Tipsheet: CVS Front -2.1% | Wmart Heirs Invest | Wayfair +43%

 

CVS Q2 Comp Sales: Front -2.1%, Pharmacy -2.8% Press release

 

…CVS Health tops 2Q forecasts, narrows 2017 guidance by Tom Murphy at Fox Business. “Overall, CVS Health’s second-quarter earnings of $1.1 billion rose 19 percent compared to last year’s quarter, when the company booked a $542 million loss on the early retirement of some debt.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart, insurers settle lawsuits over 2014 Tracy Morgan crash by Jonathan Stempel at Reuters. “Terms of the settlement are confidential, and both sides agreed not to bring their claims again…Wal-Mart’s payouts to Morgan and Fuqua have not been disclosed, but court documents suggest that the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer might have paid more than $90 million.” Read more

 

Michael Kors Q1 Comp Sales -5.9% (vs. -9.0% predicted) Press release

 

…Michael Kors’ profit tumbles but tops Street estimates, sending shares soaring at CNBC. “Total revenue for the first quarter came in at $952.4 million, again topping analysts’ estimates for sales of $918.6 million, according to Thomson Reuters.” Read more

 

Amazon is telling third-party booksellers they must speed up delivery times by up to 40% by Ari Levy at CNBC. “Starting Aug. 31…According to an email that Amazon sent to sellers of books, CDs and DVDs, distributors to the lower 48 states will have to deliver items within a window of four to eight days, down from four to 14 days.” Read more

 

Wayfair Q2 Total Net Revenue +43% Press release

 

A memorial service for Costco Co-founder and Chairman Jeff Brotman has been scheduled for 11 a.m. today at McCaw Hall by Coral Garnick at Puget Sound Business Journal. Read more

 

Paper or plastic? Chicago bag tax is encouraging shoppers to say ‘neither’ by Lauren Zumbach at Chicago Tribune. “…the amount the city has collected so far — nearly $3 million as of July 25 — is on pace to come in well below the $9.2 million the tax was expected to generate for city coffers this year.” Read more

 

**A message from the Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show – get ready for the nation’s largest souvenir show! Browse 1,300+ booths filled with the latest introductions from every major souvenir and resort supplier. New for 2017, the show welcomes even more made in America products, a 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

 

Martha Stewart going to trial over PetSmart dispute by Anthony Noto at New York Business Journal. “Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia…has been accused of strong-arming a business partner out of a deal with national pet store chain PetSmart.” Read more

 

Ex-Sam’s Club CEO Kevin Turner named advisor to Albertsons CEO Press release

 

Amazon is staffing up its big new Bellevue, Wash. office building by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “Amazon’s jobs site shows 85 open positions in Bellevue, most of them in the new 354,000-square-foot building called Centre 425.” Read more

 

Public has chance to air concerns today over Costco chicken plant in Nebraska by Barbara Soderlin at Omaha World-Herald. “The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Christensen Field multipurpose building in Fremont.” Read more

 

These are the most — and the least — trusted news sources in the U.S. by Sue Chang at MarketWatch. Chart/Read more

 

What Wal-Mart Pay Knows That Apple Pay Doesn’t by Karen Webster at Seeking Alpha. “Since March, we’ve seen the first-time use of Wal-Mart Pay increase by 31.7 percent to 19.1 percent of respondents. And of those who have the app on their smartphone and use it to pay, there was an increase of 53.5 percent to 5.08 percent of respondents.” Read more

 

Panel Upholds $42M Judgment Against Safeway for Online Markups by Ross Todd at The Recorder. “The suit claimed Safeway breached the terms of its agreement with online customers in April 2010 when it increased prices for the delivery service by about 10 percent over the rates charged at the brick-and-mortar stores where the orders were filled. The markups, the plaintiffs claimed, were higher than delivery fees allowed under the terms of their contract.” Read more

 

Walmart heirs win battle for cycling brand Rapha at BBC. “Upmarket cycling clothes brand Rapha has been bought by the grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Steuart and Tom Walton and their firm RZC Investments will now own a controlling stake in the business.” Read more

 

