Tipsheet: Costco Nailed for Knockoffs | Ex-Best Buy Exec to Angie’s List | Walmart’s Slow Load Time

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Costco sold counterfeit Tiffany engagement rings-U.S. judge by Nate Raymond at Reuters. “Despite Costco’s arguments to the contrary, the court finds that, based on the record evidence, no rational finder of fact could conclude that Costco acted in good faith in adopting the Tiffany mark,” (Judge) Swain wrote…Under the ruling, Tiffany may now take Costco before a jury to seek damages, including a recovery of Costco’s profits from the sale of the diamond rings and punitive damages.” Read more

 

…Read Tiffany’s Press Release

 

Macy’s and Best Buy partner to test consumer electronics departments inside Macy’s by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “The Best Buy licensed shops will be about 300 square feet….the 10 stores will be in various markets across the U.S. but haven’t been chosen yet. The space will be staffed by Best Buy employees and they will sell smartphones, tablets and smart watches, audio devices (including Bluetooth speakers and headphones) and accessories (including cases, chargers and other peripherals) from Samsung and other brands.” Read more

 

Macy’s says it will close 35 to 40 stores in early 2016 via Star Tribune. “Macy’s said Tuesday it hasn’t selected all of the stores that will be closed yet. It expects the locations will have about $300 million in combined revenue.” Read more

 

Supermarket chain Haggen files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Shan Li at LA Times. “Analysts say the chain underestimated its competition and failed to anticipate the many alternatives Californians have when it comes to grocery shopping.” Read more

 

These start-ups don’t think mattress shopping has to be so terrible by Sarah Halzack at Washington Post. “Each sells just one mattress that it believes is comfortable for most people. And their technology allows them to cram the mattress into a box that looks too small to contain something two adults can sleep on. That, in turn, lets them ship it to you on the cheap.” Read more

 

Costco Has Fastest Mobile Load Time (Walmart the Slowest) by Matt Linder at Internet Retailer. “The disparity was even greater for Walmart.com, which loaded 5.4 times slower on desktop than Apple (6.418 seconds) and 5.5 times slower on mobile (10.149 seconds) than Costco.” Read more   See the top 16 list via Dynatrace

 

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PetSmart Expands Overnight Delivery to Chicago and Midwest Market Read the release

 

‘Fast-fashion’ retailer Primark set to open first US store in Boston by Taryn Luna at Boston Globe. “The company started in Ireland, where its stores are known as “Penneys,” in 1969. It now operates more than 291 stores in nine countries. Based in Dublin, it’s known as a “fast-fashion” retailer, selling high volumes of popular styles at extremely low prices.” Read more

 

Best Buy Canada hosts first-ever Best Buy Life & Tech Wearable Tech Expo and Fashion Show Read the release

 

Google to Start Testing Grocery Deliveries This Year by Brian Womack at Bloomberg. Read more

 

…Google Express Delivery Service Drives Into Middle America by Mark Bergen at Recode. “On Tuesday, Google announced it is adding overnight delivery to five Midwestern states and will begin testing same-day grocery delivery in two cities.” Read more

 

Home Depot #2 in Radio at Radio Ink. “From the Media Monitors weekly spot count, GEICO held on to its number one spot airing 36,718 commercials last week. The Home Depot moved up two slots to number two with 34,761.” Read more

 

Bath & Body Works to End On-Call Scheduling by Lauren Weber at WSJ. Read more (Subscription)

 

Could Beauty Products Be Korea’s New Export Engine? by Jiyeun Lee at Bloomberg. “Overseas sales for the cosmetics industry rose 73 percent this year through July, compared with a 4.9 percent decline for all industries.” Read more

 

Amazon finally stops selling the Fire Phone by Tricia Duryee at GeekWire. Read more

 

The Tiny Town That Hates Elon Musk by Lauren Etter at Bloomberg. ” If they happen to be picking up groceries past a designated “point of no return,” forget about going home…”I’m like, ‘Are you out of your mind?’” said Cheryl Stevens, 55, who settled in Boca Chica Village a decade ago in search of quiet, rustic beauty. “It’s like Nazi Germany.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Former Best Buy executive to head Angie’s List

Marilyn Monroe Spas Appoints Former Walmart Regional VP

Lidl Eyes Location in Mooresville

Michael Strahan picks J.C. Penney as exclusive outlet for menswear line

Can Wal-Mart Help Bring Tonka Trucks Back To The U.S.?

