Tipsheet: Target’s Pantry Fighter | G.Mtn Confusion | Loblaw Eyes Weed | Coach Buys Spade

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Target Restock bringing household supplies to a doorstep near you by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “…customers will be able to fill a large box of a specific size with as many items as can fit in it, choosing from more than 8,000 household essentials, beauty and personal care items and dry grocery products. The box, which is limited to 45 pounds, will then be shipped for a flat fee and arrive on their doorsteps by the next day if they place their order by 1:30 p.m.” Read more

 

Hudson’s Bay taps debt adviser amid Neiman Marcus bid challenged by Jessica DiNapoli & Lauren Hirsch at Reuters. “The move is the clearest indication yet that Neiman Marcus’ $4.7 billion debt pile poses significant challenges to a merger between Hudson’s Bay, owner of the Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue retail chains, and private equity-owned Neiman Marcus.” Read more

 

Coach to buy rival Kate Spade for $2.4 billion via CNBC. “The $18.50 per share cash offer represents a premium of 9 percent to Kate Spade’s Friday close.” Read more | Press release

 

Apple offers first peek at plans to convert D.C.’s Carnegie Library into new store by Jonathan O’Connell at Washington Post. “This is a way of creating a reason to come to the store, to touch and feel our products, but also to have an engaging experience with someone who is passionate about the same thing,” said B.J. Siegel, Apple Retail’s senior design director.” Read more

 

New owner of Gander Mountain plans to keep at least 70 stores open, despite what company’s website says by Nick Woltman at Pioneer Press. “Among the stores he plans to keep open are those in Lakeville and Forest Lake in Minnesota; Wausau, Franklin, Kenosha, DeForest and Onalaska in Wisconsin; and Fargo, N.D., according to his tweets. Lemonis said he expects to release the locations of more stores that will remain open Monday.” Read more

 

Loblaw CEO says company is watching marijuana legislation by Linda Nguyen at Canadian Press via Financial Post. “Galen G. Weston said his focus remains on dispensing medical cannabis. But when asked whether Loblaw has closed the book on entering the recreational marijuana market, Weston said, “You can never predict the future” Read more

 

Buffett and Munger talk missing out on Google and Amazon by Steve Jordan at Omaha World-Herald. “Buffett praised Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. “I was too dumb to realize that was going to happen. I admired him, but I didn’t think he could succeed on the scale that he has.” Read more

 

J.C. Penney spending $97.5M to settle lawsuit by Korri Kezar at Dallas Business Journal. “The case, Alan B. Marcus Individually on Behalf of all Others Similarly Situated v. J.C. Penney Co. Inc., claims former CEO Mike Ullman and chief financial officer Ken Hannah misled investors about the company’s liquidity in August and September 2013, prior to a public stock offering in September 2013.” Read more

 

Amazon announces new bookstore in Washington D.C., its 13th nationwide by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. Read more

 

New Publix store is among the smallest in the chain at 30,629 square feet by Ashley Gurbal Kritzer at Tampa Bay Business Journal. “The new store has a young, almost hipster vibe, between prepared foods like bento bowls and signs directing customers to Florida-produced grocery items. (Fittingly, the grand opening was documented on Instagram stories.).” 15 pics/Read more

 

**A Message from Headache Hat – NEW Hands-Free, Wearable Ice Pack Lasts 6X Longer than a Gel Pack! High-tech stretch material is form fitting, soft and stylish. The Headache Hat contains 24 real ice cubes coated in thin plastic. Wrap the Headache Hat around your head and enjoy 2 hours of cold ice. Cubes are individually moveable to target pain points. No more lukewarm gel packs! Hundreds of rave reviews & named a top product by The Migraine World Summit. See it here now. Request sample @ info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Cornershop, a grocery-delivery app in Chile and Mexico, raises $21M by Matthew Lynley at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Jeff Bezos explains Amazon’s artificial intelligence and machine learning strategy by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “Bezos: ‘I would say, a lot of the value that we’re getting from machine learning is actually happening beneath the surface. It is things like improved search results. Improved product recommendations for customers. Improved forecasting for inventory management. Literally hundreds of other things beneath the surface.’ “ Video/Read more

 

Madison Avenue gets less stuffy with new menswear shops by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Most of the trendy, new apparel is coming from online companies,” said Nicholas Forelli, director of leasing for Feil. “So I have been tracking down only online retailers to fill our spaces.” Read more

 

Fortune’s 100 Best Co’s to Work For (Wegmans #2, Publix #21, REI #28, Norstrom #94) List of 100