Ralph Lauren’s quarterly sales down 13.2 percent at Reuters. “Revenue fell to $1.35 billion from $1.55 billion.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart, Visa Want Antitrust Case Paused To Work On A Deal by William Gorta at Law 360. “The companies have dueling lawsuits springing from Wal-Mart’s opting out of a $7.25 billion antitrust settlement in the interchange fee multidistrict litigation, which were stayed in 2015 to await the outcome of appeals to the settlement.” Read more (subs.)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Amazon and Cesar Millan launch audiobooks for dogs

Chewy to expand in South Florida, hire 1,100 new employees

Moment undercover cop poses as an Amazon delivery driver to snare a drug dealer

Why Casper Is The $750 Million Startup That Just Can’t Rest

Woman claims she found a bullet in her kangaroo steak from Woolworths

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: Secret Food Spies | Police Boycott Dunkin | Boxed Shops @ Costco

 

Boxed buys from rival Costco before hiking prices for delivery by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Boxed is offering the fresh food service in New York City, Atlanta, Boston and many areas of New Jersey…The grocery service will likely be rolled out next in Dallas or Las Vegas.” Read more

 

Tulsa tornado takes out PetSmart sign and causes widespread damage at Tulsa World. Pics

 

Inside the Secret World of Global Food Spies at Bloomberg. “A bowl of ice cream on a hot day in Shanghai gave American Mitchell Weinberg the worst bout of food poisoning he can recall. It also inspired the then-trade consultant to set up Inscatech — a global network of food spies…“Statistically we’re uncovering fraud about 70 percent of the time, but in China it’s very close to 100 percent,” he said. “It’s pervasive, it’s across food groups, and it’s anything you can possibly imagine.” Read more

 

Sprouts is the only ‘likely takeout candidate’ left among grocers, JPMorgan says by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. “JPMorgan analyst Ken Goldman wrote in a note to clients that — should anyone else be shopping for a deal — “Sprouts is large enough to move the needle for most large retailers but not so large as to generate huge integration or balance sheet risk.” Though, a takeout of Sprouts would make more sense for a strategic acquirer, like Target, than a financial one, Goldman added.” Read more

 

The police boycott of Dunkin’ Donuts is fully on at NY Post. “The brew-haha began Friday when a worker at a Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins at 1993 Atlantic Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant refused to scoop ice cream for two 73rd Precinct detectives — allegedly because they were cops.” Read more

 

Amazon wants to build a network of mobile drone maintenance and delivery platforms by Andrew Liptak at The Verge. “The patent essentially describes a standard shipping container that’s ben outfitted with an automated door on the ceiling, and a “retrieval apparatus comprises a landing surface configured to be raised or lowered along a vertical axis and rotated about the vertical axis.” Read more

 

**A message from Fabe – 100% Made in Italy pillow prevents 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. Details | Fabe Website | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net. Italy-America product connection

 

Supervalu plots to keep Cub Foods on top of Twin Cities grocery scene by John Ewoldt at Star Tribune. “I’m the guy overseeing the projects,” Mark Gross, chief executive of Supervalu Inc., Cub’s parent company, said in an interview. “We’re giving Cub the capital, the leadership, the talents, resources and innovation. I’m optimistic.” Read more

 

Overstock blames a Google algorithm adjustment for a troubling quarter by Allison Enright at Internet Retailer. “We are traditionally quite good at SEO, and even can be said to punch above our weight on that score,” CEO Patrick M. Byrne (said) “…but this year the volatility introduced and the length of the tuning has been significantly greater than any previous year of which we are aware.” Read more

 

Target, Best Buy spent big to help halt import tax by Mark Reilly at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. “Best Buy spent $1.7 million on lobbying between January and June, twice as much as it spent in all of 2016. Target spent nearly $1.5 million, almost as much as it spent all of last year.” Read more

 

Boxed Pays for Worker Weddings. Will the Perk Survive Automation? by Jing Cao at Bloomberg. “Not only do all full-time Boxed employees get shares in the company—a rarity in the startup world—and unlimited parental leave, Huang also pays for weddings and college tuition for workers’ children, unique policies that cost tens of thousands of dollars per beneficiary…In Huang’s words, the “people who move atoms” are just as important as those who “move bits and bytes.” Read more

 

…Boxed’s founder explains how a box of Cheerios led him to found the company by Trent Gillies at CNBC. “When Boxed CEO Chieh Huang was growing up in suburban New Jersey, going to Costco forerunner Price Club was a family ritual…Years later, grown up and working in Manhattan, he was annoyed at having to pay expensive city prices for a simple box of cereal. “I didn’t have a car to go to a warehouse club. I felt, maybe millions of other Americans might have this problem.” Read more

