Target Pulls Clown Masks | Macy’s Opens Earlier on Tgiving | Ex-Schnucks Pres Sues Chain/CEO | Ex-Saks CEO on CNBC

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Macy’s to stick with Thanksgiving hours, open even earlier by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “BestBlackFriday.com, which tracks retailers’ holiday deals and hours, received confirmation from five U.S. shopping centers that their Macy’s locations would open at 5 p.m. Thursday. That compares with 6 p.m. in both 2014 and 2015.” Read more

 

Target Removes Clown Masks From Stores After Recent Scares at WCCO 4. “Given the current environment, we have made the decision to remove a variety of clown masks from our assortment, both in stores and online,” Target spokesperson Joshua Thomas said.” Read more

 

Former Schnucks president sues chain and CEO by Lisa Brown at St.Louis Post Dispatch. “After he was offered the CEO position at Earth City-based Save-A-Lot in October 2015, (Anthony) Hucker alleges that he approached Todd Schnuck, asking him to waive his non-compete agreement…Instead of waiving the non-compete, Hucker was terminated without cause in November 2015, according to Hucker’s attorney Jerome Dobson, and caused him to lose the opportunity to be CEO of Save-A-Lot.” Read more

 

Instacart reverses course, re-introducing tips for shoppers by Matthew Linley at TechCrunch. “The backlash went so far as to inspire a boycott among some shoppers, though again Mehta said that this was not the primary cause for returning tipping. “We have tens of thousands of shoppers,” Mehta said. “I think that a lot of times it’s the most vocal ones you hear from…” Read more

 

J.Crew hires help to inject life into the troubled brand by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “J. Crew’s legendary Chairman and Chief Executive Mickey Drexler is asking for help to turn around his ailing chain, The Post has learned. Drexler, who is credited with the Gap’s success in the ’90s, has been working with consultant McKinsey & Co. on developing a new business plan for the preppy J. Crew retail chain, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation said.” Read more

 

Meet the Woman Who Could Turn Jet.com Into the Digital Era’s Ultimate Challenger Brand by Christine Birkner at Adweek. “She started with Jet in March 2015 after a nearly two-year tenure as CMO at E-Trade, where she oversaw the brand’s first post-talking-baby ads with the campaign “Type E,” featuring Kevin Spacey. “Until that job, I never thought of myself as a marketer,” Landsman explains. “I always thought of myself as a customer-focused businessperson.” Read more

 

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Macy’s flagship in New York debuts Apple shop via Denver Post. “This is one of the most sought-after products,” Terry Lundgren, the outgoing CEO of Macy’s, told The Associated Press. “We really cater to women better than most retail stores do. I do think that we are going to end up creating a business that is more female-friendly.” Read more

 

Banana Republic is transitioning to outlet stores amid sales slump by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Banana Republic is quietly converting some of its full-price stores to factory stores — right in the middle of urban shopping districts, The Post has learned.” Read more

 

Bass Pro’s Johnny Morris opens private museum with public artifacts by Tony Messenger at St.Louis Post Dispatch. “Owens shared her story — and a bevy of emails and other documents — with both me and a state lawmaker in hopes of preventing this sort of thing in the future. “Hopefully the outcome is that we can get some kind of protection for the collection so it doesn’t happen again,” Owens said. “When this sort of thing gets to donors, it looks bad. People won’t give to your collection if they don’t believe the artifacts are properly protected.” Read more

 

Former Saks CEO Steve Sadove on CNBC: “Things are going to start looking up for certain department stores, former Saks CEO Steve Sadove told CNBC on Friday…The consumer wants buy now, wear now. The consumer is fickle. The consumer is thinking differently.” See the video / Read more

 

Is McDonald’s ready to sell its Big Mac special sauce in grocery stores? by Anne Stych at Chicago Business Journal. “McDonald’s applied for a U.S. trademark for “Mac Sauce” last month, the Chicago Tribune reported, perhaps signaling its intention to sell the creamy condiment in grocery stores.” Read more

 

Mall of America continues its quest to be biggest by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “The Mall of America’s Canadian owner, Triple Five Group, is working on both the Florida project and one in New Jersey — each branded under the grandiose name “American Dream” — that could surpass Minnesota’s marquee mall in size. Meanwhile, King of Prussia Mall outside Philadelphia now has 450 stores that span 2.9 million square feet of retail space, nearly as much as the Mall of America.” Read more

 

Whiskey Workers Strike at 2 Beam Distilleries in Kentucky via ABC News. “Given our inventories and contingency plans, we currently do not anticipate shortages of Jim Beam or any other products made at these facilities,” David Hunter, chief supply chain officer for Beam Suntory, said in a statement Friday night.” Read more

 

Discount Tire gives $1 million to campaign against marijuana legalization by Mike Sunnucks at Phoenix Business Journal. Read more

 

Hasbro reports 14.2 percent rise in quarterly revenue at Reuters. “…helped by strong demand for toys in the girls category such as Disney Princess, Frozen and Trolls dolls.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

16-year-old saves man’s life at north OKC Target

The Employers Hiring The Most In 25 Major Metro Areas

Is Salmon Jerky the Next Million-Dollar Snack Food?

