Today’s Tipsheet: Target Lands “Food” Office | “QVC for Firearms” Coming | Michaels #1 in Adult Coloring Books | Amazon’s Free Bananas

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Neiman Marcus Brings Its Insane Holiday Fantasy Gifts to a Mall For First Time by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “The retailer has just staged an exhibit at the upscale Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, Long Island as part of its efforts to drum up interest among the wealthy shoppers in the New York City suburbs ahead of a new store opening on February 19.” Read more

 

Target’s ‘future of food’ collaboration lands Kendall Square office by Sara Castellanos at Boston Business Journal. “Target’s recently announced collaboration with the MIT Media Lab and global design and consulting firm Ideo has officially found a brick-and-mortar location where they plan to study and explore the future of food. The Food and Future CoLab signed a two-year lease earlier this week for a 7,200-square-foot office at 80 Broadway in Cambridge. The space could employ about 15 people beginning early next year.” See the space pics / Read more

 

Big Lots Q3 Comp Sales +2.6% “For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015…estimated comparable store sales increase in the 1% to 2% range compared to a 2.9% comparable store sales increase in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014.” Read the release

 

Amazon opens ‘Community Banana Stand’ at Seattle HQ to give away free fruit by Jacob Demmitt at GeekWire. “Amazon has opened a “Community Banana Stand,” which is exactly what you would imagine. The stand is open every day between 8 a.m. and about 3:30 p.m., with free bananas available to anyone who walks by — employee or not.” Read more / See the stand

 

What rough quarter at Lands’ End teaches us about the clothing business these days by Sarah Halzack at Washington Post. “This quarter, the company tried to put the brakes on its promotion train…And yet by the second half of the quarter, the company decided to change course and ramp up the promotions again.” Read more

 

Why Pantone Released Two 2016 Colors of the Year by Christina Binkley at WSJ. “It’s twins! Color authority Pantone has for the first time anointed two colors of the year for 2016. Dubbed Rose Quartz and Serenity, they are shades of pale pink and baby blue.” Read more (Subscription)

 

**A message from Orchard Road Canning – Decorative Series lids bring innovation to the home canning category. Orchard Road’s Decorative Series delivers three distinct designs: Wild Daisy, Fruit and Gingham. See the designs here Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for program information.

 

Amazon sees growth in Prime subscriptions and two key categories by Tonya Garcia at MarketWatch. “Cowen wrote in a report. “Since the inception of our survey, Amazon Prime households have more than doubled, growing from 18% in December 2012 to about 39% in November 2015.” Read more

 

These shoppers skew wealthier by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Amazon shoppers, on average, earn roughly 12 percent more than those who shop at Wal-Mart. However, they earn 6 percent less than those who shop at Target, 19 percent less than Costco’s shoppers and 21 percent less than Macy’s.” Read more

 

Target Updates Smart Home Store at Twice. “But the most interesting part of the reset is the system Target is putting in place to continue to bring the latest and most innovative products to their store..the retailer has started working with Indiegogo…find the hottest companies that are being funded there. From that comes a new part of the store reset, where Indiegogo and its startups now command a corner of the location.” Read more / See the pics

 

Talk about upwardly mobile jobs: Digital retail by Mary Thompson at CNBC. “We right now have over 500 open roles,” said Niraj Shah, CEO of (Wayfair) “And we are very aggressively adding to the team in all our locations.” Read more

 

Michaels claims largest in-store selection of adult coloring books by Maria Halkias at The Dallas Morning News. “The retailer said Thursday it believes it has the largest in-store selection of adult coloring books with 175 titles…Sales increased 3.4 percent to $1.17 billion and same store sales increased 1.5 percent. “ Read more

 

Kroger execs talk gelato, Super Bowl and dogs on a health kick by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Business Journal. “Schlotman also pointed out Kroger’s store brands now make up nearly 28 percent of units sold and 26 percent of sales dollars. Its Simple Truth natural and organic brand is a key to its growth in store brands.” Read more earnings call highlights

 

Amazon brings budget Fire tablet to China, partners with search giant Baidu by Jacob Demmitt at GeekWire. “Online shopping in China is dominated by Alibaba, which reaches about 80 percent of the Chinese population, according to comScore. Amazon.cn, meanwhile, reaches just 10 percent.” Read more

 

GunTV, a QVC for Firearms, is coming to cable soon by John Paul Titlow at Fast Company. “To work within gun laws, GunTV won’t actually sell firearms directly to its viewers. Instead, when a viewer calls GunTV, the network will place an order on behalf of that viewer with Sports South, a Louisiana firearms distributor.” Read more

 

Aldi pays $400k to shopper who slipped on disabled sign painted on the ground via Ten Play. “He needs further surgery and his wife left him (taking their two children) because she refused to move out of their third-story apartment to somewhere more accessible for Mr Sajad.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Hawaii: Stores can’t keep mosquito repellant on shelf due to Dengue fever