Amid criticism, Amazon appoints director of social responsibility

REI will move Redmond store to Bellevue in 2016

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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

Tuesday Tipsheet: Target Likes Long Beach | Tome at Luncheon | Wmart’s ‘Upskilling’ | D.Gen’s Board Believes

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Costco Photo Center finally back online after security breach forces seven-week outage by Jacob Demmitt at GeekWire. “The Issaquah, Wash.-based big-box retailer says customer photos weren’t compromised in the hack, but the company warns in an FAQ, “At this point, we believe that the credit card information of a small percentage of Costco members was captured.” Read more

 

Former Amazon VP leaving CIO role at Seattle Police Department after 6 months by John Cook at GeekWire. “It’s not entirely clear why Russell — a native of Scotland who was awarded an $180,000 salary — left. An unnamed source tells The Stranger that the city “took away his workforce.” Read more

 

Home Depot CFO Carole Tomé Speaks At Women’s Luncheon by Kandice Bell at Times-Herald. “The first time I saw Home Depot was in 1992,” Tomé said. “I stayed in the store for two hours because I loved the energy and thought it was a really cool store.”…“I met with Arthur Blank and told him that I loved the store, but I don’t think I’ll be challenged enough,” said Tomé. “Arthur replied they would give me the opportunity to reach my highest potential.” Read more

 

Damon Wayans says Tracy Morgan received $90M in Settlement by Snejana Farberov at Daily Mail. “The comic then made a joke that learning of Morgan’s windfall, some people might think to themselves: ‘I wish that a Walmart truck would hit me.’ Morgan’s camp on Friday rushed to dismiss the settlement claims as nothing more than idle gossip.” Read more

 

Target Slated to Open Second East Long Beach Location in March 2016 by Jason Ruiz at Long Beach Post. “The announcement was made on Facebook by Third District Councilwoman Suzie Price and Mayor Rober Garcia last week. The smaller Target storefront would take over the location that previously housed the Ralph’s supermarket at the “Iron Triangle’” Read more

 

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Tesco agrees to sell South Korea business in $6 billion deal by Youkyung Lee at AP.  Read more

 

Wal-Mart Tests ‘Upskilling’ by Tamar Jacoby at WSJ. “Wal-Mart store No. 79 looks just like the company’s other “supercenters.” Open 24/7, with some 345 full- and part-time employees, it is a fixture in the heavily blue-collar city of Joplin, Mo. But there is an experiment under way here…The new program, called “Pathways,” delivers instruction in gamelike computer modules—each just two- or three-minutes long…” Read more (Subscription)

 

Dollar General’s board members appear to be a bunch of true believers by Geert De Lombaerde at Nashville Post. “A couple of days after AutoZone CEO Bill Rhodes spent about $370,000 to pad his stake in Dollar General following the stock’s slip in the wake of the company’s Q2 earnings, fellow director Michael Calbert followed suit — and then some…” Read more

 

Amazon to release $50 tablet in time for Christmas by Mark Prigg at Daily Mail. “The 6-inch screen tablet will come with a mono speaker and is priced much lower than Amazon’s Fire tablet, the cheapest variant of which is sold at $99.  Amazon also plans to release 8-inch and 10-inch screen tablets, the report said.” Read more

 

Labor shortage could delay online orders by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “These agencies themselves are hiring like mad,” Osborne said. “It’s no longer the case where there’s a huge amount of surplus labor sitting around doing nothing.” Read more

 

Amazon hiring staff for new restaurant division in NYC, Seattle via NY Post. “At least five Amazon employees have updated their LinkedIn profiles in the last five months to indicate they are working for Amazon Restaurants. One of them joined the division from GrubHub.” Read more

 

