Archive for month: June, 2016

 

Nordstrom’s red carpet event at the Tony Awards could drive online sales by Coral Garnick at Puget Sound Business Journal. “For the second year, the Seattle-based retailer is sponsoring the Tony Awards red carpet event. This year, though, it is upping its game to include styling the stars and making products instantly available for customers to purchase online.” Read more

 

J.D.Power: Ace Hardware Ranks #1 in Customer Satisfaction among Home Improvement Retailers (Menards tops Lowe’s and Home Depot) “Overall customer satisfaction with home improvement retailers is 795, up from 788 in 2015.” See the rankings / Read the release

 

Newsweek: Top Green Co’s in the US 2016 (CVS #16, Best Buy #27, Home Depot #91, Kohl’s #98, Target #146, Kroger #164…) See the top 500 list

 

SurveyMonkey: America’s Perception of Fortune 100 Companies – Walmart Named ‘Most Ruthless’ “Walmart has the dubious honor of coming in first place as the company respondents dislike the most. Across all negative dimensions (negative global impact, worst for the country, desire to shut down, and ruthless), people said the company was the most ruthless and worst overall for the country.” Read the release

 

Michaels doubles-down on adult coloring – a ‘little nervous’ about election by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “…the company has added new titles, authors and books for tweens. It has also expanded the category with other surfaces to color such as note cards and T-shirts…“We’re a little nervous about the election and how that may impact retail…” (CEO) Rubin said. Fall and winter quarters are its biggest, with back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.” Read more

 

China commerce ministry removes curbs on Wal-Mart’s Yihaodian deal via Reuters. “China’s Ministry of Commerce has removed restrictions on Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s deal in 2012 to raise its stake in online supermarket Yihaodian, and said the move would not impact the already competitive market.” Read more

 

WSJ: Survey Shows Rapid Growth in Online Shopping by Laura Stevens. “For the first time, consumers say they bought more of their purchases on the web than in stores, according to an annual survey of more than 5,000 online shoppers by UPS.  The shoppers now made 51% of their purchases on the web compared with 48% in 2015 and 47% in 2014, according to the survey by UPS and analytics firm comScore Inc.” Read more (subscription)

 

***A message from Alma Italy – Enjoy the innovative, yet simple elegance of Alma Cookware. Alma Cookware produces non-stick aluminum cookware products and delivers healthy and tasty foods with the security of a professional product.  Featuring La Sughiera – the thick-tempered glass lid with upper hole allows for spice-adding and stirring without removing the lid. Featuring Egizia – this warm color pottery connects modern technology with a traditional rural aesthetic. Made in Italy | Website | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.

 

Trader Joe’s Pirate Store Should Walk The Plank, 9th Circ. Told by Daniel Siegal at Law 360. “Trader Joe’s urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to revive its trademark infringement suit against a Vancouver man who buys groceries at its U.S. stores and resells them at his Canadian store Pirate Joe’s, arguing the pirate’s lax food safety protocols could poison the grocery chain’s good name.” Read more (subscription)

 

The 10 Fastest-Growing Careers in the Next Five Years (Online Retailing #1) by Anne Fisher at Fortune. See the top 10 list

 

These Are the Best CEOs in America, According to The People Who Work For Them (H-E-B Makes the Cut) by Julie Verhage at Bloomberg. See the list of 25

 

Are Amazon’s latest private label offerings part of a China strategy? by Scot Wingo at Recode. “…you can see that the top-selling items generally fall into these categories: electronics, shoes, shampoo/beauty, diapers and nuts…Digging deeper, if you look broadly at these categories of products on Tmall, there is definitely a supply/demand imbalance. The Chinese consumer has huge unsatisfied demand for these particular Western goods.” See top 20 Western Brands sold on China’s Tmall (Costco #12)

 

Handbag Shopping: More Time Means More Satisfaction by Elizabeth Holmes at WSJ. “Elizabeth McMullen takes a long time to buy a handbag—and that is something retailers should embrace. “It literally takes me months,” says the 29-year-old marketing coordinator at a bank in La Crosse, Wis. Ms. McMullen started the hunt for her most recent bag nearly six months ago…” Read more (subscription)

 

Home Depot CIO Matt Carey Joins Meg Whitman at HPE Discover See the pic

 

Amazon Makes Good On Its Indian Promise by David Meyer at Fortune. “Having already stumped up $2 billion a couple years back, Jeff Bezos’s giant said Tuesday that it would invest another $3 billion as it sees “huge potential in the Indian economy.” Read more

 

Smart Mirrors Might Be The Future Of In-Store Customer Analytics by David Lumb at Fast Company. “Oak Labs’ tech suite starts with the full-length fitting room mirror, which displays the items a customer has brought in to try on, thanks to RFID signals in the merchandise tags. This lets stores track items as they move from the store floor to the dressing room to the register…” Read more

