Today’s Tipsheet: Wmart Bribery Probe-No Smoking Gun | How Ann-Marie Campbell Motivates | Target’s “House on Hallow Hill”

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Walmart bribery probe by feds finds no major misconduct in Mexico by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday night that the U.S. Department of Justice, conducting a probe into the matter under the auspices of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, has not found a major smoking gun. The investigation will likely to result in a much smaller case than the government initially expected, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the probe.” Read more

 

WSJ: Wal-Mart Bribery Probe Finds Few Signs of Major Misconduct in Mexico by Aruna Viswanatha & Devlin Barrett. “The three-year investigation isn’t over, but most of the work has been completed, and it is possible the case could be resolved with a fine and no criminal charges leveled against individual Wal-Mart executives, these people said.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Target enlists entrepreneurs to help it think outside the Big Box by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “None had the typical résumé of a Target executive who climbed up through its ranks. But Target sold all three of them on joining its first entrepreneur-in-residence program, which launched in March. “Literally, I’ve worked for myself for the last 20 years,” said (David) Law, who also founded Speck Products. “So this is the first time I’ve had a boss.” Read more

 

Home Depot: How Ann-Marie Campbell Motivates Her Team  See the video via Fortune

 

Wal-Mart, others speed up deliveries to shoppers at AP via Chicago Tribune. “By mid-November, this place will be humming,” said Justen Traweek, Wal-Mart’s vice president of e-commerce operations and fulfillment.” Read more

 

Is Kroger eyeing another takeover? by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati Enquirer. “Privately-operated Brookshire supermarkets is reportedly putting itself up for sale and at least one analyst thinks Kroger might be a logical buyer. Based in Tyler, Texas, Brookshire operates more than 150 stores in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, generating about $2 billion in annual sales.” Read more

 

Ad Age: Target Gets Into Halloween Spirit With Virtual Reality, Mobile Site by Felicia Greiff. “The virtual reality series, “The House on Hallow Hill,” was created in-house and will be available on YouTube. It includes six videos, starting with an introductory scene to set the tone. In the introduction, a viewer will see a haunted house (a mansion in Minneapolis…). Read more

 

Analysis: A Heavyweight Match Between Dick’s Sporting Goods And Big 5 Sporting Goods by Mark Kusnir at Seeking Alpha. Read more

 

Move Over Apple: Companies, from Walgreens to Walmart, Race to Patent Tech Inventions by Kim S. Nash at WSJ. Read more (Subscription)

 

NY Times: Walmart Chief Defends Investments in Labor, Stores and the Web by Julie Creswell & Hiroko Tabuchi. Read more

 

After undercover sting, Amazon files suit against 1,000 Fiverr users over fake product reviews by Jacob Demmitt at GeekWire. Read more

 

Star Wars Tickets to Go on Sale Two Months Early, Trailer Debuts Tonight by Christopher Palmeri & James Nash at Bloomberg. “Tickets for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” go on sale Monday, two months before the movie hits U.S. theaters. Sales will start after a new trailer for the seventh installment of the “Star Wars” saga airs during the “Monday Night Football”. Read more

 

Seattle, NYC and Philly Customers Balk at $299 ‘Prime Fresh’ Amazon Grocery Fee by Dawn Chmielewski at Recode. Read more

 

Remember this teen entrepreneur? He’s raising eyebrows at Walmart at Fox 29. “The Novel Ties made a profit after the first two months in business.The next big step for Shrayus’ company comes sometime this fall when he has the opportunity to open a pop up shop in a local Sam’s Club store.” See the video

 

Tipsheet Extra

Sneak Peek Inside Target’s Sleek, Loft-Like NYC Office

Kroger removes caramel apples from all stores

Costco to add fire to Australia’s supermarket wars, report predicts

Q&A: Madrona’s Tom Alberg on bankrolling a young Jeff Bezos

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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

 

Today’s Tipsheet: Jelinek’s ‘Ketchup’ Moment | Target Defends Halloween Assort. | Petco Unveils HQ

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Petco unveils multimillion-dollar headquarters by Phillip Molnar at San Diego Union-Tribune. “(Petco unveiled) its new multimillion dollar corporate headquarters in Rancho Bernardo complete with Silicon Valley-level amenities, such as letting employees take cats and dogs to work, extravagant aquariums, employee lounges, a gym, a walking path, dog parks and a cafeteria so nice they call it a “cafe.” Read more

