Lilly Pulitzer rush overwhelms Target’s website, quickly sells out at stores by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “At one point, Target made the site inaccessible for about 15 minutes in order to grapple with the traffic and avoid a full-blown crash…Target had hoped to make the Lilly Pulitzer collection available online by about 3 a.m., it was delayed until 5 a.m. because of high traffic, (Joshua) Thomas said…“There was extreme interest, extreme demand — traffic that would be on par with Black Friday,” he said.” Read more

Costco to Pay Almost Zero to Accept Credit Cards by Elizabeth Dexheimer at Bloomberg. “In a deal with Visa Inc. and Citigroup Inc., Costco’s acceptance costs will be about zero, according to people familiar with the arrangement. That compares with the roughly 0.6 percent of each transaction the retailer pays its current partner, American Express Co.” Read more

Target takes aim at Latinos with new marketing campaign by Samantha Masunaga at LA Times. “As singers croon in Spanish during a new television commercial for Target, three generations laugh around the dinner table long after the food has been cleared away. This is sobremesa, a common practice in Latin cultures of lingering after a meal to chat. The English language has no comparable term…” Read more

Walmart Eliminates Zone Managers by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “There are about five zone managers in a typical supercenter and those employees will be reassigned to either department of assistant managers, he said. The role of a zone manager has typically been to oversee a few departments and came about as an effort to reduce store count away from department managers.” Read more 

Dick’s Sporting Goods CFO Presents at Penn State via Smeal College of Business. “We talk about four things as an organization that we should be focused on: “We have to improve the productivity of our stores…The second part is our ecommerce sales…The third part is we’ve launched a new specialty concept — Field and Stream…The last part is … to focus on talent.” Read more  See the video

***New Product Spotlight: A Message from Tee Driver – Add Yardage to Drive Distance.  The Tee Driver helps you gain distance & accuracy on drives by placing your tee at a consistent height every time.  The easy-to-adjust Tee Driver finds your optimal tee height – then lets you lock it in. Hit the sweet spot of your driver every time!  See the sell sheet. Available in a peggable clamshell. Request samples now at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

Home Depot Adds Cyber Week in Ploy to Turn Spring Into Christmas by Matt Townsend at Forbes. “We’re going to follow the customer,” (Kevin) Hofmann said. “When the customer quits buying, that’s when we’ll stop running events.” Read more

Amazon Pays $450,000 A Year To This Self-Published Writer by Jay McGregor at Forbes.  Read more

Laid-Off Walmart Workers Head to Labor Board by Hiroko Tabuchi at NY Times. “Walmart said that the closings were temporary and were prompted by plumbing issues at the five stores…But a claim set to be filed on Monday by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union with the National Labor Relations Board says that the closings were in retaliation for a history of labor activism at one of the shuttered stores, in Pico Rivera, Calif.” Read more

***

Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. 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 at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Lowe’s CEO Niblock gets nearly 24% pay reduction in 2014 by Katherine Peralta at Charlotte Observer. “CEO Robert Niblock made $14.3 million in 2014, down from the $18.7 million he made in 2013, according to a securities filing this week…Niblock’s perks included $94,954 worth of personal use of the company’s aircraft, $6,406 for a company-required physical exam and $5,700 worth of reimbursement for his tax compliance costs.” Read more

Carlyle Group names ex-Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke as operating executive at Business Insider via WSJ. “Duke, 65, will work with deal-makers who are focused on buying and investing in consumer products and retail companies at the firm in Washington, D.C.” Read more

….Mike Duke Will Continue to Serve as a Member of Walmart’s Board by Ryan Dezember at WSJ. “The position as a so-called operating executive is akin to being a paid consultant for the firm, rather than an employee, and will allow Mr. Duke to continue to serve as a member of Wal-Mart’s board. It won’t prevent him from taking on other roles elsewhere.” Read more (Subscription)

Women in Construction Conference Features Home Depot’s Carol Tome and Roz Brewer from Sam’s Club  Read the release

***A message from Eye Dig It Safety Sunglasses: Don’t Sacrifice your Safety for Style. Set your sights on this pair of chic sunglasses to find the best of both worlds. Maximum visual perception and shatter/scratch-resistant protection, Eye Dig It helps protect eyes from debris and provide UVA and UVB protection…and women love the stylish look and feel.  Available in Black and Tortoise Shell. See the sell sheet. For product samples contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

Target settles with MasterCard for $19M in breach by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “The proposed settlement does not include Visa. A Target spokesman said he had no update to share on the retailer’s negotiations with Visa.” Read more

Amazon Prime Now in Austin: Ken doll delivered in 19 minutes 59 seconds to Univ. of Texas Residence Hall by Charles Liu at The Daily Texan. “The Daily Texan tested out the service by placing two separate orders…The second was 125 feet of bubble wrap, because the Texan knows how to have fun…The bubble wrap arrived in 25 minutes and 38 seconds, and it was delivered by a different person. Popping will ensue.” Read more