Pro-union ads put bulls-eye on Wal-Mart by Chris Bahn at Arkansas Online. “TV markets targeted were Fort Smith/Fayetteville and Little Rock in Arkansas along with Memphis and Tulsa. Facebook users who noted in their profiles that they were Wal-Mart employees were seeing messages touting a link to a page featuring the TV ad.” Read more

 

Oakland: Whole Foods Bans Security Firm after Guard Beats Shopper Unconscious by Adelle Nazarian at Breitbart. “Zoe Marks, a Seattle native and lecturer in African studies at Edinburgh University posted the “horrific” incident to her social media accounts. According to KQED, she said “people were shouting they were never going to shop at Whole Foods again. Everyone was shocked.” Read more

 

Amazon gets Illinois tax credits despite calls for review at Chicago Tribune. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Walmart’s White Cloud named best all-around toilet paper by Consumer Reports

Low prices, large selection lure Canadian shoppers to American supermarkets

Dale Jr. meets fans at Walmart, leaves with a cool gift

Amazon takes dark, unsettling turn into religion with ‘Hand of God’

At Home plans $100M IPO

Amazon sued by family of student who killed herself with cyanide allegedly purchased online

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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

 

Tipsheet: Sears Canada ‘Basically Worthless’ | Bass Pro Bash | Peak BBQ | Hal Lawton Q&A

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Fans Lines Up at Midnight for new Star Wars Toys at CNN Money. “At Toys R Us in New York’s Times Square just before midnight, hundreds of people were waiting for hours to be first in line…The BB-8 and Phasma toys sold out quickly, to the dismay of many of the biggest fans.” Read more

 

…A Bullseye View: “Target Exclusive BB-8 Droid is Here, Plus So Much More” See the toy pics / Read more

 

Online back-to-school shopping increases 12% by Matt Linder at Internet Retailer. “Mobile sales jumped 42%, accounting for a quarter of all such online sales, according to IBM’s just-released Digital Analytics Benchmark report…For the first time however, mobile has nearly caught up with desktop when it comes to traffic share.” Read more

 

Amazon rolls out Sunday delivery to Twin Cities by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Twin Cities customers might soon be able to get same-day delivery. Amazon already offers it in more than a dozen metro areas. “We haven’t made any announcement yet,” Lindsey said when asked when it would arrive in the Twin Cities. “But stay tuned.” Read more

 

eBay: Two Minutes with our North America Chief Hal Lawton “What’s your leadership style? I would say interactive as well as results-oriented. I’m very much a non-hierarchical person…” Read the Q&A / See the video

 

Rite Aid August Comp +1.6% (Front-End +0.6%) “Same store sales for the 26-week period ended Aug. 29, 2015 increased 2.5 percent over the prior-year period. Front-end same store sales increased 0.5 percent.” Read the release

 

Bass Pro schedules October bash at Memphis Pyramid by Ted Evanoff at The Commerical Appeal. “The expo is scheduled Oct. 16 through Oct. 25. It  will be the first major event at the 750-employee riverside Pyramid marketed by Bass Pro throughout North America since the opening.” Read more  See the schedule of events

 

The Awesome Scale Of The New Apple Campus, Captured By Drone by Mark Wilson at Fast Company. See the video

 

Claim: CVS says stopping tobacco sales made a big difference by Jayne O’Donnell at USA Today. “The decision to stop tobacco sales at all of its drugstores a year ago caused people to buy 95 million fewer packs of cigarettes in 13 states, CVS Health says in a new study out Thursday.” Read more

 

Fred’s August Comp +1.2% “On a comparable store basis, year-to-date sales increased 0.8% versus a decline of 0.6% for the year-earlier period.” Read more

 

Sears Canada’s retail operations ‘basically worthless at this point,’ analysts say by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “Like almost every other Canadian merchant, they were lapping a quarter that contained Target with a quarter that didn’t,” analysts Perry Caicco and Mark Petrie said in a research note Thursday.” Read more

 

