first of two phases, including the 560,000-square-foot furniture and appliance store, will cost more than $400 million and opens next year…Rock & Brews, will also be in the first phase. It was co-founded by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss. Rock & Brews serves American comfort food and has a pet-friendly patio.” Read more

 

“Grocers piling in to Fenway amid new urban competition” by Taryn Luna at Boston Globe. “In the past, there weren’t buildings in sight that were appropriate for these kinds of grocery or Target stores because they had very exact physical requirements,” Shen said. “These are brand-new buildings that are tailored specific to grocery stores and that is making it attractive.” Read more

 

“No one really wants a “smart” washing machine” by Drew Harwell at Washington Post. “We’re a little bit of a hammer looking for a nail right now,” Chris Quatrochi, Whirlpool’s global director of user experience and connectivity…It’s a big concession from one of the most notable champions of the buzzy “Internet of Things,” in which even our humblest household devices gain web-enabled powers of their own.” Read more

 

“Tesco’s Downfall Is a Warning to Data-Driven Retailers” by Michael Schrage at HBR. “The harsh numbers suggest that all this data, all this analytics, all the assiduous segmentation, customization and promotion have done little for Tesco’s domestic competitiveness since Leahy’s celebrated departure. As the Telegraph story further observed, “…judging by correspondence from Telegraph readers and disillusioned shoppers, one of the reasons that consumers are turning to [discounters] Aldi and Lidl is that they feel they are simple and free of gimmicks.” Read more

 

“Here’s What Amazon’s First Customer Bought” at Business Insider.  Read more

 

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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.

Tuesday Tipsheet: Lowe’s Likes Robots & NYC | Retailer “Hack” Results | F.Dol Vote 12/11

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“Lowe’s to open two stores in New York City next year” by Ken Elkins at Charlotte Bus. Journal. “It plans to open the two Manhattan stores during the second half of 2015. Each will measure about 30,000 square feet…The stores will be located at 2008 Broadway at West 68th Street and at 635 Sixth Ave. at West 19th Street.” Read more

 

“Lowe’s ranked the best, Home Depot the worst in “fake hack” contest” One major retailer actually listed their employee schedule on Instagram. Of course, this type of information would allow for a very personalized attack on staff. One contestant found a confidential document with the signature of the CEO. One major retailer had posted a document that openly listed their password policy as the first three letters of their company + first three letters of the employee last name and a two digit code.”  See the 9 retailers ranked

 

“Family Dollar shareholders to vote Dec. 11 on $8.5B merger with Dollar Tree” by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Bus. Journal. “The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Harris Conference Center on the Harris Campus of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, according to the filing.” Read more

 

“New Call of Duty video game out next week, Wal-Mart sells a day earlier than GameStop, Amazon” at Star-Tribune. “Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says the game will be available at its stores starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 3 for $60.” Read more

 

…Walmart Starts Selling Used Games Next Week by Jenna Pitcher at IGN. “Walmart will begin selling pre-owned games on November 3 in 1,700 stores across the U.S., the retail giant announced today.” Read more

 

“Newest Workers for Lowe’s: Robots” by Rachel King at WSJ. “The OSHbot will greet customers, ask if they need help and guide them through the store to the product. Besides natural-language-processing technology, the 5-foot tall white robot houses two large rectangular screens—front and back—for video conferences with a store expert and to display in-store specials. The head features a 3-D scanner to help customers identify items.” Read more (Subscription)

 

“Chip-based cards targeted after Home Depot hack” by Cory Bennett at The Hill. “Security researcher Brian Krebs first reported Monday that financial institutions had flagged tens of thousands of dollars of fraudulent chip-enabled credit and debit card transactions. “ Read more

 

“Ballmer: Amazon won’t be a ‘real business’ until it makes money” by Rachel Lerman at Puget Sound Bus. Journal. “In my world, you’re not a real business until you make some money,” Ballmer said. “I mean, I have a hard time with businesses that don’t make money at some point. I get it if you don’t make money for two or three years but Amazon’s — what — 21 years old and not making money.” Read more

