Tipsheet: Visa Billboards Bash Wmart | Target Adds Ex-Amazon Exec | Tome #9 CFO | Costco Christmas in Vancouver

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Walmart Vows Canada-Wide Visa Card Ban ‘In Coming Months,’ But.. by Daniel Tencer at Huffington Post. “…(Walmart) has been very quiet about its plans to further roll out the Visa ban, prompting some observers to suggest the company may be having second thoughts about the fight.” Read more

 

…Visa plasters Thunder Bay, Ont. with billboards reminding customers that “over 5200” other local stores accept its card by Amy Hadley at CBC News. “Drive down a main street and you might encounter two or three of the ads in the span of just a few blocks.” See the billboard outside of a Walmart store

 

Target hires another former Amazon employee to work on supply chain by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “(Preston) Mosier will report to Arthur Valdez, a 16-year Amazon veteran who joined Target this spring to be its chief supply chain and logistics officer. Amazon initially sued Valdez when he took the job with Target, worried that he would spill trade secrets and alleging that he violated the online giant’s noncompete clause. A Target spokeswoman confirmed that the two parties have settled the issue.” Read more

 

Analyst Lowers Target Estimates on Soft July Sales by Kevin Orland at Bloomberg. “Our updated work indicates traffic slowed in July despite more aggressive promotions as the company appears to be losing share in grocery and seeing weakness in discretionary/signature categories” the firm said.” Read more

 

ExecRank Names Top 25 CFO’s (Tome #9, Olsavesky #10, Hoguet #16) via Savannah CEO See the top 25 list

 

“SAVE 4X THE SALES TAX!” – Massachusetts stores offer their own ‘tax holiday’ by Megan Woolhouse at Boston Globe. “Lawmakers at the last minute decided to eliminate the August ritual, amid slower than expected state revenue growth. But retailers, who have advertised the event for weeks, have forged ahead on their own, offering discounts equivalent to double, triple, even quadruple the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax.” Read more

 

Coach doesn’t want department stores cheapening its image by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “It didn’t name names but said that one in four department store locations would become a Coach-free zone…Chief Executive Victor Luis said the pullback will hit 250 stores.” 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. Italy-America New Product Connection

 

The Container Store Q1 Comp Sales -1.4% Press release

 

Seattle officials propose sweeping law to protect workers from erratic schedules by Janet I. Tu at Seattle Times. “…large retailers and many food-service companies with more than 500 employees would be required to give their workers in Seattle 14 days’ advance notice of their schedules and to offer additional hours to existing employees before hiring new workers.” Read more

 

Porch launches Porch Perks – which gives service providers on the Porch platform discounts and deals at a handful of retailers, including Lowe’s and Wayfair by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. Read more

 

Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke on how to maintain a startup culture at scale at Canadian Business. Read more

 

Lidl opening 800K-square-foot regional HQ/DC in Cecil County, MD by Ryan Sharrow at Baltimore Business Journal. “The newly constructed warehouse in the Principio Business Park near Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 40 is expected to create 100 full-time jobs and open no later than 2018.” Read more

 

Costco kicks off Christmas in Vancouver at CTV News. “Shoppers in the Vancouver area say they’re surprised that Christmas trees and other holiday-themed items are showing up at their local Costco stores in August.” See the video

 

What’s Hurting Sales at Michael Kors? via Fox Business. “The company’s first-quarter sales fell 7.4 percent at stores open more than a year. Analysts on average had expected a 4.7 percent decline.” Read more

 

Maple Syrup Cartel Battles a Black Market Rebellion by Jen Skerritt at Bloomberg. “The cartel that produces 72 percent of the world’s maple syrup is starting to crack. After eight years of tightly limiting output to keep prices high, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers next year will boost its quota by 12 percent for 13,500 sap farmers who operate in the Canadian province.” Read more

 

Active underground meth lab discovered near Walmart store by Harold McNeil & Maki Becker at The Buffalo News. “We always take precautions because of the chemicals … The chemicals are highly volatile,” said Detective Lt. JoAnn DiNoto of the Amherst Police narcotics unit.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Best Buy to close central-Minnesota store

150 Lowe’s employees help renovate West Charlotte High School football stadium

H-E-B’s Chief Merchant highlights collaborative solutions at NACDS Expo

HHGregg to close all Wisconsin stores this fall

Study: Only 19% of CIOs at Top U.S. Firms are Women (WSJ subs.)

Red Sox cancel giveaway of ‘racially insensitive’ David Ortiz bobbleheads

Sprouts says Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas & the Carolinas are “mid-term expansion markets”

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Tipsheet: McMillon/Lore on CNBC | Lowe’s CMO Q&A | Ashe Jettisoned | Bezos +$1.4B in 90 days

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This Morning: Doug McMillon & Marc Lore appear on CNBC “When McMillon met Jet founder Marc Lore in the spring, he said he quickly realized the two were like-minded in many ways. By the time the meeting was over, they had already begun sketching out on a white board how a combination of the two companies could work.” See the video interview / Read more

 

…”I think we hit it off the first day,” Lore echoed. “We just started talking about these amazing plans we had.”

