Archive for month: July, 2015

Dick’s Sporting Goods is launching a competitor to Lululemon by Hayley Fitzpatrick at Business Insider. “We wanted to provide a destination for women who are on their own personal fitness journeys…” said Lauren Hobart, SVP, DICK’S Sporting Goods/General Manager, Chelsea Collective…The first two stores will open next month in Virginia and Pittsburgh.” Read more

Grocery store chain A&P files for bankruptcy at Reuters via CNBC. “The company has lined up buyers for 120 of its 296 stores with total expected proceeds of about $600 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.” Read more

Is Target’s ‘Trophy’ T-shirt demeaning toward women? by Diana Falzone at Fox News. “It is never our intention to offend anyone and we always appreciate receiving feedback form our guests,” a Target rep said in a statement. “The shirt you’re describing is part of a collection of engagement and wedding shirts that are available in our women’s and plus size departments.” Read more

Albertsons sues Haggen over $36 million in grocery inventory by Shan Li at LA Times. “Albertsons says that Haggen refused to pay for $36 million of inventory at 32 stores it acquired. Nearly $5 million in inventory at an additional six stores will be past due Tuesday — bringing the total to more than $41 million, the complaint said.” Read more

Judge tosses bulk of former CFO’s defamation suit vs Walgreens by Jonathan Bilyk at Cook County Record. “Now, Wade Miquelon has asked the judge for permission to amend his complaint again, this time to bolster his claims the company misled him into signing a separation agreement used by Walgreens to defend itself against his lawsuit, and to add a new allegation of defamation against the company and its executives.” Read more

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Amazon takes aim at next target: Macy’s by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “According to a report released by Cowen and Company on Monday, Amazon’s U.S. apparel and accessories business will strip Macy’s of its title as the country’s top apparel retailer by 2017.” Read more

Jet.com Will Launch With Amazon Prices Front and Center by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Jet tested its service with some customers who were given early access by showing its prices against those found on multiple competing websites. But after some people were confused by the appearance of the various competitors, Jet has decided to show its prices against just one competitor, Amazon.” Read more

This is Jet.com’s very weird and costly way to compete with Amazon on day one by Tricia Duryee at Geek Wire. Read more

India: Walmart may sell fashion items on third-party ecommerce sites by Rasul Bailey at Economic Times. “Walmart is in a very early stage of exploring the market for George,” the person said, asking not to be identified.” Read more

Limited Too is coming back — 90s girls everywhere rejoice by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more

Jeff Bezos’ space tourism company just launched sign-ups online by Steve Wilhelm at Puget Sound Business Journal. “A key feature of the capsule – which carries six people – will be six 43-inch-high windows, giving those aboard a wide view of the Earth below.” Read more

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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 really happening in the world of retail. See our website at www.eyeonretail.net

Nordstrom sets up 14,000-square-foot photo on the roof of its downtown Seattle store by Angel Gonzalez at Seattle Times. “The installation is designed to look like a screenshot of a leopard dress in an Instagram feed.” See the photos / Read more

WSJ: Target Goes for Local Cool by Christina Binkley. “In a program dubbed “Local Pride by Todd Snyder” that is set to roll out in 15 Boston stores next week, Mr. Snyder has created a collection of T-shirts and other products that play off uniquely local proclivities, often with a wink: “Wicked Smaht” T-shirts in Boston will take a poke at the local accent.” Read more (Subscription)

Amazon says ‘Prime Day’ will be annual event at Chicago Tribune. “(Walmart) said that the last three days have been some of its best ever for online orders…It noted that Wednesday was the highest day of the year for same-day pickup at its stores, with orders increasing triple digits over the same day last year.” Read more

Crayola announces huge, colorful attraction at Mall of America by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Crayola executives decided to begin rolling out these interactive concepts as a way to help inspire children’s creativity…The first, in Easton, opened in 2013…Crayola opened a second location in a mall in Orlando earlier this month.” Read more

Trump: Macy’s Stores Suck via Cincinnati Business Courier. “I hope the boycott of @Macys continues forever,” Trump tweeted to his 3.2 million followers on Thursday. “So many people are cutting up their cards. Macy’s stores suck and they are bad for U.S.A.” Read more

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Why Brad Pitt just slammed Costco over chickens by Benjamin Snyder at Fortune. “The Associated Press reported that Pitt sent a letter to Costco’s CEO recently asking the chain to change its ways.” Read more

Rona Inc to buy its 20 franchise stores in effort to simplify retail network at The Financial Post. “Rona says it will focus on sales at its independent dealers, who operate at 275 affiliated stores, and its own network of corporate stores.” Read more

Dollar Tree Names Michael Witynski Chief Operating Officer Read the release

Grocery chain Haggen laying off workers as it struggles in Southland CA by Shan Li & Whip Villarreal at LA Times. “The Pacific Northwest chain this year bought 146 Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions and Safeway stores, including 83 in California, mostly in the south. It has spent the last few months converting them to the Haggen brand and keeping most of the store employees.” Read more

Plated raises $35M — and now it wants a piece of Whole Foods by Teresa Novellino at New York Business Journal. “Similar to competitors like Blue Apron and HelloFresh, Plated delivers chef-designed recipes and ingredients that allow consumers to cook fresh meals at home.” Read more

Hostess may bring deep fried Twinkies to the freezer aisle at NY Post. Read more

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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 really happening in the world of retail. See our website at www.eyeonretail.net

