Costco’s Jim Sinegal Honored at Univ. of Notre Dame – Reflects on Success by Heidi Prescott at South Bend Tribune. “Q: You said a lot of luck along the way. What kind of luck? A: We were about ready to open our first warehouse in Seattle when we got a letter from the city. They were going to tear down a wooden bridge about 100 yards south of our building and the road would be closed to through traffic for 18 months…I called the city manager and said something really intelligent like, “You can’t do this.” And they said, “Of course we can.” But there were delays that gave us enough time for us to get our feet on the ground and get established. If they had shut it down, I don’t know what in the world we would have done.” Read the interview

 

AP: Slavery taints global supply of seafood by Margie Mason, Martha Mendoza & Esther Htusan via Dallas Morning News. “I want to go home. We all do,” one Burmese slave called out over the side of his boat, a cry repeated by many men. “Our parents haven’t heard from us for a long time, I’m sure they think we are dead.” Their catch mixes in with other fish at numerous sites in Thailand, including processing plants. U.S. Customs records show that several of those Thai factories ship to America.” Read more

 

Amazon Expands Prime Now One-Hour Delivery To Dallas, Now Covering 4 Metros by Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Target Canada will have shut more than half its stores by April 2 by Sophia Harris at CBC News. Read more

 

Charles Armstrong, VP of distribution, leaving Home Depot by David Allison at Atlanta Business Chronicle. “An internal Home Depot memo dated March 24 noted that Armstrong “has decided to leave the Company.”…The memo did not give a reason for Armstrong’s departure.” Read more

 

***A Message from CLUG: The World’s Smallest Bike Rack is Now Available. The CLUG Bike Clip is targeted at the urban cyclist and the casual enthusiast who are short on storage space for their bikes.  CLUG is a patent pending, high quality product that made the list of 2014 Best Stuff by GQ Magazine in their December 2014 issue.  CLUG is now ready for retail with its 100% recyclable, high volume packaging.  See the video.  See the sell sheet. Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net to request a product sample.

 

We tested Amazon’s one-hour delivery service in Baltimore: Minor hiccups by Catherine Hawley at ABC 2 Baltimore. See the video

 

H-E-B quietly buying potential store sites in North Texas by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “(H-E-B) has bought at least a dozen locations in the region, including in Allen, Carrollton, Corinth, Dallas, DeSoto, Fort Worth, Frisco, Grand Prairie, McKinney, Murphy and Plano…“This market is ready for them,” said Karla Smith, senior vice president and partner in the Dallas office of CBRE/UCR. “I anticipate H-E-B will open a few stores in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2016.” Read more

 

Walgreen nixes ‘Be well’ at checkout line by Ellen Jean Hirst at Chicago Tribune. “A spokesman said the campaign had run its course, though the company didn’t elaborate on why the effort, launched several years ago, was dropped.” Read more

 

Kroger CFO Michael Schlotman Appears on CNBC  See the video

 

Walmart to Provide Strategic Update “Walmart U.S. President and CEO Greg Foran will host investors and analysts at the NYSE on Wed., April 1 to discuss his strategic priorities for the business. Joining Foran will be Judith McKenna, Walmart U.S. Chief Operating Officer, and Jeff Davis, Walmart U.S. Chief Financial Officer. Charles Holley, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. will also attend.” Read the release

 

Amazon’s On-Demand Services Marketplace Launches Next Week by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “On the rebranded “Amazon Home Services” website there are a variety categories beyond those that only relate to products Amazon sells. Top-level categories include Home Improvement, Lawn & Garden, Automotive, Computer & Electronics, and Lessons.” See the cities it’s launching in / Read more

 

Report: Radio Shack To Sell Customers’ Personal Information In Bankruptcy Sale “People are looking at Radio Shack now and they are gonna vilify Radio Shack,” said consumer expert Paul Viollis. “But at the end of the day, Radio Shack isn’t doing anything all other major corporations haven’t been doing for many years.” See the video / Read more

 