Self-Checkout Skimmers Go Bluetooth

Best Buy’s stock slips after government data shows drop in electronics sales

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Tipsheet: Janitors Unionize w/Target Push | WikiLeaks on Walmart | Zika +5 | Ex-Publix CEO Speaks

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TARGET PRESSURE – Retail janitors in the Twin Cities unionize, after pressure from retailers on contractors by Adam Belz at Star Tribune. “…the first major metropolitan area in the U.S. where retail janitors are unionized…“When Target took that leadership step, the rest of the industry followed,” Mendez Moore said.” Read more

 

WIKILEAKS ON WALMART by Simon Dumenco at Ad Age. “Former Walmart exec Leslie Dach chimed in, suggesting that the letter from Nader et al might not merit a response — and that perhaps it wasn’t wise for Hillary Clinton to remind people of her past Walmart ties. ‘I think this particular letter can be ignored unless it comes back in a meaningful way. His ongoing attacks on HRC delegitimize his voice, and it’s already pretty marginalized. If you eventually need to answer u could simply say that your position on raising the minimum wage is clear to all businesses. You don’t want to be tied or held responsible for any specific business, walmart for sure included.'” Read more

 

Retailers will have a tough time getting shoppers to pay full price by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “In a survey of 1,500 shoppers, 42 percent said they rarely or never expect to pay full price for an item. Additionally, nearly three-quarters said they’d shop with a retailer they haven’t visited in the last year if they receive an enticing promotion.” Read more

 

Former Publix CEO speaks at Leadership Lakeland luncheon by John Ceballos at The Ledger. “(Ed) Crenshaw’s belief that anyone who comes to work at Publix and lasts for one year will remain with the company for three years. And anyone who sticks with the company for three years will stay with Publix for five years. “If they stay at Publix five years, then we’ve got them,” he said. “They’re going to be at Publix a long, long time.” Read more

 

Costco’s Jim Sinegal Sells $2,997,388.28 of Stock at BBNS. Read more

 

Top 10 luxury brand mobile marketers of Q3 by Jen King at Luxury Daily. Top 10 list

 

PetSmart Canada cashes in on the ‘premiumization of pets’ by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “Bruce Winder: ‘PetSmart has grown because it has remained relatively uncontested in its retail niche; rival PetValu promotes local convenience, with 500 small stores in different retail formats, while big players such as Walmart carry a narrow selection of pet products for more value-conscious customers’…’PetSmart is focusing on the middle- to upper-income pet customer, someone who is less price-sensitive and that insulates it a bit from economic swings.'” Read more

 

Orchard Supply Hardware’s first East Coast store set to open Oct. 25th Press release

 

**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 inquiries | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

PEAK CRAFT BEER? – Layoffs hit Stone Brewing by Peter Rowe at San Diego Union-Tribune. “In a sign of the growing pressures on craft beer, Escondido’s Stone announced Thursday it has cut “approximately 5 percent” — about 60 — of its 1,200 employees.” Read more

 

CST sets Nov. 16th date to vote on merger with Circle K parent company by Katie Burke at San Antonio Business Journal. Read more

 

ZIKA – Miami neighborhood declared a new Zika zone with five cases reported by Daniel Chang & David Smiley at Miami Herald. “We were all blindsided by this bit of information,” (Chairman Hardemon) said, “and that’s why it was always important for us to protect ourselves from the Zika virus the best we can without considering it’s just within one area.” Read more

 

Ex-Wells CEO still getting paid by Target, Chevron to the tune of $648,258 by Matt Krantz at USA Today. Read more

 

‘Nuclear’ Verdicts Have Insurers Running From Trucks by Brian Baskin at Wall Street Journal. “The 2014 accident involving a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. truck that injured several people, including comedian Tracy Morgan , and killed another is widely seen as a watershed…Unwilling to bear the risk of large settlements and verdicts, Zurich Insurance Group AG and American International Group Inc.dropped coverage of most for-hire fleets earlier this year.” Read more (subscription)

 

A peek inside Apple’s new Regent Street flagship store in London by Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch. See the pics / Read more

 

Teen shoppers say denim is cool again, as fashion athletic loses steam by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “In Piper Jaffray’s latest survey, denim rose to 19.5 percent of overall mindshare among this group — members of households with an average annual income of $109,000. That compares with 14.1 percent in the spring, and 13.8 percent one year ago. It’s also the highest in six years.” Read more

 

Here’s why Amazon is building brick and mortar grocery stores by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “An article originally written by Brittain Ladd in 2013 and available online and on LinkedIn lays out the case for Amazon’s grocery arm, AmazonFresh, to invest in brick and mortar…Though many details of Amazon’s Seattle grocery stores remain unknown, the concepts look eerily similar to those laid out by Ladd years ago. Ladd, who was with management consulting firm Deloitte when he published the article, went to work for Amazon after he was recruited last year.” Read more

 

Walmart: ‘All Lives Matter’ bumper sticker is offensive by Todd Starnes at Fox News. “A spokesperson from Walmart responded Thursday: “The item you’re asking about was incorrectly removed due to a system error earlier this week and was quickly re-published to our site, which you can see here.” Later that evening Agron was stunned to receive the following message from Walmart: “’All Lives Matter’ has been deemed an offensive term. These types of items are not appropriate for the Walmart Marketplace.” Read more

 

Sam’s Club Greeter and WWII veteran reunited with letter to 1st love after 70 years by Steve Eighinger at The Quincy Herald-Whig. “McCabe, a 90-year-old World War II Navy veteran, was given a letter Wednesday that he had written to the girl who was waiting for him to return home from the South Pacific more than 70 years ago. The letter, which had somehow either never reached her or never was opened, was dated April 1946.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Best Buy executive re-elected to Minnesota Chamber board

Returnly raises $3.2M to immediately refund your money after an online return

Expedia founder Rich Barton says this Amazon product could transform travel

University of Florida offers counseling for students troubled by ‘offensive’ Halloween costumes

For Sale on Amazon: People of Walmart Adult Coloring Book

Is Customization The Future Of The Beauty Industry?