 

Monday: Jet CEO Marc Lore in Recode interview “This was about trust between Doug and I,” Lore said in reference to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, noting that the conversations between the two sides began in the spring. “It never occurred to me to go out and get another offer, quite honestly.” Read more

 

Wayfair Q2 Total Revenue +60% “Wayfair continues to take between a third and forty percent of the online dollar growth in our categories in the U.S.,” said Niraj Shah, CEO, co-founder and co-chairman, Wayfair.” Press release

 

Walmart’s Karen Roberts talks diversity at American Bar Association meeting: “I’m not telling you how to run your business, I’m telling you as consumer of your services this is my expectation and if you are not willing to meet it, we are not going to use you.” by Meredith Mandell at Bloomberg Law. Read more

 

Wegmans CEO: It’s ‘kind of sad’ to compete with Publix in Virginia by Ashley Gurbal Kritzer at Tampa Bay Business Journal. “They are absolutely wonderful people,” Wegman told the Times-Dispatch. “George Jenkins, who founded Publix, and [my] dad (Robert Wegman, who died in 2006) were like best friends. In many ways, it’s kind of sad that we will compete. We didn’t know that they were going to Richmond. Anyway, here we go.” Read more

 

**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. See the website & five new flavors | Named a Top 5 new product | Retailers request a sample pack at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Q&A with Lowe’s CMO Marci Grebstein by Mercedes M. Cardona at CMO.com. Read the Q&A

 

Gap Comp Sales: July -4.0%, Q2 -2.0% Press release

 

Data Breach At Oracle’s MICROS Point-of-Sale Division at Krebs on Security. “Oracle’s MICROS division sells point-of-sale systems used at more than 330,000 cash registers worldwide. When Oracle bought MICROS in 2014, the company said MICROS’s systems were deployed at some 200,000+ food and beverage outlets, 100,000+ retail sites, and more than 30,000 hotels.” Read more

 

Survey: 74% of millennials don’t expect to ever get a Social Security check by Mark Calvey at San Francisco Business Times. Read more

 

Home Depot was #1 in radio spots for 18 consecutive weeks until last week at Radio Ink. “Walgreens was third with 29,355, followed by McDonald’s at 26,424 and AutoZone with 25,444.” Read more

 

Hollar, the World’s First Online-Only Dollar Store, Woos Millennial Moms by Cheryl Wischhover at Racked. “Hollar currently has over one million visitors coming to the site every month. Yeom notes that over 80% of Hollar’s customers are women, and most of those are millennials, moms, or both. More than 80% of customers are ordering from places other than New York and California, and most Hollar customers shop on their phones via the app.” Read more

 

Walmart’s Neil Ashe Jettisoned at Internet Retailer. “According to an internal memo distributed to Wal-Mart employees and obtained by Internet Retailer announcing the Jet.com acquisition, Wal-Mart president and CEO of global e-commerce Neil Ashe will leave the company at the end of this fiscal year.” Read more

 

ChannelAdvisor’s revenue rises 12% in Q2 by Allison Enright at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

Michigan: 7-Eleven, Family Dollar stores to accept child support payments via Crain’s Detroit Business. “Frisch said Michigan is the fifth state to join the child support/retail store program.” Read more

 

Bezos has unloaded $1.4 billion in Amazon stock in the last three months by Nat Levy at GeekWire. Read more

 

This Pennsylvania guy probably made a killing on the Wal-Mart-Jet.com deal by Anita Balakrishnan at CNBC. “Martin won 100,000 shares in Jet.com last year as part of a contest aimed to get users to refer the most family and friends to the membership-based site…some reports have valued his Jet.com shares upward of $20 million.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Woman who blamed Target for July 4th bike fall loses appeal

USPS: Double-digit increase in online packages = 14% increase in dog bites

Wal-Mart shuts down early to avoid protesters of Rankin trial verdict

Ex-Pier 1 DMM named hhgregg VP of Merch – Home Decor

New Zulily commercials offer a peek behind the scenes

Kum & Go to sell 21 Iowa stores

Coach Q4 North America Comp Sales +2.0%

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Tipsheet: Wmart & Jet Keep Distinct Brands | Amazon Japan Raided | R.Hard.CEO Home For Sale | Wgreen Comms Head Jumps

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Walmart is buying Jet.com for $3 billion by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Some senior Jet executives, including co-founder and CEO Marc Lore, will have incentive bonuses on top of that. Lore will continue to run Jet as well as Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce operations after the acquisition closes.” Read more

 

…”Walmart and Jet will maintain distinct brands, with Walmart.com focusing on delivering the company’s Everyday Low Price strategy, while Jet will continue to provide a unique and differentiated customer experience with curated assortment.” Press release

 

…Jet.com deal was said to hinge on keeping its founder by Spencer Soper & Eric Newcomer at Bloomberg. “…will require Jet founder Marc Lore to head the retailer’s online division for several years, according to people familiar with the matter. Lore would stay in that role for longer than the two-plus years he spent at Amazon.com Inc., said one of the people, who asked not to be identified…” Read more

 