 

Crate and Barrel has made its temporary CEO permanent by Matt Linder at Internet Retailer. “Neela Montgomery has been handling the bulk of the CEO’s responsibilities since now-former CEO Doug Diemoz left the retailer last month. Montgomery spent more than a decade in a variety of roles with U.K. mass merchant Tesco Stores.” Read more

 

Retailers poaching fast-food workers by Leslie Patton at Bloomberg. “Wal-Mart’s not perfect, but compared to fast food, it’s much, much, much better,” Andrews said…Italian fast-casual chain Fazoli’s is trying to fend off retail, according to Dave Craig, vice president of human resources. “It’s a free-for-all right now,” Craig said.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Ebay’s First Diversity Chief on How to Make Inclusion Matter

Nike’s high-tech bid to break the 2-hour marathon record falls short

Ace Hardware Merch VP Departs for CEO Role at Air Quality Co.

‘Walking Dead’ star quits social media over death threats

‘Slow TV’ fascinates Norwegian viewers for days at a time

Will Wal-Mart Buy Etsy? Analysts Weigh In

The 10 Best & Worst Moments at the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards

There’s a secret expiration date on your makeup that you probably didn’t know existed

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 20,000+ retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

Contact us: Send story tips, press releases and advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: Lowe’s Internal Memo | Amazon Fashion Pres Out | Schnucks Pres In | Wmart Dash Rival

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The president of Amazon’s fashion division is leaving the e-commerce giant by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Cathy Beaudoin, the longtime Amazon executive leading the company’s fashion division, is exiting the company. Beaudoin joined Amazon eight years ago from The Gap and was tasked with improving the fashion industry’s opinion of Amazon and courting popular name brands to sell on the mass-market e-commerce site.” Read more

 

Schnucks names Dave Peacock new president and chief operating officer by Mike Faulk at St.Louis Post Dispatch. “Peacock’s responsibilities with Schnucks will include management of operations, marketing and the company’s supply chain. Peacock had previously overseen domestic operations for Anheuser-Busch from 2008 to 2012.” Read more

 

LOWE’S INTERNAL MEMO – Internal memo reveals what Lowe’s wants from Congress by Deon Roberts at Charlotte Observer. “The CEO of Lowe’s Cos. says the fees that banks charge stores when customers use debit cards are among the top political issues facing the Mooresville-based home-improvement retailer, according to an internal memo obtained by the Observer.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart files patent for Amazon Dash rival at Reuters. “While Dash buttons still require users to press a physical button separate from the product, Wal-Mart aims to integrate IoT into the products themselves for automatic re-ordering with no user input at all,” the blog post said.” Read more

 

…Wal-Mart Wants to Know When Your Milk Is About to Expire by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “The system proposed by the retailer could use sensors in homes and attached to products like toothpaste, milk or razors to trigger automatic delivery of another box or suggest related products to buy, all while collecting consumer behavior data to tailor marketing, says the application on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.” Read more (subs.)

 

Watch: The first plant goes in the ground at Amazon’s Spheres in downtown Seattle by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. “GeekWire was on the scene, and we streamed the event live on Facebook (above). Other than through official photographs from Amazon, it’s our first look inside what has become an architectural curiosity on the tech giant’s growing campus over the past couple years.” Video/Pics/Read more

 

Square is rolling out its first debit card by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “The prepaid card isn’t linked to your bank account, but instead to the Square Cash app. That means you can only use it to spend money that you are holding in your Square Cash account.” Read more

 

**A message from the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – Excelling in retail means excelling in e-retail. And that means having the right strategies, technologies and connections to enhance your e-commerce business. Whether you’re focused on solutions in content or search marketing, maximizing your mobile commerce platforms or minimizing customer disengagement, you’ll find what you need at IRCE. Chicago McCormick Place West June 6-9. Website | Workshop schedule | Exhibitor list | Register now!