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Tipsheet: Sam’s Club Furner Speaks @ Breakfast | REI’s Tearjerker | Bloomingdale’s Exec Q&A | Jim Beam Strike?

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Sam’s Club John Furner keynote speaker at Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber breakfast by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Furner said last week at the retailer’s investor conference he was talking with an analyst, and answering a question when the analyst spotted Jet.com founder Marc Lore and quickly followed after him. When asked how Lore might work with Sam’s Club, Furner said running Jet and Walmart’s global ecommerce business was enough to keep Lore busy for a while.” Read more

 

Costco & Nordstrom team with University of Washington to debut new Urban Freight Lab by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “The lab will initially aim to figure out better ways for e-commerce companies to solve the “last mile” Read more

 

Amazon fired dozens of Boston-area drivers — some think illegally by Dan Adams at Boston Globe. “A local civil rights group on Wednesday accused Amazon.com of illegally using criminal background checks as the sole basis for firing dozens of Boston-area delivery drivers, most of them black and Latino.” Read more

 

Vera Bradley says payment system hacked, delaying website upgrade at Reuters. “Vera Bradley, which had 112 stores and 44 factory outlets at the end of July, said the delay in the upgrade of its website “could impact its ability to generate positive comparable sales growth” in the fourth quarter ending January.” Read more

 

In REI’s Tearjerker, People Carry Out a Fellow Hiker’s Lifelong Dream in Tribute to His Life by Christine Birkner at Adweek. “…His lifelong dream was to hike the Appalachian Trail, but two heart attacks and his untimely death at age 53 left that dream unfulfilled. When his wife emailed producers of The Dirtbag Diaries podcast last year to help rally the outdoor community, they answered the call. And REI tells the story in a new film called Paul’s Boots.” See the videos / Read more

 

You might want to stock up on bourbon before it’s too late by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Jim Beam lovers may want to stock up on their favorite spirit. Union workers at two of the company’s Kentucky distilleries have voted to authorize a labor strike. If a deal on a new contract can’t be worked out by Friday, the workers may strike the following day.” Read more

 

Canada’s Best Brands 2017 (Home Hardware #2, Canadian Tire #6, Loblaws #7…) at Canadian Business. Top 25 list

 

Internet Retailer: 77% of respondents said they’d be less likely to recommend a retailer if it takes too long to issue a credit by Stefany Zaroban.”Online retailers spend a lot of time and money to turn customers into repeat buyers. But often, it’s how well the merchant handles returns of online orders that can be the deciding factor in keeping a loyal customer. That’s the principal finding in a new survey of 4,722 online buyers in the U.S. and Canada conducted earlier this month…” Read more

 

**A message from Fabe – Pillows hand-crafted in Italy 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 | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net. Italy-America Product Connection

 

U.K.: Sports Direct CFO steps down by Nina Trentmann at Wall Street Journal. “The move comes days after the company issued its second profit warning in a month and follows recent management changes that saw CEO Dave Forsey step down in September…” Read more (subscription)

 

Dairy farmers have tossed 43 million gallons of excess milk this year by Richard Morgan at NY Post. “It’s the most discarded milk in at least 16 years, according to a report on Wednesday.” Read more

 

How Measure 97 might affect Costco & other Oregon businesses by Jeff Manning at The Oregonian. “John McKay, chief operating officer of Costco’s northern division, declined to divulge what the company pays in Oregon taxes or what it would pay under Measure 97. But if Costco’s 10 Oregon stores meet the company average of $164 million in annual sales, the Costco stores collectively would face a new tax in excess of $40 million a year. “Our operating profit is right at about 2.5 percent,” McKay said. “Our Oregon operations would be operating at a loss. We would have to accept that or pass along the increase to our customers, neither of which we want to do.” Read more

 

Amazon’s online grocery delivery service hits Dallas by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. Read more

 

CFO of Kum & Go speaks at Iowa State about his unusual path to becoming CFO by Jean Linde at Iowa State Daily. “Bergstrom started the Food Project, in 2010, to focus on boosting food sales by making healthy food products made fresh. Now ranked at the 22nd largest convenient store in the U.S., Kum & Go growth is constant in retail food products with more than 20 percent sales in food.” Read more

 

Hal Lawton, SVP of North America at eBay, named Independent Director at Buffalo Wild Wings Press release

 

Snapchat Geofilters Help Bloomingdale’s Connect with Next Generation of Shoppers at eMarketer. “eMarketer’s Tricia Carr spoke with Jonathan S. Paul, operating vice president of social media and paid media at Bloomingdale’s, about what the high-end retailer achieved through its Snapchat “Swipestakes” and the unprecedented benefits that sponsored geofilters can offer retailers.” Q&A

 

Amazon adding 120,000 workers to meet holiday demand via Fox Business. Read more

 

Ex-Price Chopper Exec Named CIO at Weis Markets Press release

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

This guy went from a cart collector at Target to running a six-figure company by doing this

Home Depot and Walmart Used the Same Actors and Scripts for Their Anti-Union Videos

Trash can supplier to Walmart U.S. works to vertically integrate business model

Miley Cyrus says she lost her Walmart clothing line because of weed

Obama: 7-Eleven wouldn’t hire Trump

Original ‘E.T.’ Artwork Auctioned for Nearly $400,000

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Tipsheet: B.Pro CEO ‘Slimming Down’ | Ex-H.Depot CEO named Delta Chairman | Amazon C-Stores | Blue Apron’s ‘real fight club’