Amazon Japan raided on suspicion of antitrust practices by Thomas Wilson at Reuters. “A Japan Fair Trade Commission spokesman said he could not confirm the report but added: “I won’t say the contents are incorrect.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart updates ‘best by’ labeling by Robbie Neiswanger at Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “”They were being date labeled 47 different ways,” said Frank Yiannas, the retailer’s vice president of food safety. “Every time we say that, people are in awe. There were literally 47 different ways.” Read more

 

Restoration Hardware CEO Lists Napa Valley Home for $10.5 Million by Sarah Tilton at Wall Street Journal. “(CEO Gary Friedman) said he personally led the RH design team, and all the furnishings are RH down to the linens and planters….While he said the company has “no immediate plans” to enter the real-estate business, Mr. Friedman now calls the place the first “RH Residence” and hinted that more could be coming at some point.” See the 8 house pics / Read more (subscription)

 

Doug McMillon speaks at Color of Hope fundraising event by Dan Holtmeyer at Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “Wal-Mart and the Walmart Foundation gave $8 million and this week Tyson Foods and the Tyson family chipped in $15 million, the hospital’s biggest gift.” Read more / See the pics

 

Photos: Amazon’s first ‘Prime Air’ cargo jet takes spotlight at Seattle’s Seafair air show by Alan Boyle at GeekWire. See the pics / Read more

 

Online accounts for more than half of QVC’s US sales by Stefany Zaroban at Internet Retailer. “…and sales at recently acquired flash retailer zulily.com jumped 23% in the quarter.” Read more

 

**A message from 2016 Sweets & Snacks Expo – The Most Innovative New Products winners have been announced! Winners were awarded in nine categories: chocolate, non-chocolate, sweet, salty, savory, novelty, seasonal, gourmet/premium and gum/mints. See the 9 winners & 36 nominees The 2017 Sweets & Snacks Expo is nearly 90% sold out and will take place May 23-25 at Chicago’s McCormick Place – Notify me when registration opens

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Promises $1,000 Donation For Each Team USA Medal by Noah Kirsch at Forbes. Read more

 

Someone is trying to steal accounts from Walmart.com customers by Chris Mills at BGR. “According to hundreds of reports on social media, people across the US have been receiving password reset emails for their Walmart.com accounts, indicating that someone is trying to access those accounts and change the password.” Read more

 

CST Brands CEO says company has “laser focus” on execution, continued growth by Katie Burke at San Antonio Business Journal. “(CEO Kim) Lubel said that to date, the company has opened 13 stores in the U.S. and five in Canada, with 32 of the 39 currently under construction located in the United States. Throughout the third quarter, the company is targeting more than 15 store openings.” Read more

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance internal comms head joins Kingfisher as comms director by John Harrington at PR Week. Read more

 

Bass Pro founder still buying land near Ozark’s old mill; plans remain unclear by Giacomo Bologna at Springfield News-Leader. “According to Glenn, one of the reasons (Johnny) Morris has an interest in that area is because at one point his parents lived “within a stone’s throw” of the mill. “(The mill is) where his momma brought him home to,” Glenn said. “That’s what he told me.” Read more

 

Australia: Coles is experimenting with a weird new convenience store brand by Paul Colgan at Business Insider. “The stores – of which there are three currently running in Melbourne – will sell coffee for 80c a cup, undercutting the $1 offering from 7-Eleven, and also offer a range of healthy snacks. The Australian reports that the stores will try to bring convenience food offerings down to the prices in the supermarket sector…” Read more

 

Merger creates mattress giant by Rem Rieder at USA Today. “In a deal that would create the world’s largest mattress firm, Steinhoff International Holdings announced Sunday that it is acquiring Mattress Firm Holding Corp. for about $2.4 billion.” Read more

 

30,000 to 60,000 bees escape and sting people in Walmart parking lot via ABC 13 News. “Each of the three injured are adults, but no other information about them was released. Oklahoma City Fire Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson says the incident began about 10:30 a.m., when a person selling bee hives met a buyer in the parking lot and the bees escaped.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

North Hollywood Macy’s closing, marking the end of Laurel Plaza

Sid Applebaum, Rainbow Foods co-founder who powered family grocery dynasty, dies at 92

Wisconsin named worst state for black Americans, Minnesota #2

IBM’s Watson has a summer job working at Macy’s

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Tipsheet: D.Tree Cuts 370 | Golfsmith Bankruptcy? | Amazon Secret Flight | Wmart Buys 169 Near DIA

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Dollar Tree to cut 370 jobs at former corporate HQ of Family Dollar by Katherine Peralta at Charlotte Observer. “Dollar Tree did not say Thursday how many employees worked at the Matthews location, but as recently as January the company had said it was around 1,200. The retailer said 100 of the jobs being eliminated were already vacant.” Read more | Press release

 

Walmart buys 169 acres near Denver Airport for what could be major distribution center by Molly Armbrister at Denver Business Journal. “Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust paid $13.5 million for the land, located near the intersection of East 56th Avenue and Jackson Gap Road in the proposed Porteos mixed-use development site.” Read more

 

First Amazon Prime airplane debuts in Seattle after secret night flight from New York by Alan Boyle at GeekWire. ““It’s hard for me not to be a little bit giddy, almost. This is the first time I’ve actually seen the plane in person,” Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said at a press preview that took place behind closed hangar doors at the Boeing Co.’s Seattle Delivery Center on Thursday.” Read more | Press release