 

Nordstrom hires Anne Bramman as CFO by Joann S. Lublin at MarketWatch. “Ms. Bramman, 49 years old, announced her resignation from Avery Dennison Corp…in March after two years on the job. Before that, she worked in the cruise industry for Carnival Corp., and at retailer L Brands Inc.” Read more | Press release

 

Beleaguered Sobeys owner announces sweeping overhaul aimed at $500 million in annual savings by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “We are going to have to have a smaller work force in order to be competitive,” Medline said Thursday. “We are the high-cost competitor, and you don’t have to be too good in business to know that that is not the position you want to be in.” Read more

 

“STUPID” MISTAKES – Camping World CEO says Gander Mountain made “stupid” mistakes by Debra D. Bass at St.Louis Post Dispatch. “The blunt-spoken Lemonis — who stars in “The Profit,” a CNBC reality show — said Gander Mountain overspent on inventory and expanded beyond all common sense into markets where they were cannibalizing their own customer base…“So, yes, we are the beneficiary of someone else’s sloppiness,” Lemonis said.” Read more

 

Macy’s severs ties with Men’s Wearhouse by Andy Brownfield at Cincinnati Business Courier. “The expansion of tuxedo rental shops within Macy’s department stores was halted after 170 of the originally planned 300 outposts were opened.” Read more

 

How Instacart competes against Amazon Fresh and Walmart by Susie Gharib at Fortune. “Mehta tells Fortune’s Susie Gharib when people think about grocery shopping these days, they picture “waiting in checkout lanes or circling around in parking lots. We want people to think about grocery shopping as a joyful activity.” Video/Read more

 

…Shipt announced Thursday it will add nine Florida markets — six markets with Costco home delivery and three with Publix at CNBC. Read more

 

Kroger launches meal kits to compete with Blue Apron at Fox 19 Now. “Prices start at around $14. Right now, they’re only available the Oakley Marketplace store.” Read more | Display Pic

 

Sally Beauty looking for a new president after Sharon Leite resigns by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “Sally Beauty Holdings said Thursday that Sharon Leite, president of its Sally Beauty chain of more than 1,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada, has resigned from the company as of May 1.” Read more (tiered subs.)

 

Jeff Bezos sells off $941M of Amazon stock by Casey Coombs at Puget Sound Business Journal. Read more

 

Fashion retailer Express closing its Canadian stores via Toronto Star. “Express Inc. says it’s closing its 17 Canadian stores in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario…Store closing sales will begin in the middle of the month.” Read more

 

Central Grocers files for bankruptcy by Bob Okon at The Herald-News. Read more

 

Victoria’s Secret is at a ‘tipping point,’ getting weaker by the day, analyst says by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. “L Brands said its exit of the swim and apparel categories had reduced total company sales by 6 percentage points, and Victoria’s Secret same-store sales by 10 percentage points this period. CEO Les Wexner’s decision to discontinue Victoria’s Secret’s swim line has eliminated roughly $500 million in annual sales from the business.” Read more

 

Ingles Markets Q2 Comp Sales -0.3% (excluding gas & Easter) Press release

 

Amazon beefs up drone delivery R&D in Cambridge by Natasha Lomas at TechCrunch. “Amazon is expanding its R&D facilities in Cambridge, UK, with a plan to move into a new 60,000sq ft site in the city with capacity for more than 400 staff…By the end of the year, it says it will have more than 1,500 “innovation related roles” in the UK” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

How the FruitGuys built a $30M business selling fresh fruit to offices

NYC Cafe says Starbucks stole its unicorn drink

Once a Fugitive, This Billionaire Aims to Be Russia’s Jeff Bezos

Crystal bubble? Inside the billion-dollar “healing” gemstone industry

A 14-year-old girl who became famous overnight is feuding with Walmart

Target opens its fifth small-format store in Chicago on July 19

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 20,000+ retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

Contact us: Send story tips, press releases and advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net

 

Tipsheet: Wmart Food Boss Speech | Diversity:Target #22, CVS #50 | Costco +3% | Cabela’s -8.9%

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Costco April Comp Sales +3% “Costco reported net sales of $9.42 billion for the month of April, the four weeks ended April 30, 2017, an increase of five percent from $8.98 billion during the similar period last year.” Press release

 

America’s Most Loved Brands (Amazon 76%, Home Depot 70%, Lowe’s 70%, Dollar Tree 68%, Kroger 53%) at Morning Consult Intelligence. “Since January 2017, Morning Consult asked nearly 200,000 people to rank the world’s biggest brands…” Full list

 

Cabela’s Q1 Comp Sales -8.9% “…while apparel categories comped negatively for the quarter, they have shown signs of improvement and were down less than the consolidated comp.” Press release

 

Wal-Mart seeks anti-corruption certification, in talks with regulators at Reuters. “The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed the so-called anti-corruption compliance program and Wal-Mart is hoping to be the first U.S. company to get certified under it, said Jay Jorgensen, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president and global chief ethics and compliance officer.” Read more

 