 

Office Depot Announces Same-Day Delivery Coming to Three Markets “…is launching on August 28 in Atlanta, Georgia and Los Angeles, California; and on September 6 in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, Florida.” Press release

 

Inside Kendrick Lamar’s Los Angeles Pop-Up Shop at Billboard. “Patrons arrived as early as 2 AM to be the first in line for the Damn. Pop-Up Shop…Of the 15 cities where Lamar planned to stage a temporary store, New York and Los Angeles are the only ones to last longer than a day, with the former running from July 20-23 and the latter until Aug. 11.” Read more

 

Blue Apron plans to move 1,270 employees from existing fulfillment center to newer, bigger facility in Linden, New Jersey at CNN Money. “Blue Apron said in a statement that about 800 of the affected employees have already agreed to transfer to Linden.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Millennials don’t know how credit cards work: survey

Seven Strategies to Loosen Amazon’s Grip (WSJ subs.)

Why Adults Without Kids Are Obsessed With Disney Cruises

Here are the 67 new emoji that might hit phones in 2018

How high-tech breast pumps help new mothers reclaim their time

Little Caesars unveils Pizza Portal – skip the line, get the pizza

Former Mexican president ‘wants to be the R.J. Reynolds of marijuana’

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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

Lowe’s Cuts | Aldi Yanks Eggs | Bezos Buys in B.Hills

 

Lowe’s is cutting more jobs by Katherine Peralta at Charlotte Observer. “The home-improvement retailer confirmed Thursday that it is laying off an undisclosed number of delivery workers nationwide as the company shifts to a third-party delivery service.” Read more

 

Aldi yanks eggs in Germany amid pesticide scare by Mike Corder at AP via Fox Business. “Aldi and rival Lidl had already taken eggs from farms under suspicion of Fipronil contamination off the shelves. Two other German supermarket chains, Rewe and Penny, have stopped selling all Dutch eggs.” Read more

 

Early warning signs point to a slowdown in beauty retail by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. “Ulta is a victim of their own success,” KeyBanc analyst Jason Gere told CNBC. “I think the stock is weak because people are saying all these good things can’t last forever. … [Business] has to slow at some point.” Read more

 

FedEx, in online pivot, backs away from holiday surcharges via ABC News. “FedEx will skip special charges for most packages shipped during the holiday season this year as it seeks to undercut rival UPS.” Read more

 

Jeff Bezos expands his domain in Beverly Hills by Neal J. Leitereg at LA Times. “Jeff Bezos has expanded his foothold in Beverly Hills, buying a home for $12.9 million in a deal completed outside the Multiple Listing Service. Never publicly listed for sale, the 1956-built house sits on a half-acre lot that backs up to the Spanish-style estate that Bezos bought in 2007 for $24.45 million. In other words, it’s a real-world firewall for the multibillionaire.” Read more

 

Sequined sneakers and ‘millennial pink’: 5 back-to-school trends to watch by Abha Bhattarai at Washington Post. “‘Millennial pink’: The year’s it-color…“It’s definitely the year’s big trend,” says Petter Knutrud, head of merchandising for Office Depot. “Notebooks, pencils, folders, erasers. We’re seeing it across multiple departments and designs.” Read more

 

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Accelerates Realignment of Store Management Structure “…in approximately half of its U.S. Bed Bath & Beyond stores and about a dozen U.S. buybuy BABY stores, a limited realignment of its store management organization, primarily resulting in a reduction of about 880 Department and Assistant Store Manager positions.” Press release

 

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

 

Charcoal grilling banned in Seattle by Mark Nowlin at Seattle Times. “An air-quality burn ban is in effect for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties as smoke from British Columbia wildfires blankets the region.” Read more

 

Fred’s Pharmacy July comparable store sales decreased 0.1% “Fred’s Pharmacy’s total sales for the month decreased 3.5% year-over-year to $150.5 million from $155.9 million in July 2016. The decrease in sales is related primarily to the closure of 39 underperforming stores in the first quarter.” Press release

 

Cato Reports July Same-Store Sales Down 9.0% Press release

 

Wall Street Journal: Are Wines from Costco, Sam’s Club and Trader Joe’s Worth Drinking? by Lettie Teague. “…the other seven wines I bought at Trader Joe’s were some of the worst I’ve tasted in years. The two Charles Shaw —aka “Two Buck Chuck”—wines, a Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc, were virtually undrinkable…The wines from Sam’s Club and especially Costco were better; some, quite good.” Read more (subs.)