 

…Video of Petco’s new headquarters via CBS 8 See the video

 

Target sticks to its Halloween assortment via CBS News. “We have not made any changes to our store Halloween assortment related to this product,” Molly Snyder said. “At Target, our intent is never to offend any of our guests, and we appreciate their feedback. We have shared this feedback with the merchants for them to consider as they plan for future merchandise assortment.” Read more

 

Costco: Craig Jelinek’s ‘Ketchup’ Moment with Amex CEO by Devin Leonard & Elizabeth Dexheimer at Bloomberg. “…the Costco guys were tickled by how meticulously Amex choreographed his movements. “Ken Chenault would have an advance team come to our office before he visited,” says Paul Latham, Costco’s vice president for membership and marketing…according to people who were briefed by Chenault about the call, and told him that as far as he was concerned, Amex was another vendor, just like the one that sold Costco ketchup. “If I can get cheaper ketchup somewhere else, I will,” (Jelinek) said. Read more

 

Amazon releases ‘hot toy’ list, as analysts predict it will destroy Walmart this holiday season by Molly Brown at GeekWire. “(Fierce Retail) found that “Best Buy, Jet, Target and Walmart all significantly lagged behind Amazon in product assortments, although Walmart had the closest match with 32.9 percent product overlap with Amazon.” Read more

 

Wall Street Journal CEO Council Includes CEOs from CVS and Walgreens  See the list of attendees

 

**A message from Dig It Gloves–Only 5 weeks remain to place your order for Spring ’16! Why are Dig It garden gloves loved by women? It’s easy–interior pillow-top protectors are built into each fingertip. That’s right, no more broken or chipped nails when gardening! Call it manicure insurance, or just plain brilliant, but you have to see it to believe it. Cross-merchandise in the garden center during Spring ’16. Request samples at: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net | www.digithandwear.com

 

Amazon Bets Mexico Street-Market Bargain Hunters Will Go Digital by Patrica Laya at Bloomberg. “I’ve never seen so much interest as now, not just from Amazon and consumers, but from other traditional retailers as well, to invest and come up with online offers,” Juan Carlos Garcia, who heads Amazon Mexico, said in a phone interview.” Read more

 

Walgreens mentioned in WSJ feature on Theranos by John Carreyrou. “Carmen Washington, a nurse who worked at a clinic owned by Walgreens in Phoenix, says she began to question Theranos’s accuracy…She says she raised her concerns with the drugstore operator and Theranos’s lab director, asking for data to show that the company’s finger-prick testing procedures produced results as accurate as blood drawn from a vein. “They were never able to produce them,” she says.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Popcorn companies blamed for bee deaths by Tim Devaney at The Hill. “The Center for Food Safety is calling on two of the largest popcorn manufacturers, Pop Secret and Pop Weaver, to phase out the use of corn seeds that are grown with neonicotinoid insecticides, which they say are harmful to bees.” Read more

 

Can Michael Jordan Sell Sneakers to Women? Nike Hopes He Can by Matthew Townsend & Scott Soshnick at Bloomberg. “There will also be gear for weekend warriors and football fans. Nike’s vision for Michael Jordan’s flagship line is to now extend to categories beyond basketball — all with the goal of doubling the brand’s sales to $4.5 billion by 2020.” Read more

 

Amazon poised to win big as India launches annual festive shopping spree by Nivedita Bhattacharjee at Reuters via Yahoo. “According to website analytics firm Alexa, Amazon’s India website was now ranked the 6th most visited website locally and the 83rd most visited site globally as of Oct. 13, after rising 18 positions over the past three months.” Read more

 

Macy’s to sell snowflake-print suits by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati Enquirer via USA Today. “The retailer is courting younger men with the slim-cut suit label that originated in Holland. At $99.99 for a jacket, pants and matching tie, Macy’s says the line is an attempt to “bridge the gap between value, quality and style.” See the pics / Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