Man Masquerading As Walmart Employee Walks Out The Door With Four Big Screen TVs by Ashlee Kieler at Consumerist. “Authorities say the man, wearing a vest and employee badge, walked straight to the store’s stockroom, loaded up a hand truck with thousands of dollars worth of smart TVs and walked out the door to a waiting Nissan vehicle.” Read more

 

We’ve Hit Peak Barbecue, and Steak Prices Are Partly to Blame by Lydia Mulvany & Shruti Singh at Bloomberg. “The percentage of U.S. homes using their barbecue grill for a main meal in a typical two-week period slipped to 35 percent last year from 40 percent in 2009, according to market researcher NPD Group…“Barbecuing is not going away,” Seifer said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “It’s just that it’s peaked.” Read more

 

Clorox Is Betting Big on Programmatic Advertising by Jack Marshall at WSJ. “To power its push further into programmatic, Clorox created a dedicated marketing technology group made up of data scientists and technology specialists who help manage its ad-buying programs and relationships with partners.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Facebook now holds the top two positions among app users in the U.S. by Michael De Waal-Montgomery at Venture Beat. See the Top 15 Smartphone Apps

 

Tipsheet Extra

Amazon Buys Video Delivery Company for $500 Mil

Fortune: Grocery store turns 99, its survival in doubt

Federal judge tosses ‘bread’ lawsuit against Wegmans

Hazmat crews called to St. Louis PetSmart

93% of B2B Companies use Twitter

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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

 

Tipsheet: TGT Back to School Prices 25% Higher than WMT | Costco Aug -2% | Five Below Q2 +3% | Petco for Sale

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Costco August Comp -2.0% (US +1.0%) “For the 52-week fiscal year ended August 30, 2015, the Company reported net sales of $113.7 billion, an increase of three percent from the $110.2 billion reported last year.” Read the release

 

Target’s Prices 25% Higher than Walmart in Back to School Study by Clare O’Connor at Forbes. “Profitero examined 3,849 of the exact same products with identical brands and barcodes across Amazon, Walmart and Target’s e-commerce sites on the same date (August 18th, around the annual peak for these purchases). The company found that Amazon’s prices were a fraction lower — 1% — than Walmart’s.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart to reopen five U.S. stores at center of union complaint by Nathan Layne at Reuters. “We are moving forward with the process to reopen all five stores. While we continue to conduct plumbing repairs and store upgrades, our goal is to begin serving customers by late October or early November,” Lorenzo said.” Read more

 

Five Below Q2 Comp Sales +3% “Net sales increased by 19.5% to $182.2 million from $152.5 million…The Company opened 32 new stores and ended the quarter with 417 stores in 26 states.” Read the release

 

Private-Equity Firms Carlyle, KKR Explore Bids for Petco by Dana Mattioli & Telis Demos at WSJ. “Petco, which is already owned by private-equity firms, is in the early stages of exploring a sale alongside its preparations for an initial public offering, the people said….people familiar with the matter said when it filed the IPO papers that the company could be worth about $4 billion.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Amazon expands Dash button to all Prime members, adds new brands, refunds price of button by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. Read more

 

Illinois law will bring lockable pill bottles, but will they work? by John Russell & Ameet Sachdev at Chicago Tribune. “Under a law that takes effect in January, Illinois will provide financial incentives to pharmacies to dispense addictive painkillers like Vicodin or Norco in locked pill bottles to deter people from gaining access, especially drug addicts.” Read more / See the pic

 

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Star Wars Merch on YouTube Today by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Disney’s new “Star Wars” toys will be unveiled on YouTube during an 18-hour event that kicks off Thursday. Then, at midnight local time on “Force Friday,” retailers including Toys R Us and Wal-Mart will host exclusive events and giveaways to celebrate the launch.” Read more

 

J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison to speak at A&M Retailing Summit in Dallas by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison is speaking in Dallas at the annual Retailing Summit put on by the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School. Ellison speaks on the first day of the conference on Oct. 8-9 at the Westin Galleria in Dallas.” Read more

 

The future of Whole Foods: Exec dishes details on 365 stores by Anjali Fluker at Austin Business Journal. ““For most people, at least historically, grocery shopping ranked up there with taking out the garbage,” Sud said during the panel discussion at the ICSC Florida Conference.” Read more