12 Mind Tricks That Make People Like You And Help You Get Ahead

Mayor’s visit to Wayfair covers more than furnishings

Avon in Talks to Sell North American Business to Cerberus

How an Industrial Oops Led to Silly Putty Becoming a Stretchy Smash-Hit Toy

Woman leaves daughter behind after being caught shoplifting at Target

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Today’s Tipsheet: Costco +6% | D.Gen +2.3% | Bullseye Promotes Poppins | Costco’s Cheap Meds

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Costco November Comp Sales Flat, +6% Excluding Gas and Foreign Exchange “Costco…reported net sales of $9.68 billion for the month of November…an increase of three percent from $9.43 billion during the similar period last year.” Read more

 

Dollar General Q3 Comp Sales +2.3% “We achieved 7.3 percent sales growth, 2.3 percent same-store sales growth and adjusted diluted earnings per share growth of 11 percent,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s chief executive officer.” Read the release

 

Reuters: Dollar General’s quarterly sales miss estimates “The company’s same-store sales rose 2.3 percent, also below the 2.7 percent growth expected by analysts polled by research firm Consensus Metrix.” Read more

 

Rite Aid Comp Sales for November +0.9% “November front-end same store sales increased 1.2 percent. Pharmacy same store sales, which included an approximate 267 basis points negative impact from new generic introductions, increased 0.7 percent.” Read the release

 

Target’s Bullseye to Promote ‘Mary Poppins’ by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “ABC and Target are pulling a bit of marketing magic out of their magical carpet bag when the brands broadcast “Mary Poppins” as part of the temporary return of The Wonderful World of Disney at 8 p.m. on Dec. 12. The brands will use Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke, who starred in the film 51 years ago, and Bullseye, the bull terrier Target mascot, to promote the program.” Read more

 

H-E-B opens smallest store ever in downtown San Antonio by Katie Burke at San Antonio Business Journal. “The South Flores location…is not only the first downtown store for H-E-B, it’s the first grocery store in the entire downtown area.” See the 11 pics / Read more

 

Consumer Reports: Costco has the second lowest price for prescription drugs See the ranking by retailer

 

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Target settles class-action suit over data breach claims for $39 million by Evan Ramstad at Star Tribune. “The suit may set a precedent as the first time a U.S. retailer has absorbed most of the costs incurred by financial firms in a data breach. Home Depot and several other retailers are locked in similar litigation.” Read more

 

Supervalu replaces Save-A-Lot CEO by Clare Kennedy at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. “Eric Claus, 59, has for two years been chairman and CEO of Red Apple Stores Inc., a Mississauga, Ontario-based discount chain with 156 stores across Canada. Claus also serves on the board of directors for Rona.” Read more

 

Fred’s November Comp Sales +1.7% Read the release

 

Holiday Gift Giving Down in the Workplace “…with only 31 percent planning to give gifts to their co-workers at their level (down from 38 percent in 2014), 28 percent planning to give gifts to their boss (down from 34 percent in 2014), and 19 percent planning to give gifts to other colleagues (down from 24 percent in 2014).” Read the release

 

Sears Canada same-store sales rise for first time in 2 years at Reuters. “Sears Canada Inc said its same-store sales rose 0.4 percent in the third quarter – the first rise in two years.” Read more

 

Food Giants Announce Major New Labeling Initiative by Tamar Haspel at Fortune. “More than 30 food giants, including Pepsi, ConAgra, Hormel, Campbell Soup, Land O’Lakes, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Hershey, and General Foods, have signed on to participate in the SmartLabel Initiative. The SmartLabel will include ingredients, allergens, animal welfare, environmental policies, and, perhaps the most controversial attribute, whether the food contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs).” Read more

 

Controversial Coca-Cola ad depicts whites introducing soda to ‘poor’ Mexicans by Justin Wm. Moyer at Washington Post. “It’s outrageous for the indigenous,” Diana Turner, a spokesman for Consumer Power, told the Associated Press.” See the ad / Read more

 

…Coke Pulls Mexican Ad After Outcry by E.J. Schultz at Ad Age. Read more

 

Actor Nick Cannon Joins RadioShack As Chief Creative Officer “RadioShack and I are going to create a lot of cool things together in the coming months, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it,” added Nick Cannon.” Read the release

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Rev. Jesse Jackson says Amazon, Costco needs more minorities

Freshii will open its 8th location within a Chicago-area Target store

New Jersey Residents Claim Amazon is Delivering a Traffic Nightmare to their Town

A Sour, Hard-to-Eat, Occasionally Deadly Fruit Makes Comeback

Walmart #1 in Faith Equality Index

Dollar General Names John W. Garratt as Chief Financial Officer

OpenTable Reveals 100 Best Restaurants in America

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Today’s Tipsheet: Top 50 Innovative Co’s | H.Depot Reaches Settlement | Target: Cheapest Toys / Sells 25% of Adele Albums