X-Rated Audio Shocks Customers At San Jose Target Store

Home Depot focuses on color with a new app

Wal-Mart Cost-Cutting Options Seen Including Sam’s Club Spinoff

Christie’s auctioning rare Apple-1 computer, hasn’t been turned on in a decade

Nevada Bans DraftKings, FanDuel as Unlicensed Gambling

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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

Today’s Tipsheet: McMillon:This Was Coming | H.Depot’s Mueller Wins Award | Target Reissues REDcard

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Wal-Mart CEO to Cramer: This was coming  See the 10 min video interview

 

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon not sure why analysts seemed so surprised with news given it was announced in February by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Perhaps we did not provide enough details at that time about this incremental investment (hourly wage increase)” he added during the Q&A session of the event.” Read more

 

Target just made its credit card a lot safer at CNN Money. “The retailer is in the process of reissuing all its REDcard credit and debit cards to chip and PIN cards. This means customers will have to enter a PIN and not just a signature to complete a transaction.” Read more

 

Congrats: Home Depot’s Trish Mueller Wins 2015 CMO Marketing Innovation Award  See the 2015 CMO Award Winners

 

Walmart’s Online Grocery Shopping Service Expands To 10 Cities by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “The full list of newly added cities includes Dallas, Houston and San Antonio in Texas; Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Naples, and Cape Coral in Florida; and Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma.” Read more

 

Whole Foods partners with NYC firm to make retail software by Michael Theis at Austin Business Journal. “The partnership will see Whole Foods become something of a working lab for Infor’s engineers, who will help identify and create solutions to supply chain issues that crop up in any retail environment.” Read more

 

Walmart wants to help unchain companies from their cloud by Barb Darrow at Fortune. Read more

 

Costco Announces New Board Member “Costco announced the election to its Board of Directors of Maggie Wilderotter, the Executive Chairman of Frontier Communications…She formerly served in a number of executive roles at technology and telecommunications companies, including Microsoft, Wink Communications, AT&T, and McCaw Cellular.” Read the release

 

Food Lion completes remodel of 162 stores, largest investment in the company’s history by Amanda Hoyle at Triangle Business Journal. Read more

 

Walmart’s Marcus Osborne on Meeting Americans Where They Are in Healthcare at Oliver Wyman Health. Read the Q&A

 

Albertsons Delays IPO by Corrie Driebusch & Telis Demos at WSJ. “The company is continuing to evaluate market conditions, and the deal could still be launched in the next day or so, the people said.” Read more (Subscription)

 

The 10 Brands With Which U.S. Consumers Have The Greatest ‘Intimacy’ (Amazon #4, Whole Foods #8) by Kathryn Dill at Forbes. Read more / See the list

 

Man Accused of Setting Fire to Halloween Costumes in Walmart by Alan Wang at ABC 7. “It’s was scary. Everyone was freaking out. It’s like, oh my goodness, what is going on here?” said witness Naomi Santiago.” See the video / Read more

 

Walmart Executive Presentations from Yesterday’s Investment Meeting:

Doug McMillon

Charles Holley 

Neil Ashe

Greg Foran

 

Tipsheeet Extra

Target’s hasty retreat still haunting Canadian REITs nine months later

Walmart targets affluent shoppers to shake funk

Minneapolis mayor drops work scheduling proposal

Inside the Patent and Trademark Office’s new Silicon Valley branch

Here’s where Amazon’s next brick-and-mortar store will be

Shopping at Wal-Mart? You might be a Republican

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 the website at www.eyeonretail.net

 

Today’s Tipsheet: McMillon on CNBC | Lowe’s Quebec Mtg 11/5 | Target Basket + $5.72 | D.Gen Cuts 255

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Walmart CEO on CNBC: This is how we’ll win by Tom DiChristopher at CNBC. “We’re making progress and our associates are buying in,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” ahead of the company’s meeting with analysts in New York City…”Ultimately the way we are going to win, which is what we’ll talk about with analysts today, is the strategy of bringing them together.” Read more

 

Dollar General cuts 255 corporate jobs by Lizzy Alfs at The Tennessean. “Employees have been notified of the job cuts, which are effective immediately. Positions at the store level will not be impacted, according to the release.” Read more | Read the release

 