 

Target wins St. Paul OK for liquor store by Josh Verges at Pioneer Press. “Target won city council approval Wednesday to sell liquor at the SuperTarget along University Avenue in St. Paul.” Read more

 

Sears Canada faces tight turnaround to revitalize flagging business by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail. “Mr. Stranzl, who often works in a cubicle at the Toronto head office rather than his office (“I like to be in the mix”), said he does not have a timeline for a turnaround, but he feels the heat to bolster results.” Read more

 

Puget Sound’s largest-ever cargo ship – longer than an aircraft carrier – just arrived in Seattle by Steve Wilhelm at Puget Sound Business Journal. “The ship is able to carry the equivalent of 11,400 containers, each 20 feet long, making it more than 40 percent larger than the average ship…These ships are called “super-post-Panamax,” because they’re too large to fit even through the widened Panama Canal, which means they only can call West Coast ports with inbound cargo from Asia.” Read more

 

Build A Bears A-ha Moment: It’s About Making Memories by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “When they pored through the data, (CEO Sharon Price) John said executives noticed their best stores got half their customers from at least 50 miles away. “That was an ‘a-ha moment’ for us,” she said. “Fundamentally, Build-A-Bear is not about stuffed animals. It’s about making memories.” Read more

 

Home Depot Website Glitch Provides Two Ratings For Some Products by Ashlee Kieler at Consumerist. “…we did a little digging to see what the discrepancy was all about and it turns out that Victor was on to something. A look at several products that include a portion of a star found that the rating loses that fraction of a star in the drop-down bar. Products with full stars are not affected.” Read more

 

eBay is 20 years old today by Paul Sawers at VentureBeat. “The first sale, so the story goes, was a broken laser pointer, which changed hands for a whopping $14.83. When Omidyar asked the buyer if he was aware that the item was broken, the response was: “I am a collector of broken laser pointers.” Read more

 

NY Times: Backpack Makers Rethink a Student Staple by Hiroko Tabuchi. ““I don’t really have to carry around textbooks anymore, like I used to in high school,” said Mr. Cho, a sophomore.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Amazon Prime members convert 74% of the time

Billionaire Steve Wynn buys Guess co-founder’s estate for $47.9 million (Pic)

B&G to pay General Mills $765 million for Green Giant

Dallas: Nordstrom says ‘bad choices’ were made when Deep Ellum got covered in Warby Parker posters

Wayfair to host a ‘Shark Tank’-like startup competition

Companies develop collars that monitor pets for pain, signs of disease and distress

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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

 

Tipsheet: Target Cuts 275 @ HQ/India | Albertsons Sued for $1 Bil | Nike’s $185 Hoodie

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Target lays off 235 in Twin Cities tech operations, 40 in India by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “In addition to the new job cuts, Target said Tuesday it will close about 35 open positions at its corporate offices in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park…One area still on the chopping block is some of Target’s corporate workforce involved in its pharmacy business…The layoffs — amounting to 2,735 jobs this year, or about one-fifth of its corporate staff.” Read more

 

Washington Post: A case that Costco and other warehouse clubs have transformed retail more than Amazon by Sarah Halzack. “The four largest warehouse clubs accounted for 8 percent of retail sales in 2012, nearly 50 percent more than all e-commerce retail sales in that year. And while the rise of online shopping has dominated the discussion of the retail landscape, Hortacsu and Syverson found it actually hasn’t been the sector’s biggest growth story over the last roughly two decades.” Read more

 

No need to panic: Amazon isn’t slashing the number of Prime-eligible products available by Tricia Duryee at GeekWire. ““These are blatant mischaracterizations of a program that is excellent for both businesses and Prime members,” Amazon’s Julie Law said in a statement sent via email.” Read more

 

St. Paul liquor store might torpedo Target plans by Frederick Melo at Pioneer Press. “Target’s plans for a St. Paul liquor store at the SuperTarget off University Avenue will go before the city council Wednesday, but not without some pushback. Its biggest opposition? Another liquor store…Outside of downtown St. Paul, city ordinances require a half-mile of separation between liquor stores. Depending upon where you start and stop your tape measure, the proposed SuperTarget location falls inside that boundary.” Read more