 

Golfsmith Is Considering Filing for Bankruptcy by Lauren Coleman-Lochner & Kiel Porter at Bloomberg. “Golfsmith hired the investment bank Jefferies LLC to solicit buyers for the roughly 150-store chain, without success so far, said the people, who didn’t want to be identified because the process isn’t public. The company also hired Alvarez & Marsal to help it restructure, according to the people, who said that a sale could come as part of a Chapter 11 filing.” Read more

 

Target resumes selling Amazon products after four-year hiatus by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Thursday morning, the company added several Amazon products, including the Kindle, Fire tablets and Fire Sticks, on Target.com. The items will hit the big box chain’s 1,800 stores in October.” Read more

 

Court: Shopping at Home Depot Isn’t a Constitutional Right by Jacob Gershman at Wall Street Journal. “Although defendant argues he is prohibited “from entering large areas of the state” and from “shopping or working in any store that shares a parking lot with a Home Depot,” that surely is an exaggeration.” Read more (subs.)

 

Grocery strike averted: Workers reach tentative deal with Ralphs and Albertsons by Shan Li at LA Times. “Even in a short strike — say, a week or less — Albertsons and Ralphs would have lost about 2% to 3% of the Southland market, Flickinger said. If the strike stretched on for months, about 10% of the region might have permanently slipped away to non-union rivals such as Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart’s new scheduling system looks to improve peak-hour staffing by Nandita Bose at Reuters. “The system, called Customer First Scheduling, was launched in all of Wal-Mart’s 650 small-format Neighborhood Markets in the last week of July with plans to eventually roll it out across the entire U.S. store network, although the company gave no timeframe.” 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. Italy-America New Product Connection

 

Canadian Tire to focus on in-house product lines and a digital future by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail. “But in marking a divergence, Mr. Wetmore said he will seek an acquisition in line with Canadian Tire’s past takeovers, such as those of Forzani Group, whose sporting goods chains include Sport Chek as well as clothier Mark’s. In contrast, Mr. Medline had recently said he was looking for an e-commerce or digital specialist as a takeover target.” Read more

 

HSN CEO says election is distracting consumers by Courtney Reagan at CNBC. “HSN shares tumbled 9 percent Thursday, after the retailer reported a 4 percent drop in second-quarter sales and said it would sell off its TravelSmith and Chasing Fireflies businesses…One new opportunity she’s excited about is an upcoming partnership with Macy’s for Halloween, which (Mindy) Grossman says for consumers will be more like entering a haunted house.” Read more

 

Philly: Comcast’s new partnership lets customers pay bills in cash at 7-Eleven by Alison Burdo at Philadelphia Business Journal. “…(Comcast) subscribers can now pay their bills in cash at more than 7,700 7-Eleven stores, including at least 20 locations in Philadelphia…” Read more

 

Ingles Markets Q3 Comp Sales +2.6% Press release

 

Michaels buys Hancock Fabrics’ brand & intellectual property by Ed Arnold at Memphis Business Journal. “Michaels bought the rights to Hancock’s brand, patents and trademarks from U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware for $1.3 million. The deal also includes all the customer information Hancock had collected from more than 10 million customers.” Read more

 

Twitter lets retailers lure consumers with exclusive content by Zak Stambor at Internet Retailer. “Twitter today rolled out a tool called Instant Unlock Card that aims to compel consumers to tweet in order to access exclusive content from a merchant.” Read more

 

Sprite’s ‘Brutally Refreshing’ Ad Campaign Is Slammed for Being Brutally Sexist by Michal Addady at Fortune. “The advertisements appeared in Ireland and featured hackneyed jokes…Billboards and Sprite bottles were adorned with lines like, “A 2 at 10 is a 10 at 2” and “You’re not popular… you’re easy.” Read more

 

Food fight breaks out inside a Philadelphia Wawa at Daily Mail. “…an entire family is seen attacking a customer inside the convenience store, after first throwing different items of packaged food at each other…The Facebook video has had more than 600,000 views.” Read more / See the pics

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Ad Age: Food Startup Bought Up Its Own Products (at Target/Costco/Etc.) in Undercover Campaign

Walmart looks poised to leapfrog past Target if it buys Jet.com

Ex-Macy’s SVP of Customer Strategy joins media firm

PetSmart Gives Nearly $7.6 Million to Animal Welfare Organizations

Study: 9% have made one or more purchases from Jet.com (Amazon.com 92%, Walmart.com 76%, Target.com 63%, and Overstock.com 36%)

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Tipsheet: Gloeckler Leaves Wmart | Costco -2.0% | First Daughter Works @ Restaurant | C.Tire +2.9%

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Costco July comp sales -2.0% / +1.0% excluding gas & f/x “Due to the timing of the Independence Day holiday, this year’s July results included one less sales day in the U.S. than last year. This shift negatively impacted total Company sales by an estimated 2.5% (3.5% in the U.S.).” Press release

 