 

Disappointing Cabela’s results add risk to merger with Bass Pro by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “I suspect Cabela’s is pretty nervous [about the merger] and without a lot of options,” a source close to the deal said.” Read more

 

Etsy lives to fight another day as new leadership shaves costs and delivers an earnings beat by John Mannes at TechCrunch. “Etsy announced revenue of $101.69 million with earnings per share of 10 cents. The finance gods prognosticated revenue of $101.14 million and a loss of $0.01 per share, making this quarter.” Read more

 

The Buckle July Comp Sales -8.4% Press release

 

Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS turn up the heat on generic drugmaker deals by Deena Beasley at Reuters. “There’s no question those guys are getting much better pricing and really squeezing the manufacturers on margins,” said Gabelli & Co portfolio manager Jeff Jonas. “It’s going to be a tough space for some time … they are just going to keep playing the manufacturers off against each other.” Read more

 

Dunkin’ Brands will test-drive abbreviated “Dunkin’ signage beginning with a California test location by Dan Orlando at Nation’s Restaurant News. Read more

 

Amazon’s shoe business sees double-digit growth, and the year is only halfway over by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. “In the first two quarters of this year, the internet giant has already seen its shoe revenues grow 18 percent from a year ago, the firm found, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2016, Amazon’s total shoe sales climbed by 35 percent.” Read more

 

Ingles Markets Q3 Comp Sales (Ex-Gas/Easter) +0.8% Press release

 

Pirate Joe’s Ordered To Stop Reselling Trader Joe’s Products by Julia Goodman at Law 360. “U.S. District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein ruled that Michael Hallatt must cease reselling Trader Joe’s products at his Canadian store, saying Hallatt hadn’t shown any legal reasoning or evidence that would invalidate a signed term sheet in which he agreed to close the store.” Read more (subs.)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Lollapalooza Evacuated on Day One as Bad Weather Ruins Lorde’s Set

Long lines at first Saks Off 5th store in Montreal area

Walton interests revealed as mystery buyer behind site near Bentonville’s Market District

Two more pet food companies sever ties with Chewy.com

Bakersfield Lowe’s greeter a former Hollywood star

Mother wants frozen tilapia off Walmart shelves after strange discovery

Montrealers raise eyebrows at $3.4-million granite ‘stumps’ in park

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: Cabela’s -9.3% | Rite Aid Bear | WM Joins Chemical Project | C.Store -1.2%

 

Wal-Mart Puts Chemicals in Spotlight by Joining New Program by Lauren Coleman-Lochner & Taylor Cromwell at Bloomberg. “Walmart is participating in the Chemical Footprint Project, which seeks to help companies root out dangerous substances from the products they sell. Two dozen companies have joined the effort, including Johnson & Johnson, HP Inc. and Staples Inc., according to a report on Wednesday. The idea was to create a standard modeled on carbon-footprint scores.” Read more

 

Thousands show up for jobs at Amazon warehouses in US cities via CNBC. “Amazon said it received “a record-breaking 20,000 applications” and hired thousands of people on the spot, and will hire more in the coming days. That number represented fewer than half of the 50,000 people it had said it planned to hire.” Read more

 

Cabela’s Q2 Comp Sales -9.3% “U.S. comparable store sales decreased 9.7% as compared to the same quarter a year ago. Firearms and shooting related products were responsible for nearly half of the overall comparable store sales decline.” Press release

 

Nordstrom shares fall on report that buyout discussions are ‘informal’, nothing but ‘talks’ by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. “Those bankers who were “hoping to funnel billions of debt into the deal are getting anxious because the window to do a deal this year is narrowing,” WWD said. For a deal like this to happen, Nordstrom would need to be out of the market by early November, one banker said. “That means you have to basically have a deal announced by the beginning of October.” Read more

 

Cook County soda tax causing frustration in the aisles by Ally Morotti, Grace Wong and Greg Trotter at Chicago Tribune. “I think it’s ridiculous, especially since it’s only for Cook County,” the 42-year-old said. “If you’re on a money crunch or something and you have a budget, 20 cents is still 20 cents.” Read more