Walmart U.S. food boss says ‘basics’ a company focus; addresses Single Parent scholarship event by Nancy Peevy at Talk Business. “Charles Redfield spoke to an estimated 220 suppliers and community leaders…“I’ve been in my position for 18 months or so right now and I think we’ve fundamentally changed every single process of how we operate our stores to get the basics right – to satisfy customers.” Redfield said.” Read more

 

**A Message from Headache Hat – NEW Hands-Free, Wearable Ice Pack Lasts 6X Longer than a Gel Pack!  High-tech stretch material is form fitting, soft and stylish. The Headache Hat contains 24 real ice cubes coated in thin plastic. Wrap the Headache Hat around your head and enjoy 2 hours of cold ice. Cubes are individually moveable to target pain points. No more lukewarm gel packs! Hundreds of rave reviews & named a top product by The Migraine World Summit. See it here now. Request sample @ info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Staples Revamps Marketing in Bid to Shed Retail-Industry Baggage by Matthew Townsend at Bloomberg. “The rebranding campaign kicks off next week with nationwide television commercials in which stores are nonexistent and products are only shown in passing. There’s no mention of discounts either.” See TV ad/Read more

 

Doug McMillon Meets With College Students via University of Arkansas. “Students in the U of A’s apparel merchandising and product development program got a behind-the-scenes look at Walmart by sitting in on a corporate Saturday Morning Meeting and then visiting with CEO Doug McMillon.” Read more

 

Smart & Final Q1 Comp Sales -2.5% Press release

 

Can Wal-Mart’s Expensive New E-Commerce Operation Compete With Amazon? by Brad Stone & Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “AMAZON IS DOMINATING” reads a slide on a large screen behind him. In the video, Lore presents a plan to bet Wal-Mart’s future not on e-commerce standbys such as books, electronics, and toys, but on product areas only now becoming popular online, including apparel, fresh food, and “everyday essentials” like drugstore items. “We’ll need to take the offensive, swim upstream,” Lore says. “As Sam Walton said, ‘Opportunity lies in the opposite direction.’ ” Read more

 

2017 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity (Target #22, CVS #50) Top 50 list

 

Loblaw sees gains in its Shoppers Drug Mart fresh food business by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “…same-store sales fell 2.1 per cent at Loblaw stores, excluding gas bar sales…At Shoppers Drug Mart, same-store sales rose 0.9 per cent overall, with pharmacy sales growing 1.3 per cent and front of the store sales growing 0.6 per cent.” Read more | Press release

 

Amazon Is Spending Insane Amounts of Money on Research by Lindsay Rittenhouse at The Street. “Amazon beat German automaker Volkswagen AG’s global research and development spending in 2016, which ranked number one from 2012 to 2015, by spending more than $16 billion. And, it may have just secured its lead with a record $4.8 billion outlay in its first quarter, according to Bloomberg data.” Read more

 

eBay SVP of North America Hal Lawton goes behind-the-scenes with sellers Facebook video

 

Best Buy Will Now Sell Vivint’s Smart Home Installation Services by Leena Rao at Fortune. “The new deal, which was announced on Thursday, places Vivint experts in more than 400 of the electronics retailer’s stores so that they can give customers advice about smart home devices and installation.” Read more

 

Fred’s April Comp Sales +1.2% “Fred’s total sales for the month decreased 3.0% year-over-year to $159.1 million from $163.9 million in April 2016.” Press release

 

Speculation emerges about HSN’s future and ‘frenemy’ QVC by Margie Manning at Tampa Bay Business Journal. “Jason Bazinet, an analyst at Citigroup Global Markets Inc., raised the question during a Wednesday morning conference call, citing a difficult seven or eight quarters for HSN.” Read more

 

CNBC’s Tim Cook Interview Video/Read more

 

Small Retailers Seize on Trump’s Unpopularity – And Strike Gold by Rina Raphael at Fast Company. “The Trump candle smells of a mix between meat and suntan lotion, and comes with an orange wig lid. “It smells bad,” confirms J.D Dobson, “it’s meant to.” In fact, they don’t even recommend lighting it.” Read more

 

Estee Lauder’s latest quarter shows how it is defying slumping mall traffic by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. “As Wall Street worries about dying department stores and falling foot traffic in malls, Estee Lauder says its makeup business is growing steadily…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Sorry Chuck: Real Simple Tests Trader Joe’s New $1 Canned Wine Against “Two Buck Chuck”

Blame Hipsters for Making These Foods More Expensive

Toddler locks himself in car at grocery store, thinks being rescued is hilarious (pic)