Michelle Gloeckler to exit Wal-Mart for Academy Sports by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “AcademySports + Outdoors named Michelle J. Gloeckler Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer and President of Academy International Limited, its global sourcing entity, effective August 29, 2016.” Press release

 

…Academy CEO & Gloeckler had ties to University of Arkansas by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Gloeckler and (CEO J.K.) Symancyk served in June on a retail panel discussion…for the University of Arkansas Center for Retail Excellence Conference…Symancyk is a UA graduate and Gloeckler has a son attending UA…Cindi Marsiglio will continue as vice president of U.S. Manufacturing and another executive vice president will likely be chosen to oversee the initiative as well.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart Said to Be in Talks to Acquire Amazon Rival Jet.com by Jing Cao, Spencer Soper & Eric Newcomer at Bloomberg. “Jet has been reaching out to Wal-Mart and other retailers for capital to help take on Amazon, with the goal of raising about $640 million at a valuation of approximately $1.7 billion, one of the people said.” Read more | WSJ article (subs.)

 

Target’s SVP of Beauty & Personal Care – Harry’s is coming to Target at A Bullseye View. “Target will carry a selection of Harry’s most popular items…If you can never remember when it’s time to replenish your shave supplies, you can sign up for a subscription on Target.com…” Read more

 

Murphy USA Q2 earnings jump 77%, keeps focus on new store build-out at The City Wire. “Murphy USA opened eight retail locations in second quarter, bringing the quarter end store count to 1,344 – 1,118 Murphy USA sites and 226 Murphy Express sites. A total of 40 stores are under construction…” Read more

 

**A message from 2016 Sweets & Snacks Expo – The Most Innovative New Products winners have been announced! Winners were awarded in nine categories: chocolate, non-chocolate, sweet, salty, savory, novelty, seasonal, gourmet/premium and gum/mints. See the 9 winners & 36 nominees The 2017 Sweets & Snacks Expo is nearly 90% sold out and will take place May 23-25 at Chicago’s McCormick Place – Notify me when registration opens

 

Canada: Walmart, Costco continue to eat into sales of traditional Canadian grocers by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “In the first quarter of 2015, grocery retailers’ share of Canadian food sales was about 78 per cent. That has fallen steadily from 84 per cent in the first quarter of 2010…Read more

 

Canadian Tire Retail Q2 comp sales +2.9% Press release

 

Staples Unplugging Staples Connect Smart-Home Platform by Alan Wolf at Twice. “Connect’s disconnection leaves Lowe’s, with its Iris program, and Home Depot, with Wink, as the leading proponents of retailer-centric home automation.” Read more

 

Hy-Vee promotes two senior leaders “Jeremy Gosch, formerly senior vice president and chief merchandising officer, was named executive vice president strategy and chief merchandising officer. Donna Tweeten, formerly senior vice president and chief marketing officer, was promoted to executive vice president and chief marketing officer.” Press release

 

Build-A-Bear Q2 Comp Sales -8.6% Press release

 

At Home Announces Pricing of IPO “At Home Group announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 8,667,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $15 per share…” Press release

 

The Epic Fight Over How To Label “Natural” Foods by Neal Ungerleider at Fast Company. “Food science is changing faster than the government and corporations can keep track of, and the only clear losers are the public—who still don’t have a clear definition of what “natural foods” actually are.” Read more

 

Fred’s July Comp Sales -4.6% Press release

 

First daughter Sasha Obama works takeout window at restaurant by Gayle Fee at Boston Herald. “The first daughter is working the takeout window at Nancy’s, a seafood restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard…“We were wondering why there were six people helping this girl, but then we found out who it was,” said a server at the busy island eatery. “She’s been hosting, serving and working takeout.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

How a former Wal-Mart executive is helping the Air Force cut energy costs

Macy’s Adds Ex-Office Depot SVP to C-suite

Suspect arrested in shooting deaths behind Publix

This Well-Respected Tech Exec Is Joining Amazon

Inside Meijer’s new Waukesha, WI store: Slideshow

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Tipsheet: Roz @ White House Dinner | Menear on CNBC | Insurers Fight Wmart Re: Tracy Morgan |

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Home Depot CEO on CNBC: Millennials  appear to be on a six-year delayed cycle in terms of household formation “Over the past several quarters, about 35 percent of new household formation has come from the tail end of millennials as it relates to homes (Menear) said.” See the video interview / Read more

 

Sam’s Club CEO Sits at Head Table with Obamas during Singapore state dinner via U.S. News & World Report. “Among those at the head table with the Obamas and Lees were actors Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, author Amy Tan, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, retired Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, Sam’s Club President and CEO Rosalind Brewer, and Caterpillar Inc., chairman and CEO Douglas Oberhelman.” Read more

 

…Complete guest list for the State Dinner in honor of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore by Veronica Toney at The Washington Post. “Rosalind Brewer, Sam’s Club chief executive, and John Brewer…Stefano Pessina, Walgreens Boots Alliance chief executive, and Ornella Barra…” See the full list

 

Judge refuses $2.85 million in bonuses for executives at Sports Authority by Tom Hals at Reuters. “I think it’s just inappropriate to pay senior executives a bonus when all the employees are losing their jobs,” said Judge Mary Walrath during a hearing in Wilmington, Delaware.” Read more