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Target Goes Big on Discounts This Holiday Season, Bringing Some Headaches by Shannon Pettypiece at Bloomberg. “Its toy prices were 1.3 percent below those of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. during Black Friday and 5.2 percent cheaper than Amazon.com Inc., according to an online survey by Bloomberg Intelligence. Target also undercut Toys “R” Us Inc. and Sears Holdings Corp.’s Kmart chain, the survey found.” Read more

 

Amazon Received 12 times as Many Twitter Mentions as Walmart on Cyber Monday by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “…509,000 to 51,100. Target, though a much smaller digital retailer than Walmart, got 112,000 mentions. Though lets not give Target too much credit: a lot of that probably had to do the web site’s problems.” Read more

 

Cabela’s says it’s exploring strategic alternatives at CNBC. “Cabela’s is working with Guggenheim Securities as its financial advisor and Sidley Austin and Koley Jessen as its legal counsel to assist in the strategic review.” Read more

 

Target sells a quarter of Adele’s 4 million albums by Nick Halter at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. “The album…broke Target’s records for first-day album sales and for first-week album sales, said spokesman Lee Henderson.” Read more

 

Home Depot reaches settlement agreement with MasterCard over data breach by David Allison at Atlanta Business Chronicle. “However, attorneys representing the financial institutions suing Home Depot over the data breach are unhappy…”Home Depot began sending the communications hours before the Thanksgiving holiday, when Class Counsel and putative Class members would be otherwise occupied, requiring putative Class members to take action as soon as December 2…” Read more

 

Black Friday breaks record with 185K gun background checks by Nick Penzenstadler at USA Today. “More Americans had their backgrounds checked purchasing guns on Black Friday than any day in the on record, according to data released by the FBI this week.” Read more

 

Google, Battling Amazon, Sees Some Bright Spots in Holiday Shopping Data by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “ChannelAdvisor shows that Google shopping ads — otherwise known as Product Listing Ads — drove 24.3 percent more sales in the five shopping days starting with Thanksgiving than they did last year.” Read more

 

**A message from Dig It Gloves – Prevent broken or chipped nails when gardening! Why are Dig It garden gloves loved by women? It’s easy–interior pillow-top protectors are built into each fingertip. Call it manicure insurance, or just plain brilliant, but you have to see it to believe it. Request samples at: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net  www.digithandwear.com

 

Amazon Dominated 36% of Online Black Friday Sales, Says Slice by Katie Roof at TechCrunch. “A distant second, Best Buy brought in 8.23% of total online revenue, followed by Macy’s at 3.38%, Walmart at 3.35% and Nordstrom at 3.11%. It’s hard to say whether these impressive Amazon numbers are skewing high because Slice’s users are more active online shoppers.” Read more

 

Costco is the 14th Largest Pizza Chain in the US by Kate Taylor at Business Insider via MSN. “Ultimately, Costco is a bigger pizza chain than California Pizza Kitchen and nearly as big as CiCi’s Pizza — at least when it comes to sheer size.” Read more   Top 100 Pizza Companies List

 

A mobile app enables Chinese consumers to buy from overseas retail websites by Frank Tong at Internet Retailer. “A startup has sold more than $100 million in six months by letting those consumers shop for imported products via a mobile app. The app, called Red, was launched in January 2014, but at that time did not sell any products, only allowing consumers to review foreign products.” Read more

 

How Big Food Is Using Natural Flavors to Win Consumer Favor by Annie Gasparro at WSJ. “In consumer tests, “Some people told us they hadn’t seen that color turquoise in any food besides Trix, so we knew even if we could match it, it wouldn’t look natural,” said Kate Gallager, a cereal developer at General Mills. She decided to leave out both colors in the new cereal with natural colors and flavors to be launched in January…” Read more (Subscription)

 

50 Most Innovative Companies (Amazon #9) by Alan Murray at Fortune. See the top 50 list

 

Target Has Record Cyber Monday via A Bullseye View. “Jason Goldberger, president of Target.com and Mobile: “Early in the day, Target.com orders were coming in twice as fast as our busiest day ever. And by early in the night, Target had already surpassed the previous record for online sales.” Read more

 

Are Genetically Modified Pigs Next After FDA Approves Salmon? by Jade Scipioni at Fox Business. “Whitelaw used a new technique called gene-editing, where the piglets genetic code has been flipped to make their immune system slightly closer to a warthog’s—a wild African pig that is more resistant to the swine fever disease.” Read more

 

German supermarket chain EDEKA releases tearjerker of a Christmas ad by Jessica Estepa at USA Today. “Germany’s EDEKA supermarket chain went for heartwrenching in their latest advertisement. The commercial is one minute and 46 seconds of an emotional roller coaster..” See the ad / Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Walmart scam arriving in mailboxes

Amazon Working on Augmented Reality for the Living Room

Patent Lawsuits Set One-Day Record with 257 New Cases, Most Filed in Texas

Dick’s Sporting Goods Funds Girls Ice Hockey League In Anchorage, Alaska Through 2018