Seven bounty hunters charged with murder after they opened fire on the wrong car in a Walmart parking lot

CVS security guard allegedly made shoplifters take nude pics

You Can No Longer Buy Skippy Peanut Butter in Canada

Crooks Are After the Grease From Your French Fries

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 20,000+ retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

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Contact us: Send story tips, press releases and advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

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Tipsheet: Bloomingdale’s Avoids Strike | Best Citizen: CVS #38, Target #94 | BJ’s Enlists JPMorgan

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Workers at Bloomingdale’s New York flagship store narrowly avoid a strike by Julia Horowitz at CNN Money. “The department store will no longer require sales clerks to prepare online orders for in-store pickups, and managers cannot ask workers to leave their departments if it could cause them to lose a sale.” Read more

 

Big 5 Sporting Goods Q1 Comp Sales +7.9% “…reflecting continued market share gains resulting from the closure of certain major competitors last year along with more favorable weather conditions than the prior year period. Sales comparisons also benefited from the calendar shift of the Easter holiday.” Press release

 

Etsy has ousted its CEO and is laying off 8 percent of its staff by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “The struggling online crafts marketplace is replacing longtime CEO Chad Dickerson with Josh Silverman, an Etsy board member who was previously CEO of Skype and eBay’s Shopping.com. The company is also laying off 80 employees.” Read more | Etsy press release

 

CR’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens (CVS #38, Gap #57, Best Buy #72, Target #94) Top 100 list

 

BJ’s Wholesale Club enlists JPMorgan to help find buyer by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “So far, no suitor is in advanced talks and the sale process is early, sources said. Amazon has expressed interest internally in buying BJ’s but is not in formal talks yet with the PE firms.” Read more

 

Judge strikes down city’s approval of a Hollywood Target — again by David Zahniser at LA Times. “A judge has delivered a humiliating new legal defeat to Los Angeles elected officials, striking down the city’s approval of a Hollywood Target shopping center for the second time in three years…The decision means that Target, which first filed an application to build the project in 2008, will continue to be prohibited from finishing construction.” Read more

 

**A message from Black Flag® – We take no prisoners. In the battle against indoor and outdoor pests, it’s every man for himself. Arm yourself with Black Flag insect and rodent controls. Our tough, no-nonsense formulas are packed with a powerful punch to make short work of home insect invaders. Whether you’re battling crawling, flying or stinging insects or fending off mice, when the flag flies, pests die. Let it Fly. Protect your home with Sarge video | Facebook page

 

Why the Co-Founder of Rent the Runway Left Her Own Company to Join Walmart by Valentina Sarya at Fortune. “Code Eight is still in stealth mode, but Fleiss did tell Fortune a few things about the brand-new company:

It will have six employees as of next week.
Its headquarters are in New York City.
The idea behind it is to ” make shopping magical and delightful.”
The main product is a mobile, app-based experience.
It utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning.
It’s not a fashion company.
It will offer a “premium” experience not targeted to Walmart’s regular customers.” Read more

 

Publix Announces Vice President of Government Relations “Currently, John Provenzano is Executive Director of the National Association of State Treasurers…Before joining NAST, he was government affairs director for Delta Air Lines.” Press release

 

Shoe Carnival Q1 Comp Sales -3.9% Press release

 

Could Walmart buy Wayfair? One analyst says it’d be a good match by Kelly J. O’Brien at Boston Business Journal. “The share price of Boston-based Wayfair Inc. was flirting with an all-time high on Tuesday after a Wall Street analyst argued that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. should buy the home furnishings e-retailer.” Read more

 

Ex-Nine West CIO Named Bon-Ton CIO Press release

 

Two buyout firms ‘actively exploring’ deal to buy Staples via NY Post. “Cerberus and Sycamore have emerged as the frontrunners, as other prospective buyers have become discouraged by the challenges Staples faces in shifting its business model from serving consumers to catering to companies, the sources added.” Read more

 

Retailers may prevail over banks in fight over limits on debit card transaction fees by Kayla Tausche at CNBC. “Language to repeal the Durbin Amendment, which assigns a limit to card swipe fees and the payment of those fees to the banks, has survived until now, but comments from the committee’s chairman, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, have cast doubt on the repeal surviving much further.” Read more

 

Only one-third of American home values have recovered pre-recession peaks by Andrea Riquier at MarketWatch. Read more

 

