Tipsheet: Wmart #1 on Chemicals (Costco & Amazon Last) | Target -0.2% | Lowe’s +2.7% | Wgreen Trashes Theranos

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Target Q3 Comp Sales -0.2% “Comparable sales growth in Signature Categories outpaced total comparable sales by more than 3 percentage points; digital channel sales increased by 26 percent.” Press release

 

…CNBC: Target shares soar as sales, earnings top Wall Street forecasts; raises guidance “The retailer now expects its holiday quarter same-store sales to come in between -1 percent and 1 percent, compared with -2 percent to flat, previously.” Read more

 

Lowe’s Q3 Comp Sales +2.7% Press release

 

…Fox Business: Lowe’s Misses, Warns After Late-Summer Softness “CEO Robert Niblock says activity was slow in August and September but improved last month.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart Is First, Amazon Is Worst in New Ranking on Chemicals (Costco 2nd to Last) by Lauren Coleman-Lochner at Bloomberg. “That’s the conclusion of a scorecard that ranks major retailers’ policies on harmful chemicals. Wal-Mart holds the top spot, followed by Target Corp. Amazon occupies last place in the study, which is scheduled to be released Wednesday.” See rankings

 

Walgreens Trashes Theranos in Their Fiery $140 Million Lawsuit Battle by Sy Mukherjee at Fortune. “Walgreens’ complaint against the company from last week was sealed, so details were sparse. But the public version of the complaint (which is somewhat redacted) has now been released.” Read more | Complaint

 

…Wall Street Journal: Walgreens Claims Theranos Voided 11.3% of Test Reports by Christopher Weaver. Read more (subscription)

 

**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. Made in Italy connection

 

Former Neiman Marcus exec takes same position with Sally Beauty by Korri Kezar at Dallas Business Journal. “Donald Grimes, who left Neiman effective Monday, will take on the roles of senior vice president, CFO and COO effective Dec. 12.” Read more

 

Ex-Dick’s CFO Named GAP CFO Press release

 

Home Depot Reaps a Hurricane Windfall by Kyle Stock at Bloomberg.”Hurricane Matthew and its subsequent flooding poured an additional $100 million into sales coffers in the quarter ended Oct. 30.” Read more

 

Advance Auto Parts speeds ahead on mobile performance by April Berthene at Internet Retailer. Top 10 speedy sites

 

Loblaw’s quarterly profit +25.5% / revenue +1.4% via Globe & Mail. Read more

 

Poop vans are the secret to Amazon’s speedy success at NY Post via BBC. “The journalist, “Chris,” added that “a few drivers admitted to peeing in a bottle in their van because they didn’t have time to find a toilet. Another admitted having defecated in the back of the van on one occasion,” he wrote.” Read more

 

Heartland dominates list of the 25 best cities for working women by Catherine Clifford at CNBC. “The top three best cities for working women are all in the heartland: Rochester, MN, Columbia, MO, and Topeka, KS. Neither Los Angeles, CA, nor New York City makes the top 25.” Top 25 list

 

This is the best day to buy toys and other gifts if you’re shopping online by Jonnelle Marte at Washington Post. Read more

 

California Ports See Delayed Import Surge as Hanjin Unwinds by Paul Page at Wall Street Journal. “Container import volume at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handle the largest share of U.S. inbound trade in goods, expanded 7.1% and exports jumped 11.4% (in October), according to the figures released by the port authorities.” Read more (subscription)

 

Ivanka Trump’s company apologizes for promoting jewelry worn in interview by Jacob Pramuk at CNBC. “Ivanka Trump’s company apologized Tuesday for promoting a bracelet she wore during a “60 Minutes” interview with her father, President-elect Donald Trump. Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry sent an email to journalists highlighting the president’s daughter’s “favorite bracelet,” which was listed at $10,800.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Walmart Is Selling This Award-Winning Wine for $7

Labatt retirees not happy as brewery turns off tap on free beer

Port KC approves incentives for $110M CVS facility

Walmart, J&J honored at CHPA Foundation’s inaugural gala

An Inside Look at Gildan, the Company that Just Acquired American Apparel

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Tipsheet: Wmart to Workers: Don’t Download App | H.Dep +5.5% | Dick’s +5.2% | TJX +5.0%

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Home Depot Q3 Comp Sales +5.5% / +5.9% in US “The Company reaffirmed its fiscal 2016 sales guidance and expects sales will be up approximately 6.3 percent and comp sales will be up approximately 4.9 percent.” Press release

 

…Fox Business: Home Depot Sales and Revenue Rise as Customers Spend More Per Transaction “The company’s sales per square foot rose 4.3% as the amount the average customer spent rose 3%.” Read more

 

Dick’s Q3 Comp Sales +5.2% “…compared to the Company’s guidance of an approximate 2 to 3% increase. Same store sales for Dick’s Sporting Goods increased 5.5%, while Golf Galaxy decreased 3.3%. Third quarter 2015 consolidated same store sales increased 0.4%.” Press release

 

TJX Q3 Comp Sales +5.0% “Net sales for the third quarter of Fiscal 2017 increased a strong 7% to $8.3 billion, and over a 5% increase last year.” Press release