 

Tesco Set To Reveal Sale Of Giraffe, Turkish Unit: Sky News via Fox Business. Read more

 

Sears Canada Q1 Comp Sales -7.4% Read the release

 

Keurig discontinues Kold soda machine and offers full refunds via LA Times. “…laying off more than 100 workers after its Keurig Kold home soda machine system fizzled out after less than a year on the market.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

London’s first naked restaurant opens – 44,000 on waiting list

Walmart gave away over $1.4 Billion in 2015 – #4 on philanthropy list (top 12 list)

New York: World’s biggest vertical farm – Giant 70,000 square foot ‘lettuce factory’ will produce 2 Mil pounds of food a year

3 Reasons Warren Buffett Should Buy CVS Health

Fire Phone, two years later: Yes, a few people are still using Amazon’s ill-fated smartphone

McDonald’s secret Luxembourg tax deal

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DID HE REALLY JUST SAY THAT? – Late night TV host adds edge to Wal-Mart shareholders meeting by Michael Tilley at The City Wire. “Loud and somewhat uncomfortable laughter was the result of Corden saying (Greg) Penner’s marriage had nothing to do with him being named chairman. Corden, with subtle sarcasm, said Penner earned the job by “working tirelessly for Wal-Mart.” “He worked tirelessly at marrying Rob Walton’s daughter,” Corden joked, pulling a direct punch line out of the sarcastic setup, and launching another round of loud laughter and “did he really just say that!?” looks among the crowd.” Read more

 

Walmart U.S. CEO Greg Foran seeing far fewer “code red’s” by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “He said 18 months ago when he began the job there were many stores he visited that would have rated a 4 or 5 out of 10. Admitting that tremendous progress has been made, he said it could be two more years before Walmart gets to the point where they no longer have to raise bar store performance.” Read more

 

NYC: City’s last original grocer quietly shopping Manhattan stores by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “D’Agostino, one of the city’s last independent, family-owned grocers, has been quietly shopping its remaining nine Manhattan stores, The Post has learned. The 84-year-old business had 13 stores a year ago — down from 26 at its peak — and has closed several this year alone.” Read more

 

Kay Jewelers Owner Denies Engaging in ‘Diamond Swapping’ by Nick Turner at Bloomberg. “The remarks follow a BuzzFeed story about customers complaining that their diamonds had been unknowingly replaced with lesser-quality gems. The allegations reverberated through the markets on Thursday when an influential newsletter from James Grant addressed them, sending Signet’s stock down as much as 14 percent in intraday trading.” Read more

 

Etsy Open Call, linking makers to retailers, is back for seconds by Teresa Novellino at New York Business Journal. “The event will kick off August 22 with a series of educational workshops for designers, and the pitch event will follow on August 23. Both will be held at the company’s new Brooklyn headquarters in Dumbo, at 117 Adams Street.” Read more

 

**A message from Made in Italy – Fabe’s hand-crafted pillows prevent and relieve neck and back pain. Fabe’s Ergo Praxis pillow supports and aligns the head and neck to prevent cervical pain. Created in cooperation with Ludes University in Switzerland – it gets the body in the right position for a good night’s sleep. 100% Made in Italy. Ergo Praxis Specs | Fabe Website | How our Pillows are Made | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net. Italian-made product connection – Italy-America Chamber of Commerce

 

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon Elected to US-China Business Council Read the release

 

Australia: Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci unveils growth aspirations by Sue Mitchell at Sydney Morning Herald. “In a briefing with analysts at Woolworths’ liquor head office in Sydney, Mr Banducci said he was aiming to grow food and liquor volumes by 2 per cent and lift topline sales growth to 4 per cent through price inflation and by opening a smaller number of new stores.” Read more

 

…Woolworths fined $9m in laundry case via Inside FMCG. “This penalty is the largest the ACCC has obtained against a party that was an accessory to competition law breaches by being knowingly concerned in anticompetitive conduct,” Sims said.” Read more

 

Canada: Consumers opt for frozen, not fresh amid rising produce prices by Eric Atkins at The Globe and Mail. “(Apples) are up by 23 per cent in the 12 months ending in April. Cauliflower famously soared in price over the winter to as much as $8 a head in some regions, but has come back to earth recently. Still, fresh vegetables have risen in price by more than 15 per cent, while the broad consumer price index sits at just 1.7 per cent, according to Statistics Canada’s April figures.” Read more

 

Here are the 14 Companies Returning to the Fortune 500 (Big Lots #10) by Audrey Shi at Fortune. See the list

 

Burberry CEO’s compensation falls 75% by Nathan Bomey at USA Today. “…the luxury retailer grapples with declining revenue and profit amid a slowdown in the company’s key China market.” Read more