 

Tracy Morgan Auto Crash Has Walmart, Insurers Navigating Courts Over Huge Settlement by Eriq Gardner at Hollywood Reporter. “…would seem to suggest that Walmart paid at least $90 million to Morgan and Fuqua to put the controversy to bed…On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Louis Goodman is scheduled to have a teleconference with the parties to go over pending motions, documents being sought, deadlines and a possible motion by the insurers to throw it back to a state court.” Read more

 

Seattle: Petco unleashes new store design in Seattle by Janet I. Tu at Seattle Times. “Among the new features: A concierge desk where customers can get advice on pet nutrition or training…a demonstration area where customers can sample new products; and a “Critter Connection” area where customers can play with their pets and test supplies.” Read more

 

Neiman Marcus CEO Karen Katz debunks rumor she’s stepping down by Maria Halkias at The Dallas Morning News. “(Karen) Katz was in New York for the fashion industry’s ACE Awards…Katz cleverly asked the crowd how they liked her MCM backpack and then dropped her bomb: “It doesn’t mean that I am packing up and going anywhere, unlike the rumors out there.” Read more

 

**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 | Italy-America new product connection | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Some of Best Buy’s Samsung mini-shops are closing, others expanding by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “About 160 of the stores-within-a-store that display Samsung smartphones, tablets and wearable tech are closing, while about 250 are being expanded.” Read more

 

Smartphone Codes on Food Labels Face Skepticism by Heather Haddon at WSJ. “If nutrition labels require a smartphone app to unlock, will consumers read them? That is the conundrum dividing healthy food advocates and some food manufacturers, who intend to use so-called QR codes in part to comply with new federal label requirements…”  Read more (subscription)

 

Target’s Tech For Tots Aisle: Sure To Be A Guilty Parenting Hotspot by Steven Melendez at Fast Company. “Today, Target is introducing a Connected Nursery section at about 450 of its stores across the country. The aisle will feature products from startups and established tech companies…” Read more

 

Etsy Reports 39% Revenue Growth in Q2 2016 Press release

 

DSW gambles with kids department expansion by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “The 482-store chain has been quietly rolling out kids departments in its stores over the past couple of months and is expected to make a splashy announcement on Wednesday.” Read more

 

CommerceHub reaches deal with BJ’s Wholesale Club by Marie J. French at Albany Business Review. Read more

 

Millennials drive grocers like Publix and Winn-Dixie to feature food produced around Tampa Bay by Alli Knothe at Tampa Bay Times. “For two years, Winn-Dixie sold Mike’s Pies under the grocer’s label. The pies sold well. But this year the supermarket changed its mind: Mike’s Pies would be sold as Mike’s Pies…Sales are up 57 percent for the company, which employes 64 people locally and makes up to 30,000 pies a week.” Read more

 

Wegmans will open its 90th store at 7 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 7. in Short Pump, Virginia via The Democrat & Chronicle. Read more

 

Rite Aid CEO named Director at CarMax Press release

 

Is Office Depot Falling Apart? It Will Now Close Hundreds More Stores by Brian Sozzi at The Street. “Over the next three years, Office Depot said it will shutter 300 stores. Since 2014, Office Depot has closed about 400 stores.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Gap Is Accused of Sexist Email Campaign in U.K.

Sports Authority ‘in breach’ of naming-rights contract at Broncos stadium

Cumberland Farms expansion plan includes tearing down 137 year old building

Hannaford supermarket sells $487 million Powerball ticket

Amazon goes nuts with latest expansion of its private-label foods

Three Kroger stores mistakenly charged extra 1 percent sales tax

Study: a stores losses more than double when self-service technology is used

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Tipsheet: Protest @ Publix | CVS +2.1% | Wgreen Exec Jumps | 7-Eleven = Lifeline

/in

 

CVS Q2 Comp Sales +2.1% “Pharmacy same store sales rose 3.9% and pharmacy same store prescription volumes rose 3.5% on a 30-day equivalent basis…Front store same store sales decreased 2.5%, including the effect of the shift of Easter…” Press release

 

…CVS’s Profit Beats Estimates on Pharma Business at Fox Business. “CVS earned $1.32 per share. The company’s net revenue rose 17.6 percent to $43.73 billion, rising by double-digit percentages for the fourth straight quarter. Analysts on average expected profit of $1.30 per share on revenue of $44.28 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.” Read more

 

Publix Q2 Comp Sales +1.1% “Our results were impacted by weakening tourism in some market areas and the timing of Easter,” said Publix CEO & President Todd Jones.” Press release

 

A conversation with Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris by Wes Johnson at Springfield News-Leader. “Q: Do you have a favorite firearm, with a story behind it? It’s up there in the NRA museum (at the Bass Pro Shops store in Springfield). I put it up there. My dad on my 21st birthday gave me his old Browning Sweet 16. My dad, he loved quail hunting. He was a crack shot.” Read the Q&A

 

Will Sports Authority’s demise change retail consignment deals? at Bloomberg via Denver Post. “Sports Authority took the consignment model further than most. “A substantial portion” of sales were based on consigned goods from 170 vendors, the company said in court documents…” Read more