Purdue sued over Amazon textbook deal by Steven Porter & Joseph Paul at JConline. “To buttress its argument, the suit notes that the association obtained similar information from an agreement Amazon signed to open a store on the University of California-Davis campus.” Read more

 

Fortune: World’s Greatest Leaders  See the list

 

Accenture Omnichannel Study: “Fifty-seven percent of consumers said they would be willing to wait between four and seven days for free delivery…29 percent would wait eight days or more, compared to 23 percent who said the same last year.” Read the release

 

Feds investigate safety of Lumber Liquidators flooring at LA Times. “Chairman Elliot F. Kaye said Wednesday that the agency is taking the issue seriously and is working to get answers for consumers, but it’s too early to tell whether any flooring would be recalled. “As a parent of young children, I completely understand and share the strong desire that parents and other consumers have to know as soon as possible whether these products present a health risk,” Kaye said.” Read more

 

Fred’s Hires Ex-Walgreens Chief Merchandising Officer “Bryan Pugh brings to Fred’s 30 years of retail experience.” Read the release

 

Ashton Kutcher petitions Target & Costco to “provide universally accessible changing tables in their stores” by Caroline Bologna at HuffPo. “Kutcher’s letter on Change.org explains the choice to single out Target and Costco, as “companies that honor diversity, support families, and provide great services to kids of all ages.” He writes, “As leaders in their industry, they can initiate a company-wide policy to provide universally accessible changing tables in their stores.” 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 happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

 

 

 

Former Target Chief Information Officer Lands at SPS by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “(Beth) Jacob was the chief information officer who stepped down at Target in the aftermath of cyberthieves’ data breach at the retailer. In her new role, she will help SPS Commerce with its strategy as it expands its services around the globe. She starts April 6.” Read more

 

How To Get Paid Faster From Home Depot by Gene Marks at Forbes. “But what if Home Depot comes back to you and says “Look little guy – we value you and we’re happy to pay you earlier. Just find your invoice in our online portal and click the button that says ‘pay earlier.’ It’s as simple as that.” And it really is that simple.” Read more

 

Newly retired Walgreen CEO: Taking cigarettes off the shelf won’t stop smokers by Celia Ampel at South Florida Business Journal. “Bold move by CVS,” (Former CEO Greg Wasson) said Monday, referring to the competing retailer’s decision last year to stop selling cigarettes at its 7,600 stores. “I applaud them for it. I think the bigger question may be … ‘Is there another way a community pharmacy can really help the remaining 18 percent of the population who smokes?'” Read more

 

NY Times: With New Nonstick Coating, the Wait, and Waste, Is Over by Kenneth Chang. “The company announced on Monday that Elmer’s Products Inc. had signed an exclusive licensing agreement for the use of such coatings in glue containers. “We certainly see a chance for a competitive advantage,” said Anthony Spath, associate manager for innovation and business development at Elmer’s.” Read more

 

Fortune: Whistleblower files claim against JC Penney by Jennifer Reingold. “Does Blatchford have a case? It’s hard to say. But he does have in his possession numerous emails from former executives at the company, such as (Ron) Johnson and (Dan) Walker, and says he is planning to subpoena them to testify.” Read more

 

Canadians slow to switch to online purchase-and-delivery retail by Joanne Lee-Young at Vancouver Sun. “Online sales are expected to account for just 4.8 per cent of all retail sales in Canada in 2015, according to new figures from RetailMeNot, which released an international study conducted by the Centre for Retail Research. That is a paltry number compared to similar expectations of 12.7 per cent in the U.S. and 8.4 per cent across Europe.” Read more

 

Amazon sets up logistics company in India to deliver products directly to clients by Harsimran Julka at The Economic Times. “Such a service is already on offer from Flipkart through logistics company eKart, and Snapdeal, which bought a stake in delivery firm Gojavas last week. “We want to change how India shops,” said Samuel Augustine Thomas, director of transportation for Amazon in India.” Read more

 

Senator Schumer: Investigate Lumber Liquidators by Martha C. White at CNBC. Read more

 