Google and Amazon killed their Apple Watch apps and it went unnoticed for weeks by Natt Garun at The Verge. “Amazon: “There are a number of reasons we don’t think this is the right solution for our customers at this time,” a spokesperson told The Verge.” Read more

 

Ex-Walmart EVP was addicted to ‘more, faster, better’ before he turned his life around by Mike Pare at Times Free Press. “(John) Aden said he was introduced to a retired vice chairman of Wal-Mart, Don Soderquist, whom he described as that company’s “keeper of the culture.” “I said ‘Let’s talk about strategy.’ He said, ‘No, I want to talk about your [company] values.”‘ Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Record sized crappie released into Bass Pro fish tank

‘Undercover Boss’ alum pays surprise visit to Lowe’s employee

Petition to bring ‘ugly’ produce to Sobeys subsidiaries reaches 11.5K signatures

Hannaford warehouse fire causes shortage of fresh produce

St.Paul: Someone wrote bad checks for 600 boxes of Girl Scout cookies

One of America’s Biggest Mall Developers Might Sell Itself

Amazon warehouse discussed for site near Orlando airport

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 20,000+ retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

Contact us: Send story tips, press releases and advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: Comps: CVS -4.7%, Publix -2.1%, Coach +3% | G.Galaxy +36 | Ex Wmart Exec to SpartanNash

/in

 

CVS Q1 Comp Sales: Front-end -4.9%, Pharmacy -4.7% “CEO Merlo: “We continue to expect 2017 to be a rebuilding year, but our goals remain clear, and we fully intend to return to healthy levels of growth.” Press release

 

…CVS reports better-than-expected profit at Reuters. “Excluding items, the company earned $1.17 per share. Revenue rose 3 percent to $44.51 billion. Analysts on average had expected earnings of $1.10 per share on revenue of $44.20 billion.” Read more

 

Coach’s quarterly profit jumps 8.6 pct on less discounting at CNBC. “Coach, which is trying to regain its premium-brand tag, has limited promotions on its products and pulled out of over 250 department stores.” Read more

 

…Coach North America Comp Sales +3% “Net sales for the Coach brand totaled $915 million for the third fiscal quarter, a decrease of approximately 4%…As planned, the strategic actions in the North America wholesale channel negatively impacted sales growth by about 150 basis points.” Press release

 

Former Walmart exec to lead SpartanNash supply chain “From 2015 to 2017, Tom Lee served as Vice President, Merchandising Operations, U.S. e-Commerce for Walmart…Prior to that, Mr. Lee served as Vice President, Supply Chain Innovations, Global e-Commerce for Walmart.” Press release

 

Publix Q1 Comp Sales -2.1% “Net earnings for the first quarter of 2017 were $555.3 million, compared to $581.9 million in 2016, a decrease of 4.6 percent.” Press release

 

Target slashes CEO pay package after bleak year at CNBC. “Cornell’s cash-and-stock compensation fell by nearly a third to $11.3 million.” Read more

 

Schnuck’s Data Suit Tossed, Unlike Target And Home Depot by Joyce Hanson at Law 360. “Chief District Judge Michael J. Reagan granted St. Louis-based Schnuck’s motion to dismiss the financial institutions’ putative class action for failure to state a claim, distinguishing their cybercrime suit against the grocery chain from the Home Depot case because Schnuck’s conduct in not maintaining adequate security wasn’t intentional…” Read more (subs.)

 

**A message from Fabe – Italian hand-crafted pillows help prevent 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 Pillow | Fabe Website | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net. Linking Italian products with American retailers

 

Coach reportedly weighing an acquisition of Jimmy Choo at NY Post. Read more

 

You May Be Able to Buy an Eames Lounge at Costco by Hadley Keller at Architectural Digest. “While the chairs for (and on) sale appeared to be authentic Herman Miller, a representative for the company told Apartment Therapy that Costco is not, unsurprisingly, an authorized retailer.” Read more

 

Cauliflower Is the New Kale by Clare Suddath at Bloomberg. “The boom is thanks to converging culinary trends: low-carb, gluten-free, and healthful eating, which often means vegetarian. “It’s similar to what we saw with kale a few years ago,” says Erik Brown, global produce buyer for Whole Foods.” Read more

 

Video of two teens jumping 30 feet into a huge Bass Pro Shop fish tank at Daily Mail. Video/Read more

 

Lowe’s Expands Support Of The Military With Enhanced Discount “Lowe’s announced it will expand its military discount program by offering 10% off personal purchases every day to current and honorably discharged members of the U.S. Armed Forces.” Press release