Lowe’s to meet Quebec suppliers, raising speculation about store expansion by Ross Marowits at Globe & Mail. “We believe this could be a sign that they are preparing to enter the Quebec market in the near future,” Scotiabank analyst Anthony Zicha wrote…Lowe’s spokeswoman Sandy Indig said the Nov. 5 meeting in Montreal with Quebec suppliers is to understand what products they can offer. The chain is seeking suppliers for a number of products, including doors, lighting and bathroom accessories.” Read more

 

Target joins UNICEF in new health charity initiative by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Whenever a customer buys a band, which sells for $39.99, Target will donate $10 to fund therapeutic food packets that will be sent to malnourished children around the world. “We know that one in four kids in the U.S. is inactive and one in four kids globally are malnourished,” said Angie Thompson, a Target spokeswoman.” Read more

 

Retail Union Spends Six Figures On Walmart Worker Ad Launch During Democratic Debate by Clare O’Connor at Fortune. “The 1.3 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers Union has spent in the region of $200,000 total on two 30-second ad spots.” See the ads / Read more

 

…Walmart response (via CNN): “While the UFCW is committed to spending its members’ hard earned union dues on political ads attacking a company that employs 1.3 million Americans, Walmart will continue to focus on our commitment to spending $1 billion this year alone to not only raise wages, but also provide additional skills-based training and other opportunities to build great careers” Read more

 

Target Partners with ‘Who What Wear’ on Street Style-Inspired Line by Chantal Fernandez at Fashionista. “Target’s Who What Wear line will debut in 800 stores, online at Target.com and at WhoWhatWear.com on Feb. 1 and will continue to deliver new product the first week of each month. The collection will feature over 20 categories such as knits, pencil skirts, party and day dresses, jackets, blazers and accessories.” Read more / See the video

 

…Who What Wear backed by Amazon by Elaine Low at Investor’s Business Daily. “In August, the company said that it had raised $8 million from Amazon and others in a Series B round of funding.” Read more

 

**A message from Mobee’s Bees – Mobee has over 350,000 GPS tracked, Smartphone enabled ‘Bees’ located within 5 miles of every US retail store. Detect supply chain issues quickly. “Supply Chain Fix Alerts” have resulted in post-alert sales increases of up to +35%. www.getmobee.com Contact dowdy@getmobee.com to request a free pilot.

 

Amazon shuts down Destinations hotel booking service six months after launching it by Jordan Novet at VentureBeat. Read more

 

Wal-Mart grocery savings widen against Target by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Raymond James & Associates’ monthly grocery comparison report for October found $5.72 in savings realized on a full basket of branded items purchased at Walmart compared to the same items bought at Target. The savings widened from 98 cents saved on the same items purchased in September. However, the basket savings decreased from $8.72 reported in October 2014.” Read more

 

TaylorMade Looks to Boost Sales at Dick’s with VR by John Gaudiosi at Fortune. “Now golf fans can be on the virtual green with PGA Tour pros Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia…TaylorMade has sent 1,500 PSi-branded Google Cardboard VR viewers to stores across the country like Dick’s Sporting Goods.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart announces FY 2017 earnings calendar, provides agenda for 22nd Annual Meeting for the Investment Community Read the release

 

Martha Stewart: I should have bought Kmart by Joseph Pisani at AP via Charlotte Observer. “We thought about buying it, but we didn’t do it, and we should have,” Stewart said in an interview with The Associated Press. “That could have been our store — KMartha!” Read more

 

Under Armour CFO/CEO Departs  Read the release

 

Dad asks for birthday cake from Costco – but he wasn’t expecting this at Mirror. “But his offspring went one better in the dad joke stakes – by getting him a cake OF Costco, complete with tiny trolleys. The wholesale warehouse-themed cake features the Costco branding, trees outside the doors, and entrance and exit signs.” See the cake pic / Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Target and other Minnesota companies fight to defeat proposals guaranteeing more predictable schedules and paid sick leave

Dale Earnhardt Jr. meets and greets fans at Jacksonville Walmart

PETA calls for investigation after animals die in SC PetSmart store during flooding

Facebook’s Working On A Tool To Help The Blind “See” Images

PA: New Field & Stream store opens this week

NY Times: Where Have All the Tomboys Gone?