 

Amazon is roping in cabbies and private-hire car drivers to make Singapore deliveries by Zoey Chong at CNET. “Under our regulations, taxis and private-hire cars are meant to carry passengers for hire and reward, and cannot be used solely for the conveyance of goods,” Singapore’s Land Transport Authority told local media The Straits Times. “However, passengers who hire a taxi or a private-hire car are allowed to carry goods with them.” Read more

 

TAX HOLIDAY WEEKEND – New Mexico, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina and Virginia will allow tax-free shopping this weekend by Bruce Krasnow at Santa Fe New Mexican. Read more

 

Container Store Q1 Comp Sales -1.2% “Net Sales up 3.2%; 0.7% of Comparable Store Sales Decline Attributable to Easter Shift. Comparable Store Sales Slightly Positive in June; Continuing Positive in July.” Press release

 

Amazon’s new refunds policy will ‘crush’ small businesses, outraged sellers say by Ari Levy at CNBC. “Marketplace sellers who ship products from their home, garage or warehouse — rather than using Amazon’s facilities — were told this week by email that starting Oct. 2, items they sell will be “automatically authorized” for return.” Read more

 

Costco and Sam’s Club Are Now Discounting Stuff on Groupon by Michelle Lodge at The Street. “The recent Costco deal on Groupon, which is still active, gives subscribers new to Costco a $20 Costco cash card, coupons worth $36 for specific products, $25 off an order of $250 and $75 off Costco-sponsored travel to specific locales, if they sign up for the $60-a-year Gold Star membership.” Read more

 

**A message from Pirola – Italian made, designer-inspired ironing boards add spice to any home. Exclusively made in Italy for 45 years, these high-quality boards bring design and excitement to the category. Featuring the Arco board from the Design Line and the Luna board from the Plus Line. Custom colors and designs available. Website. Request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net. Made in Italy product connection

 

A Robot Can Be a Warehouse Worker’s Best Friend by Jennifer Smith at Wall Street Journal. “For example, the robots can slash the number of steps workers take to fulfill an order. But they don’t grab objects off shelves, a task that is simple for humans but tricky to automate, though developers are getting close.” Read more (subs.)

 

Amazon’s Hollywood spending soars – Wall Street analysts estimate Amazon’s spending on content will have tripled to more than $4.5 billion by the end of this year from 2014 by Jeffrey Dastin at Reuters. Read more

 

No sour grapes for merch firm owner left off Wal-Mart’s preferred list by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “With (Walmart) now also mandating a cost range the chosen providers can charge suppliers, it is essentially capping the costs. A supplier consultant recently told Talk Business & Politics the retail giant is seeking more visibility into what its suppliers pay for the services they hire to facilitate their Wal-Mart business, which takes away a bargaining chip during price negotiation.” Read more

 

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers said Wednesday that weakness at its 43 shopping centers will keep it from raising rents this year by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more

 

Target Techstars graduate Branch Messenger expanding with $6.8 million round of funding by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “In terms of capital raised, that makes Branch Messenger the most successful to date among the 10 start-ups that participated last year in the inaugural class of Target’s Techstars retail accelerator, a three-month boot camp at the retailer’s Minneapolis headquarters.” Read more

 

…Plans to Rethink America’s Malls Can’t Keep Up With Retail’s Collapse by Sarah Mulholland at Bloomberg. Read more

 

73% of larger retailers in North America paid little or no bonuses to executives for last year’s performance by Courtney Reagan at CNBC. “Korn Ferry data shows historically about half of retailers achieve their profit plans and subsequently pay executives normal bonuses. But this year, only 15 percent have met or beat their profit plans.” Read more

 

Amazon Picks Melbourne as the Location For Its First Warehouse in Australia via Fortune. Read more

 

Advertisers Need to Stop Chasing Engagement and Get Back to Focusing on Awareness by Brian Sheehan at Adweek. “Today, awareness matters because of a preponderance of content and advertising clutter, buffeted by the usual suspects: fragmentation, social media and native advertising. People are seeing and hearing advertising messages from an almost unlimited number of products and brands all day long.” Read more

 

Avon CEO Sheri McCoy to step down at Fox Business. Read more

 

