Tipsheet: Costco +10.8% | Kroger +1.1% | Target +Men | Pilot ‘Cheated Customers’

 

Costco November Comp Sales +10.8% (+7.9% excluding gas & f/x) “Pre-Thanksgiving and Black Friday/holiday weekend sales fell into the first quarter this year compared to the second quarter last year. Combined, these factors produced an estimated net benefit of approximately 1.5% in the U.S., and slightly less worldwide.” Press release

 

Kroger Q3 Comp Sales (ex-gas) +1.1% “Total sales increased 4.5% to $27.7 billion in the third quarter…Total sales, excluding fuel, increased 3.0% in the third quarter compared to the same period last year…Expects 2017 Q4 comp sales (ex-fuel) to exceed 1.1%.” Press release

 

…Reuters: Kroger’s quarterly results top Street as discounts lure shoppers Read more

 

Michaels Q3 Comp Sales +1.0% “For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, the company expects comparable store sales to increase 1.5% to 2.5%…and  to open one new Michaels store and close four Aaron Brothers stores.” Press release

 

The 50 most innovative CMOs in the world in 2017 (Walmart #22, Nordstrom #46) by Tanya Dua at Business Insider. Top 50 list

 

At Home Q3 Comp Sales +7.1% Press release

 

Target Lures Guys to Its Stores With Beer and Beard Wax by Matthew Boyle & Alexandra Stratton at Bloomberg. “Target is reaching out to men with ads in GQ Magazine and during televised football and baseball games, hoping to lure guys like Andrew Hart, 23, an analyst in Dallas, who shops at J. Crew and Banana Republic and said he “would never buy clothes at Target,”…But the Goodfellow brand has clicked so far — sales are up more than 10 percent compared with Target’s previous men’s offering.” Read more

 

Sears comp sales tumbled a whopping 15.3% during Q3 at CNBC. Read more

 

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Wal-Mart updates suppliers about on-time, in-full progress; effort could raise shipping costs by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “We are working on a system that would give you an appointment at the same time you get the purchase order,” Oldham said. Beland expects Wal-Mart will likely delay the full 95% OTIF implementation well into next year given the perfect storm brewing. He said Wal-Mart is not building additional regional distribution centers and that means it’s going to have to improve the flow in the 42 it already operates.” Read more

 

UPS picks Walmart exec as new ‘chief transformation officer’ by Eric Mandel at Atlanta Business Chronicle. “Scott Price will join the company…effective Dec. 11, reporting directly to chairman and CEO David Abney…Price is currently executive vice president, Global Leverage, for Walmart.” Read more

 

Forbes Best States for Business Ranked list

 

‘I cheated customers and I did it well,’ former Pilot Flying J sales exec tells court by Jamie Satterfield at Knoxville News Sentinel via USA Today. “Brian Mosher considered himself a master at the game of defrauding trucking company customers, and he told jurors Monday that he made sure two of his bosses knew it. “I was hammering for a promotion with the discount savings my (fraudulent) manual rebates created for Pilot,” Mosher testified in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga.” Read more

 

Target Media Director Nick Jezarian On Data, Creative Versioning And Addressable TV by Steve Ellwanger at Beet.TV. “Target Media Director Nick Jezarian was one of the keynote speakers at the recent Beet Retreat Miami 2017…Creative “is the number one thing that we’re focused on” and “not just letting an investment level or a production budget dictate how much content you’re going to create,” he said.” Video/Read more

 

Emotional Jean Coutu says farewell after shareholders approve sale to Metro via Montreal Gazette. “I gave my all, my best, in business and my profession,” the company founder said before choking up. Coutu, 90, said he will now devote his time and energy to helping the poor through a foundation established with his wife and family.” Read more

 

Casey’s Opens 2000th Store Press release

 

Miniso, Japan’s $2.99-store, plans to open 500 shops by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “(It) has been described as Dollarama’s biggest potential threat, but its diverse product range hews more closely to that of Muji or Loblaw’s Joe Fresh brand. After debuting its first six stores in Vancouver in the spring, the retailer, which prices the majority of its items at $2.99, opened its first two Ontario locations last month and a third is opening this coming weekend in Newmarket.” Read more

 

Black Enterprise’s 300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America Press release | List

 

Alice Walton sells 1,460-acre ranch west of Fort Worth by Max B. Baker at Star-Telegram. “The last price listed for the ranch, its 4,000-square-foot home and 24-stall main show barn was $16.5 million, although two real estate brokers involved in the transaction could not disclose what Three Amigos paid for it.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Lumberjacks help Duluth Trading Company introduce Waukesha store

Express Scripts CEO says he sees Amazon as a potential partner

Gap shares fall after Citi downgrades to sell

Amazon is previewing an IOT security service

Simon wants to help startups establish a retail presence in malls

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

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: The ‘Uber’ of Retail Gas? | Top 38 @ Amazon | Tiffany -1.0%

 