 

“Radio Ad Round-up” at Radio Ink. “The Home Depot, with just over 35,000 commercials (last week), was second. No major surprises this week as Rite Aid finished third with just under 28,000, Walgreens was fourth with 25,745, and Macy’s rounded out the top five with 24,145.” Read more

 

“Sam’s Club Really, Really Wants You to Renew Your Membership” by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Consumers often have a ‘not that I would, but I could’ mentality with products and services. Most Sam’s members will never take advantage of the health and legal services but it’s nice to know that they could if they wanted to,” Long said.” Read more

 

“Marissa Mayer Trying to Poach Top Amazon Sales Exec” by Kara Kwiser at Recode. “And among those she has been trying to entice, according to sources close to the situation, is Amazon’s head of global advertising sales Lisa Utzschneider. The well-regarded exec has been at the e-commerce giant for six years and, previous to that, she worked for a decade at Microsoft.” Read more

 

“Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s Stores to Open in Abu Dhabi in 2018” The Macy’s (205,000 square feet on four levels) and Bloomingdale’s (230,000 square feet on four levels) stores will offer a merchandise assortment, ambience and customer service similar to each brand’s shopping experience in the United States.” Read the release

 

“IL Pols Make Timely Pre-Election Amazon Announcement” “Governor Pat Quinn, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Amazon.com, Inc. today announced plans to create more than 1,000 full-time jobs and $75 million in investment in Illinois. Amazon is beginning site selection activities and it plans to open its first facility in Illinois next year.” Read the release

 

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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.

 

Monday Tipsheet: Apple Pay Funeral? | DIY Down in UK | Alibaba Likes Seattle

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“Why CVS and Rite Aid are blocking Apple Pay” by Phillip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune. “I don’t know that CVS and Rite Aid disabling Apple Pay out of spite is going to drive customers to switch pharmacies” writes Gruber. “But I do know that CurrentC is unlikely to ever gain any traction whatsoever.” Read more

 

….Apple Pay Down to 25 Retail Partners by Jim Edwards at Business Insider. “A quick look at Apple’s website explaining the service highlights just 34 retail partners that support the system. Eight of those are different flavors of Foot Locker. One is Apple itself.” Read more

 

“Traffic At Los Angeles Ports Backed Up For 2 Weeks, Threatens Holiday Season” at Inquisitr. “This is really a perfect storm,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka told the Los Angeles Times…it’s made worse this year by the use of massive container ships. These larger vessels can be up to one-third larger than Los Angeles and Long Beach ports have the capacity to handle. The root of the problem, though, is likely due to a shortage of trucking equipment.” Read more

 

“The $1-billion fright economy: How Canadians are now outspending Americans on Halloween” by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “A recent survey from digital couponing site RetailMeNot.com found that 68% of Canadians now celebrate Halloween…“In the past three years, the Halloween holiday has just gone viral in Canada — we have just seen it shoot up,” said Diane Brisebois, the Retail Council’s president and CEO. “Adults have really, really gotten into it. Now it’s adults and their pets.” Read more

 

“Costco Still Refuses To Ruin Thanksgiving” by Emily Cohn at HuffPo. “Sam’s Club, the Walmart-owned bulk goods retailer, will also be closed on Thanksgiving day, according to Sarah McKinney, a company spokeswoman.” Read more

 

“Target thinks outside the (big) box” by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “The discount retailer has exclusively told Fortune that it plans in 2016 to open a CityTarget store in the City Point development in Brooklyn, New York.” Read more

 

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“Obama plans executive actions to strengthen U.S. manufacturing” at Reuters via Yahoo. “The White House said NASA and the departments of Defense, Energy and Agriculture would invest more than $300 million in the emerging technologies of advanced materials including composites and bio-based materials, advanced sensors for manufacturing, and digital manufacturing.” Read more