 

Former Cub Foods CEO Jack Hooley dies by Mary Divine at Pioneer Press. “For all of his success, he was extremely humble, almost to a fault,” said his son John Hooley. “He was a great business mentor to many, many people in the grocery business.” Read more

 

PetSmart Does Its Biggest Movie Tie-In Ever for ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ by Samantha Nelson at Path to Purchase. “This collaboration is very significant for us,” (Eran) Cohen said. “It was the first time PetSmart has worked with a film — the studio and filmmakers — so far in advance of the film’s release…” Read more

 

Harvard Business Review: Retail Execs Underplay Current Performance to Investors–but Why? by Dina Gerdeman. “We thought if the company was continuing to do well, we’d see managers finding ways to convey that—wink, wink,” says (Kenneth) Froot…“That’s when we found this surprising result in direct opposition to what recent reported and unreported numbers said. It’s startling to find that managers are not even neutral; they’re somewhat negative.” Read more

 

**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. See the website & five new flavors | Named a Top 5 new product | Retailers request a sample pack at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Walmart CEO Greg Foran Highlights Collaboration at GMA Forum at Progressive Grocer. “Keynoting the first afternoon’s general session was Greg Foran, president and CEO of Walmart U.S…“Now is not the time for Walmart to pull punches,” Foran said, noting that the company would close any underperforming store or format, such as its retreat from more than 100 Express stores…“We need you to innovate,” Foran told CPG companies. “As we invest in change, so should you.” Read more

 

Medical marijuana advocates plan protest at Publix HQ over Barnett family donation by Gary White at The Ledger. “A Facebook event created last week and called “Protest Publix” had attracted responses of “interested” from 319 people as of Monday morning. The demonstration is scheduled for Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Publix headquarters.” Read more

 

Procter & Gamble reports revenue that beats analysts’ expectations at CNBC. “While revenue fell 2.8 percent to $16.1 billion from $16.55 billion, it topped Wall Street’s average estimates of $15.83 billion.” Read more

 

Fitbit Poaches Walgreens Exec “Adam Pellegrini brings more than 20 years of experience across multiple sectors of the healthcare industry including providers, insurers, health technology and non profits. He joins Fitbit from Walgreens Boots Alliance, where he was the Vice President of Digital Health” Press release

 

Amazon snags huge office in new San Francisco tower by Roland Li at San Francisco Business Times. “Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch, a top video game streaming site, has signed a lease for 185,000 square feet at a new tower at 350 Bush St. in San Francisco, according to three sources.” Read more

 

Kroger analytics subsidiary acquires Chicago tech firm by Erin Caproni at Cincinnati Business Courier. Read more

 

Office Depot appoints Staples veteran to board by Emon Reiser at South Florida Business Journal. “Office Depot Inc. on Monday appointed Kristin Campbell to its board of directors…” Read more

 

How 7-Elevens Are Becoming Lifelines for Japan’s Elderly by Mimi Kirk at The Atlantic. “The role of convenience stores in caring for the elderly is about to become more official. Japan’s Urban Renaissance Agency, founded by the government after WWII to provide housing to the rapidly-urbanizing population, signed an agreement with 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart in early July that enables the stores to open in the agency’s apartment complexes.” Read more

 

Winn-Dixie Owner makes record Donation to Hope for Warriors “…it will donate $2,022,843.45 in support of veterans and service members.” Press release

 

Walmart/Costco/Target Urged To Dump Tuna by Casey Williams at Huffington Post. “We’re absolutely looking for leadership from Walmart,” David Pinsky, a Greenpeace campaigner, told The Huffington Post…Tesco, announced last week that it would purge its shelves of some tuna sourced from Thai Union.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

GMA Honors Publix’s Ed Crenshaw with Lifetime Achievement Award

The Dollar Tree Makeup Challenge

Target Gets Exclusive on Oregon Trail’s Big Comeback

7-11 gives away 1 million bags of chips

Bicycling Amazon manager delivers Kindles to Himalayan school

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Tipsheet: Target IT Chief Close-Up | Biden Stops Traffic @ Saks | N.Marcus Pres. May Step Down

/in

 

Biden visits Saks – stops traffic on Fifth Avenue by Oli Coleman at NY Post. “Fifth Avenue ground to a halt as the block between 49th and 50th was cleared of traffic and eight blacked-out cars screeched up. A crowd of Secret Service agents swarmed outside Saks, whereupon the veep and his wife emerged from a car, waved to confused tourists and went inside.” Read more

 

Target’s IT chief set a new direction, starting with smaller budget by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. ““I mean we had over 800 projects. Even a company as big as Target doesn’t have 800 priorities.” The list has now been pared back to 80…Target currently has about 800 more open tech positions. “I could easily fill another thousand positions,” McNamara said.” Read more

 

Lowe’s New 360-Degree Videos on Facebook Aim to Teach Fans Home Improvement Skills by Christopher Heine at Adweek. “The initiative, called Made in a Minute, launches today on the brand’s Facebook page and will run through August. The company is buying Facebook ads to push the effort…” Read more

 