Walgreens’ Pessina: Finding Next CEO More Difficult than Hoped by Bruce Japsen at Forbes. “Though it’s “tempting to think of us as a U.S. business . . . we cannot afford to be parochial and nor would we choose to be,” Pessina said. To that end, Pessina said Walgreens next CEO will be from outside of the company with consultants are looking at external candidates. “Finding the right person is proving more difficult than we might have hoped,” Pessina said. “It’s not easy to find someone with the experience and gravitas that we want.” Read more

Whole Foods exec spends her day in Nashville by Adam Sichko at Nashville Business Journal. “Norah Smith, a vice president of real estate at Whole Foods, checked out possible locations with principals of the Nashville real estate brokerage firm Rudd Seeley Wallis LLC, according to multiple real estate sources.” Read more

Meet Tanium, The Secret Cybersecurity Weapon Of Target, Visa And Amazon by Brian Solomon at Forbes. “When Steven Sinofsky first saw Tanium software in action, he–along with the rest of a conference room full of Andreessen Horowitz partners–thought it was a trick. “It was too fast,” says Sinofsky, who used to run Microsoft’s Windows division. “To a person, we just assumed it was a mock-up. We asked how long it would take to build for real.” Read more

This chart about spending in restaurants is unbelievable … because it has a major problem by Myles Udland at Business Insider. “The chart shows that total spending at restaurants and bars — “food and drinking places” — topped spending at grocery stores in March. This is a huge deal. But it doesn’t quite show what you think.  That’s because major grocery retailers like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target aren’t considered grocery stores, as Jonathan Maze at the Nation’s Restaurant News notes.” Read more

Cabela’s Names Ex-Tractor Supply CEO to Board  Read the release

Tracy Margolies Named Chief Merchant of Saks Fifth Avenue  Read the release

Duluth Trading apologizes to Don Henley to resolve trademark dispute by Evan Ramstad at Star-Tribune. “Duluth Trading…is known for clever, irreverent merchandising and marketing materials both in stores and online. Khaki pants, for instance, are referred to as “Middle Management chinos” and long-tail T-shirts “prevent plumber’s butt.” Read more

It is likely the first person who will live to be 1,000 years old is already alive today at News.com. “If we ask the question: ‘Has the person been born who will be able to escape the ill health of old age indefinitely?’ Then I would say the chances of that are very high,” he said.
“Probably about 80 per cent.” Read more

***

Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. 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 at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Home Depot’s Hal Lawton Exits for eBay by Ina Steiner at EcommerceBytes. “(Hal) Lawton, who previously worked at consulting firm McKinsey & Co., will become head of eBay North America, a position Christopher Payne held for 4 years before becoming CEO of dating site Tinder last month.” Read more

Target hires former Safeway, PetSmart executive to lead its grocery department by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “(Brian) Cornell…was personally involved in the search for a new executive. He worked with (Anne) Dament several years ago when he was the chief marketing officer at Safeway, where she held several posts.” Read more

…Anne Dament Background via Tom Webb at Pioneer Press. “Dament’s first-ever job in groceries was working at Kowalski’s on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. Later, after graduating from St. Thomas with a major in marketing and a minor in English, Dament joined Eden Prairie-based Supervalu as a buyer.” Read more

***A message from Orchard Road Canning – Designer inspired style brings life to the home canning category. Announcing the decorative series of canning caps featuring three custom designs: Wild Daisy, Fruit and Gingham. Available in Regular Mouth. Finally, something unique and differentiated to drive incremental sales in the home canning and storage categories! See the decorative designs. Request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Best Buy says Tyabji will retire; CEO Joly will add title of chairman at Pioneer Press. “Electronics retailer Best Buy said Chairman Hatim Tyabji will retire June 9, and President and CEO Hubert Joly will become its chairman.” Read more

Here’s where the next TargetExpress store will open in the Bay Area by Annie Sciacca at San Francisco Business Times. “Almost nine months after it was first proposed, the third TargetExpress to open in the Bay Area is confirmed to land in the Ingleside neighborhood at 1830 Ocean Ave. in October. TargetExpress…will occupy 17,000 square-feet at the former Rite Aid spot, which has been empty for six years.” Read more

Etsy vendors to get piece of IPO by Michael Wursthorn at MarketWatch. “Etsy has set aside 5% of shares to sell to vendors and other small investors through a program that is being overseen by Morgan Stanley.” Read more

Home Depot Still King of Radio at Radio Ink. “For the second week in a row, The Home Depot is radio’s number one advertiser, airing 85,888 commercials for the week of April 6-12…Slipping down from number two to was Walgreens, now at number five, with 26679 — approximately 40 percent less than the week before.” Read more

Safeway names new CEO, restructures top jobs by Jahna Berry at San Francisco Business Times. “Bob Miller, the company’s current executive chairman, will be the new chief executive officer, effective immediately.” Read more