The CEO Paying Everyone $70,000 Salaries Has Something to Hide

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Today’s Tipsheet: Target Didn’t ‘Crash’ | Wmart: 50% from Mobile | Pinterest ‘Buy’ Button Letdown | Star Wars Sweaters Not Ugly Enough

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Target: We didn’t ‘crash’ on Cyber Monday by Daphne Howland at Retail Dive. “Target was insistent Monday that its site hadn’t crashed, but rather that the retailer had resorted to a tactical metering of traffic that allowed customers to “stay in line” to complete their shopping expedition.” Read more

 

Walmart: Nearly half of our orders since Thanksgiving have been placed on a mobile device “…that’s double compared to last year… Mobile is making up more than 70 percent of traffic to Walmart.com.” Read the release

 

Target Canada creditors unsatisfied with recovery plan’s details by Marina Strauss at The Globe & Mail. “Some creditors of the failed Target Canada, including landlords and pharmacists, are uncertain about what its proposed recovery plan will mean for them, raising questions about whether it will win quick creditor approval.” Read more

 

Michigan Avenue Black Friday protests cost stores 25-50 percent of sales by Kim Janssen at Chicago Tribune. “If anything the police were kind of encouraging (protesters who blocked the entrance to the store) by allowing it,” she said. However, she added that if police had been too heavy-handed, “people might have rioted.” Read more

 

Sam’s Club CEO attends Breakfast of Corporate Champions by Moira Forbes at Forbes. “…women in HR roles have not been considered for board seats in the past…Get that talent and skills expansion in the right seats and talk about marrying that with growth of the company.” Read more

 

Neiman Marcus recovering from untimely website outages by Maria Halkias as The Dallas Morning News. “Asked if the outages, which included one that lasted 12-hours, had anything to do with an outside deliberate attack, Neiman Marcus vice president Ginger Reeder said, “We have seen no reason to suspect outside interference or sabotage, however the exact cause of the outage has yet to be determined.” Read more

 

Holiday Shopping Is Chilly for ‘Buy’ Buttons at Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Then there’s Pinterest…the company says more than 10,000 merchants have joined the program…but at least one of these big partners is seeing fewer than 10 purchases a day on Pinterest, according to a person with direct knowledge of the sales figures.” Read more

 

Williams-Sonoma laying off 85 at Arlington facility by James Osborne at The Dallas Morning News. “Williams-Sonoma is laying off 85 workers from its new Arlington facility, after deciding to close a new custom furniture operation.” Read more

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods takes another go at Houston market by Laura Furr at Houston Business Journal. “In 2007, Dick’s first announced that it planned to enter Houston with a two-story, 83,000-square-foot store at Interstate 10 and Bunker Hill. However, the chain called off the deal about a year later…” Read more

 

**A message from Pro Chlor chlorine tabs – Does a gap exist in your septic assortment? Aerobic septic systems require chlorine tabs – not Rid-X® – to disinfect water. Aerobic systems are mandated for use in certain communities in the lower-half of the US. Chlorine tabs are expensive to ship and ideal for driving in-store traffic. See why Pro Chlor is the choice of retailers’ nationwide. Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for program information. www.gwtcinc.com

 

Will Kroger speed up acquisitions? by Alexander Coolidge at The Cincinnati Enquirer. “While Kroger has avoided turnaround acquisitions, Mushkin said the company might consider more if it can fix Roundy’s. “It’s what they need to start doing,” Mushkin said. “This could prove their business model is superior and transferable.” Read more

 

REI’s move to close Black Friday pays off with 26 percent hike in online traffic by Molly Brown at GeekWire. Read more

 

Toymakers are tracking more data about kids — leaving them exposed to hackers by Andrea Peterson at The Washington Post. “Companies are increasingly producing and marketing high-tech toys that link dolls and games to the Internet — as well as information about the kids playing with them. But the V-tech breach shows this data isn’t always being guarded well.” Read more

 

Supermarket Chain Food Lion Roars for Doner by David Gianatasio at Ad Week. “For Doner, the win constitutes a much-needed reversal of fortune. This year, the shop bid farewell to JCPenney and AutoTrader, and also closed its Atlanta office.” Read more

 

The Declining Importance of Black Friday in One Chart by Phil Wahba at Fortune. See the chart / Read more

 

Are These Star Wars Sweaters Ugly Enough for Christmas? by Caroline Winter at Bloomberg. “The problem is that none is very ugly—at least by the standards of ugly Christmas sweaters. It’s not Hajjar’s fault. “With Star Wars, nothing offensive will get approved,” he explains.” Read more / See the designs

 

Tipsheet Extra

Gawker Hits Target: Target Employees “Treated Like Second Class Citizens by Employers and Customer Alike”

Forbes: On Cyber Monday Eve, Home Depot Drops The Digital Ball

Animal activists protest SF Castro Whole Foods

Home Depot employees present Christmas tree, ornaments and toys to girl who’s wheelchair was stolen

Carol Meyrowitz sells 64,086 company shares on November 30, 2015, with market value around $4,584,764