 

The Lipstick Index Has a Luxury Twist by Andrea Felsted at Bloomberg. “Consumers may be thinking twice about buying a Louis Vuitton handbag, but they are happy to snap up Christian Dior cosmetics. Growth in the market for luxury goods such as watches, clothes and accessories is slowing, while the premium beauty and personal care market — which includes upscale makeup, skincare, haircare and fragrance — is gaining ground.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Bernie Sanders supporters hate this store

Hudson’s Bay sees $15 billion in sales this year, nearly quadruple its revenue in 2013

Watch out U.K. retailers — Walmart is coming for you

China’s richest man wages war on Disney – opens up a mammoth theme park

Post Office becomes UK’s biggest retailer open on Sundays

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Costco May Comp Sales +4% (ex. gas & f/x) “Costco reported net sales of $9.23 billion for the month of May, the four weeks ended May 29, 2016, an increase of three percent from $8.98 billion during the similar period last year.” Read the release

 

Amazon targets sellers for first time in latest crackdown on fake customer reviews by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “The company has filed demands for arbitration against three Amazon sellers, seeking to enjoin them from selling products on Amazon or opening new accounts on the site, and asking an arbitrator to require the sellers to hold in trust any illegal profits from the sale of products on Amazon based on fraudulent reviews.” Read more

 

Staples CEO Sargent to receive as much as $14M after stepping down by Greg Ryan at Boston Business Journal. Read more

 

COSTCO CEO AT BUSINESS CENTER GRAND OPENING IN DENVER by Alicia Wallace at Denver Post. “Costco CEO Craig Jelinek stood near the front of his newest store and quietly watched the opening-day activity unfold. He pointed to a customer’s bright orange cart that was Jenga-stacked with boxes of eggs, milk, lettuce, vinyl gloves and laundry detergent. “That’s what we want there,” he said, “a big flatbed like that.” Read more

 

Lands’ End swings to $5.8 million loss for Q1 by Melanie Lawder at Milwaukee Business Journal. “Retail segment net revenue slid 10.4 percent to $41.2 million, which the company said was driven by a 7.1 percent decrease in same-store sales and a reduction in the number of Lands’ End Shops at Sears locations.” Read more

 

Forbes: America’s Richest Self-Made Women “#3: Iconic retailer Gap might have been called “Pants and Discs” if not for Doris Fisher. She and her husband Donald (d. 2009) settled on that name until she came up with “Gap” –shorthand for “generation gap.” See the top 60 list

 

Home Depot’s Richard McPhail Presents at RBC Capital Markets Consumer and Retail Brokers Conference via Seeking Alpha. Read the transcript

 

Fitbit Adds Williams-Sonoma CEO & Whole Foods CFO to Board Read the release

 

**A message from Man Dip – Sour cream is for sissies – Eat like a man! Sour cream is something you slap on a baked potato – it is not a dip! Man Dip uses real cream cheese loaded with chunks of meat and peppers to create dips that are rich and savory with just the right amount of kick. Protein rich – Gluten free – Served hot – On-trend. Top 5 New Product | Website & Five New Flavors Retailers request a sample pack at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Smiley returns to Walmart to reinforce ‘happiness’ through low prices by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “…The entire meeting theme was about sharing happiness as Family Feud host and television personality Steve Harvey took the stage…Harvey joked that he would like to get a job at Walmart under one condition – that it would be in the fishing department, his favorite part of the store. He said there was one store he likes better than Walmart as an avid bass fisherman and that’s Bass Pro Shops.” Read more

 

Micheal Kors backs away from department stores to save image by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Last month, several analysts reported that Nordstrom stores had been carrying fewer Michael Kors bags…Disputing reports that MK bags had fallen out of favor, Idol said, “It’s not true that the brand is dead,” but he also pointed to department stores’ “aggressive promotions” to generate traffic into empty malls. “We’ve seen that magnified over the last 12 months and it’s not healthy for the Michael Kors brand,” Idol said.” Read more

 

Amazon brings Martha Stewart back to TV — for a hefty price by Carlos Greer at NY Post. “It’s a one-hour TV show where she’s going to assert herself into businesses and help people craft and create goods. She’ll get her hands dirty and help them create and build a better business and products to sell,” a source explained.” Read more

 

Moose passes up Target to give birth at Lowe’s via NBC 12 News. “It’s not everyday you see a moose born at Lowe’s.” See the video

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Walmart’s supplier contract changes force hard decisions

Bite-sized Spam Snacks discontinued after six-month run

Target Shutting Down Curbside Pickup Pilot Program Effective June 15

Chicago: Lighting, home goods retailer Rejuvenation opens 7th store

J&J to buy hair care products maker Vogue for $3.3 billion

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