 

“Bricks-and-mortars aim to gain on Amazon pain” by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “This holiday versus a year or two ago, Amazon, in terms of online sales, is facing a much higher competitive bar,” said Craig Johnson, president of research firm Customer Growth Partners. “Bricks-and-clicks store-based retailers have stepped up.” Read more

 

“Alibaba ramps up recruiting for Seattle office” by Rachel Lerman at Puget Sound Bus. Journal. “Rumors have been swirling for months that the company was preparing to launch a Seattle office, which would be its second U.S. office, in addition to a Silicon Valley location. Alibaba has been recruiting this week for engineers in Seattle, job postings on LinkedIn show.” Read more

 

“USPS gets approval to test grocery-delivery with Amazon in San Francisco” by Kate Taylor at Entrepreneur via Fortune. “The Postal Regulatory Commission approved a plan to deliver groceries between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. The two-year market test of what it calls “Customized Delivery” is currently restricted to San Francisco, but may someday expand into a national program.” Read more

 

“UK: DIY is in decline because today’s men are too soft” by Martin Daubney at The Telegraph. “The dismal fact that a mere five per cent of 18-24s would attempt to unblock a sink doesn’t bode well for humanity – unless you’re a plumber. Although the UK DIY sector is still worth a healthy £7.3 billion per year, that’s its lowest annual worth since 1999, and if it continues to decline at the current rate of 13 per cent per annum, there will be no DIY sector at all by 2040.” Read more

 

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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.

Friday Tipsheet: Bullseye Flies 1st Class | Wmart: New Shopper Framework | Cabela’s Comp -11.2%

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“Walmart Unveils New Shopper Marketing Framework” by Patrycja Malinowska at Path to Purchase. “Andy Murray called on brands to retire the “stop, hold and close” approach to in-store activation. Instead of disrupting shoppers, he said brands should seek to inspire and engage them. In terms of displays and PDQs, the retailer wants more value-added messaging at the shelf. P-O-P materials should have a very clear value proposition. Beyond just communicating value, they should create it, actually delivering a benefit.” Read more

 

“Wal-Mart global operations are a testing lab for Walmart U.S. stores” by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Walmart International operates in 15 core formats — compared to three, maybe four in the U.S. (David) Cheesewright said those formats range from a big builders chain in South Africa to small kiosks in Japan and everything in between. “Around a third of our stores are under 25,000 square feet, so much more average size and quite a lot of small stores in our portfolio,” Cheesewright said.” Read more

 

“Bullseye hits the Target, flies first class” by Marney Rich Keenan at The Detroit News. “She was curled up and on a red Delta blanket in her own seat and was incredibly docile with her head resting on the arm rest in full makeup and wearing a bright red collar with the Target logo repeated in bright sparkly rhinestones. Kids called out to their parents as if they were in the presence of a boy band. Several of the flight attendants had their pictures taken with her.” Read more

 

“Wall Street may finally be giving up on Amazon” by Cadie Thompson at CNBC. “The company posted a huge earnings miss for its third quarter on Thursday, reporting a loss of 95 cents a share versus the street’s estimate of 74 cents. And that big miss may be the last straw for investors, analysts said.” Read more

 

“Amazon Employees, Not Investors, Will Have to Pressure Jeff Bezos to Slow Down” by Brad Stone at Businessweek. “Employees unsettled by Amazon’s steadily depreciating stock price are probably the only thing that can force Bezos to slow down. Amazon workers are compensated heavily with stock grants, which are parceled out over four year periods. Promises of great stock rewards motivate employees to stick around amid a grueling work environment.” Read more

 

“Amazon hired 40,000 employees in a year, now has 150,000 worldwide” by Rachel Lerman. “That doesn’t even include the contractors that staff its massive warehouses or the 80,000 holiday employees it said it would hire on a temporary basis this year.” Read more

 