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 the website at www.eyeonretail.net

 

 

Today’s Tipsheet: WMT talk: McKenna @ Fortune panel, Osborne @ health summit | Target & ‘Jane the Virgin’ | D.Tree Rebrands

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Target Could be in the Market for Your Second-Hand Clothes by Ellen Galles at KSTP 5 ABC. “You send your items in a “clean-out bag” with free shipping, or you can drop them off at a participating Target location. They are looking for high-end brands like J.Crew and Calvin Klein. The program only accepts women’s and children’s clothing at this time.” See the video / Read more

 

Analysts assess Wal-Mart supplier contract changes by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Budd Bugatch, a retail analyst for Raymond James & Associates, researched Wal-Mart’s history of inventory and payables. His work finds Wal-Mart’s payables percentage to inventory grew steadily during the first 10 years of this century, peaking at 93% in fiscal 2010. That ratio has since retreated to a mid-80% level, he said.  “Net owned inventory now is nearly $7 billion, which is the amount of capital that would be unlocked if payables were equal to inventory,” Bugatch said.” Read more

 

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos plummets down corporate leader rankings by Andrew Hill at Financial Times “Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, has slipped from first to 87th in a ranking of the world’s best chief executives, after the technology company’s performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors was taken into account.” Read more

 

Dollar Tree Announces Plans to Re-Brand Deals Stores in 2016 “Of its 222 store locations, 217 Deals stores will be converted to Dollar Tree and the remaining five will be converted to Family Dollar.” Read the release

 

Yesterday: Walmart’s Judith McKenna on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Panel by Beth Kowitt at Fortune “McKenna noted that the hardest group to reach is members of middle management and that she’s been trying to find a better way to communicate with them. She has recently met with 700 store managers over the course of four days in 10 cities. “If we can start to move store managers in terms of how they believe and what they feel, that is the fastest way to get to all of the associates,” McKenna said.” Read more

 

Who to watch at Fortune’s exclusive 2015 Most Powerful Women Summit by Patricia Sellers at Fortune. See the scheduled speakers for today and tomorrow

 

**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! See our videos | Visit us on Facebook

 

Kohl’s adding more test markets for same-day delivery Read the release

 

Facebook adds ‘shop’ tab to push e-commerce by Anthony Ha & Josh Constine at TechCrunch. “The Shopping feed is a single place to browse the different products being showcased across the social network…A survey from the company showed 50% of users come to Facebook looking for products.” Read more

 

Tomorrow: Walmart VP Marcus Osborne to Speak at Health Innovation Summit in Chicago See the summit agenda

 

‘Jane the Virgin’ and Target’s Televised Push for Millennial Latinas by Claire Carusillo at Racked. “Speaking to how the store became embedded in Jane’s character, Jessica Carlson, a Target spokesperson said, “The writing comes first. And then products/integration ideas are woven into the content/scene. This is definitely an editorial process to ensure the integration is as organic as possible.” Read more

 

First snow showers of the season could hit this weekend by Alex Sosnowski at AccuWeather. Read more

 

Costco opens first Washington location since 2008 by Jeanine Stewart at Puget Sound Business Journal. “With Washington it’s hard because it’s a saturated market and there’s a lot of cannibalization…” (Kayleen) Burnett explained.” Read more

 

Re-Tooled: How Timberland got back on its feet by Phil Wahba at Fortune. Read more

 

Burberry hires a CIO away from Wal-Mart Asia by Mark Brohan at Internet Retailer. “(Fumbi) Chima comes to Burberry with an extensive background in e-commerce. Prior to joining Burberry, Chima served as corporate vice president and CIO for Wal-Mart Asia. She joined Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in 2010 and worked initially as the retailer’s corporate vice president of application development…” Read more

 

Alibaba Group Launches 2015 11.11 Global Shopping Festival Read the release

 

Tipsheet Extra

Experts Say Corporations Like Target Are Doing Wearable Challenges All Wrong

LEGO goes after new $4B market

Amazon’s bookstore revealed? Blueprints provide new clues about mysterious Seattle site

Ancestry.com in talks with FDA to offer genetic testing

China’s second largest ecommerce company just arrived in Silicon Valley

Whole Foods Fires Security Firm That Banned Elderly Woman for Mistakenly Stealing Cheese