STANDING-ROOM-ONLY CROWD COMES TO HEAR ABOUT “RITE AID BEAR” at Idyllwild Town Crier. “The arrival of the Banning Rite Aid bear in Idyllwild has aroused the interest and curiosity of a large local audience…Audience stretched through the Community Room door into the library all the way to the circulation desk.” Read more

 

…TAUNTS HOMEOWNER – Officials think it’s the same bear that gobbled up homeowners prized koi fish at NBC 4 Los Angeles. “It jumped into her pond and quickly gobbled up three of her prized koi fish before she says she chased it up a tree. “He sat up there with my fish in his mouth. I was so upset,” Ringgold said.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Woman buys bag of charcoal from this grocery store – finds pound of marijuana inside

Former Walmart executive joins Bernhard Capital Partners

Popular HGTV brothers partner with Lowe’s to offer décor furniture

Walgreens takes minority stake in $1.4 billion purchase of pharmacy provider

CVS employee, 76, arrested for killing his manager and leaving his body by the store’s dumpster

‘Miami Vice’ Reboot From Vin Diesel in the Works at NBC

Antenna sales back on the rise as millennials are shocked to discover broadcast TV is free

Ikea begins selling solar panels and home batteries in the UK

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: Brotman Death ‘A Complete Shock’ | WM/Suppliers Face Off | Boxed CEO @ CNBC

 

Death of Costco co-founder Jeff Brotman, 74, ‘a complete shock’ by Janet I. Tu at Seattle Times. “Mr. Brotman, 74, died in his sleep at his home in Medina, said his brother, Michel Brotman. The cause of death wasn’t immediately known. “We assume his heart just stopped working,” Michel Brotman said. He said that on Monday night, Mr. Brotman had attended a dinner for about 2,000 Costco warehouse managers from around the world who are gathered this week at the Washington State Convention Center.” Read more

 

…Jeff Brotman is the older son of Bernie and Pearl Brotman…Bernie Brotman was the founder of former Tacoma-based clothing chain Bernie’s Men’s Wear and was the man who came up with the idea for Costco. by Kenny Ocker at the News Tribune. Read more

 

Walmart Canada scraps online pickup fee at CTV News. “The retail giant said Tuesday it is cancelling its $2.97 charge for customers who order groceries online and pick them up in stores.” Read more

 

J.C. Penney Launches ‘Project Runway’ Line Amid Retail Push For Faster Fashion by Barbara Thau at Fortune. “The exclusive line rolls out to 500 stores with a women’s summer collection featuring designs inspired by Project Runway’s season 15 winner Erin Robertson, and a full assortment is planned for Sept. 8.” Read more

 

Publix Q2 Comp Sales +1.6% “Sales for the second quarter of 2017 were positively impacted by 1.2 percent due to the effect of the Easter holiday being in the second quarter in 2017.” Press release

 

Target Commits $14 Million to Local Youth Soccer “In addition to the local grant program, Target will partner with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to build 100 new soccer play spaces across the U.S. by 2020…to transform the landscape of underserved communities, turning play deserts into safe and accessible soccer spaces.” Press release

 

Former Costco food buyer set to open Organic Coup restaurants this fall in downtown Seattle and Bellevue by Janet I. Tu at Seattle Times. “Costco co-founder and former CEO Jim Sinegal and Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti are among the investors in the chain.” Read more

 

Democrats call for harsh new punishments on companies that outsource jobs at CNBC. “Democrats’ proposals include penalizing businesses that move jobs or their headquarters out of the United States. Companies would have to pay a corporate tax rate of 35 percent on any profits held overseas before relocating.” Read more

 

Supplier questions linger on Wal-Mart’s ‘On Time, In Full’ D-Day by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Peter Hirsch and Jennifer Shorkey, divisional merchandise logistics managers at Wal-Mart, presented the basics of the new OTIF agenda to about 100 suppliers who attended Casestack’s Supply Chain Summit…One supplier said it’s unfair for Wal-Mart to charge for late deliveries when much of the problems come from using Wal-Mart’s internal consolidation centers known as Center Point.” Read more

 

Amazon quietly starts using Stripe to process some e-commerce transactions by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “Stripe is also trying to make deals with Target Corp., Under Armour Inc., and other merchants to snag money available outside the startup scene, partnerships made more possible by the trust Amazon is showing.” Read more

 