St. Paul: TargetExpress prepares for Highland Park opening by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “The 16,000-square-foot store in St. Paul is a bit smaller than the 20,000-square-foot one in Dinkytown. And it will cater more to families than college students. So instead of fan gear, this store has small baby, sporting goods and toy departments.” Read more  See Pics 

NRF: Back-to-school spending expected to drop 9% by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “After loading up on expensive electronics in 2014, consumers are likely going to cut back on spending in that category, shelling out about $207.27 per person, down from $243.79.” Read more

Amazon customers not happy with initial Prime Day selection by Taylor Soper at Geek Wire. “We’ll see if the reaction changes as the day progresses, but for now, the initial response doesn’t seem great.” See the Tweets

…Deals Overview from Amazon Read the release

CEO, chairman quit Wal-Mart’s China e-commerce firm Yihaodian at Reuters. “Yihaodian co-founders, Chairman Gang Yu and CEO Junling Liu have announced they are leaving Yihaodian,” Walmart said in a statement, adding that it is recruiting other leaders.” Read more

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Why Breastfeeding Moms Are Praising Target by Caroline Bologna at HuffPo. “Nursing support group Breastfeeding Mama Talk posted the image on its Facebook page, where it received nearly 40,000 likes and was shared over 15,000 times. “This is why I love Target!!!” mom Laci Crawford commented. “Good work to them for getting it right and training their staff properly on this,” added Hazel Ip.” Read more

CVS Health chief: Consumers care more about wallet than health by Leena Rao at Fortune. “Consumers have a lot more skin in the game then they did a year ago,” (Helena) Foulkes said Tuesday during a roundtable discussion at Fortune’s annual Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo.” Read more

Australia: Here’s why consumers are choosing Aldi over Woolworths and Coles by Sue Mitchell at Sydney Morning Herald. “As Aldi and Costco move into the mainstream, they appear to be having an impact on what consumers look for in a supermarket,” said Morgan Stanley analyst Tom Kierath.” Read more

What You Can Get for Free If Your Amazon Prime Delivery Arrives Late by Chris Taylor at Reuters via Time. Read more

Target Kicks Off Back-to-School Season With a New Class of Kids via A Bullseye View.  Read more / See the video

Tipsheet Extra

New discount retailer Gabe’s set to open in Charlotte

Illinois judge raises bail on shoplifting suspect after learning he once stole $2M in Legos

Canada’s first shopping apartment offers real-life retail in a tiny downtown Toronto condo

Meet the woman who rescued Build-A-Bear Workshop

Blue Bell attracts billionaire in comeback quest

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

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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 really happening in the world of retail. See our website at www.eyeonretail.net

Report: Walmart/Sam’s to Cut 1,000 HQ Jobs by Nov. 1 by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “The cuts would happen through layoffs and attrition, and may include up to 200 vice presidents. Wal-Mart Stores did not confirm nor deny the layoffs are planned and would not provide a statement.” Read more

Walmart launches rival sale to Amazon’s Prime Day by Hadley Malcolm at USA Today “In a blog post slated to go up Monday, Walmart plans to say that it is “standing up for our customers and everyone else who sees no rhyme or reason for paying a premium to save.” “We just don’t believe you should pay a fee to get a better price,” said Walmart spokesperson Ravi Jariwala.” Read more

NY Times: How CVS Quit Smoking and Grew Into a Health Care Giant by Hiroko Tabuchi. “Helena B. Foulkes, who leads CVS’s retail business, swept past the sales counter at a newly renovated CVS in downtown Manhattan. Where cigarette packs once lined up in neat rows, now there were nicotine gum and patches to help smokers quit. (There are no e-cigarettes either, much to the chagrin of that industry, which had hoped CVS would embrace its products as a lower-risk alternative.)” Read more

Q&A with Home Depot’s Carol Tome – How Home Depot Overcame a Difficult Cultural Shift by Kelly Spors at Greenleaf. “Many actions he took immediately were symbolic. For example, I sit on the 22nd floor of our Store Support Center in Atlanta and used to have a badge to bypass all the other floors on the elevator. He took those away.” Read more

Amazon Prime Day Will Usher in a New Era of Manufactured Shopping Days by Brad Tuttle at Time. “If Amazon simply wanted to bump up overall sales, period, it would have opened up Prime Day deals to non-Prime members. Instead, it’s pumping up Prime Day as the perfect time to sign up for a free 30-day trial of Prime, with the idea that many new members will turn into paying subscribers in a month.” Read more

Sam’s Club Exec to speak at Chile seminar at Undercurrent News. “Robert Fields, senior merchandise director-fresh meat, seafood and deli for the Wal-Mart division will address the push for four-star BAP status, the highest in the BAP program.” Read more

This Company Is Bringing Customers Savings by Being the Costco of Small Businesses by Jonathan Blum at Entrepreneur. “But not everyone believes Jet will fly. David Herberich, a senior director at San Francisco-based data analytics firm BeyondCore…warns it won’t be easy to find the accurate supply-chain information from the thousands of vendors Jet needs to set reliable prices….“Jet may have access to all the data in the world,” he says. “The question is how well they can handle it.” Read more

J.Crew is about to launch a new, lower priced chain by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “The first store, to open in a shopping center in Dallas in late July, will feature the same products specifically designed for and sold at J. Crew’s factory locations. “J.Crew Mercantile stores will feature a collection of value-driven merchandise with classic J.Crew style for women, men and children,” the company said in a statement.” Read more

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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 really happening in the world of retail. See our website at www.eyeonretail.net