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Here’s Why Walmart Is Upping Its Salaries for Entry-Level Managers via Forbes. “Wal-Mart raised salaries from $45,000 to $48,500 annually for employees including store management, spokesman Randy Hargrove said on Tuesday.” Read more

 

Amazon plans to introduce C-stores by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “According to The Wall Street Journal, the e-commerce giant plans to open convenience stores that sell milk, produce and other consumables, as well as drive-up destinations where shoppers can have their orders brought to the car. People familiar with the strategy told the newspaper that shoppers could use their smartphones or screens scattered around the shops to place their orders.” Read more

 

…Wall Street Journal: Amazon is drawing inspiration from discounters like Aldi and Lidl, as well as dollar stores, which are expanding in the U.S. with spartan stores, private-label inventory and few employees, according to the people familiar with the matter. Amazon’s convenience stores may take a year or more to open while the company scouts locations, and may be shelved because of financial or operational concerns, the people said.” Read more (subs.)

 

Bass Pro CEO says he won’t make ‘false promises’ that all jobs are safe at Cabela’s Sidney headquarters by Paige Yowell at Omaha World-Herald. “Johnny Morris made the remarks in closed meetings with Cabela’s employees. The World-Herald obtained an audio recording of the remarks. Morris also addressed a report in Saturday’s World-Herald that quoted finance and legal experts as saying that a Bass Pro pledge to keep “important bases of operations” in Nebraska isn’t legally binding…Morris took issue with the characterization. “We feel our word does have meaning,” he said, “and we don’t take that lightly….Still, he said, “there’s going to be change. There’s going to be some slimming down.” Read more

 

Blue Apron’s busy New Jersey facility a real fight club by James Covert at New York Post. “In one of the scuffles, a male worker in the warehouse’s refrigerated packing room shoved a co-worker’s head into a meal-kit box half-filled with ice, frozen meat and veggies, says Lowell Hensley Jr., who was working one assembly line over. “One had the other in a headlock — he was basically choking him in the box,” Hensley told The Post in a recent interview. “It went on for maybe about six seconds. Then everyone realized they weren’t playing, and some of the other employees broke it up.” Read more

 

Ex-Home Depot CEO Frank Blake takes on Chairman role at Delta Air Lines by David Allison at Atlanta Business Chronicle. Read more

 

FlexJobs: The 250 Companies Offering The Most Flexible-Time Jobs (Macy’s #53, Kroger #146, Whole Foods #218) Top 250 list

 

Amazon won’t accept Fulfillment by Amazon inventory from new clients until after Dec. 19th by Allison Enright at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

Bed Bath & Beyond Paid Just $12 Million for One Kings Lane by Dan Primack at Fortune. “One press report suggested a price tag south of $30 million, but it seems even that estimate was way too high.” Read more

 

**Don’t Miss Retail’s BIG Show in NYC January 15-17 2017! The National Retail Federation’s flagship event offers unparalleled education and one-of-a-kind collegial networking. You’ll connect with more than 33,000 of the industry’s most innovative power players, explore a 250,000 sq. ft. EXPO, hear from 300+ speakers and choose from 100+ sessions. 3,326 retail companies represented | 2016 retail attendees | 2016 Recap | Retail’s BIG Show is all things retail and the EXPO is always free to retailers. Register here

 

A second Amazon drive-up store in Seattle? Filings link tech giant to mystery project at Starbucks HQ by Todd Bishop & Nat Levy at GeekWire. “Amazon is remodeling the former Sears store at the Starbucks headquarters in Seattle with 40,000-square-feet of distribution space, a public retail lobby, and an outdoor canopy strikingly similar to the one going up at Amazon’s future drive-up grocery store in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.” Read more

 

Ralph Lauren promotes David Lauren to chief innovation officer at Matt Linder at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

Macy’s plans to open LensCrafters outposts in nearly 40 percent of its stores by the end of next year by Lauren Zumbach at Chicago Tribune. Read more

 

Cash register snafu wrecks Rent-A-Center stock by Richard Morgan at NY Post. “Rent-A-Center stock fell nearly 30 percent Tuesday after the rent-to-own retailer said same-store sales in the recently completed third quarter would tumble 12 percent because a new point-of-sale system seemingly blew up in its face.” Read more

 

Walmart donates $2 million towards Hurricane Matthew Relief and Recovery Efforts Press release

 

Food Lion completes $215M store renovation program in the Charlotte region by Ken Elkins at Charlotte Business Journal.” 32 pics / Read more

 

Dick’s Announces Addition of Carrie Underwood to its Houston Grand Opening Celebrations Press release

 

The startup side of Sears: Retail giant’s WallyHome sensor company grows rapidly after acquisition by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “One of the people who sometimes jumps into the Slack channel for the Seattle-based WallyHome sensor company is a colleague named Eddie — offering support and guidance from his office in the Miami area. That would be Edward S. Lampert, CEO of Sears Holdings Corp., which acquired WallyHome a year ago.” Read more

 

Jo-Ann Promotes Sharyn Hejcl to Chief Merchandising Officer “Prior to joining Jo-Ann, Hejcl held roles of increasing responsibility with Big Lots, Sears Holdings, Kirkland Home and Bed, Bath & Beyond.” Press release

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Drive-thru grocery concept to open first Houston-area store