Sorry, J. Crew. Female shoppers just aren’t that into you by Sarah Halzack at Washington Post. “We’ve made some mistakes,” (CEO Mickey) Drexler said, including “missteps in our iconic classics.” Drexler said the women’s business has been “challenging” recently and that the fits, silhouettes and color palette of the clothes simply haven’t connected with shoppers the way they had in the past.” Read more

 

Monsanto chief admits ‘hubris’ is to blame for public fears over GM foods at The Independent. “[But] we were so far removed from that supermarket shelf, that was never something we gave a lot of thought to. We never thought about our place in the food chain.” Read more

 

…Monsanto Says It’s ‘Outraged’ by WHO Report Claiming Roundup Weedkiller May Cause Cancer by Jack Kaskey at Bloomberg. “Monsanto Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley said Monday that the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, reached its conclusions by “cherry picking” data.” Read more

 

Amazon’s video game streaming site got hacked by Arjun Kharpal at CNBC. Read more

 

Family Dollar CEO gives $45 million to build his legacy foundation by Mark Price at Charlotte Observer. “He and his wife plan to look for causes to help, rather than wait for charities to come to them. That will include picking up the phone and personally calling charity leaders with offers of aid, he said.” 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 happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

 

 

Home Depot CEO Craig Menear Appears on CNBC by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Tough winter weather and issues at West Coast ports pressured the home improvement retailer’s business in recent months, Menear said. He believes Home Depot will sustain its momentum through low oil prices and a looming Federal Reserve interest rate hike. “We’re not overly concerned about it,” Menear said of a rate increase.” See the video / Read more

 

Target circles back, lays off 40 in HR by Tom Webb at Twin Cities/Pioneer Press. “Thursday’s 40 layoffs at its Minneapolis headquarters are included among the 1,700 jobs cuts announced last week, said Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder. Target “delayed making a small group of position eliminations” until Thursday, she said.” Read more

 

Amazon Gets Drone Permission from FAA by Alex Fitzpatrick at Time via Fortune. “The Federal Aviation Administration gave Amazon’s drones what’s called an experimental airworthiness certificate, which lets the company fly its aircraft for research, testing and crew training purposes…However, the FAA is not yet allowing Amazon to conduct commercial drone flights.” Read more

 

…See FAA Statement  Read more

 

2015 BrandSpark Most Trusted Brands (Paint-Behr, Soft Drink-Coca Cola, Ice Cream-Breyers) See the full list by category

 

***A message from Orchard Road Canning – New designer inspired cap art for the home canning consumer. The decorative series of canning caps features 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 product samples: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

 

Signage Being Added To Bass Pro Shops Pyramid in Memphis at WHBQ Fox 13. “The signage is so big in fact; they are having to install it in sections.” See the video / Read more

 

Target’s breach settlement: “The odds of anyone getting $10,000 is virtually zero” by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “Legal experts said it’s unlikely many customers will be able to show a lot of documented proof of significant damages.“The odds of anyone getting $10,000 is virtually zero,” said Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University in California.” Read more

 

Sears Rebuts ‘Pay Early’ Critics by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Why would that be a bad thing if we can afford to do so and we get a discount or other benefit from doing it?” (Sears CFO Rob) Schriesheim wrote on the company’s blog.” Read more

 

…compares it to a family that would prefer to pay off its credit cards early if it was able and there was a benefit to doing so. at Chicago Tribune. Read more

 

WSJ Q&A with Macy’s CFO by Kimberly S. Johnson at WSJ. Read the Q&A (Subscription)

 

Sprouts set to open 200th store by Tim Gallen at Phoenix Business Journal. “The 27,500-square-foot store is the 17th Sprouts location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.” Read more

 

St. Louis: Brick-and-Mortar Furniture Shop Strikes Ecommerce Gold by Gwen Moran at Entrepreneur. “Goedeker’s has transformed itself into a fleet-footed e-tail powerhouse with a national customer base. Goedeker says the site features more than 200,000 products and brings in 92 percent of the company’s revenue. Meanwhile, the staff has grown from the 15 people the store employed seven years ago to more than 90.” Read more

 