Mexican government raids farm labor camps in crackdown on abuses by Richard Marosi at LA Times. “The Mexican government has raided at least three squalid, makeshift farm labor camps in recent weeks, rescuing about 250 adults and children and posting videos of the operations — rare enforcement actions that suggest a more aggressive tack by federal labor authorities.” Read more

Dick’s Sporting Goods Opens #612 in Moline, IL on April 24th Read the release

Amazon ends book pricing squabble with HarperCollins by Fletcher Babb at Venture Beat. Read more

***

Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. 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 at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

Lowe’s to eliminate pesticides that hurt crop pollinating honeybees at Reuters. “Lowe’s said it will phase out neonics in shelf products and plants by the spring of 2019, as suitable alternatives become available…Last year, BJ’s Wholesale Club said it was asking all of its vendors to provide plants free of neonics by the end of 2014 or to label such products.” Read more

J.C. Penney’s Marvin Ellison Said to Plan to Give Managers More Leeway by Matt Townsend at Bloomberg. “To reinforce the managers’ expanded role, the company announced at the meeting that their titles would be changed from store leader, a term coined during the Johnson era, to general manager…With his performance so far, which has included a nationwide tour visiting stores, Ellison has won over J.C. Penney’s rank and file, one of the people said.” Read more

Bed Bath & …. beer? Miami-area store goes beyond homegoods by Kathleen Devaney at Miami Herald. “Bed Bath & Beyond is..adding a small grocery section stocked with beer and wine to the center of the store. It will be the chain’s first Florida location to offer groceries…Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman joked during the meeting, asking if the frequent “20% Off” mailer coupons can be used when purchasing beer and wine. (No, according to the store manager.) Quipped Commissioner Howard Weinberg, “That would have been the beyond.” Read more

Denise Bidot is a plus-size powerhouse and face of Lilly Pulitzer for Target by Zayda Rivera at NY Daily News. “After a huge year that included walking in New York Fashion Week’s Chromat and Serena Williams’ runway shows, the half-Puerto Rican, half-Kuwaiti bombshell known for her killer curves is showing the fashion industry what confident beauty looks like in a size 14.” Read the Q&A

Retail’s plus-size problem: Designing for larger sizes by Courtney Reagan at CNBC. “Mariah Chase, CEO of plus-size retailer Eloquii, said she estimates that 65 percent of American woman are considered plus size, but the category represents only about 17 percent to 18 percent of apparel sales.” Lane Bryant CEO video / Read more

Walgreens closing 200 stores — but opening 200 others by Ellen Jean Hirst at Chicago Tribune. “A spokesman told the Tribune on Thursday that the stores will close during the next three years, with the last closing no later than the end of 2017. The list of stores slated to close is still being finalized.” Read more

…Rite-Aid Deal Could be Less Likely by Cynthia Koons at Bloomberg via Chicago Tribune. “(Acting CEO Stefano Pessina’s) comments may indicate Walgreens is leaning more toward a deal in the industry of buying and distributing drugs than toward a merger with a direct competitor like Rite Aid, which has been the subject of speculation in recent weeks. Walgreens said Thursday it will close 200 U.S. stores this year to cut costs, throwing cold water on the idea that Pessina is eager to gain more locations.” Read more

Retailers Urged to Ditch Millennials in Favor of Older Shoppers by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “There’s this obsession with millennials,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, the analyst who wrote the report. “The truth is millennials aren’t spending any money with anybody because they don’t have any.” Read more

Target’s end in Canada to be marked with a funeral by one of its first customers by Sadiya Ansari at The Hamilton Spectator. “(Harrison) Jordan…expects 20 or so people to turn up for the ceremony. Black attire will be expected and a bagpiper will play. He started shopping at Target on family trips south of the border and will never forget his first time.” Read more

Trying out Amazon Prime’s new one-hour delivery service by Addie Broyles at Austin 360. “My order arrived 35 minutes after I placed it on the app, and three employees, wearing Amazon Prime shirts, arrived to give it to me. (Two of them were in training, Luis said.) I was surprised the order got here so quickly, considering 35 minutes is about how long it takes to drive from the Amazon fulfillment warehouse.” Read more

PayPal Allowed To Work With Amazon Following eBay Split by Ryan Mac at Forbes. Read more

Fast-Growing Topgolf Expects to More Than Quadruple Visits in Just Three Years by Ashley Rodriguez at Ad Age. “The company’s Austin, Texas, facility spans 65,000 square feet and three stories — and young men and women are flocking to it. It’s just one of 24 U.S. locations in states including Texas, Virginia and Illinois that blend a staid sport and a raucous sports bar…Ten new Topgolf locations are slated to open this year. A Las Vegas outpost set to open next year will include a swimming pool, rooftop bar, concert venue and cabanas.” Read more

All 38 Apple Watch models and their prices on one page by Emil Protalinski at VentureBeat. See the list

‘Share a Coke’ to Return, But Bigger by E.J. Schultz at Ad Age. “This summer, the brand will extend the program to include more names and to cover more package sizes and formats, according to a person close to the company familiar with the matter.” Read more

***

Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. 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 at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.