Tax sugary drinks to fight obesity and diabetes, World Health Organization says

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This loyal J.C. Penney employee retires after 67 years

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Boeing may open Asia conversion site to quickly add 767s to Amazon’s cargo fleet

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Tipsheet: Wmart Brings Rum to AR | Mom Gives Birth @ Register 11 | Half of Malls Closed in 2 Yrs? | Slow Returns

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Amazon’s Prime Air 767s may be en route to Charlotte airport by Ken Elkins at Charlotte Business Journal. “Amazon is finalizing plans for a 397,800-square-foot distribution center at 10240 Old Dowd Road for a “receiving center.” That’s within 5 miles of Charlotte Douglas.” Read more

 

Analysts not convinced that a Kroger-Whole Foods deal will happen by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Business Courier. “Kroger’s same-store sales growth declined during the second quarter…“That makes it harder to service debt in a deflationary environment,” Meyer said. “I think it would be unlikely Kroger would be interested.” Meyer put the likelihood at less than 50 percent.” Read more

 

Walmart and supplier bring rum production line to Arkansas by Aric Mitchell at The City Wire. “Cindi Marsiglio, vice president of U.S. Manufacturing for Wal-Mart: “I have been in factories around Arkansas since we’ve begun this initiative, and I’ve seen areas for growth and opportunity – job by job, factory by factory. Here today (with the Malibu Rum relocation) we have 6,000 shift hours, which translates into more shift hours (for existing employees) and seasonal into full-time employment.” Read more

 

“IT’S TIME TO STOP THE MADNESS” – Electronics retailer Hhgregg to close for Thanksgiving at AP via CNBC. Read more

 

Amazon Wants to Get College Students Addicted to Prime by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “The common thread with all of the schools so far is that their graduates typically earn more than the median for college graduates, providing Amazon with a pipeline of future customers with high earning potential. Amazon says it doesn’t consider grads’ income when selecting schools.” Read more

 

Internet Retailer: Study of 30 leading e-retailers finds that those merchants, on average, process returns in eight days by Kat Fay at Internet Retailer. “Apart from Sears Hometown, the longest refund time goes to Home Depot, which took 51 days to process a credit, followed by Williams-Sonoma at 44 days.” See 30 retailers ranked

 

Schnucks completes controversial warehouse layoffs by Lisa Brown at St.Louis Post Dispatch. “Last night was the last night for our 190 brothers & sisters in the Schnucks warehouse,” Local 688 posted Monday on Twitter. “They’ve been terminated for greed. #BoycottSchnucks.” Read more

 

Report: Nearly half of all shopping malls in the US could close in the next few years by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “On the flip side, 29 percent of US malls were considered top-notch, according to Steve Jellinek, the author of the report.” Read more

 

**A message from PaintPincher – Never Waste Paint Again! The PaintPincher is an ingenious 8-in-1 paint can spatula that recovers paint, stain, adhesives and more from gallon and quart cans, leaving them 99.9% clean. The PaintPincher is great for Pro and DIY painters and can save up to a cup of paint per gallon! See the video | Sell sheet | paintpincher.com | Retailers request a sample at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Amazon ‘Catalyst’ program reveals the first university projects it’s backing by Nat Levy at GeekWire. See the 12 winners so far

 

The U.K. is now the least expensive market in the world for a bevy of luxury goods, according to analysts by Saabira Chaudhuri & Simon Zekaria at Wall Street Journal. “Spending by foreigners on items for which buyers seek tax refunds—ordinarily big-ticket items—surged more than 36% in August in the U.K.” Read more (subscription)

 

NRF announces the 2016 recipients of “Dream Big” scholarships “Nordstrom, Whole Foods Market, West Elm, dressbarn, The Container Store and The Kroger Co., surprised their Dream BIG scholarship recipients in their workplaces to give them the big news.” Press release | Watch the video for each surprise

 

Ross Stores Opens 34 New Locations Press release

 

Walmart Invites America to a Free Health Check-Up on Saturday Press release

 

Cabela’s execs will face shareholders at long-delayed annual meeting, which could be the company’s last by Paige Yowell at Omaha World Herald. “The fact that they announced the date of the annual meeting in an SEC filing rather than in a press release is telling,” said Rob Berick…“I don’t think this is one where they are going to be disappointed with a low turnout.” Read more

 

“REGISTER 11 WILL NEVER BE THE SAME” – Mother gives birth in checkout line at Walmart by Aubrey McKay at Fox 13 Salt Lake. “The funny thing is that the customer was down on her knees and she insisted on paying for her merchandise and we’re like you know that’s just not important. You know, we were going to take care of her on it,” Haight said.” Read more

 

Target’s Latest Home Collab: Modern by Dwell Magazine at A Bullseye View. See the pics / Read more

 

“Big soda” sponsored 96 health groups — a big conflict of interest, study says at Washington Post via Denver Post. “The study remarked that it was particularly surprising that the ADA and JDRF were on the list, “given the established link between diabetes and soda consumption.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Former Target exec launching a treadmill-focused fitness studio

Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Gets Strikingly Personal in This Video for Guitar Strings

Co-founder of Polaris dies at 93

$25 ‘Golden Girls’ action figures sell out quickly, land on eBay with huge markup

Chick-fil-A is the most polite restaurant chain 

Mom and daughter’s invention – a self-acupressure device – to be sold at Wal-Mart

Forman Mills founder explains why he sold out after 31 years

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Tipsheet: JCP Tests Greeters | Amazon Kills $299 Groc Deliv Fee | Nordstrom’s ‘Reserve & Try In Store’