“Target has more options in Canada than you think” by Jonathan Ratner at Financial Post. “If Target stays: “No other Canadian retailer is materially impacted unless Target can actually double their store productivity.” If Target goes: “If Target were to simply pull out, pay the penalties, and let the stores go dark, it’s very good for Wal-Mart, pretty good for Canadian Tire and Loblaw, and not bad for everybody.” Read more

 

“Cabela’s Q3 Comp Sales Down 11.2% (Cycling against Firearms/Ammunition surge from last 2 years)” “For the quarter, total revenue increased 4.1% to $886.0 million; Retail store revenue increased 8.7% to $598.7 million.” Read the release

 

“Etsy Wants a Cut at the Craft Sale” by Jason Del Rey at Recode.”The dongles, which can be plugged into a smartphone or tablet, will be used in conjunction with an Etsy app to allow sellers to accept credit card and debit card purchases while hawking their wares at craft fairs and in other retail settings.” Read more

 

“Walmart grocery pickup test off to a good start” by Carol Angrisani at Supermarket News. “It’s doing well,” Andy Murray, SVP of Creative at Walmart Marketing, said during a keynote presentation Thursday at the Shopper Marketing Conference & Expo in Minneapolis.” Read more

 

“In online sales, could Wal-Mart ever top Amazon?” by Mike Kwatinetz at Fortune. “Given the fact that Amazon is adding sales (in dollars) at 5 times the rate of Wal-Mart online, the question is whether it has enough inherent advantages to continue to significantly outpace Wal-Mart. The answer is yes.” Read more

 

“Ron Johnson’s Startup ‘Enjoy’ Will Offer Online Shoppers Help in Choosing Products” by Daisuke Wakabayashi at WSJ. “Mr. Johnson is keeping most of Enjoy’s plans and strategy secret to avoid tipping off rivals. But he said Enjoy aims to help shoppers develop a connection with new products, in the way that Apple Stores let shoppers try its products. For example, Mr. Johnson said it is hard for customers to understand the capabilities of a new product like a GoPro camera from shopping online.” Read more (Subscription)

 

“Sears disputes report of layoffs, store closings” by Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz at Chicago Tribune. “A published report Thursday said Sears Holdings is laying off about 6,000 workers as it closes 110 stores within the next few months, many before Christmas, according to Seeking Alpha, a content service for financial markets.” Read more

 

“WalMart India names Murali Lanka as Chief Operations Officer” at The Hindu. Read more

 

“South Park (San Diego) residents oppose plans for TargetExpress” at Fox 5 News. “Saad Hirmez, who owns the property, said residents had requested higher-end markets like Trader Joes or Whole Foods to fill the space. “It was available for all of them, it was marketed and they apparently passed on,” said Hirmez. Of all the retailers that were interested, Hirmez said Target was the clear choice.” Read more

 

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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.

 

 

Thursday Tipsheet: Lowe’s CMO Iview | Target ‘Overstocking’ Canada | Video: Wmart’s Quinn

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“Target Canada to experiment with overstocking in turnaround effort” by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail. “The chain is quietly experimenting with ordering more merchandise than its systems think it needs for five of its best performing stores while “over-investing” in strong selling inventory at its top 20 outlets, Mr. Schindele said during a tour of Target’s Toronto Stockyards mall location, one of its premier stores.” Read more

 

“Analyst: Target could sell Canadian assets to Wal-Mart” by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail. “Will troubled discounter Target Canada stay in Canada or leave? That’s the burning question that retail analyst Perry Caicco at CIBC World Markets asks in a report on Wednesday. It may do either, but probably won’t make a decision until the end of 2015, he concludes. If it leaves, it may sell its assets to savvier rivals, he says. Discount giant Wal-Mart Canada Corp. would be the most likely buyer, Mr. Caicco suggests.” Read more

 