Woman sues Costco, California supplier in E.coli outbreak

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Today’s Tipsheet: Target: Mad Dash for the Bears | “Seminal Moment”: Clicks Beat Bricks | 4.4% Fewer Today

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More Americans Shopped Online than at Stores over Black Friday Weekend by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “Talk about a seminal moment in American culture. Some 103 million Americans shopped online over the Thanksgiving-Black Friday weekend, slightly more than the 102 million who went out to stores.” Read more

 

NRF: U.S. holiday sales on track amid online boost by Nathan Layne at Reuters. “U.S. holiday shopping is on track for a modest 3.7 percent rise this year after strong turnout during the Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend and thanks to strong online sales, the National Retail Federation said on Sunday after releasing an annual consumer poll.” Read more

 

Holiday sales ‘perfectly average’ so far: Analyst by Tom DiChristopher at CNBC. “…nothing suggests estimates for total 2015 holiday sales growth have changed at the close of the big four-day kickoff period.” Read more

 

4.4% fewer expected to shop online on Cyber Monday by Matt Linder at Internet Retailer. “That 121.3 million number represents 49.5% of all consumers, the first time less than half of all shoppers surveyed said they planned to shop on Cyber Monday since 2010.” Read more

 

Spending in stores fell 10 percent from last year on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday, according to retailing research firm ShopperTrak via Maria Halkias at The Dallas Morning News. “Thanksgiving weekend is now “more like the second quarter, going into halftime” of a football game because retailers are offering special prices several weeks earlier, said Matthew Shay, CEO of the National Retail Federation.” Read more

 

Retailers are losing $1.75 trillion over this by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “…out-of-stocks” accounted for $634.1 billion in lost retail sales for the year ended in the spring — 39 percent higher than in 2012. Likewise, overstocks contributed $471.9 billion in lost revenues.” Read more

 

NY Times: Kohl’s Invests in Beatles Tune for Holiday Campaign by Martha C. White. “The Beatles and their representatives retain control of how their music is used. Even after Kohl’s paid to use the song, the company’s creative team and partners had to work with Sony to secure approval for the final advertisements, a process that took roughly five months.” Read more

 

The surprisingly popular Black Friday hit: Target’s teddy bear by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “At the Target store in Minnetonka, I saw a mad dash for the bears, piled in a box toward the back of the store. About 15 minutes or so after the store opened, this was the only one left and it was quickly snatched up after I took this picture.” Read more

 

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Amazon reveals new delivery drone design with range of 15 miles by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “This new video featuring Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson…to create a new car show, shows how the drone scans a landing area at a customer’s home and is able to spot what looks like an Amazon logo where the package is dropped.” Read more / See the video

 

Neiman Marcus Extends Black Friday Online Sale Following All-Day Outage by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Neimanmarcus.com was down intermittently Friday, November 28th for approximately 12 hours,” the statement read. “The exact cause of the outage has yet to be determined. Our Black Friday online promotions have been extended until 6 pm CT Saturday.” Read more

 

Conversion: Just two out of 100 visitors to a mobile shopping site or app by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Five out of 100 visitors to an online store made a purchase on Thanksgiving…“[A]s an industry we need to solve this mobile problem as it’s clearly not getting better even though retailers have invested substantially in this area over the last year,” Scot Wingo, ChannelAdvisor’s executive chairman, said.” Read more

 

How an army of Amazon reps handle customer confusion, rage by Jay Greene at Seattle Times. “The metric it uses is “negative response rate” or NRR. At the end of each call, reps ask if they’ve resolved the problem…“You’ll never see anything about average handle time,” Scharffenorth said. “It may take 20 minutes. We’ve had calls that take an hour.” Read more

 

Kohl’s to ‘relaunch’ Sonoma brand in new women’s clothing sales push by Rick Romell at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Star Tribune. “Kohl’s wins if women’s wins,” said Michelle Gass, chief merchandising and customer officer. “If women’s doesn’t perform, we have a major issue.” There are issues. “You can look at our [women’s] performance over the last five years, and it’s been choppy,” Gass said.” Read more

 

Brooks Brothers’ glitch overcharges shoppers by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “The wait time on Brooks Brothers’ customer service line was more than 10 minutes Friday afternoon.” Read more

 

Macy’s CEO: Despite Web, death of store experience ‘greatly exaggerated’ by Trent Gillies at CNBC. “If you saw the traffic when we opened the doors at 6 pm, flowing into stores like Macy’s Herald Square, you’d say people definitely want to shop on that night and in a store like Macy’s,” he said.” Read more

 

Half a million British families at risk as hackers target toy firm website by Nick Craven at Daily Mail. “Toy giant Vtech admitted that a database of names and addresses holding up to five million accounts worldwide had been breached.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Toys ‘R’ Us CEO Says Early Signs Point to Slower Growth for Toys

1,000 Christmas trees stolen from South Florida Costco

Pop-up Goodwill (“GW”) shop uptown to offer tacky Christmas sweaters, designer apparel