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

Today’s Tipsheet: Target’s 1st N.Tex Store in 5+ Yrs | Holley’s Exit Package | PETA Hits U.Outfitters | Best Buy Billion

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Best Buy founder Schulze cranks up giving at his $1 billion family foundation by Jean Hopfensperger at Star Tribune. “Schulze also is bankrolling two experiments he hopes will become national models. One cranks up teaching and technology at Twin Cities Catholic schools; the other speeds up business research-sharing among academics.” Read more

 

Walmart U.S. Appoints Steve Bratspies to Chief Merchandising Officer “The company also announced additional leadership changes, including the appointment of Charles Redfield to executive vice president of food for Walmart U.S…John Furner will serve as executive vice president, merchandising for Sam’s Club.” Read the release

 

Walmart Appoints Brett Biggs New Chief Financial Officer “Charles Holley to retire as CFO Dec. 31, 2015 after serving the company for over 20 years.” Read the release

 

Charles Holley’s Retirement Package by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “When Holley retires he will continue to receive payments of $1.9 million paid in multiple installments through January 2018…31,930 restricted shares of Wal-Mart’s common stock…will be accelerated to vest on the date of Holley’s retirement. These vested shares would have a street value of $2.13 million at Friday’s stock price $77.71 per share.” Read more

 

Lowe’s, Woolworths tip $105 million into Masters as deadline looms by Sue Mitchell at Sydney Morning Herald. “Analysts said Lowe’s willingness to inject another $35 million into the joint venture, taking its total investment over the past six years to $1.11 billion, was not necessarily a sign that the US retailer remained committed to Masters in the long term.” Read more

 

Costco’s Richard Galanti Sells 5,500 Shares for $840,785.00 at Ticker Report. Read more

 

**A message from Dig It Handwear – Only 5 weeks remain to place your order for Spring ’16! Why are Dig It garden gloves loved by women in the US and Canada? It’s easy – interior pillow-top protectors are built into each fingertip. That’s right, no more broken or chipped nails when gardening! Call it manicure insurance, or just plain brilliant, but you have to see it to believe it. Cross-merchandise in the garden center during Spring ’16 and watch them fly out the door. Request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net | www.digithandwear.com

 

Whole Foods sets restaurant partnership by Lisa Jennings at Supermarket News. “Del Pero did not disclose terms of the investment, but said the partnership will help the 11-unit sandwich chain build infrastructure as it expands into the San Diego and San Francisco Bay area markets in late 2016. As part of the deal, Whole Foods plans to test the opening of Mendocino Farms outlets in select market locations.” Read more

 

PETA targets Urban Outfitters over angora rabbit fur by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “The group is launching a campaign Monday targeting Free People and highlighting the cruelty it says is inflicted on rabbits when the fur is ripped from their bodies, The Post has learned.” Read more

 

Target and General Mills pledge $6M to North Minneapolis nonprofit by Clare Kennedy at Minn./St.Paul Business Journal. Read more

 

‘Outlaw Hogs’ Crowned 2015 Sam’s Club BBQ Champs at NWA. “Thousands made their way to the Sam’s Club headquarters in Bentonville Saturday for the Kansas City Barbeque Society ‘Sam’s Club National Tour.'” Read more

 

Fort Worth: Target opens its first new local store in years by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “The 122,000-square-foot store is also one of the first stores in the chain with a newly created position of visual merchandise leader, he said. Home merchandise displays will change several times a year.” Read more / See the pics

 

Countdown to Costco grand opening in New Britain (CT) by Michael Schroeder at New Britain Herald. “It took 70 trucks to bring in the 4,000 items on the shelves, compared with “maybe 14,000” in another store of the same type. This limited selection allows Costco to work with suppliers more directly and keep prices down, (Tom) Daly said.” Read more

 

Florida Orange Crop Crushed With Output Estimated at 52-Year Low by Marvin G. Perez at Bloomberg. “Florida’s orange crop will shrink to the lowest in 52 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has forecast, as damage from citrus-greening disease persists.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Twin Cities: Star Tribune Puts Amazon’s 1-Hour Delivery (Ice Cream) to the Test