“Inside Costco: A look at the first store in Upstate New York” by WSYR-TV. “For Central New Yorkers, a passport is required to get to the nearest store, more than 150 miles away in Canada. That changes Friday when Camillus’s Costco opens to customers, what the store calls members. It will be the first store in Upstate New York, before cities like Rochester, Albany and Buffalo.” See the in-store video

 

Forbes: Interview with Lowe’s CMO Tom Lamb by Jennifer Rooney at Forbes. “Tom Lamb has been CMO at Lowe’s for 15 years, an unheard-of tenure for a chief marketer. But that longevity has provided him with a unique view on what works and what doesn’t in building the home-improvement brand. Core to all of his efforts these days, of course, is data, and he and his team are using it in myriad ways to ensure that customers experience a consistency across all Lowe’s touchpoints” Read more

 

“Video: Walmart CMO Quinn Upbeat on Holidays” by Jack Neff at Ad Age. “To keep up with the demand for thousands of pieces of content, largely video, the retailer has established a single “holiday hub” for producing all of its holiday work, led by Senior VP-Creative Andy Murray, Mr. Quinn said.” See the 2 minute video

 

“Online shopping yields different prices” by Callum Borchers at Boston Globe. “Conducted this spring, the Northeastern study examined the e-commerce websites of 16 well-known outlets and found nine, including Orbitz, Travelocity, and Home Depot, that sometimes delivered different results to different customers, even those who used the same search terms.” Read more

 

…Home Depot Responds by Elizabeth Dwoskin at WSJ. “Home Depot Inc. shows mobile-device users products that are roughly $100 more expensive than those offered to desktop-computer users…Home Depot didn’t dispute the accuracy of the findings, but the home-improvement retailer wasn’t “intentionally steering search results,” said company spokesman Stephen Holmes. Many factors could influence what a customer sees on the company’s sites, Mr. Holmes said, including prior browsing and purchase history, the location of the store, and whether the customer is on mobile or not.” Read more (Subscription)

 

“Who needs Black Friday? Retailers already cutting prices” by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Janney Capital Markets analyst Adrienne Yih-Tennant said in a note to investors on Wednesday that last weekend was the most promotional to date in the third quarter, with many apparel retailers offering deeper discounts than one year ago.” Read more

 

“Tractor Supply Q3 Comp Sales +5.6%”  “Comparable store transaction count increased 3.3% and average ticket increased 2.2%.” Read the release

 

“Wal-Mart Becomes Agile But Finds Some Limits” by Rachel King at WSJ. “Over the past two years, parts of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have begun to embrace a methodology known as Agile for rapid and flexible software development. Still, the methodology, now gaining ground beyond its core base of technology company practitioners, can’t be applied to everything, said a Wal-Mart employee at a conference in Silicon Valley.” Read more (Subscription)

 

“U.K. Retail Sales Fall More Than Forecast as Clothing Drops” at Bloomberg. “The volume of sales including auto fuel fell 0.3 percent from August, with clothing and footwear sales dropping 7.8 percent, the most since April 2012…Economists forecast a 0.1 percent decline.” Read more

 

“​Investor group wants Walgreens to postpone an acquisition following CFO lawsuit” at Chicago Bus. Journal. “​A union-backed investor group is urging Walgreen Co. to postpone its $15.3 billion buyout of Alliance Boots Holdings Ltd. pending the results of a defamation lawsuit filed by its former chief financial officer.” Read more

 

“Recap of Changes Coming to Walmart’s Neighborhood Markets” by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “I want to be able to walk in to the store and I want to be able to see what we want to sell to the customer. … If you’re going there at the moment, you expect to see apples because it’s the beginning of the apple season. I don’t want to have to stumble over two pallets of Coca-Cola and three point of sale signs directing me to buy Halloween candy when I want to walk in to produce,” Greg Foran said.” Read more

 

NY Times: “Tesco Chairman to Step Down as Overstatement of Profits Grows” by Jenny Anderson. Read more

 

“Orchard Supply opens mysterious vault in old San Jose store” by Joe Rodriguez at San Jose Mercury News. “For a very long time, nobody at Orchard Supply Hardware knew what was inside a tall, mysterious vault on the second floor of the old flagship store near downtown. On Wednesday afternoon, a locksmith surrounded by news reporters and fidgety company officials took a drill to the old safe and found….”We were hoping for $205 million in gold bars,” OSH President Richard Maltsbarger joked, referring to the price Lowe’s Home Improvement paid to acquire the company out of bankruptcy.” Read more

 

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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.