 

Retail sales surge in October, beating expectations; prior month revised higher at CNBC. “The Commerce Department said on Tuesday retail sales increased 0.8% last month (vs. 0.6% expected)…September retail sales were revised upward to show a 1.0 percent increase instead of the previously reported 0.6 percent rise. The combined September and October sales gain was the largest two-month rise since early 2014.“ Read more

 

Amazon files its first-ever lawsuits against alleged sellers of counterfeit goods by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “Amazon’s suits target sales of knockoff fitness products and heavy lifting equipment sold illegally under the TRX and Forearm Forklift brands, which are both legitimate sellers on the Amazon platform.” Read more

 

A Bed Sheets Scandal Hits the Cotton Industry at Bloomberg. “Target has decided not to rely on CEA certifications going forward, according to a person familiar with the retailer’s decisions who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. Wal-Mart, by contrast, has said it will continue to rely on the CEA standard…” Read more

 

Wal-Mart’s e-commerce push echoes through ‘Vendorville’ by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Some suppliers have put e-commerce support staff in San Bruno, Calif., near Walmart.com. They did so because they could not find the right talent locally to add to their Northwest Arkansas Walmart sales teams, Smith said.” Read more

 

Inside Kohl’s efforts to fill your online orders faster this holiday season by Sarah Halzack at Washington Post. “Kohl’s said it is finding there is another advantage to in-store pickup. For every $100 someone spends at Kohl’s on store pickup, people buy, on average, $25 worth of additional stuff when they set foot in the store.” Read more

 

Neiman Marcus loses top operations and finance exec by Korri Kezar at Dallas Business Journal. “(Donald) Grimes is leaving after just a year with the Dallas company. He was appointed to the position in June 2015 after serving as senior vice president, treasurer and CFO at footwear and apparel company Wolverine World Wide.” Read more

 

**A message from the 2017 Philadelphia Gift Show – See emerging artists, regional specialties, and gift, home décor, and color trends! Get a sneak peak in our Product Spotlight, and see our list of unique exhibitors. Sweetening the pot, this all-category gift show runs concurrently with the Philadelphia National Candy, Gift & Gourmet Show. See it all January 6-9, 2017, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, in Oaks, PA. Register now | Website

 

Labor Group Gets IBM’s Watson to Help Walmart Workers by Susan Berfield at Bloomberg. “Now, Marler has a second job: She’s one of about two dozen current and former employees who helped construct an app called WorkIt that answers questions about Walmart’s policies and workplace rights using Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence bot…OUR Walmart, the employee and labor activist group that’s been pushing for better wages and working conditions, is behind the effort and will roll out the free app on Nov. 14.” Read more

 

…Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “Wal-Mart has instructed store managers to tell their employees that the app wasn’t made by the company and described it as a scheme to gather workers’ personal information, according to a document viewed by The Wall Street Journal.” Read more (subscription)

 

The Holiday Shopping Season Won’t Bear Gifts for Private Equity by Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. “There is no exit,” said Jan Kniffen, founder of the consulting firm J. Rogers Kniffen Worldwide Enterprises in New York. “Retailing is fairly gruesome right now in terms of getting return on your investment. It doesn’t matter if you’re public or private — everyone is struggling.” Read more

 

Amazon to ‘radically’ simplify employee reviews, changing controversial program by Taylor Soper & Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “The buzz among employees is that Amazon will drop or significantly alter its existing employee ratings program as part of the changes in the broader review process. Amazon currently uses employee ratings as the basis for a forced curve or “stack-rank” system — also known as “rank-and-yank”” Read more

 

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Is Cashing Out of Walmart by Jen Wieczner at Fortune. “Buffett’s stake in Walmart is now worth less than $1 billion, down from nearly $3 billion in the middle of this year, according to new securities filings.” Read more

 

Study: 58% of shoppers say deal days like Black Friday don’t matter by April Berthene at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

Brands at a standstill for social media’s #MannequinChallenge at Luxury Daily. “Neiman Marcus and Marc Jacobs are among the luxury brands to strike their best mannequin pose for the now-viral challenge…” Read more

 

Pier 1 Imports Updates Third Quarter Fiscal 2017 Financial Guidance “…we now expect our fiscal third quarter results to be at the high-end of our previously guided ranges for comparable and net sales, merchandise margin, earnings per share and adjusted earnings per share.” Press release

 

Cramer uncovers what is really ailing CVS Health at CNBC. “Maybe they can turn things around, but for now, CVS remains in the penalty box until we see them take concrete steps to lessen their dependence on what was once the golden goose, now just a turkey headed for a carving,” Cramer said.” Read more

 

Stater Bros. leader Jack Brown dies at 78 by Michel Nolan at The Sun. “Brown joined Stater Bros. in 1981. He served as president and chief executive officer of Stater Bros. Markets for more than 35 years and as chairman for Stater Bros. for more than 30 years.” Read more

 

Amazon leases new 21-story Seattle office tower by Marc Stiles at Puget Sound Business Jounal. Read more

 