 

Food Lion to Remodel 71 Stores in Greater Richmond, Va., Market in 2017 Press release

 

Barry Diller’s IAC to Buy Angie’s List in $500M Deal at Fox Business. “Media mogul Barry Diller’s IAC said it would combine Angie’s with its digital home services marketplace business, HomeAdvisor.” Read more

 

Golf Galaxy Opens 36 New Stores, Formerly Golfsmith Locations List of stores / Press release

 

Univ. of Kentucky changing stadium to Kroger Field in naming deal at USA Today. “The school said in a news release Monday that an agreement between Kroger and university marketing partner JMI Sports is for $1.85 million annually for up to 12 years.” Read more

 

Writers Guild of America & Major Studios Reach Agreement at Eleventh Hour at Variety. Read more

 

Should Hearing Aids Be Sold Over-the-Counter? by Sumathi Reddy at Wall Street Journal. “The HIA would support OTC hearing aids for mild hearing loss, said Mr. Sawalich, but not moderate hearing loss.” Read more (subs.)

 

Buc-ee’s ​120-fuel pump, largest-ever gas station expanding to Florida by Sarah Aslam at Orlando Business Journal. “Freshly made barbecue sandwiches, beef jerky by the pound, fresh fudge and clean restrooms. Like, ridiculously clean restrooms in a ridiculously big space — soon to be the biggest in Florida. No, it’s not heaven. It’s Buc-ee’s, the gas station with a cult-like following in Texas…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Ex-Kroger Exec Named CFO at Cincinnati Homebuilder

Virginia man charged with DUI on scooter at Wal-Mart store

Lilly Pulitzer’s first store on Jersey Shore hopes to make a splash

Follow Mark Zuckerberg’s year-long journey around the United States

Entrepreneurs unveil Pillsy, a smart pill bottle that helps patients stay on top of medication

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 20,000+ retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

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Tipsheet: Target Shuts Food Lab | UPS Asks Retail for $ | C.World Gets Gander | CVS Gets Marsh Pharm

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Target is shutting down food lab in Massachusetts after all by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Last week, an offer to buy the Food + Future lab surfaced at the last minute as (Target) was preparing to wind it down. But Target apparently couldn’t come to terms with the buyer….The food lab was the brainchild of one of the outside entrepreneurs that (Casey) Carl brought to Target. Greg Shewmaker, a former Tesco executive, set up the lab to explore how Target could help lead in bringing more transparency to the food system and the supply chain.” Read more

 

UPS asks retailers to help pay for extra costs when shipments miss forecasts by Paul Ziobro at Wall Street Journal. “UPS cautioned that conversations with retailers are just starting and it is still working to finalize how the surge price will be implemented. “We will handle it on a customer by customer basis, we will look at our costs and that’s the way we’re going to address it,” Mr. Abney said.” Read more (subs.)

 

Struggling Marsh exits pharmacy business; sells inventory and records to CVS by James Briggs at IndyStar. “Marsh will transfer prescription records to CVS and close its pharmacies by May 5.” Read more

 

Camping World-led group wins bankruptcy auction for Gander Mountain by Jessica DiNapoli at Reuters. “The value of the winning bid was about $390 million, according to people familiar with the matter…Camping World plans to operate at least 17 Gander Mountain stores as a going concern, the sources said. An auction for Gander Mountain’s remaining more than 100 leases will be held later, the sources said. The consortium also won all of Gander Mountain’s intellectual property and its Overton’s boating business.” Read more

 

3,000 jobs could be cut as regulators approve Dollar General’s purchase of Dollar Express by Katherine Peralta at Charlotte Observer. Read more

 

Interview with Best Buy’s Chief Digital Officer Bala Subramanian by Todd Bishop & Clare McGrane at GeekWire. Q&A/Podcast

 

Target’s Queens lease shuts out cosmetic queens Sephora and Ulta by Lois Weiss at NY Post. “Ulta had been in talks to open a store at the Jackson Heights development — talks that got scuttled by Target’s rider, according to a source close to the deal.” Read more

 

Amid Brick-and-Mortar Travails, a Tipping Point for Amazon in Apparel by Nick Wingfield at NY Times. Read more

 

With only 3% market share, Canadian discount grocers have ample room to grow by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post via Vancouver Sun. “In Denmark, discount grocers now account for 40% of grocery market share, up from 19% in 2000. In Turkey, growth in the same period has been the most dramatic, accounting for 60% of the market, up from 15%. In the U.K….discounters take up almost 15% of the market.” Read more