Meijer expects 20% increase in Halloween shoppers

New Hartford’s “Rogue Cow” Captured Across from Home Depot

The 5 Weirdest Things Brands Are Doing at New York Comic Con

Sometimes the No. 2 spot on Google can beat the top spot

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

Today’s Tipsheet: Amazon to Open 1st Book Store? | Sears Creates 2nd Seattle Office | Alice Walton #1 in Texas

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Seattle: Rumors fly that Amazon bookstore is coming by Rachel Lerman at Seattle Times. “White plastic sheets block out light and wandering eyes at a corner store in Seattle’s University Village…A nearby construction worker, taking apart a cabinet for another U Village project, said workers on the corner site call the project the “mystery store” because no one knows what’s going into the former Blue C Sushi space. The one thing he knows is there are bookshelves inside.” Read more

 

…What we glimpsed inside this mysterious Seattle retail site by Taylor Soper & Todd Bishop at GeekWire. Read more

 

BJ’s sets opening date for Charlotte store by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Business Journal. “The retailer says it will open Nov. 14, with a grand opening celebration that includes food and beverage sampling. Read more

 

Field & Stream opens in Greensboro by Kristin Zachary at Triad Business Journal. See the 15 pics / Read more

 

Amazon starts one-hour delivery in parts of Twin Cities by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “This is the 14th metropolitan market where the online retailing giant has launched its Prime Now service, which first debuted in New York last December.” Read more

 

**A message from Cutter Insect Repellents – For more than 50 years, Cutter (R) repellents have been fending off mosquitoes that can suck the fun out of summer. With insect repellents formulated for any occasion and area repellents designed to keep the backyard bite-free, we’re in the business of helping families have fun. See the video | Visit us on Facebook

 

Boston Globe: Wegmans’ success shows it has arrived by Shirley Heung. “So it was on Thursday that Colleen Wegman, Danny’s 44-year-old daughter and president of the company, and her sister Nicole, 41, a senior vice president, stepped onto a makeshift stage inside the Westwood store to tell a few hundred employees: “Welcome to the family!” Read more / See the pics

 

…Sneak peek inside the new Wegmans in Westwood (MA) by Catherine Carlock at Boston Business Journal. See the 21 pics / Read more

 

Amazon Wants to Know How Its Employees Feel Every Day by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “The effort is being expanded two months after a scathing newspaper report portrayed the online retailer as a pressure cooker…Dubbed Amazon Connections, the internal system poses questions daily to employees to collect responses on topics such as job satisfaction, leadership and training opportunities, people with knowledge of the initiative said.” Read more

 

Sears acquires WallyHome sensor technology from startup SNUPI, creates second Seattle office by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. Read more

 

Bellingham family says Costco development causing home to slide by Eric Wilkinson at King 5 News. “A city engineer told Penny the problem was likely not connected to Costco. While she can’t directly prove it, Penny maintains things were fine here for a decade until the new development.” See the video / Read more

 

The Texas Rich List: Alice Walton #1 via Forbes. Read more

 

Retailers should be ready for consumers’ Facebook ‘Reactions’ by Zak Stambor at Internet Retailer. “The social network today announced it is running a test in Ireland and Spain of what it is calling Reactions—buttons that feature emojis meant to convey “love,” “yay,” “haha,” “wow,” “angry” and “sad.” The test also includes a more expressive Like button.” Read more

 

New Diet Pepsi Leaves Some Loyalists With Bad Taste by Mike Esterl at WSJ. “All of PepsiCo’s diet soda sales fell 6.6% in the U.S. in the four weeks ended Sept. 19, as the new Diet Pepsi was rolling out nationwide, worse than the 5.7% decline over the previous 52 weeks, according to Morgan Stanley, citing Nielsen store-scanner data. That also was steeper than the 3.4% drop in diet soda sales at Coca-Cola Co., which hasn’t removed aspartame from Diet Coke.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Tipsheet Extra

Amazon Prime Now Twin Cities test: 55 minutes late

Urban Outfitters asks employees to work for free on weekends

Sears seeks new credit card partner as end of JPMorgan deal looms

China Resources unit to sell stakes in Wal-Mart China stores

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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

Today’s Tipsheet: Target’s Argyilan Q&A | Costco Flat Comp | JCP CEO Gets a Crowd | For Sale: Mills Fleet, Woolworth Mansion