Bogus bomb threats target Wal-Marts across Maine, other states

In One Brutal Chart, the Federal Reserve Shows What Has Happened to U.S. Department Stores Since 2001

Canadian miner who found second biggest diamond holding out for ‘north of $60 million’

Retailers boost offerings as Nordstrom joins crowded Canadian beauty sector

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Today’s Tipsheet: U.S. Probes Wmart | Beacons not Big | No Target 50% Off Coupon

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U.S. Probes Possible Wal-Mart Misconduct in Brazil by Aruna Viswanatha & Sarah Nassauer at WSJ. “Federal prosecutors are examining $500,000 in payments that they believe ultimately went to an individual hired to obtain government permits the company needed to build two stores in Brasília, Brazil’s capital, between 2009 and 2012, an investigative document shows.” Read more (subscription)

 

…Walmart spokesman Greg Hitt told the Journal that the retailer is cooperating fully with the government but declined to divulge any details via International Business Times. Read more

 

Apple’s Failed Retail Revolution: Beacons Still Won’t Be Big on Black Friday by Joshua Brustein at Bloomberg. “A survey conducted by Forrester earlier this year found that only 3 percent of retailers use beacons; just 16 percent had plans to try the technology in the foreseeable future.” Read more

 

Amazon and JetBlue team up to let Prime members binge watch at 35,000 feet for free by Jacob Demmitt at GeekWire. “And we’re not stopping at video; our relationship with Amazon offers opportunities to delight our customers in ways that have never been done before,” JetBlue vice president Jamie Perry said.” Read more

 

How Walmart Keeps an Eye on Its Massive Workforce by Susan Berfield at Bloomberg. “The details of Walmart’s efforts during the first year it confronted OUR Walmart are described in more than 1,000 pages of e-mails, reports, playbooks, charts, and graphs, as well as testimony from its head of labor relations at the time.” Read more

 

No, Target Is Not Giving You A 50% Off Everything Coupon For Liking A Page On Facebook by Chris Morran at Consumerist. “If it sounds too good to be true, it is. A rep for Target HQ confirms to Consumerist that there is no such coupon and this is a fake.” Read more

 

L.L. Bean again leads e-retailers in customer service by Don Davis at Internet Retailer. “Behind L.L. Bean in the overall ranking were The Net-A-Porter Group LLC, Shopbop, Mr. Porter and Burberry Ltd.” Read more

 

What It’s Like to Manage a Target on Black Friday by Caroline Cunningham at The Washingtonian. “…This is great news, but for Michael Yost, how his employees perform over the next few days will be even more crucial. As the store team leader (Target-speak for general manager), everything the fluorescent lights touch is his domain…” Read more  Video via Washington Business Journal

 

Menards division plans $25M plant in Kansas by David Schuyler at Milwaukee Business Journal. “Under the plans announced by the Economic Development Corporation of Lawrence & Douglas County, Menard Inc. subsidiary Midwest Manufacturing will create 100 jobs.” Read more

 

**A message from Pro Chlor chlorine tabs – Does a gap exist in your septic assortment? Aerobic septic systems require chlorine tablets – not Rid-X® – to disinfect water. Aerobic systems are more environmentally friendly and mandated for use in certain communities in the lower-half of the US. Chlorine tablets are expensive to ship making them ideal to drive in-store traffic (at high margins). See why Pro Chlor is the choice of retailers’ nationwide. Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for program information. www.gwtcinc.com

 

Target Expands Inventories to Repair Stock-Outs by Erica E. Phillips at WSJ. Read more (subscription)

 

CDC: E coli linked to Costco sickens at least 19 people via CNBC. “The majority of the illnesses have been reported in the western United States, with five people hospitalized, though no deaths reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.” Read more

 

Jet.com Lands $350 Million in Funding, With $150 Million More Coming by Jason Del Rey at Recode. Read more

 

This Is How Macy’s Will Target Its Facebook and Instagram Ads for the Holidays by Lauren Johnson at Adweek. See the spots / Read more

 

Amazon Studios Decides Plastering Trains With Nazi Symbols Isn’t Such a Great Idea, After All by Noah Kulwin at Recode. Read more

 

Some Malls Pressure Retailers to Open on Thanksgiving by Drew Fitzgerald at WSJ. Read more (subscription)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Coca-Cola exec retires after health research controversy

Retailers Scrambling Against Latest Credit Card-Stealing Malware

Amazon worker contacts Massachusetts Attorney General to check on legality of Amazon being open Thanksgiving

Target expands LED customer tracking to 100 stores

Coca-Cola’s ‘Share a Coke’ Campaign Gets Festive With Holiday Names on Bottles

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Today’s Tipsheet: 20 Best Retail Workplaces | New Malware Threat | Amazon Secret Air Cargo Operation? | D.Tree +2.1%

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U.S. retailers hunt for attacks after being warned of stealthy malware by Jim Finkle at Reuters via Globe & Mail. “This is by far the most sophisticated point-of-sale malware seen to date,” said Maria Noboa, lead technical analyst for privately held iSight Partners, which uncovered the malware and was due to release a technical report about it on Tuesday.” Read more

