Ex-PetSmart CEO Named Interim CEO at GNC "Before joining PetSmart in 1999, (Robert) Moran was President of Toys "R" Us Canada following various executive positions across finance and merchandising with Sears, Roebuck & Company, including as President and CEO of Sears de Mexico." Press release   Smart & Final Q2 Comp Sales -0.3% "Comparable store sales for the Smart & Final banner decreased 0.6% in the second quarter...Comparable store sales for the Cash & Carry banner increased 0.4% in the second quarter." Press release   Honolulu: Costco notifies 2,700 customers of possible Hepatitis A exposure by Catherine Cruz at [...]

  Cabela's Q2 Comp Sales +1.5% "This marks the first quarter of positive comparable store sales since the third quarter of 2013. This increase was attributable to strength in firearms and shooting related categories as well as the camping, powersports, and fishing categories. Internet and catalog sales increased 3.3% in the quarter." Press release   Dollar General buys 41 former Wal-Mart Express stores by Kim Souza at The City Wire. "The sale to Dollar General is somewhat ironic given that Walmart built the smaller Express format as way to better compete with Dollar General in rural markets." List of store [...]

  Wal-Mart de Mexico posts 9 percent drop in second-quarter profit at Reuters. "During the second quarter of last year, Walmex sold its banking unit to Grupo Financiero Inbursa. Second-quarter revenue at Walmex was 127.5 billion pesos, 11.5 percent higher than the year-earlier period." Read more   "WELLNESS HAS GONE MASS" - Goldman downgrades Whole Foods by Kate Rooney at CNBC. "Wellness has gone mass, and it is not coming back, never again to be relegated to niche specialty retailers serving price-insensitive, early adopters." Read more   Lumber Liquidators Q2 Comp Sales Down 7.2% at CNBC. "Analysts on average had expected [...]

  Former Wal-Mart CFO Holley to join Deloitte as adviser at Reuters. "Holley, who served as the CFO of Wal-Mart... from December 2010 to January 2016, will join Deloitte's 'U.S. CFO Program' and advise staff, clients and senior leadership." Read more   Why have upscale retailer Nordstrom and other apparel giants lost their luster? by James F. Peltz at LA Times via Chicago Tribune. "Then, all of a sudden,” that growth began stalling in a “very strong” way, Michael Koppel, Nordstrom’s chief financial officer, told an industry conference in June. “For something that happened that quickly, it just begs a [...]

  REI boosting wages for workers in 7 cities, including Seattle by Janet I. Tu at Seattle Times. "...it comes after employees have been increasingly vocal about wage and scheduling issues...The cities include Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Washington, D.C." Read more   Former Target exec joins Patterson as CMO by Katharine Grayson at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. "(Todd) Marshall spent 14 years at Minneapolis-based Target, most recently serving as the retailer's senior vice president of marketing. His responsibilities included overseeing digital aspects of the company’s customer-rewards program, including expansion of its Cartwheel mobile app." Read more   Sports [...]

  J. C. Penney Board appoints CEO Marvin Ellison to the additional position of Chairman, effective August 1, 2016. Read more | WSJ article (subs.)   How a former Wal-Mart executive is helping the Air Force cut energy costs by Jim Puzzanghera at LA Times. "As assistant secretary for installations, environment and energy since 2014, Miranda Ballentine has used her private-sector experience to help the Air Force keep its energy costs down..." Read the Q&A   Amazon’s sleek new badges irk some employees by Angel Gonzalez at The Seattle Times. "The famous Amazon blue badge, which identifies many a South [...]

  Wal-Mart says 95% success rate in suppliers removing 8 toxic chemicals from consumer products by Kim Souza at The City Wire. "Schade said Target and CVS are also getting on the bandwagon with chemical policies, but retail titans Costco and Amazon are behind with no chemical policy of any kind." Read more   Macy’s tests artificial intelligence in stores by Erin Caproni at Cincinnati Business Courier. "(Macy's) has teamed with IBM’s Watson to create Macy’s On Call, a “mobile companion” for shoppers that allows them to ask questions and receive answers without waiting for a sales associate." Read more | [...]

  CVS pilots Google’s new Nearby beacon and app program by April Berthene at Internet Retailer. "Google Nearby lets retailers send beacon messages to shoppers via the Google Play app. CVS is one of the first retailers to jump on board." Read more   Kroger's Houston president to retire, replacement named by Olivia Pulsinelli at Houston Business Journal. "Bill Breetz, will retire after 44 years with the Cincinnati-based grocer, effective Aug. 26. Taking his place on Aug. 28 will be Marlene Stewart, currently president of the company’s Dillons division." Read more | Read the release   BOSTON - Peek inside the new [...]