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Holiday Sales Forecasts About as Real as Santa by Shelly Banjo at Bloomberg. “Fewer than half of U.S. retail chains saw sales increase in the second quarter from a year earlier, the lowest percentage since the end of the recession in 2009. The downbeat results are at odds with some overwhelmingly rosy predictions for the upcoming holiday season…” Read more

 

JCPenney has started stationing greeters at the entrances of stores by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Penney’s greeters are already full-time employees who are being redeployed to front-of-the-store duty for just two hours of their shift, according to one employee who is serving in such a capacity. The use of greeters is said to be a test and is being deployed just in the Northeast region, the employees said.” Read more

 

Amazon finally just proved it’s very serious about grocery delivery by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “How? The steep $299 up-front fee is gone…instituted a single, more reasonable pricing model for the Amazon Fresh service: A monthly fee of $14.99, only available to existing Prime members.” Read more

 

Macy’s closing more stores than rivals by Andy Brownfield at Cincinnati Business Courier. “According to a new report by RBC Capital Markets, Macy’s will have closed 186 locations once it completes the closure of 100 stores early next year. That’s second only to Sears.” Read more

 

Private equity firm fires two longtime Rue21 execs by Josh Iosman at NY Post. “They called [Senior VP] Kim Reynolds after dinner and said, ‘Don’t come in tomorrow.’ ” Reynolds had run the chain’s 1,194 stores in 48 states, with most every decision coming through her. “She was the person in the trenches,” the source said, adding that after she was given the boot over the phone, “Kim’s door was padlocked. I don’t think they were allowed back to their offices.” Read more

 

Group XP’s Experience Index: Top 30 Global Brands (Pampers #1, Amazon #16, Under Armour #29) by Kristina Monllos at Adweek. See top 30 list

 

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New Nordstrom feature ‘Reserve & Try In Store’ lets customers select items online, try them on in person by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. “In the store, the customer visits a new department called Order Pickup, developed for the purpose of online orders and reservations. Here they will find their name on the door of a pre-set fitting room, and inside are the items selected on Reserve & Try. Users can select up to 10 things and they’re held until the store closes the next day.” Read more

 

Amazon’s secretive drive-up grocery store takes shape in Seattle neighborhood by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “Workers were busy Saturday morning at Amazon’s future drive-up grocery store in Seattle…Wood paneling is being installed on multiple sides of the renovated building, and workers are constructing the frame of what appears to be a large awning to cover the future spaces where customers will park to pick up orders they’ve made online.” See the construction pics

 

Macy’s plans to launch an e-commerce site in China in 2017 by Frank Tong at Internet Retailer. “Selling online via Alibaba’s Tmall Global, Macys’ says it has attracted 300,000 fans.” Read more

 

How people are using the Amazon Echo: New study reveals surprising patterns by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “…the numbers show that Amazon still has some work to do if it wants the Echo to fuel its broader e-commerce business. More than 45 percent of respondents used the Echo to add an item to a shopping list, but just 10 percent used that feature repeatedly.” Read more

 

How to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Fashion Empire With a Scarf by Kim Bhasin at Bloomberg. “The 27-year-old designer, who started her business four years ago, finds herself behind the controls of a budding, very profitable scarf empire… Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman are selling her scarves. Her biggest markets are in the U.K. and Japan, but through those retailers, Beecham now has her sights on the U.S.” Read more

 

Europe to Push New Security Rules Amid IoT Mess at Krebs on Security. Read more

 

Amazon’s hiring hunger transforming Seattle economy by Angel Gonzalez at Seattle Times. “Washington’s Employment Security Department says that between May and August, Amazon.com posted 11,042 job openings online in King County, double the number from the same period last year. The runner-up was the University of Washington, with 2,757. Microsoft had 1,611.” Read more

 

Denim is gaining on yoga pants, and athleisure needs to ‘watch out’ by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “…search data from Google Trends shows that interest in denim is picking up. Meanwhile, fewer shoppers are on the hunt for yoga pants…”We believe that the athleisure trend is plateauing, and we expect more conservative growth going forward,” he said.” See the chart / Read more

 

Buffalo Wild Wings served a fried chicken head to an NFL player by Sarah Whitten at CNBC. See the pic / Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Samsung needs to face reality: The Galaxy Note 7 is done for.

Target charges about 15% more than Walmart for groceries

The World’s Highest-Paid TV Show Hosts: Dr. Phil Leads With $88 Million

Nike adds 6th building to expansion, commits to ambitious renewable plan

Science, safety and sales: The hockey helmet marketing problem

Apple Watch banned from UK cabinet meetings over Russian hacking fears

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Tipsheet: Nordstrom Pulls Drug-Themed Clothing | Kroger Buy W.Foods? | Wmart Balks at $600M Fine | Target Oust Wells CEO?