 

The 20 Best Workplaces in Retail by Jonathan Chew at Fortune. “Here’s Fortune’s second annual list of the best workplaces in the retail industry…” See the top 20 list

 

Report: Clues point to secret Amazon.com air cargo operation at former DHL facility in Ohio by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “Is Amazon.com running its own air cargo operation? Vice’s Motherboard published a report Monday evening describing an “air freight transportation operation” flying four flights per day out of Ohio’s Wilmington Air Park, which previously served as a facility for DHL until 2008.” Read more

 

Dollar Tree Q3 Comp Sales +2.1% “The Company estimates consolidated net sales for the fourth quarter of 2015 to range from $5.32 billion to $5.42 billion, based on a low single-digit increase in same-store sales.” Read the release

 

New York Mall Caves in to Boycott Threats After Canceling Santa Parade by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “Many customers, already angry with the shopping center’s decision to move Santa and his train to another part of the mall for picture-taking with kids, took to Facebook to create a “Boycott Staten Island Mall” page. It already had 15,000 followers by Monday afternoon, many seeing in the incident as the latest manifestation of a perceived “War Against Christmas.” Read more

 

How Nordstrom and Sephora Are Nailing Social Media Going Into Black Friday by Christopher Heine at Ad Week. “To measure which retailers have the best momentum on social media going into the holidays, Shareablee studied 109 big-box and department store brands across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram between Nov. 1 and Nov. 18…” See the top 10 list

 

Fred’s Q3 Comp Sales +2.7% Read the release

 

Lowe’s Promotes Marci Grebstein to CMO “Grebstein most recently served as vice president of advertising, leading the U.S. advertising strategy and marketing operations to build loyalty for the brand. She will report to Michael A. Jones, chief customer officer, and succeeds Thomas J. Lamb who has left the company.” Read the release

 

**A message from Orchard Road Canning – Decorative Series lids bring innovation to the home canning category. Orchard Road’s Decorative Series delivers three distinct designs: Wild Daisy, Fruit and Gingham. See the designs here. Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for program information.

 

Cabela’s Investors Say They’d Want $60 a Share or More in Buyout by Matthew Townsend at Bloomberg. “Mark Mulholland, who runs the Matthew 25 Fund, said he would refuse anything below $72 a share if there’s a takeover attempt for Cabela’s.” Read more

 

Ex-Walmart Exec Leslie Dach Talks About the Future of Obamacare at WSJ. Read more (Subscription)

 

Small-format Target set to anchor Main Street Cupertino by Nathan Donato-Weinstein at Silicon Valley Business Journal. “The retailer completed a lease last week for a 21,000-square-foot store at Main Street Cupertino, anchoring the retail portion of a mixed-use project that will include apartments, a hotel, shops and new offices for Apple.” Read more / See the artist’s sketch

 

New Saks chief seeks new luster for flagship store by Hiroko Tabuchi at NY Times via Seattle Times.”You spend your whole life saying, ‘If I was in charge, I would. If I was in charge, I would,’ ” (Marc) Metrick said. “You have all these ideas. Then all of a sudden, I can.” Read more

 

Target’s Big Digital Holiday Campaign Combines Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram by Lauren Johnson at Ad Week. “Social makes up 12 percent of its paid media spend, a 30 percent increase over last year…(Target) is also using Facebook’s Canvas e-commerce ads to push sales of a new product called Wonderpacks, craft-activity packs that help families make things like ugly sweaters and mistletoe.” Read more

 

Vanity Fair: Amazon Has Plastered New York Subway Cars with Nazi Imagery by Richard Lawson. “I chose to sit on the Nazi insignia because I really didn’t want to stare at it.” That’s a strange decision to have to make while heading to work on a Monday morning.” Read more

 

RioCan, Target reach $132-million settlement over Canadian leases via Globe & Mail. “The real estate trust says Target has paid $132-million, including $92-million which belongs to RioCan, under the agreement. In return, RioCan and its partners have released Target from its obligations.” Read more

 

Florida’s Orange Industry Is in Its Worst Slump in 100 Years by Marvin Perez at Bloomberg. “Florida oranges are threatened with destruction if scientists and the government can’t find a way to stop an Asian bug from spreading a tree-killing disease…The disease is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, a tiny winged insect, and there’s currently no known cure.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Tech’s Newest Billionaire Is Making A Bet On The Internet Of Things

Nine Apparel Startups to Solve the Real Style Problems of 2016

Ex-Walmart Exec Joins Liquidity Services Board of Directors

Target.com will be 15% off sitewide on Cyber Monday

Gwyneth Paltrow launches lux holiday pop-up shop

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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Contact Jason Long, jlong@eyeonretail.net

 

 

 

 

Today’s Tipsheet: Petco Nears $4.7B Deal | Walmart’s Cyber Sunday | Patti LaBelle Dragged on Twitter