 

The Fresh Market Names Richard Anicetti as President and Chief Executive Officer “Mr. Anicetti joins The Fresh Market with more than 30 years of experience across all key retail functions at Hannaford Brothers Company and Food Lion LLC.” Read the release

 

Happening Today: Home Depot’s Carol Tome to speak at Women of Prosperity Luncheon via The Coweta Shopper. “The luncheon, sponsored by LifePlan Financial Advisors, Inc., begins at 11:45 a.m., and admission is $35 for Chamber members and guests, $50 for general admission.” Read more

 

Documenting Canada’s abandoned Target stores by Jack Choros at Daily Brew. “Now, a Tumblr called “Abandoned Targets of Canada” is chronicling the chain’s slow, sad decay.” See the pics / Read more

 

***A message from Pro-Chlor Septic Tabs – Homeowners with aerobic septic systems must properly chlorinate them or face fines upon mandated county inspections. Flushable tabs don’t work here …only chlorine tabs made specifically for aerobic systems. Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for program information or go to gwtcinc.com

 

Kroger names new top communications exec by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Business Courier. “Jessica Adelman has been senior vice president of corporate affairs for Syngenta North America, a maker of chemicals and seeds for agricultural use.” Read more

 

Amazon’s crazy new crystal dome headquarters is under construction — here’s what it will look like when it’s finished by Nathan McAlone & Alyson Shontell at Business Insider. See the now & then pics

 

Costco Insurer: Yokohama Owes $4M For Crash Settlement by Bonnie Eslinger at Law 360. “Tuesday’s hearing stems from a tangle of litigation resulting from a 2001 rollover crash in Arizona that left the driver, 58-year-old Jack Daer, a quadriplegic. Daer sued Costco in state and federal court.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Haggen sues Albertsons for $1 billion, claims larger chain sabotaged deal by Ashley Stewart at Puget Sound Business Journal. “The lawsuit claims Albertsons deceived Haggen into purchasing stores in order for the larger chain to win federal regulatory approval for a merger withSafeway…Haggen also claims Albertsons deliberately understocked stores ahead of the transition so customers would be dissatisfied and shop at nearby Albertsons and Safeway stores.” Read more

 

H-E-B Partners With Instacart for Grocery Delivery Service Read the release

 

Nike Wants to Win Winter With a $185 Hoodie by Kyle Stock at Bloomberg. “On a muggy, 87-degree morning in Midtown Manhattan, dozens of journalists and sneakerheads were packed into a dark, 30-degree warehouse…This little scene—a Hunger Games-styled publicity pitch—is what happens when Nike wants to show off new gear. On Tuesday, it was winter clothes: specifically, a men’s hoodie and a vest and running shirt for women.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Michaels CEO Interview – How Pinterest is Boosting Sales

Target Canada spars with creditors over debt claims

Polaris expands partnership with Costco

Kroger has jobs for 20,000 veterans

Man who spit on transgender woman at Target arrested

7-Eleven is delivering snacks in these cities

Mexico withholds hundreds of millions in tax refunds owed to Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Colgate

Walmart Museum to Feature Exhibit on Disaster Relief

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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

 

Tipsheet: D.Tree Comp +2.7% | BJ’s Hires COO | Wmart Reduces Hours | Dick’s #628

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Dollar Tree Q2 Comp +2.7% “Net sales increased 48.3% to $3.01 billion from $2.03 billion in the prior year’s second quarter. The increase was the result of $811.6 million in sales from the Family Dollar segment since closing on the acquisition.” Read the release

 

BJ’s poaches Hess Retail CEO to lead its business operations by David Harris at Boston Business Journal. “Christopher Baldwin will have responsibility for business operations at the Westborough-based wholesale club, with oversight of its merchandising, logistics, membership, marketing and club operations. He also will join BJ’s board of directors.” Read more  Press release

 