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Wal-Mart Balks at Paying $600-Million-Plus in Bribery Case by Tom Schoenberg & Matt Robinson at Bloomberg. “With the impasse, prosecutors have gone back to elicit more evidence from witnesses about alleged bribe-paying in Mexico, the people said. That will put additional pressure on the company to settle. Some of the people familiar with the matter said the U.S. could propose a penalty well above $600 million.” Read more

 

Could Kroger buy out Whole Foods? by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati Enquirer. “Industry speculation that Kroger is mulling a takeover of Whole Foods Market powered the stock in both companies Thursday…” Read more

 

Nordstrom reverses course, yanks controversial drug-themed clothing by Moschino by Mary Lynn Smith at Star Tribune. “A Nordstrom official confirmed via a one-sentence e-mail on Thursday that the retailer will no longer offer the drug-themed collection. The move reverses the retailer’s decision earlier this week to keep the items in its stores. Saks, which appears to still offer the Capsule clothing line, has not responded to a request for comment.” Read more

 

Amazon Looms Quietly in Digital Ad Landscape by Mike Shields at Wall Street Journal. “They’ve been operating for a few years functionally in stealth mode. You have to ask the right people, or pull the right chains to get an understanding of what they’re doing,” said Evan Hanlon, director of strategy & platforms at the ad buying giant GroupM.” Read more (subscription)

 

Retailers Are Now Blaming the Election for Poor Sales by Matthew Townsend at Bloomberg. “They are reaching,” Perkins said. “I don’t think it’s affecting moms as they go out and do their weekly shopping. If it’s something you do on a regular basis, you’re going to stop doing it because you’re worried about which candidate is going to win? It doesn’t seem to be affecting Amazon’s sales.” Read more

 

Gap September Comp Sales -3.0% “Gap Global: negative 10 percent…Banana Republic Global: negative 9 percent…Old Navy Global: positive 4 percent.” Press release

 

Grocery e-retailers may soon be able to process food stamps online by James Melton at Internet Retailer. “Because of the inclusion of additional EBT processors, the deadline for retailers to submit letters of intent, which originally was Sept. 30, has been extended to Oct. 7. The deadline for application forms has been extended to Nov. 7 from Oct. 31. The USDA still expects to select participating retailers by Dec. 31.” Read more

 

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Investor community presses Wal-Mart execs for specifics on operating strategy, comp sales by Kim Souza at The City Wire. Read more

 

Bed Bath & Beyond Tests a Paid Membership Model by Imani Moise at Wall Street Journal. “… the home goods retailer is testing a membership model that for $29 a year offers a 20% discount on all purchases and free shipping.” Read more (subscription)

 

Fred’s September Comp Sales -4.9% Press release

 

Target urged to oust Wells CEO from retailer’s board as scandal intensifies by George Avalos at The Mercury News. “In quarter-page advertisement in the Star Tribune, Aaron Epstein urged Minneapolis-based Target to seek John Stumpf’s immediate resignation “to preserve the positive legacy bequeathed to us by our company’s (Target’s) founders.” Read more

 

Publix makes $1 million storm relief donation as Hurricane Matthew approaches Florida by Ashley Gribal Kritzer at Tampa Bay Business Journal. Read more

 

Fans wait overnight to purchase MAC’s Selena makeup line by Corilyn Shropshire at Chicago Tribune. “MAC Cosmetics’ new makeup line honoring Latin pop icon Selena Quintanilla-Perez drew a long line of about 100 people at one Chicago store Thursday…Alonso said she was hungry, thirsty and hadn’t been to the bathroom. She said she camped out for 12 hours — since 8:30 p.m. Wednesday — to ensure she could spend $377 to buy big chunk of the collection.” Read more

 

Home Depot Names Priceline CEO Jeff Boyd to Its Board of Directors Press release

 

Amazon gives $10 million to expand University of Washington’s computer science program by Ashley Stewart at Puget Sound Business Journal. “…to help the school as much as double the number of computer science students it trains each year.” Read more

 

Lawsuit Accuses Williams-Sonoma Of Selling Cheap Sheets At Steep Prices by Vanessa McGrady at Forbes. Read more

 

Save-A-Lot revamps as rivals vie for market share by Lisa Brown at St. Louis Post Dispatch. “As it faces a possible sale or spinoff, the Save-A-Lot grocery store chain is boosting the number of national brands on its shelves, remodeling to highlight fresh foods and adding stores…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Hy-Vee buys site for Minneapolis-area store

Bob Evans resists venture into packaged food business

First fans in at Paisley Park see studios, handwritten notes — and Prince’s ashes

Hamleys Toy Store Targets China as One-Child Limit Comes to End

Testing out Amazon’s ‘Internet of Things’ button requires infinite patience

Crate and Barrel Is Using This Squarespace-like Tool to Make Buzzy Social Videos

Shyp Goes Nationwide By Letting You Comparison-Shop Shipping Services

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Tipsheet: Wmart Pumps Brakes | Costco +1.0% | Amazon Drivers Sue | Menard, Jr #46 Richest

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Costco September Comp Sales +1.0% “Costco reported net sales of $11.06 billion for the month of September, the five weeks ended October 2, 2016, an increase of three percent from $10.75 billion during the similar period last year.” Press release

 

PUMP THE BRAKES – Wal-Mart plans to slow store openings, to invest in digital by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Wal-Mart will open 130 U.S. stores, down from its original projection for 135 to 155. And next year, it will open just 55 U.S. stores. That breaks down into 35 supercenters and 20 of its smaller Neighborhood Markets.” Read more

 

TODAY – Walmart webcasts its 2016 Investment Community Meeting  Watch webcast

 

Amazon delivery drivers sue company over job status by Angel Gonzalez at Seattle Times. “The complaint, filed in federal court in Seattle, was brought forth by the same attorney who led two class-action lawsuits against Uber by discontented drivers. These lawsuits yielded a proposed $100 million settlement that’s still fighting its way through the court system.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart’s next move against Amazon: More warehouses, faster shipping by Nandita Bose at Reuters. “(Walmart) is now on track to double the number of giant warehouses dedicated to online sales to 10 by the end of 2016, according to Justen Traweek, vice-president of e-commerce supply chain and fulfillment. That pace is faster than the 8 large warehouses that industry consultants expected Wal-Mart to build by the end of 2017.” Read more