Wednesday Tipsheet: Target CEO Iview | Wmart’s New IT Plan | HBR’s Top 100 CEO’s (Bezos #1)

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“Target puts focus back on ‘cheap-chic’ with eye on winning back holiday shoppers” by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “If we go back during the last few years, during those recessionary periods, we probably played harder on the ‘pay less’ side than on the ‘expect more’ side, ” Brian Cornell, Target CEO since August, told Fortune. “We’re going to continue to focus on bringing that balance to life.” Read more

 

….Faux Fur Vest for Under $35 by Matt Townsend at Bloomberg. “At a design studio in Manhattan, Kathryn Tesija, executive vice president of merchandising, highlighted the goods that the company expects will win back shoppers this Christmas. There were $20 hand-sewn pillows, a faux fur vest for less than $35 and an exclusive collection of items from feel-good shoe brand Toms.” Read more

 

“Target to offer free shipping for online orders through holidays” by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “Starting Wednesday, Target will offer free shipping on any online purchase — no matter the size — through Dec. 20. In doing so, Target is taking an aggressive stance early on in the holiday season. Typically, retailers require a minimum purchase amount before shipping becomes free.” Read more

 

Harvard Business Review: The Best-Performing CEOs in the World (Jeff Bezos #1)  See the Top 100 list

 

“Wal-Mart Changes the Way it Prioritizes IT Projects” by Rachel King at WSJ. “Wal-Mart is in the midst changing the way it prioritizes information technology projects and funds them by channeling all IT projects through the office of its CIO. The idea, which hinges on the flexible application of IT talent, is to eliminate duplication of IT projects, make sure the company’s goals are met and use resources as efficiently as possible, said Mark Tallman, the Wal-Mart employee who created the plan.” Read more (Subscription)

 

“Family Dollar meets FTC’s request for additional info tied to $8.5B Dollar Tree deal” by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Bus. Journal. “Family Dollar continues to believe, based on its discussions with the FTC staff, that the FTC review of the Dollar General tender offer will continue well into 2015, ” the statement says.” Read more

 

“USA Today Speaks with Target CEO Brian Cornell” by Hadley Malcom.  See the video / Read more

 

“Big, bad Amazon” at The Economist. “The digital economy does present some very tricky market power questions, and regulators will have their hands full in coming decades managing them. Probably best for them to stay out of this battle for now.” Read more

 

“Taylor Swift Previews New Song in Target Commercial” by Thomas Chau at Pop Crush. “Taylor Swift and Target have teamed up to give Swifties a taste of a new song titled ‘Never Go Out of Style’ that will be on the ’1989 (Deluxe Edition)’ available exclusively in Target stores beginning on Oct. 27.”  See the 30 second spot

 

“Home Depot #1 in Radio Ads Last Week (Rite Aid #3)” at Radio Ink.  “The home improvement big box nudged GEICO from the top spot by airing 319 more commercials, according to Media Monitors.” Read more

 

“Sneak-Peek Inside Publix’s 3rd Charlotte Location (See the British Section)” by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Bus. Journal.  See the 17 pics

 

“Target Closes Day Two at World MasterCard Fashion Week” “Day two of World MasterCard® Fashion Week in Toronto ended with a bang tonight thanks to Target’s 42-model ensemble, led by none other than the beloved bull terrier mascot, Bullseye.” Read the release

 

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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.