F.D.A. has 6 inspectors for 3 million shipments of cosmetics by Eric Lipton at NY Times. Read more

 

Boxed CEO Appears on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” “A day where shoppers don’t even have to think about what they need to purchase — let alone push a button — is quickly approaching, Chieh Huang, Boxed co-founder and CEO, said Tuesday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “The machine learning algorithm is getting better and better” in being used in e-commerce, he said.” Video/Read more

 

**A message from Lock-it Block-it – Leave windows open AND secure. The Lock-it Block-it is a high-impact security bar that allows windows to stay open AND secure at the same time. Stop burglars – keep the summer breeze. 13 adjustment holes allow for inch-by-inch opening adjustments. Great for sliding doors/windows too! Video | Sell sheet | Retailers request samples: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Amazon expands Bay Area footprint with 180K square-foot lease in downtown San Francisco by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “The tech giant just inked a deal for 180,000 square-feet of space in a downtown San Francisco tower at 525 Market St., reported the San Francisco Business Times, which noted that the lease will bring Amazon’s footprint to more than 750,000 square feet in the Bay Area.” Read more

 

RAIN, RAIN – Emily rain pounds South Florida and Beach pumps fail without power at Miami Herald. “Throughout Miami Beach, water closed traffic lanes and forced people to wade with shoes in hand. Rain seeped into businesses, and even a manhole popped off the street and floated away. Across the bay, several inches of rain pooled on streets in Miami’s downtown and Brickell neighborhoods.” Read more

 

Walmart Buying 19K iPads for Employee Training by Jeff Gamet at The Mac Observer. Read more

 

Jeff Bezos’ startup advice, as told by ‘The Onion’: Hire well, value customers, and ‘realize someday I will utterly crush you’ by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. Read more

 

Kroger unit could face $10M in damages from fingerprint scan lawsuits by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Business Courier. “A ​Kroger Co. division is the target of two lawsuits that claim the company used fingerprint scans to track when employees clocked in and out of work without getting the proper permissions.” Subscription required

 

Dirk Van de Put named CEO of Mondelēz as long-time CEO Irene Rosenfeld retires at Reuters. Read more

 

Walmart & Arianna Huffington Team Up For V-Commerce Competition by Kyle Melnick at VR Scout. “…finalists will be invited to an exclusive exhibition in Los Angeles on October 18…Judges include Huffington, Marc Lore of Walmart Ecommerce U.S., Kristen Green of Forerunner Ventures, and Tipatat Chennavasin of The Venture Reality Fund. “ Read more

 

Amazon poaches ATP tennis rights in UK from Sky at Fox Business. “Amazon Prime Video agreed to pay as much as 10 million pounds ($13.2 million) a year for the rights.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Target may be only the only option to replace antique mall in Ocean Beach

Blistering heat wave threatens Seattle, where only a third have air conditioning

Outback Steakhouse denies nationwide cult operation

Bees Are Bouncing Back From Colony Collapse Disorder

‘Too nice’: Do Canadians lack a killer business instinct?

Impossible Foods just raised $75 million for its plant-based burgers

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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: GameStop Open Tgiving | Costco Wine Test | Saks Heat | Joly’s Monks

 

GameStop Stores Will Stay Open This Thanksgiving, Breaking a Three-Year Policy by Joseph Hincks at Fortune. “The video game retailer announced the changes in a conference call Monday, gaming website Kotaku reports, citing two company staff who joined the call.” Read more

 

COSTCO KIRKLAND WINE TASTE TEST – Critic: “In general, they’re drinkable but pretty simple and a bit dull.” by Elin McCoy at Bloomberg. Read more

 

Amazon is launching a home improvement show using YouTube stars to sell stuff by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “Overhaul” debuts in September in a special hub on Amazon.com, according to Business Insider. The first two episodes will feature YouTube baking star Rosanna Pansino and beauty blogger Teni Panosian.” Read more

 

Lumber Liquidators’ Stock Soars After Surprise Profit And Sales Beat by Tomi Kilgore at Fox Business. “Revenue rose to $263.5 million from $238.1 million, above the FactSet consensus of $256.9 million, as same-store sales growth of 8.8% beat expectations of a 6.0% rise.” Read more

 