The Bustle in the Frozen Food Aisle by Stephanie Strom at NY Times. “Nestlé has sunk $50 million into the center, which opened in July, in a bold effort to reinvigorate its frozen foods business…“We test more than 2,500 recipes every year here, using more than 800 raw materials, and it typically takes 100 recipes to get to a single product,” said Sean Westcott, director of the center.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart says it is reducing worker hours only in a ‘small number of stores’ by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Kory Lundberg told The City Wire that a “small number of stores” – namely outlying supercenter locations – were recently asked to trim hours that have surpassed their budgeted levels in the past few months.” Read more

 

Consumer groups urge Costco to publicly reject GMO salmon by Lydia Wheeler at The Hill. “Friends of the Earth said more than 18,000 letters will be delivered to Costco this week…Costco said scientific research is being conducted and oversight of GMO foods falls under the FDA’s area of responsibility. “The FDA has not approved the sale of GMO salmon,” the company said. “Costco has no​t sold and does not ​ intend​ ​to​ sell GMO salmon at this time.” Read more

 

In New Amazon Prime Program, Not All Goods Arrive in Two Days by Greg Bensinger at WSJ. “The program, nicknamed Ship by Region, lets certain sellers designate where they’re willing to ship goods in two days or less to Prime members…Amazon, for now, is limiting the option to a select group of sellers authorized to list items as Prime-eligible even when the goods are housed in non-Amazon warehouses.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Amazon is testing farmers market produce delivery by Russ Parsons at LA Times. “Tony Lee says he first created a huge database of farmers market vendors across the country, then organized it to create a rational supply chain. The company ran tests in Southern California and on the East Coast and when it had the bugs worked out, went to Amazon, which already has a grocery delivery service up and running in Amazon Fresh.” Read more

 

***A message from Hot Shot Insecticides – While you’re away, what creepy-crawlies are at play? Be the hero with Hot Shot(R) Insecticides — our household bug solutions root out hidden insect pests before they move in and multiply. It’s the clear advantage at home and in the checkout line. Save the day! Check out our videos  Visit us on Facebook

 

JCP enters next phase of turnaround by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “The company is already proficient in the art of retail under under its seasoned merchandising team with what we think are the right brands and assortment,” Trussell wrote. “New CEO Marvin Ellison is now driving the next step of applying the science of retail to bring J.C. Penney up the curve.” Read more

 

Inside Kellogg’s Effort to Cash In on the Health-Food Craze by David Kesmodel & Annie Gasparro at WSJ. “…Several Kashi managers lobbied against the change, the people said, arguing that Kellogg sales people would prioritize Kellogg brands…Several Kashi veterans left around that time because they felt it no longer had a startup vibe, former Kashi executives say. Sales growth at Kashi flatlined…” Read more (Subscription)

 

Best Buy Achieves Price Parity With Amazon For First Time by Teresa Rivas at Barron’s. “(Best Buy has) closed the pricing gap with main online rival Amazon. That’s according to SunTrust Robinson Humphrey’s David Magee and his team, who write that recent price checks show that Best Buy “has essentially achieve pricing parity” with Amazon.” Read more

 

Dick’s Opens #626, #627 and #628

 

Macy’s new partnership aims to boost brand with millennials by Andy Brownfield at Cincinnati Business Courier. “Nineteenth Amendment showcases fashions from independent designers and offers pre-sales for 19 days during which customers can plunk down cash on the designs.” Read more

 

How JCPenney got its digital groove back by Artemis Berry at NRF. “I believe hitting bottom galvanized company leaders to take decisive, bold action or to die. Many more companies, especially in retail, would do well to learn from this lesson, although I’d be perfectly happy if our competitors fail to learn and go the way of the dodo.” Read more

 

Riot-torn Baltimore CVS is torn down at WMAR ABC 2. See the pics

 

Blue Bell-deprived Houston residents line up at 5:30 a.m. at Kroger store by Karen Robinson-Jacobs at Dallas News. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Lowe’s to Build Bigger Store in Maui

A socialist Walmart employee explains why he’s running for Philly mayor

Google Life Sciences Makes Diabetes Its First Big Target

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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