Study Suggests West Nile Virus Is Deadlier Than Expected by Betsy McCay at Wall Street Journal. “…researchers in Texas discovered a much higher death rate in an analysis of West Nile cases in their state. Of 4,144 patients who were ill from 2002 to 2012, 13% died, they found in their analysis of data, which went through the end of 2013.” Read more (subscription)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Woman sues clothing giant Zara after ‘finding dead rodent sewn into the hem of her dress’

Barneys New York Started With an Engagement Ring

Australia: Another supermarket fruit supplier caught allegedly underpaying migrants

Middleton family says Costco isn’t accommodating daughter’s special needs

Mob of young men pelt a defiant Family Dollar clerk with shopping baskets

How Walgreens plans to use Pinterest to drive holiday sales

Gucci is sponsoring an exhibition in one of Britain’s most famous stately homes

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Tipsheet: Macy’s Bets on Santa | Busy Earnings Week | Wmart Logistics Exec to Retire | Amazon Home Services +20 Metros

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Amazon’s Home Services adds 20 more metro regions as it preps new “Assistant” role by Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch. “…bringing the number of markets covered to 50. News cities getting added today include Indianapolis, IN; Las Vegas, NV; San Antonio, TX; Ann Arbor, MI; Cleveland, OH; Milwaukee, WI; Boulder, CO; Raleigh, NC and Trenton, NJ.” Read more

 

American Apparel Seeks Bankruptcy Protection a Second Time by Steven Church at Bloomberg. “American Apparel Inc. filed for bankruptcy less than a year after ending its first stint under court protection, and agreed to sell the brand to Gildan Activewear Inc., a Canadian maker of T-shirts and underwear, for about $66 million.” Read more

 

Macy’s Bets on Power of Santa Belief This Holiday by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “(Macy’s) is debuting a two-minute digital video featuring kids talking about how and why they believe in the man in the red suit. One child calls the North Pole, while others guess about the number of elves in Santa’s workshop and the possibility of Mrs. Claus being pregnant. The video then switches to the prospect of not believing in the realness of Santa. A compilation of certain selected responses from the social media campaign will air in a 30-second TV spot late this month.” See spot / Read more

 

BUSY EARNINGS WEEK – Retailers reporting this week include:

Tuesday: Home Depot, Dick’s, TJX

Wednesday: Target, Lowe’s, Loblaw

Thursday: Walmart, Best Buy, Gap

Friday: Hibbet Sports, Foot Locker

 

Beauty begins retail strategy overhaul, moves toward standalone stores by Jen King at Luxury Daily. “The rise in standalone boutiques indicates there’s untapped marketplace potential for brands to further their assortment breadth and footprint in the beauty and cosmetics segment,” said Laura Sossong, manager at Boston Retail Partners.” Read more

 

Bass Pro on the rise despite fierce competition from Amazon by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “Bass Pro boasts gross profit margins of 50 percent, according to a confidential presentation to lenders that was part of last month’s $5.5 billion purchase of rival Cabela’s.” Read more

 

**A message from Hot Shot – There’s no place like home. And when you rule the roost, you do it all… keep the peace, dry the tears, mop up the messes – even squash the spiders. When bugs cross your threshold, count on Hot Shot® brand for practical, easy-to-use, effective home insect solutions that take care of the creepy-crawlies for you – without breaking the bank. Save the Day. Facebook page

 

Top logistics exec at Walmart U.S. to retire in January by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Chris Sultemeier, executive vice president of logistics for Walmart U.S., will retire Jan. 31 – the end of the company’s fiscal year. The announcement was made by Wal-Mart Stores CEO Doug McMillon at the retailer’s annual Veteran’s Day event.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart welcomes veterans to its Bentonville headquarters in honor of Veterans Day by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “CEO Doug McMillon on Friday asked Hoyt Williams, a 93-year-old World War II veteran who works as a greeter in Trion, Ga., if he had any advice for the audience. “Just hang in there,” Williams answered. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November, Wal-Mart Stores rolled out the red carpet for several World War II veterans who work or whose families work within the retailer’s vast ranks.” Read more

 

Kenneth Cole to shutter 63 outlet stores in US by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more

 

Walmart cracks down on shoplifting by taking justice into its own hands at KENS 5 San Antonio. “Restorative Justice is offered in a third of Walmart stores. “On the average we’re seeing a drop in calls to police 35 percent nationwide,” said Hatfield of the areas where Walmart is offering the Restorative Justice course. Records KENS 5 obtained from local police departments show that, since the program was rolled out in spring and summer, the impact has been dramatic.” 3:28 video / Read more

 

Amazon Music Unlimited expands to the UK, Germany and Austria today by Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Bloomingdale’s sets the stage for relaxation, entertainment in green room takeover at Luxury Daily. “Bloomingdale’s is heading to Broadway with an interior design renovation in honor of new musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” Prior to the show’s premiere on Broadway on Nov. 14 at the Music Box Theatre, Bloomingdale’s has transformed the Al Green room into the Blue Room, taking cues from the play’s signature color.” Read more

 

Ad Age: Best Places to Work 2016 Top 50 list

 

One of Amazon’s main UK warehouses has been damaged in a fire believed to have been started deliberately via BBC. Read more

 

Love’s Travel Stops opens 400th store Press release

 

General Mills has surprise growth star: Totino’s frozen pizzas and rolls by Kristen Leigh Painter at Star Tribune. “There have been times in the building where I have had to pitch ideas where I thought, ‘I am totally going to get fired today,’ ” said Brad Hiranaga, director of marketing at Totino’s.” Read more

 

Radio Flyer’s chief wagon officer talks nostalgia, Tesla by Lauren Zumbach at Chicago Tribune. “The thing that always really attracted me to the business was what our brand means to people. Any time you say the name Radio Flyer to someone, the first thing they do is smile and the second thing they do is tell a story, and they’re always these warm stories about childhood.” Read the Q&A

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Did Drake Really Buy Out Petco For Taylor Swift’s Cat?