Tuesday Tipsheet: Walter White @ Toys ‘R’ Us | H.Depot’s Powers EVP Stores | Sears Clerk Swipes $3.7 Mil

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“Parents outraged as U.S. Toys ‘R’ Us sells ‘crystal meth’ Breaking Bad dolls” by Rosa Prince at The Telegraph via Vancouver Sun. “Parents took to the toy giant’s Facebook page to say that they did not want their teenagers to be exposed to drug dealing even at the age of 15. One wrote: “Nothing says toys for kids like an action figure with a bag of crystal meth. I can’t wait for my 15 year to grow up like that.” Another added: “A new low . . . Breaking Bad toys? Come on! Pull them and be done with this nonsense and have just a morsel of common sense and decency.” Read more

 

…See the Walter White action figure with bag of meth via Gawker.  See the pic

 

“Wal-Mart Compliance Chief Looking Beyond the Scandals” by Sue Reisinger at Corporate Counsel. “Daniel Trujillo likes to tell the story of visiting Walmart stores when he was first hired to learn more about the retailing business. Trujillo visited one site around Valentines Day that had bought exactly 433 balloons, and seldom returned any product to suppliers. How do you know how many to buy, he asked. By studying 10 different data points on balloon sales, they replied. And he knew he and Walmart International were a match made in heaven.” Read more

 

“Home Depot Names Marc Powers EVP, U.S. Stores” “As EVP – U.S. Stores, Powers will assume responsibilities for the company’s three U.S. operating divisions, as well as Pro, Tool Rental and the company’s installation business.” Read the release

 

“New Home Depot CEO Menear gets $1.3M annual salary” at Atlanta Bus. Chronicle. “Menear, who takes the reins Nov. 1, also has the opportunity to earn a bonus of 200 percent his salary for hitting certain financial targets. And he gets $3.5 million in stock options.” Read more

 

“Sears leasing space to raise much-needed cash” by James Covert at NY Post. “Primark Stores — a British-based low-price clothing chain that’s expanding into the US — will lease space at seven Sears locations in the Northeast, the companies said Monday.” Read more

 

“Why Neiman Marcus picked a New York neighborhood” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “The neighborhood used to be known for its rough tenements, and some people still consider the blocks around the Javits Center between the Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea neighborhoods unattractive. Here’s why the smart folks at Neiman Marcus picked the location…” Read more

 

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“CVS Plays Hardball With Rival Drug Chains” by Ed Silverman & Paul Ziobro at WSJ. “The plan, offered by CVS’s pharmacy benefits unit Caremark, features copayments that are up to $15 higher on prescriptions filled where tobacco is sold. That could give people covered by such plans an incentive to buy their medications at CVS, which stopped selling tobacco products last month.” Read more (Subscription)

 

“Sears clerk arrested for swiping nearly $4 million” in items at CNBC. “New Jersey police charged one lone Sears clerk for stealing —and then trying to sell —$3.7 million worth of goods from a warehouse, The Daily Mail reported on Monday.” Read more

 

“A list of larger merchants taking Apple Pay” at AP via Star-Tribune. “More than 200,000 payment locations in the U.S. are equipped to accept so-called contactless payments, including Apple Pay. Smaller merchants tend to be among the several millions that don’t have the required equipment yet.” See the list

 

“Staples probes possible payment card data security breach” at Fortune. “The office-supply retailer disclosed the investigation after security reporter Brian Krebs reported on his blog Krebsonsecurity.com that several banks have identified a pattern of payment card fraud suggesting that several Staples stores in northeastern United States had succumbed to a data breach.” Read more

 

“America says no to cappuccino-flavored potato chips” by Candice Choi at AP via Star-Tribune. “As for the cappuccino flavor — which was described as “NASTY” and “gross” in some comments on Lay’s Facebook page — Krishnan defended its performance, although he wouldn’t say how many votes it got. “The fact that it made it out of our selection process to make it to the final four is no small feat,” he said.” Read more

 

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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.