One of the most popular mattress makers on Amazon is building an Amazon-powered store by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “We’ve had a lot of internal debate about this since the beginning: The approach to resist Amazon as a force and see how we can go head-to-head against it,” said Daehee Park, Tuft & Needle’s co-founder. “But where we’re at right now, we’ve decided why not just embrace them. It is the future of retail and e-commerce.” Read more

 

Limited Too makes its return in N.Y.C. via pop-up shops by Anthony Noto at New York Business Journal. “New Yorkers can spot the tiny versions of the shops selling tween back-to-school products from mobile trucks parked outside of big-name retailers, including Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.” Read more

 

Activist investor turns up heat on owner of Saks Fifth Avenue by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Land & Buildings fired off its second letter in six weeks to the board of Hudson’s Bay on Monday, threatening to remove board members if the department store company doesn’t sell some of its prized real estate.” Read more

 

Dilllard’s stores worth more than its business: hedge fund by Carleton English at NY Post. “Dillard’s is essentially an unleveraged real estate company that is masquerading as a low productivity retailer,” Jeffrey Pierce, managing partner of Snow Park, said in a statement Monday.” Read more

 

**A message from Fabe – The Italian hand-crafted pillow that prevents 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. DetailsFabe Website | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net. Italy-America Chamber

 

Under Armour shares fall; retailer to restructure, trimming its sales outlook for 2017 by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. “Under Armour said it closed 33 factory outlets and 23 Under Armour-branded stores over the course of the 12 months ended June 30.” Read more

 

Study: 26.8% plan to buy back-to-school items this year. Of this group, 37.0% say they will begin their online search for back-to-school items on Amazon by April Berthene at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

Etsy’s Painful Lesson: It’s a Retailer, Not a Tech Startup by Khadeeja Safdar at Wall Street Journal. “Everything felt like an experiment on Etsy,” she said. “I realized I could make better use of my time figuring out my own analytics rather than figuring out Etsy’s algorithms.” Read more (subs.)

 

…Etsy appoints Mike Fisher as Chief Technology Officer Press release

 

US executives have Amazon on their minds more than Trump or wages at Bloomberg via Internet Retailer. “Looking at the last 90 days of earnings calls and other corporate events such as investor days, a trend emerges. Amazon comes up a lot. It was mentioned a staggering 635 times over that time frame, while President Donald Trump came up just 162 times and wages were discussed 111, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.” Read more

 

The first Harveys Supermarket to open in Tampa feels a lot like the Winn-Dixie it was before by Justine Griffin at Tampa Bay Times. “Southeastern Grocers…is converting seven Winn-Dixie stores in Florida into Harveys Supermarkets in an effort to expand the Harveys brand in the state. All seven stores, which are mainly in the Central Florida region, will open in their communities on Wednesday morning.” Read more

 

Amazon, Stitch Fix already rank among the top online apparel sellers by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. “While only 15 percent of consumers surveyed by (NPD) said they have ordered apparel subscription boxes, 14 percent of shoppers who have not ordered them said they plan to…Amazon is planning to roll out an apparel subscription service of its own, called Prime Wardrobe.” Read more

 

Best Buy’s Hubert Joly drew on leadership principles shaped by his work as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. and by philosophical and spiritual work he did with monks at the Congregation of St. John by Marilyn Much at Investor’s Business Daily. Read more

 

Amazon 3rd-Party Vendors May Waive Prior State Sales Taxes by Vidya Kauri at Law 360. “A committee within the Multistate Tax Commission, an intergovernmental tax agency, on Monday adopted a time-limited program that will allow Amazon.com Inc.’s third-party sellers to have prior state sales and use tax liabilities waived if they agree to collect and remit those taxes going forward.” Read more (subs.)

 

Supermarkets Face a Growing Problem: Too Much Space by Heather Haddon & Julie Jargon at Wall Street Journal. “A massive build-out by retailers has left the country piled up with grocery shelves as consumers are shifting from big weekly shopping trips to more snacking and to-go meals. The mismatch has flattened retail sales and leaves the industry vulnerable to a wave of closures that some executives, bankers and industry experts think is coming soon.” Read more (subs.)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

You’ll soon be able to buy alcohol, weed and maybe guns from a vending machine

‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ sues Chris Christie

Target didn’t leave NASCAR because of Kyle Larson

Bloomberg: The Secret Economic Lives of Animals

Study: 70% of consumers said they prefer to return online orders to physical stores

Canadian Tire worker who threw out Indigenous man no longer an employee

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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