 

$13.75 MILLION IN DAMAGES – Costco has to pay even more now for selling fake Tiffany rings by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “A New York jury walloped the discounter by ordering it to pay Tiffany & Co. a super-sized award of $13.75 million in damages — $5.5 million last week and an additional $8.25 million in punitive damages on Wednesday.” Read more

 

Forbes 400 – 2016 (Bezos #2, Menard Jr. #46, Hank & Doug Meijer #70, Trump #156) Top 400 list

 

Woman settles with Target over horrific shopping-cart toss by Emily Saul at NY Post “Philanthropist Marion Hedges, who has spent the last four years putting her life back together after the 2011 incident left her brain-damaged, is working out a settlement with Target, the corporation’s attorney Sal DeLuca told The Post on Wednesday.” Read more

 

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DEJA VU – Inside the Demise of Lands’ End CEO by Jennifer Reingold at Fortune. “I couldn’t help feeling a sense of déjà vu at the news. It’s the sequel to a movie we’ve seen before, in which a glamorous outsider takes the reins at a struggling retailer and, with full board support, promises to move it from middle-of-the-road to upscale. Customers and employees rebel, short-term results plummet and the board panics, abandoning the new strategy before it has a chance to fail—or to succeed.” Read more

 

Bezos Tops Vanity Fair New Establishment List Read more

 

MONDAY – Wal-Mart to beta test internal incubator for six entrepreneurial startups in own backyard by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “It’s a venture with Grit Studio, the incubator and startup effort spearheaded by former Wal-Mart executive Rick Webb…He said the Walton family is providing Grit Studio the office and meeting space on S.E. 5th St., in downtown Bentonville, just a few blocks from the retailer’s home office and close to its technology center.” Read more

 

7-Eleven Seeks North American Expansion, in Bow to Daniel Loeb by Megumi Fujikawa at Wall Street Journal. “Mr. Loeb, whose Third Point fund owns hundreds of millions of dollars in Seven & i Holdings common shares, had advocated for the company to focus on its convenience stores and turn away from department stores…Seven & i plans to increase its store count in North America to 10,000 by fiscal 2019; at the end of June, it had nearly 8,900 stores in the U.S. and Canada.” Read more (subscription)

 

Ex-Amazon Exec Named Advance Auto Parts CFO Press release

 

THE TRUST FALL – How Walmart plans to transform the way we buy groceries by Sarah Halzack at Washington Post. “Walmart holds produce tastings for team members so they know what they’re selecting for customers. There’s a reason that the instruction focuses so heavily on getting fresh foods right: Gilmore says that, for shoppers, letting Walmart pick out their fruit, vegetables and meat is “the trust fall,” the moment when they count on a stranger to understand what they want.” Read more

 

Niche Maternity Retailers Surge As Millennial Moms Redefine The Category by Rina Raphael at Fast Company. “What used to be limited to a few players is now a battleground for multiple competitors reaching out to moms-to-be. Sales at former strongholds, traditional brick-and-mortar maternity stores, are down and expected to further decline. Destination Maternity, which accounts for 20% of the market, will close 25 to 30 stores in 2016.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart increases stake in China’s JD.com at Fox Business. “In a regulatory filing late Wednesday, Wal-Mart said that it has upped its stake in JD.com to 10.8 percent from 5.9 percent.” Read more

 

Philip Morris’s Cigarette Alternative Could Hit U.S. in 2017 by Jennifer Kaplan at Bloomberg. “IQOS, which heats tobacco without setting it on fire, could be released as soon as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives approval for it to be sold, Chief Executive Officer Andre Calantzopoulos said in an interview Wednesday at the company’s offices in Lausanne, Switzerland.” Read more

 

Venezuela Is Pawning Pieces of Iconic American Brand Citgo to Survive by Joe Carroll at Bloomberg. “This is the first time I’ve ever encountered a situation like this,” said Hongtao Jiang, emerging markets strategist at Deutsche Bank AG. “It’s not clear to anyone whether this is 100 percent safe.” Read more

 

Dialect maps show how Americans speak differently across the country (soda vs. pop) at Daily Mail. See the maps

 

Target plans to test vertical farm ‘in-store growing environments’ in 2017 by Dana Varinsky at Business Insider. “Down the road, it’s something where potentially part of our food supply that we have on our shelves is stuff that we’ve grown ourselves,” Casey Carl, Target’s chief strategy and innovation officer, tells Business Insider.” Read more

 

Before its Cabela’s deal is done, Bass Pro Shops must face antitrust scrutiny by Barbara Soderlin at Omaha World-Herald. “Will the Cabela’s deal trigger that kind of scrutiny? It wouldn’t be surprising, said Amanda Wait, a partner at the firm and a former attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, the agency likely to review this case.” Read more

 

Amazon expanding outside Seattle with giant new Bellevue office lease by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “It is unclear why Amazon is establishing a presence east of Lake Washington…it could be an attempt to pick off talent from Expedia, where many employees are looking at longer commute times once the company moves from Bellevue to the Seatte waterfront in 2019.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Amazon is driving 80% of e-commerce growth for publicly traded web retailers

Evine Live scouting NYC, Beverly Hills locales in bid to attract A-listers

Nearly 70% of young adults in U.S. live with their parents

Warby Parker eyes second retail store in Boston

Theranos shutting down wellness centers

Kohl’s launches Kohl’s Pay nationwide

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