 

Walmart Expands Again In India – But Still Not Able To Open Consumer Stores by Tim Worstall at Forbes. Read more

 

Walgreen wants to force the FTC’s hand on Rite-Aid deal by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “Walgreen is expected to certify compliance within days, two sources close to the situation said. In doing so, Walgreen will give the FTC 90 days to either clear the $9.7 billion deal, creating the nation’s biggest drug store chain, or sue to block it, a source said.” Read more

 

Target unveils their largest solar array and it’s shaped like a Bullseye logo by Hayden Packwood at KPNX. Roof pic/Read more

 

**A message from the Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show – get ready for the nation’s largest souvenir show! We bring together 1,300+ booths filled with the latest introductions from every major souvenir and resort supplier, plus countless new resources. New for 2017, the show welcomes a Native American Pavilion, even more made in America products, new Boardwalk section and a special spotlight on Gourmet gifts. Look for new events and educational offerings, too . September 13-16, 2017. Register Now | Exhibitor List

 

Country’s largest climbing gym coming to former Sports Authority HQ by Jason Blevins at NY Post. “We have been seeking out those kinds of spaces forever, and almost always landlords wouldn’t even want to hear our pitch”…“Now they look at those kinds of places thinking they don’t want to sign a (retail) lease because they are probably going to be bankrupt in two years. Now they are saying, ‘Well, let me get this knucklehead climbing gym guy instead.’ ” Read more

 

Shopping mall in Sweden features only reclaimed, reused goods by Patrick Sisson at Curbed. “It may sound too good to be true, but Bergstrom says the numbers show the experiment in second-hand shopping has been a success. Since opening, the mall has drawn about 600-700 people a day, and 2016 sales totaled 8.1 million SEK, or $910,000.” Read more

 

Urban Outfitters Board Slammed by Group for `Extreme Insularity’ by Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg.”The directors also have an average tenure of 19 years, compared with an average of 9.4 years for the S&P mid-cap index, according to the letter.” Read more

 

Vince has ‘substantial doubt’ it can stay in business by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “The company operates 54 stores and an e-commerce website. It also distributes its products to roughly 2,300 wholesale accounts.” Read more

 

Macy’s puts Chicago flagship up for sale — at least the top half of it by Ryan Ori at Chicago Tribune. “The deal could generate as much as $130 million for Macy’s…Macy’s spokeswoman Andrea Schwartz confirmed in an email that the company plans to sell the eighth through the 14th floors of the building, encompassing 700,000 square feet. She did not say how much the company expects the real estate to fetch in a sale.” Read more

 

Bloomingdale’s will hold yoga classes to attract customers by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “The idea is to get your gear at the store,” Grokker Chief Executive Lorna Borenstein told The Post. “And to think of Bloomingdale’s as making a statement on wellness.” Read more

 

Big-Name Food Brands Lose Battle of the Grocery Aisle by Annie Gasparro at Wall Street Journal. “We’ve got to maximize return on our shelf space,” said Don Fitzgerald, vice president of merchandising at Mariano’s…Shoppers, he said, are drawn to steamy pasta at the store’s deli counter, rather than a box of dried macaroni with powdered cheese sitting on the shelf for weeks.” Read more (subs.)

 

Home Depot Settles Investor Suit Over Data Breach by Kat Greene at Law 360. Read more (subs.)

 

Woman buys purse at Walmart – finds a note from Chinese worker begging for help by Abigail Miller at Daily Mail. “The note’s author writes that he or she is a prisoner in China being forced to work about 14 hours a day with little food or medical attention.” Read more

 

INCOMING – Teen jumps into fish tank at Bass Pro, injures head, could face charges by Tom McGhee at Denver Post. “The boy jumped from an upper bridge into the main fish tank in the center of the store about 5 p.m., according to an employee.” Read more

 

New stop sign at Walmart store keeps getting ran over – town not happy by Kiran Chawla at WAFB 9 CBS. “It’s been scratched, taped up, and even run over. It has its own Facebook page with thousands of likes. It’s the latest hot spot for a selfie and even has its own name with a sign taped to it a few days ago reading, “Dear Petey the pole, get well soon.” T-shirts for the stop sign are now for sale in what’s become an overnight tourist attraction in Watson.” Video/Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

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Even IKEA is studying AI now

Japan’s potato chip crisis hits home as spud shortage strikes snack makers

Coca-Cola says Philadelphia soda tax has led to loss of 40 jobs

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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