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Costco September Comp Sales Flat (+8% Excluding Gasoline & Foreign Exchange) “Costco reported net sales of $10.75 billion for the month of September, the five weeks ended October 4, 2015, an increase of two percent from $10.57 billion during the similar period last year.” Read the release

 

Target’s Kristi Argyilan on What ‘In-House Programmatic’ Really Means by Alexander Bruell at Ad Age. “Advertising Age: Are you spending more on programmatic? Ms. Argyilan: Yes, definitely…We have our own exchange and private marketplace, and in that marketplace we have every channel represented, including some experimental video and TV…Ms. Argyilan will be speaking at Ad Age’s Brand Summit in Los Angeles on Nov. 4.” Read the Q&A

 

TJX CEO Carol Meyrowitz is exiting in style by Taryn Luna at Boston Globe. “TJX said Wednesday that Meyrowitz will be succeeded by her second in command, president and 26-year TJX veteran Ernie Herrman.” Read more

 

J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison focused on building customer loyalty by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “Crowds are following Marvin Ellison around these days…last month at the Goldman Sachs Annual Global Retailing Conference. The half-empty room filled up when it was Ellison’s turn at the podium. He’ll be talking to the retail industry again Thursday afternoon at the Texas A&M Retailing Summit at the Westin Galleria in Dallas…” Read more

 

Chicago: New Streeterville Target is tiny but delivers big by Judy Hevrdejs at Chicago Tribune. “Located at 401 E. Illinois St., with its grand opening slated for Sunday, the new Streeterville Target boasts an array of goods celebrating Chicago’s appetite for sports and food that we spotted during a first-day visit…” Read more

 

…Any alcohol purchased in the Starbucks must be consumed within the coffee shop limits, starting at 2 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends by Brigid Sweeney at Chicago Crain’s. Read more

 

Jet.com Overhauls Business Model, Kills $50 Membership Fee to Broaden Appeal by Jason Del Rey at Recode via CNBC. “One obvious question: Was Jet afraid that fewer customers were willing to pay for a membership after their free trial ended?” Read more

 

Wal-Mart to open second e-commerce center in Fort Worth by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “Local government officials were given a tour Wednesday of the building, which processes hundreds of thousands of items a day, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield said.” Read more

 

Amazon pumps $190M into its India operations, opens 21st fulfillment center in the country by Michael De Waal-Montgomery at Venture Beat. Read more

 

Family-owned Mills Fleet Farm looking to sell company by Renee Richardson via Pioneer Press. “For the long term, this is what is right for the business, this is what is right for our employees,” Mills said. “It’s a very, very painful decision for the Mills family.” Read more

 

An Amazon ‘pick-up’ store may be coming to a college near you by Leena Rao at Fortune. “Amazon plans to open more customer service outlets near college campuses so students can pick up their orders, according to several job listings on the company’s website. Students at University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Cincinnati will soon be able to visit physical Amazon stores on or near campus to get their packages.” Read more

 

Amazon launches Handmade, an Etsy-style portal for artisanal goods by Paul Sawers at Venture Beat. Read more

 

PetSmart spokesperson: Animals died when SC store flooded by Dal Kalsi at Fox Carolina. “Posts circulating on social media allege that animals were intentionally left to die, but PetSmart Corporate Communications Manager Erin Gray said the store took steps to save animals and tried to rescue others after the flash flooding.” Read more

 

Magnificent mansion of retail tycoon Charles Woolworth is now a ruin at Daily Mail. “The half-destroyed Pennsylvania home of the co-founder of the Woolworth retail empire has been put on the market for just $295,000…While the grand house is a vision from the outside – all 8,000 square-feet of it – inside it is in near-ruins.” See the pics / Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Walmart: Laid off HQ employee talks to TV reporter (married four days before)

Arlington’s new tiny Target is ready to open (video/pics)

JCPenney Hires a New Agency to Help Grow the Brand With Middle-Income Shoppers

Jimmie Johnson driving Red Vest Lowes paint scheme at Charlotte (Photos)

Amazon’s promotional ‘Treasure Truck’ still missing in action

Chinese toolmaker must pay $54 million for copying DeWalt color scheme

How Coach Inc plans to recapture the high-end market as ‘affordable luxury’ rivals rise (President Q&A)

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