‘Godfather’ house up for sale for $175 million

You Won’t Believe What Else Chinese Shoppers Snapped Up on Singles’ Day

NFL alum Shawne Merriman: What I learned from suing Nike

How American Spirit sold the world on ‘natural’ cigarettes

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Tipsheet: JCP -0.8% | Visa Ups Wmart Fight | H.Dep HQ for Heroes | Amazon Employee on ‘Jeopardy’

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J.C. Penney posts surprise drop in same-store sales at Reuters. “J.C. Penney reported a surprise 0.8 percent fall in quarterly comparable-store sales on Friday…Analysts on average had expected Penney’s same-store sales to increase 2.7 percent.” Read more

 

Jeff Bezos doesn’t want to send Trump to space anymore by James Covert at NY Post. “Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump,” Bezos tweeted. “I for one give him my most open mind and wish him great success in his service to the country.” Read more

 

Alibaba’s Singles’ Day Obliterates Cyber Monday’s Sales Total In Less Than Two Hours at Fortune. “$1 billion in sales in its first five minutes on Friday morning China time. Within two hours it had reaped $7.2 billion in sales—already half of the 24-hour sale’s total $14.3 billion haul last year. At noon in China—midway through the bonanza—the toll stood at $11.9 billion.” Read more

 

Visa expands $10 free grocery offer for shoppers hit by Walmart’s Visa ban by Sophia Harris at CBC News. “It’s offering its customers in Thunder Bay a $10 rebate if they use their card to spend $50 or more at a grocery store…Last week Visa started offering its customers in Manitoba the same rebate deal on groceries purchased anywhere but Walmart.” Read more

 

Amazon recruiter, a former U.S. Army captain, eager to open door to veterans by Angel Gonzalez at Seattle Times. “But in her first real foray into the private sector she found herself selling clothes at Gymboree, which as a young mother returning from Kuwait she joined “because they had a great discount in kids clothes.” “I really felt like I was lost,” Williams, 55, said in an interview.” Read more

 

Two years ago, Nordstrom bought Trunk Club for $350 million. Now it’s worth $150 million. by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “While this business continues to deliver outsized top-line growth, current expectations for future growth and profitability are lower than initial estimates,” the company said in its third-quarter earnings release.” Read more

 

Amazon employee lands on ‘Jeopardy,’ gets shout-out from Jeff Bezos and wows her co-workers by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. Read more

 

**A message from GlobalShop – as a retail expert, you impact the customer experience and GlobalShop is the driving force behind that experience. From mannequins and lighting to flooring and signage, GlobalShop has it all. Register now to join us in Las Vegas March 28-30, 2017. Check out this year’s exhibitors. Website & welcome video

 

Walmart U.S. now offering mobile check-in feature for online grocery pickup service by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Sam’s Club has offered mobile check-in, but this is Walmart’s first attempt at the service for its growing grocery pickup business that will be available in 500 markets by the end of the year.” Read more

 

Dillard’s Q3 Comp Sales -4.0% Press release

 

Home Depot’s corporate HQ will transform into a volunteer center today for Veterans Day by Jewel Wicker at AJC. “The parking lot of Home Depot’s corporate headquarters will transform into a volunteer center on Veterans Day. 
More than 250 Home Depot associates will work with Habitat for Humanity and 20 nonprofit organizations to begin building homes, assembling furniture and more for local veterans.” Read more

 

…Fox Business: Home Depot Gallops to Help Vets with PTSD by Matthew V. Libassi. “We got the phone call and we came out and repaired several stables we built a roof between the stables and built a ramp for the handicap veterans” adds Perrelli.” See the video / Read more

 

Canadian Tire reports strong sales in all retail banners, look to expand house-branded goods by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “Solid sales and an improved product assortment helped the retailer raise its consolidated retail sales by 3.4 per cent to $3.52 billion from $3.41 billion a year ago in the quarter ended Oct. 1 as the company saw a 3.5 increase in same-store sales at its eponymous banner.” Read more

 

Walmart’s insurers demand Tracy Morgan justify how he was well enough to safely drive a Lamborghini after turnpike accident and be entitled to ‘staggering’ settlement of $90 million by Freya Berry at Daily Mail. Read more

 

Party City October Comp Sales -6.4% Press release

 

Deloitte: 42% of shoppers surveyed consider 3-4 day shipping “fast” – a significant drop from the 63% who said so last year Press release

 