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Petco Nears $4.7 Billion Sale to CVC and Canadian Pension Plan by Leslie Picker at NY Times. “The deal is likely to be announced on Monday, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were still private.” Read more

 

Walmart is About to Turn Cyber Monday into Cyber Sunday by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “Walmart said on Monday it would offer its Cyber Monday deals beginning on Sunday for the first time ever, looking to get a head start on an online shopping day expected to generate $3 billion across the retail industry. Those Walmart deals will be available starting at 8 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 29.” Read more

 

“It can be exhausting for working parents and millenials to stay up past midnight to shop online, only to wake up early the next day to get ready for work,” said Fernando Madeira, President and CEO, Walmart.com….Read Walmart’s press release

 

Under Armour may be working out Lululemon purchase by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “It seems a natural pairing, since Under Armour has been actively seeking to grow in women’s sportswear.” Read more

 

Target drops early-retiree health-care benefits by Neal St. Anthony at Star Tribune. “One Twin Cities retiree, who left Target several years ago said he already was paying about $300 more per month for health insurance than active employees…” Read more

 

Supervalu to consider potential Save-A-Lot sale by Lauren Hirsch & Greg Roumeliotis at Reuters. “Supervalu has received interest in Save-A-Lot from several private equity firms, and has told them that it will consider offers once it registers the unit with regulators for a spin in early 2016, the sources said this week.” Read more

 

Patti LaBelle Gets Dragged on Twitter for Taking Credit for Sweet Potato Pie Success by Trent Fitzgerald at The Boombox. “In an interview with TMZ, when LaBelle was asked if she would get Wright to help her sell more pies, she said, “I did it myself.” Then later on the Today show, the “On My Own” songbird told Willie Geist and Tamron Hall that her pies were selling way before Wright came along with his video.” Read more

 

**A message from Black Flag® Brand: When the flag flies, pests die. The Black Flag® indoor/outdoor pest arsenal arms homeowners in the battle against invading bugs. Offering quick, decisive formulas that act fast and never back down, Black Flag insect and rodent controls get the job done, and take no prisoners. It’s time to Let It Fly. Check out our videos | Visit us on Facebook

 

Retailers, consumers hunt for hoverboards this holiday season by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Target started selling one model, the Swagway, on its website for $500 last week. The Minneapolis-based retailer likely won’t have them in stores until next year. “This is a hot item for the holiday season, and we needed to find a vendor that could provide us with adequate inventory,” said Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman.” Read more

 

Watch Jeff Bezos Lay Out His Grand Vision for Amazon’s Future Dominance in This 1999 Video by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “If you’re an entrepreneur building a company, or simply interested in how one of the world’s most successful CEOs thinks about guiding a business, you should really just watch the whole 50-minute video. Bezos is alternately awkward and charming, but all in all, it’s a treat. If you want the CliffsNotes version of the CliffsNotes, though, I’ve dropped some of my favorite quotes.” See the video / Read more

 

Supermarket Operator Albertsons Names New CIO by Angus Loten at WSJ. “Mr. Dhanda, who comes from supermarket chain Giant Eagle Inc. where he is CIO and senior vice president, will be overseeing IT strategy…” Read more (Subscription)

 

Toys R Us ditches ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ categories online by Siofra Brennan at Daily Mail. “Meanwhile toy company Mattel has been praised this week for its advertisement for the new Moschino Barbie, which features an adorable boy with a mohawk…’Moschino Barbie is so fierce!’ he then says to the camera as he holds Barbie’s bag.” Read more

 

Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH Announces Three New Store Locations in Canada Read the release

 

Walmart names new SVP, president health and wellness by Michael Johnsen at Drug Store News. “Walmart on Friday named George Riedl as SVP, president Walmart health and wellness, reporting to Michelle Gloeckler, Walmart EVP consumables and health and wellness. Riedl starts Dec. 14.” Read more

 

This Amazon Exec Has One of the World’s Most Insane ‘Star Wars’ Collections by Jason Del Rey at Recode. Read more

 

Anyone who emits carbon will pay, Alberta says as it releases tough climate change policies by Geoffrey Morgan at Financial Post. “Anyone with a carbon footprint in Alberta — whether it’s consumers or businesses — will soon have to pay greenhouse gas taxes, under a sweeping new climate change policy Premier Rachel Notley announced Sunday.” Read more

 

Costco shopper who broke leg after shoving receipt checker loses lawsuit seeking $610,000 by Aimee Green at The Oregonian. “Walls became so upset when the employee stopped him that he picked up the worker by his shirt collar and shoved him against a pillar, store officials said.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Canada’s retail sales growth could take deep cut amid oil price slump

Michael Jordan reaches settlement with Jewel, Dominick’s

How Costco’s Digital Strategy Completely Misses The Point

Who’s buying property next to Kroger’s headquarters?

Water wicking smartphone snags $5,000 prize, finds sweet spot in H-E-B

Tim Hortons abruptly shutters some stores in New York and Maine

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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Contact Jason Long, jlong@eyeonretail.net