Michaels Q4 Comp Sales +1.4% by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “Port delays are hurting current quarter results, too, chief executive Chuck Rubin said during a call with analysts…adding that any store walk-through will reveal empty pegs where product is slotted to go.” Read more

 

‘Exclusively for white people’ stickers put on Austin stores at SF Gate. “Mayor Steve Adler said the stickers discovered Wednesday morning were “an appalling and offensive display of ignorance in our city.” The stickers also say “Maximum of 5 colored customers / colored BOH staff accepted,” apparently referring to the “back of house” operations at a restaurant.” Read more

 

Tostitos Is Giving Free Dip to People Named Chip by E.J. Schultz at Ad Age. “To plug the promotion, Tostitos created a video that includes Erik Estrada, who of course starred in the 1970s/1980s TV show “CHiPs”.” 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 happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

 

Macy’s, Rite Aid part of first U.S. multi-brand loyalty program by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “The program, called Plenti, will be operated by American Express…One study has found that the average American is a member of 29 loyalty programs but only uses eight actively.” Read more

 

Target claims $1.6B tax benefit from Canadian losses by Jim Hammerand at Minn./St. Paul Business Journal.  Read more

 

Target’s 10-K Annual Report  See it here

 

How Bed Bath & Beyond Will Punish Customers Making Returns Without Receipts by Nicole Pelletiere at ABC News. “Beginning April 20, all returns made without a receipt will be refunded in the form of store credit or exchange at the lowest current price, in addition to a 20 percent deduction.” Read more

 

Amazon is hiring so many people that interviews take up 30-40% of many engineers’ time by Jillian D’onfro at Business Insider. “Our hiring process is extremely intensive and we’re still growing at such a rapid pace that many of our engineers are spending 30 to 40% of their time on hiring,” (Amazon’s Werner Vogels) said.” Read more

 

Walmart Will Hold Annual Shareholders Meeting On June 5  Read the release

 

Target Planning to Install Solar Systems on 180 U.S. Buildings by Ehren Goossens at Bloomberg. “Target, based in Minneapolis, has pledged to have rooftop solar power on 500 of its buildings by 2020. The projects planned under this agreement will be completed by early 2017.” Read more

 

***A message from Orchard Road Canning – New designer inspired cap art for the home canning consumer. The decorative series of canning caps features three custom designs: Wild Daisy, Fruit and Gingham and is available in Regular Mouth size. Finally, something unique and differentiated to drive incremental sales in the home canning and storage categories!  See the decorative designs. Request product samples: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

 

Kroger Names Joe Grieshaber President of Columbus Division  Read the release

 

Target Caps CEO Personal Jet Travel at $175K by Tom Webb at Twin Cities/Pioneer Press. Read more

 

J.C. Penney’s chief marketing officer steps down by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “(Debra) Berman’s departure comes just before Penney’s first company-wide leadership meeting in five years. Next week, about 1,000 store managers will be in Dallas for several days of meetings with corporate…Penney president Marvin Ellison, who takes over as CEO in August, is still putting his team together…Berman’s departure was her decision, a Penney spokeswoman said.”  Read more

 

200 laid off Target workers get free head shots at KARE 11 – NBC. “The photographers said one couple came in for head shots were engaged and both were laid off. But they say everyone who came in seemed optimistic.” See the video / Read more

 

Publix is buying up property in Florida by John Hielscher at Herald-Tribune. “Publix Super Markets went on a buying spree over the past year, bagging six shopping centers in Southwest Florida for $86 million. But the state’s largest grocery-store chain is hardly finished — it has earmarked $1.3 billion this year to buy more centers, build new stores and remodel others.” Read more

 

IKEA: No more hide and seek at Dutch stores at Fox News. “The phenomenon has taken off online in the Netherlands where a whopping 19,000 people signed up to a Facebook group promoting a game at Ikea’s Amsterdam branch next month. Another 13,000 signed up for a game in the Ikea store in the city of Utrecht.” Read more

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is read worldwide by Retail Merchants & Executives and created early every weekday morning. 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.