Nordstrom Q3 Comp Sales +2.4% Press release

 

Eddie Bauer Turns to TV for First Time This Century by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “…will air a 30-second brand-focused commercial beginning Nov. 10 and running through Dec. 18. This is the first time Eddie Bauer has been on the small screen since 1999.” See the spot / Read more

 

Macy’s strikes deal with Brookfield to redevelop 50 stores by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Cosmetics was one of the weaker businesses in the third quarter,” CFO Karen Hoguet told analysts during an earnings call. “And we are focused on how to improve that in the fourth quarter, though the fragrance business has been very strong.” Read more

 

Camping World Q3 Comp Sales +5.8% Press release

 

Michael Kors’ streak has ended by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Shares of Michael Kors dipped more than 4 percent in after-hours trading Thursday, after the handbag maker reported its first quarterly revenue decline since going public five years ago.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Nintendo’s $59.99 NES Classic is in short supply … but you can buy one online for $1,000

Nasty Gal is expected to file for bankruptcy

Bob Hope’s UFO-shaped Mansion Potentially Sets Price Record in Palm Springs

Rare tropical bed bug reappears in Florida after 60 years

Why Shoe Carnival no longer worries about chargebacks

Macy’s CEO Says Dumping Donald Trump’s Line Was Still the Right Move

Pier 1 denies exemption to poison pill policy

Can KC support four Bass Pro and Cabela’s stores?

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Tipsheet: Macy’s -2.7% | Kohl’s -1.7% | Trump vs. Bezos | Costco Feature Tonight

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Macy’s shares drop as sales, earnings fall short of expectations at CNBC. “Macy’s said that it earned 17 cents a share, adjusted, in the fiscal third quarter, on revenue of $5.626 billion. Wall Street had expected Macy’s to report earnings of 41 cents per share, compared with 56 cents a share in the prior-year period.” Read more

 

…Macy’s Q3 Comp Sales -2.7% Press release

 

Wal-Mart’s Thanksgiving sale will begin three hours earlier…sort of by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “The world’s largest retailer said Thursday that its website will kick off its online Black Friday sale three hours earlier than last year, at 12:01 a.m. Thanksgiving Day. That’s hours before its in-store doorbuster deals begin at 6 p.m. that evening.” Read more

 

Target Reveals Black Friday Deals, Stores to Open at 6 p.m. “For guests eager to get a start on Black Friday savings, Target is offering a selection of deals, (yesterday) and (today) only…” Press release

 

TRUMP VS. BEZOS

 

…Trump impact: How will Amazon fare? by Angel Gonzales at Seattle Times. “Investors seemed to sniff some danger: Amazon shares fell $15.87, or 2 percent, to $771.88 Wednesday, even as the wider stock market shrugged off initial fears about a Trump presidency.” Read more

 

…Donald Trump said Amazon and Jeff Bezos have a ‘huge antitrust problem.’ Now they may. by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “He thinks I’ll go after him for antitrust,” Trump said at the time. “Because he’s got a huge antitrust problem because he’s controlling so much, Amazon is controlling so much of what they are doing.” Read more

 

Mexico’s Alsea names former Wal-Mart executive as new CEO by Reuters. “Renzo Casillo will take over from Nov. 14, the firm said in a notice to the stock exchange. Alsea manages international fast-food franchises and coffee shops such as Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza and Burger King.” Read more

 

**A message from the 2017 Philadelphia Gift Show – See emerging artists, regional specialties, and gift, home décor, and color trends! Get a sneak peak in our Product Spotlight, and see our list of unique exhibitors. Sweetening the pot, this all-category gift show runs concurrently with the Philadelphia National Candy, Gift & Gourmet Show. See it all January 6-9, 2017, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, in Oaks, PA. Register now | Website

 

Container Store Q2 Comp Sales -4.2% Press release

 

Trends emerge as China’s Singles’ Day shopping holiday nears by Frank Tong at Internet Retailer. “Brands and retailers are purchasing more ads on Alibaba’s e-commerce marketplaces and affiliated ad network in the runup to Singles’ Day…eMarketer reports that Alibaba will become the largest online ad company in China in 2016, and Alibaba’s share of the global digital ad market will jump to 6.5% this year compared with 5% a year ago.” Read more

 

Kohl’s Q3 Comp Sales -1.7% Press release

 

…Fox Business: Kohl’s Profit Beats Estimates “Kohl’s reported a better-than-expected 21.7 percent jump in quarterly profit on Thursday, helped mainly by cost-cutting.” Read more

 

Kohl’s Announces Planned Retirement of Chief Financial Officer in Late Spring 2017 “Kohl’s will be conducting a comprehensive search for the CFO position over the next few months to prepare for McDonald’s retirement.” Press release

 

Online grocery shopping coming to Seattle Fred Meyer location, blocks from new Amazon store by Nat Levy at GeekWire. Read more

 

Target to open flex-format store in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan as it zeros in on NYC by Teresa Novellino at New York Business Journal. “The new location at 615 10th Avenue, across the street from Beacon High School, is projected to open by summer 2019.” Read more

 