American University learns from Wegmans by James Goodman at Democrate & Chronicle. “American University’s initiative — including (Mary Ellen) Burris’ contribution to it — was reported online this week by The Chronicle of Higher Education, in an article titled, “What a University Can Learn from Wegmans” Read more

 

Neiman Marcus boss rumored to step down amid slumping sales by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Multiple industry insiders are whispering to On the Money that the company’s recent struggles are spurring rumors that Karen Katz, Neiman’s president and chief exec and a 31-year veteran of the company, is stepping down soon. “The subject keeps coming up,” one insider told our Lisa Fickenscher.” Read more

 

Amazon Japan Enticing Shoppers From an Unexpected Place: China by Grace Huang at Bloomberg. “China’s infatuation with Japanese products is now discovering a new source of satisfaction: the internet. And Amazon.co.jp is responding. On June 30, the web retailer quietly rolled out a Chinese-language version of its shopping site in Japan, along with new, reduced shipping rates to mainland homes and businesses.” Read more

 

Canada: Shoppers Drug Mart enters grocery wars, armed with fresh fruit and fish by Sophia Harris at CBC News. “Shoppers says it is “pleased with the results to date,” according to spokeswoman Tammy Smitham in an email. The company plans to remodel more stores and open 10 new Toronto locations this year that will include fresh food.” Read more

 

**A message from 2016 Sweets & Snacks Expo – The Most Innovative New Products winners have been announced! Winners were awarded in nine categories: chocolate, non-chocolate, sweet, salty, savory, novelty, seasonal, gourmet/premium and gum/mints. See the 9 winners & 36 nominees The 2017 Sweets & Snacks Expo is nearly 90% sold out and will take place May 23-25 at Chicago’s McCormick Place – Notify me when registration opens

 

Under-sized lobsters seized from Price Chopper as grocer faces fines by Michael DeMasi at Albany Business Review. “More than 1,100 pounds of under-sized lobsters were seized from Price Chopper stores and its distribution plant in Rotterdam, New York, as the supermarket chain faces fines from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.” Read more

 

Amazon adding 18 warehouses in third quarter of this year by Jason Del Rey at Recode. Read more

 

bon appetit: What’s the Deal with the Food at T.J. Maxx? by Maggie Lange. “…there’s a scheme behind the mess that makes for a successful, sneaky merchandise model…The buyers who acquire merchandise for T. J. Maxx call this a “treasure hunt merchandising philosophy,” says Victoria Taylor of Victoria’s Gourmet bacon spice…The buyers want the store to run out of items.” Read more / See the pics

 

Huge crowd of Seattle wizards converge on Amazon’s Treasure Truck for midnight release of new Harry Potter book by Kevin Lisota at GeekWire. “This is the first midnight excursion for Amazon’s Treasure Truck…The line of folks in line wrapped all the way around the parking lot, and the steady stream of cars driving in showed no signs of letting up when I left at 12:30AM.” See the pics / Read more

 

Analyst suggests U.S. athletic footwear has peaked – cites meeting with former Dick’s chief merchant by Sheena Butler-Young at Footwear News. “Binetti added that his recent meetings with a former chief merchant from Dick’s Sporting Goods and bankrupt sporting goods seller Sports Authority suggest that nonathletic retailers that have recently added athletic merchandise may be planning to reduce footage dedicated to the category in 2017.” Read more

 

How would Costco treat chickens? Latest technology is in plans for birds at Fremont-area plant by Barbara Soderlin at Omaha World-Herald. “The Humane Society of the United States, which worked with Perdue, said it has been in touch with Costco about the Nebraska plant, though it declined to share details about any conversations. “Our hope is that Costco and other companies will require standards around the same animal welfare issues that Perdue is now so proactively addressing,” said Matthew Prescott.” Read more

 

Dick’s giving Olympic hopefuls a boost by Stephanie Ritenbaugh at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Of the athletes working at Dick’s locations, 18 Paralympians and seven Olympians so far have qualified for this year’s Summer Games in Rio….“They give you a duffle bag with USOC gear, and there was a pamphlet in there about the program. I’m from Pennsylvania, so I know what Dick’s is,” said Mr. Hill, of Darby, Pa.” Read more

 

Target coming to East Village development by E.B. Solomont at The Real Deal. Read more

 

Study: Raising the minimum wage did little for workers’ earnings in Seattle at Washington Post via Chicago Tribune. “…they calculated that workers’ earnings increased by $5.54 a week on average because of the minimum wage. Using other methods, the researchers found that the minimum wage hike actually caused total weekly earnings to drop — by as much as $5.22 a week.” Read more

 

SPAM-SPAM-SPAM – Spam is the most sought-after item on the “wheel of safety” at Home Depot RDC by Jason A. Smith at Valdosta Daily Times. “Though, contrary to what would be expected, Spam is the most sought-after item on the wheel, Falcon said. Associates will sometimes chant Spam when the wheel is spinning. It is a sort of jackpot, if you will.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Walmart worker gives away his shoes to homeless man

Chip Ganassi: The real reason Target is leaving IndyCar

Saatchi Chairman Disciplined After Saying Women Lack ‘Vertical Ambition’

Target employees given lifesaving award

Starbucks hires top Under Armour executive as creative director

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