Monday Tipsheet: Target’s ‘Navel Gazing’ | H.Depot’s SEO Mgr. | Top 25 in Solar

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Jeff Jones: “Target’s Target No Longer Just The “White Suburban Mom” by Suzanne Vranica at WSJ. “During a 45-minute presentation to hundreds of marketers attending the “Masters of Marketing” conference taking place in Orlando, Target CMO Jeff Jones gave a honest assessment of Target’s recent woes.” Read more (Subscription)

 

“How Target Used Data Breach to Shake Up Its Brand” by Natalie Zmuda at Ad Age. “Don’t let a crisis force you to take stock of your brand assets,” Jeff Jones said. “Don’t get caught navel gazing like we did. … If you just respond, you will be too late.” Read more

 

“Home Depot’s SEO Manager Erin Everhart Talks Strategy” by Leah Betancourt at Business 2 Community. “When I’m thinking about my 2015 SEO plans, I don’t think in terms of most searched keywords to focus on. I start first with the company’s biggest sellers and highest profit margins. Once I know that, I look to see how they’re performing in organic search.” Read more

 

“Wal-Mart de Mexico CEO to step down at year-end” at The City Wire. “Walmex CEO Scot Rank, who has overseen Wal-Mart’s Mexican business unit for five years will step down from that role at the end of this year.Rank will assume a position as vice-chairman of Wal-Mex effective Jan. 1, 2015.” Read more

 

“Big Box Retail’s Top 25 in Solar Power” by Caroline Winter at Businessweek. “Leading the pack by a significant margin: Wal-Mart Stores. The retail giant produced 105 megawatts of power last year at 254 locations in the U.S. Eight of the top 13 companies identified in the solar-power study are big-box retailers, including Costco, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Bed Bath & Beyond.” See the Top 25 List

 

“Whole Foods Launches First-Ever National Brand Campaign” “Whole Foods Market has been subtly telling our story for decades, and now is the time to overtly communicate what we’ve spent more than 35 years creating as change agents in the food world,” Jeannine D’Addario said.” Read the release

 

“How Zulily Hopes to Outmaneuver Amazon, Target & Walmart” by Jennifer Alsever at Fortune. “The photo project is one of 60 to 80 different big data projects going on at once at the company, and despite more than 1,700 employees, teams rarely surpass four to six people. Standup meetings may last less than 10 minutes, operating on what’s known as “Zulily time.” “If we get more than 10 people in the room, we’re asking ourselves why,” says Luke Friang, the company’s chief information officer.” Read more

 

“Canadian retailers expected to face tough holiday season” by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail. “The market is tough and challenging,” said Diane Brisebois, president of the trade group Retail Council of Canada. “It’s tough because it’s one of the few sectors where every time you turn around there’s a new competitor.” Read more

 

“Ex-CFOs Defamation Suit Shows Walgreen in Tumult” by Paul Ziobro at WSJ. “Let’s push for a 6.00 somehow,” Mr. Wasson says in a text on June 11 that the suit says refers to an earnings forecast of at least $6 a share. “I don’t think there is any way we could ensure that. Getting a 5 is a miracle,” Mr. Miquelon replied in another text that appears to be redacted in part. “No choice,” Mr. Wasson responded, also by text. “Need a 6. We’ll find a way.” Read more (Subscription)

 

“Seeking: Millenial Mallrats Who Tweet” by Uptin Saiidi at CNBC. “Simon recently commissioned a study with Russell Research, an independent survey of more than one thousand respondents, which found that 89 percent of millennials are likely to go to the mall this holiday season, compared to 71 percent of seniors and 83 percent of the general respondents.” Read more

 

“The top 10 Dilbert cartoons, according to creator Scott Adams” by Jenna Goudreau at Business Insider. “Exclusively for Business Insider, Adams looked through the archives and shared his 10 favorite Dilbert comics. Below, he explains why he chose each and counts them down to his absolute favorite of all-time.” See the Top 10

 

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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 really happening in the world of retail.  e: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net