Bed, Bath & Beyond to create in-store buzz with beer and wine in new Brooklyn store by Lois Weis at NY Post. “Bed Bath & Beyond, plans to create a restaurant serving wine and beer at its upcoming 120,000-square-foot Liberty View Industrial Plaza store in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.” Read more

 

Canada: Your grocery bill is set to go down further as supermarkets fight for market share by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “The prices of food purchased from stores declined by 0.9 per cent in Canada in September, according to Statistics Canada, and in particular, consumer packaged goods were almost “universally discounted”. Read more

 

Mike Bloomberg’s $18 Million Helped Soda Tax Measures Win In San Francisco, Oakland by Kate Vinton at Forbes. Read more

 

COSTCO BEHIND-THE-SCENES – Reporter to get rare behind-the-scenes tour of (Costco) headquarters, plus Jelinek gives you a few insider tips you need to know to save some money — Thursday at 5 on Channel 2 Action News. Read more

 

Lord & Taylor closing St. Louis office, laying off 77 IT employees by Lisa Brown at St.Louis Post Dispatch. Read more

 

Why one man bought 150 tons of cashmere in the Gobi desert with $3 million in cash by Elizabeth Segran at Fast Company. “As cofounder and CEO of fashion company Naadam, he has been working to transform the cashmere supply chain by purchasing the wool directly from Mongolian herders, rather than through middlemen who inflate prices…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Patti LaBelle is getting her own cooking show

Nike opens next-generation store in SoHo (7 pics)

Here’s the memo eBay’s CEO just sent to staff in the wake of Donald Trump’s surprise victory

Trailer Catches Fires, Extends Into Home Depot in Mountain View

Hollywood’s Rising Stars 35 and Under

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Tipsheet: Target Hires Wmart Exec | Sam’s CEO on Fbook Live | Amazon Cleaning Service? | CVS Warns | PetSmart Same-Day

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CVS Reports Q3 Results – Trims Outlook “Pharmacy same store sales rose 3.4% and pharmacy same store prescription volumes rose 3.0% on a 30-day equivalent basis…Front store same store sales decreased 1.0%, which
were negatively affected by softer customer traffic.” Press release

 

…Fox Business: CVS Cuts Profit Forecast, Shares Fall “CVS cut its 2016 adjusted earnings forecast to $5.77-$5.83 per share from its prior forecast of $5.81-$5.89 per share.” Read more

 

YESTERDAY – Sam’s Club CEO Brewer discusses holiday deals in exclusive Facebook Live event See the video

 

Target hires supply chain exec from Walmart by Dan DeBaun at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. “(Target) named Shekar Natarajan for the newly created role of senior vice president, network planning and operational design. Natarajan will oversee design of the company’s direct-to-store and direct-to-customer supply chain systems…Natarajan most recently was vice president of last mile operations, emerging sciences and operational excellence at Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart.” Read more

 

PetSmart Adds Same-Day Delivery in Battle With Amazon by Leena Rao at Fortune. “PetSmart says that its new delivery service is available now in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, San Jose, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, and Chicago. By mid-November, the new delivery service will be available in eight additional metro area.” Read more

 

Lumber Liquidators Promotes Dennis Knowles to CEO “Mr. Knowles joined the Company in March 2016 as Chief Operating Officer…Mr. Knowles previously served in store operations leadership roles at Lowe’s Companies, Inc. since 2001, most recently as Chief Store Operations Officer.” Press release

 

Amazon opens second huge office building at new Seattle campus by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “The 36-story tower, which is flanked by a trifecta of glass and steel orbs still under construction, officially opened (yesterday).” Read more

 

Seasonal retail jobs taking a hit this holiday season by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Retail employment in October fell 21 percent, to 154,600, from a year ago, or the steepest such decline in five years, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.” Read more

 

Marks & Spencer will close 60 stores in Britain and retreat from 10 countries at Bloomberg. “Reallocating floor space from food to clothing should boost sales in the short-term, but won’t address M&S’s inexorable slide towards fashion irrelevance,” said John Ibbotson, an analyst at consultant Retail Vision.” Read more

 

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Gap Q3 Comp Sales -3.0% “Comp Sales: Gap Global – negative 8%, Banana Republic Global – negative 8 percent, Old Navy Global – positive 3 percent.” Press release

 

HSN hires longtime Walmart exec Carmen Bauza as EVP and head merchant “Ms. Bauza spent the past ten years as a senior leader at Walmart, most recently serving as the senior vice president for their consumables, health and wellness merchandising division, which includes baby consumables, OTC and optical and chemical and paper goods.” Press release

 

Wal-Mart Pay in talks with several mobile wallet companies by Nandita Bose at Reuters. Read more

 

Online jeweler Blue Nile sold to private equity firms for $500M; stock soars by Greg Lamm at Puget Sound Business Journal. “Blue Nile stockholders will receive $40.75 in cash per share, which is 34 percent more Blue Nile’s closing stock price on Nov. 4.” Read more

 

Wayfair Q3 Direct Retail Revenue Growth of $287.4 million, up 52.7% Press release

 

Mall Landlords Dive Deeper Into Retail Assets by Esther Fung at Wall Street Journal. “Investors are trying to figure out how much of this is reactionary or defensive and how much of it is to push the quality of the portfolio. We’re in the middle of the transition,” said D.J. Busch, an analyst at Green Street Advisors, a real-estate research firm.” Read more (subscription)

 

Amazon to Pay De Niro $850k Per/Episode for New TV Series by Elizabeth Wagmeister at Variety. Read more

 

600 line up at Macy’s to see Chicago Cubs infielder by Ally Marotti at Chicago Tribune. “Die-hard Chicago Cubs fans waited in line — some of them since Sunday — outside Macy’s on State Street Monday morning, hoping to get the chance to meet Javier Baez and get his autograph.” In-store video / Read more

 

Amazon might be starting a service to clean the homes of Amazon Prime members by Angel Gonzalez at Seattle Times. “Two Seattle job postings for concierge-like “home assistants” on Amazon’s website suggest so. They call for potential recruits to join “Amazon Assistants,” which the company describes as “experts in helping Amazon customers keep up their home.” Read more

 

Saks Fifth Avenue Transforms into a Land of 1000 Delights Press release

 

Google Shopping prices often beat Amazon’s by James Melton at Internet Retailer. “An analysis of 750 products by price monitoring firm 360pi finds Amazon’s price is lower than those advertised by merchants on Google Shopping only 25% of the time.” Read more

 

CST Brands Reports Q3 2016 Net Income of $260 million Press release

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

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Tipsheet: Fake Retail Apps Surge | McMillon’s Green Speech | Hanjin Sort Out | Ebay Returns to TV

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As holidays approach, stores struggle to sort out Hanjin shipping mess by Natalie Kitroeff at LA Times. “Idle chassis are “the top issue” that retailers are worried about, said Jonathan Gold, the vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation. “They need those chassis back on the ports to get the full load of containers back out” of the ports, Gold said. “The longer this goes on, it continues to be a concern.” Read more

 

EBay Returns to TV for the Holidays by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “Ms. Deering declined to say how much eBay is spending this year, but noted that the budget exceeds that of 2015. Last year, the company spent roughly $2.5 million on measured media in the U.S. during November and December.” See ads / Read more

 

Target and Best Buy can’t wait for shoppers to shift from election mode to the holiday spirit by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “This is the end of the honeymoon season for Brian,” said Burt Flickinger of Strategic Resource Group, adding that this will be Cornell’s third holiday season at the helm.” Read more

 

Here Are the Most Indispensable Executives in Marketing, Media and Tech (CMO Under Armour #20, CMO Nike #27) at Adweek. Top 50 list

 

Beware, iPhone users: Fake retail apps are surging before holidays by Vindu Goel at NY Times via CNBC. “The counterfeiters have masqueraded as retail chains like Dollar Tree and Foot Locker, big department stores like Dillard’s and Nordstrom, online product bazaars like Zappos.com and Polyvore, and luxury-goods makers like Jimmy Choo, Christian Dior and Salvatore Ferragamo.” Read more

 

Suit Startup Combatant Gentlemen Brings Its Machine-Learning Smarts to Bloomingdale’s by Sara Castellanos at Wall Street Journal. “Combat Gent won’t be using heat-map cameras at its Bloomingdale’s outpost in SoHo, which debuted Friday, but it is using data gleaned from its stores in Santa Monica and Irvine to inform the layout and merchandise needed to stock the racks there.” Read more (subscription)

 

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Whole Foods Shareholder Said Planning Push for Changes, Sale at Bloomberg. “The investor cited Whole Foods’ poor inventory and vendor management, high costs and failure to make the most of its unique appeal to millennial shoppers among the key issues.” Read more

 

Toys R Us plans Thanksgiving Day opening by Sarah Whitten at CNBC. “…its stores will open at 5 p.m. local time Nov. 24 for 30 hours of continuous shopping. This is the fourth year in a row the retailer has opened at this time.” Read more

 

Walmart Aims to Generate Half Its Energy From Renewable Sources by 2025 by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “The goals were laid out by Wal-Mart Stores CEO Doug McMillon at the Net Impact Conference in Philadelphia and are part of the retailer’s efforts to respond to criticism of its practices.” Read more | Press release | Video

 

Etsy paid $32.5 Million for AI startup Blackbird Technologies by Teresa Novellino at New York Business Journal. Read more

 

Shopping app Wish is raising around $500 million in a new investment by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “The Wish app is generally ranked only behind Amazon in the shopping category of app stores. The startup has been a heavy spender on online ads, and was at one time Facebook’s No. 1 advertiser.” Read more

 

Chicago Cubs sold more than 8x the amount of merchandise online than the average for a MLB team at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

Australia: Woolworths, Coles, Aldi: which is cheapest for branded products? at Sydney Morning Herald. “If they bought all 36 items from Woolworths, they would pay $126.67 – a hike of $13.24, or 11.85 per cent more than Aldi. If they bought all 36 items from Coles, they would pay $129.50 – another hike of $16.25, or 14.3 per cent more than Aldi.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

P&G commercial focuses on transgender restroom use

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This Guy Made Amazon’s Alexa Speak Through Big Mouth Billy Bass

iRobot says 20 percent of the world’s vacuums are now robots

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Tipsheet: Visa Pays Shoppers to Skip Wmart | CVS Cuts 600 | Ad Age Target Iview | Trader Joe’s Wants Smiles

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CVS Health to cut about 600 jobs over next two months at Fox Business. “…mostly at its corporate offices in Rhode Island, Illinois and Arizona over the next two months, citing an increasingly competitive environment.” Read more

 

Visa ups ante in battle with Walmart, offers Manitobans $10 to shop elsewhere by Barbara Shecter at Financial Post. “We hope this eases the inconvenience for Visa cardholders in Manitoba who cannot use their card everywhere they may want to,” Visa Canada spokesperson Carla Hindman said in an interview. Alex Roberton, a spokesman for Walmart Canada, told CBC News: “We don’t comment on how other organizations want to promote their brand.” Read more

 

At Trader Joe’s, Good Cheer May Hide Complaints by Noam Scheiber at NY Times via Boston Globe. “According to an unfair labor practices charge filed Thursday with a National Labor Relations Board regional office, Thomas Nagle, a longtime employee of the Trader Joe’s store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, was repeatedly reprimanded because managers judged his smile and demeanor to be insufficiently “genuine.” Read more

 

Sam’s Club Goes High-End in China at Bloomberg. “Over the past two years, the retailer has repositioned the 14 Sam’s Clubs in the country to offer more expensive products…Walmart sees big potential in China: Its Sam’s Club in Shenzhen, a fast-growing urban center in the southeast, is the chain’s best-performing outlet globally…“Sam’s Club’s potential in China is greater than anywhere,” says Walmart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon.” Read more

 

Amazon Prods Its Sellers to Free Up Warehouse Space by Laura Stevens at Wall Street Journal. “Amazon.com Inc. has a holiday message for the millions of merchants who rely on it to fill their online orders: Don’t clutter its warehouses with stuffed Easter bunnies, Fourth of July banners or other out-of-season goods…“We’re trying to incentivize sellers to wait to send us the Easter-themed cookie cutter sets,” said Cynthia Williams, vice president of Fulfillment by Amazon.” Read more (subscription)

 

What Putting Kids in Charge Did for Target by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “At the Ad Age Brand Summit in Los Angeles this week, Mr. White talked about how the company’s first-ever kid-created campaign strengthened the Target brand, its results and how the company plans to top the effort in 2017.” :48 video with Mr. White

 

J. Crew to Discontinue Bridal Business in Chain’s Latest Misfire by Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. “The retailer plans to “focus on what women like to wear to someone else’s wedding, versus what they would wear to their own”. Read more

 

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Lowe’s Delivers Augmented Reality: Now Available on Aisle 3 Press release

 

New French-language rules for outdoor signage coming to Quebec at CBC News. “Changes to Quebec’s sign laws that were announced in May will go into effect Nov. 24, the provincial government announced Wednesday…Existing signs and trade-marked businesses such as Costco and BestBuy will have three years to add French descriptors to their outdoor signage.” Read more

 

Fashion brand Fossil will close some stores, reorganize its business by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “The company has hired a consulting firm to help it reorganize and improve its operations, Kartsotis said. “We grew from a $1 billion [a year] business to $3 billion very quickly. We don’t have the most elegant processes.” Read more

 

Big Brands Are Already Targeting Their Competitors With Apple Search Ads by Lauren Johnson at Adweek. “Walmart’s Jet.com is zeroing in on folks looking for online grocery service Peapod, and food-delivery service Eat24 is serving its ads alongside queries for “Pizza Hut.” Amazon is homing in on searches for CVS’ pharmacy-refill app, and ads for Boxed, an app that lets consumers buy packaged goods at wholesale prices, appear when people type in “Sam’s Club.” Read more

 

Publix expands Starbucks pilot program to Charlotte stores by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Business Journal. Read more

 

Online discount store Hollar raises $30 million and moves headquarters to Commerce by Paresh Dave at LA Times. “Chief Executive David Yeom said Hollar exceeded $1 million in monthly sales within its first six months, but he declined to disclose current usage or sales figures…it is moving into a 200,000-square-foot facility once used by 99 Cents Only Stores, Yeom said. 99 Cents Only Stores maintains headquarters elsewhere in Commerce.” Read more

 

Fred’s October Comp Sales -3.4% Press release

 

Kroger exec on Roundy’s: ‘We’re shining up a slightly tarnished star’ by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Business Courier.”We’re very good at managing high-quality companies and bringing together the best of both worlds,” McMullen told analysts…“One of the things we don’t know is whether we can do a fixer-upper. It is a lot of work.” Read more

 

Tractor Supply Names Pepsi SVP to Board Press release

 

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz: How the ‘Amazon effect’ and the U.S. presidential campaign are impacting retail by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. “There’s no doubt over the next five years or so we are going to see a dramatic level of retailers not be able to sustain their level of core business as a traditional bricks and mortar retailer and their omni channel approach is not going to be sustainable to maintain the cost of their infrastructure and as a result of that there’s going to be a tremendous amount of changes with regard to the retail landscape.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Citi predicts possible 5% drop for S&P 500 if Trump wins, warns on recession

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