What We Learned From Retailers’ Five-Day Scramble for Shoppers by Matthew Boyle & Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. “This was supposed to be the year that brands like Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors relied less on markdowns to move merchandise. But so far, the industry appears as discount-dependent as ever.” Charts/Read more

 

GBH Insights has predicted the average Prime customer is spending 20 to 25 percent more on Amazon.com this holiday season at CNBC. Read more

 

Tiffany Q3 Comp Sales -1.0% Press release

 

…Tiffany earnings: 80 cents a share, vs 76 cents EPS expected at CNBC. “Total revenue rose to $976.2 million from $949.3 million.” Read more

 

The New Corporate Perk: Gassing Up at Work by Christopher M. Mathews at Wall Street Journal. “Booster Fuels founder and chief executive Frank Mycroft…sees his market as younger, tech-savvy consumers who place a premium on convenience…”Some people are still going to want to go to the gas station and shop and buy other stuff,” Mr. Mycroft said. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say we’d disrupt retail gasoline as Uber has to the taxi market.” Read more (subs.)

 

More than 70 percent of Americans shopped Thanksgiving weekend by Abha Bhattarai at Washington Post via Denver Post. “The 174 million Americans who shopped between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday spent an average of $335 per person during that five-day period, the (NRF) said.” Read more

 

…Older Millennials Were the Biggest Spenders During Holiday Weekend by Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. “Older millennials shelled out $419.52 during the five-day stretch, 25 percent more than the overall average.” Read more

 

Here are the top 38 people who run Amazon at CNBC. List

 

WEED WILLING – Couche-Tard Q2 profit surges to record on acquisitions via Montreal Gazette. “Brian Hannasch said the large convenience store chain, which operates as Circle K outside Quebec, has a proven track record of selling age-restricted products like cigarettes and beer. “We welcome the opportunity to work with one of the provinces here in Canada to demonstrate we can be a good partner in the space,” he said during a conference call about its second-quarter results.” Read more

 

Amazon Is Offering Tickets for Jumanji Previews to Its Prime Members by Fortune. Read more

 

Rite Aid hands off first batch of stores to Walgreens at Central Penn Business Journal. “Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has taken over the first 97 stores from Rite Aid Corp. as part of a larger store sale valued at nearly $4.4 billion.” Read more

 

Apple security glitch gives anyone access to your Mac without a password by typing ‘root’ at Daily Mail | Krebs article

 

Mars backs Kind bar company with investment, sales deal by Nathan Bomey at USA Today. Read more

 

After shoving its way onto iTunes, U2 is headed for the Amazon Echo by Brian Heater at TechCrunch. “The whole thing will be available as a one-time broadcast in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Austria on Thursday the 30th.” Read more

 

Instacart signs up Albertsons in delivery partnership at CNBC. Read more

 

Dick’s Workers Knock Bid To Pause Their Bag Check Suit by Braden Campbell at Law 360. “Dick’s Sporting Goods workers urged a California federal court Monday not to stay their class action alleging they are owed pay for time spent in security checks.” Read more (subs.)

 

C&S Wholesale Grocers Appoints Mike Duffy CEO Press release

 

Nonprofit Project Veritas — which targeted Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post — eligible for donations via AmazonSmile by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. Read more

 

Williams-Sonoma Introduces New Augmented Reality iOS App for Pottery Barn Press release

 

Fossil watches heading for ‘an epic blow-up’ by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “The watch and leather goods maker, which produces time pieces for Michael Kors, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, DKNY and more than a dozen others, is sitting on a small and shrinking pile of cash — too little to service its enormous debt.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Amazon drone would dismantle itself in sky, rain down parts

BJ’s CEO talks to CNBC (3:28 video)

Police ask for help identifying woman seen holding toddler at Walmart, three hours after girl went missing

Amazon’s ‘urban treehouse’ revealed in new images of future office building

WHO: 10% of drugs are bogus in developing countries

Taco truck halts GM autonomous car’s cruise through SF

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Website: www.eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: Jelinek #28 CEO | Wegmans #10 for Working Parents | Play About Target

 

Cyber Monday sales set to hit $6.59 billion, the largest ever online sum for a US shopping day at CNBC. “That projection, made by (Adobe) at 10 p.m. ET, would represent an increase of 16.8 percent when compared with the same time last year, Adobe found. The firm measures 80 percent of online transactions from 100 major U.S. retailers.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart and Kroger Get Tough With Food Suppliers on Delays at Wall Street Journal. “Kroger’s Mr. Clark said the company eventually will fine for any shipment that isn’t received on the due day. “If it was an occasional issue, it wouldn’t have been worth the time and effort” to police deliveries, he said.” Read more (subs.)

 

Comparably Ranks Top CEOs at USA Today. 

Bezos #25

Jelinek #28

Wayfair, Shah #44

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Stack #48

Top 50 list

 

OUR WALMART ON THE HUNTNY Times: As Walmart Buys Online Retailers, Their Health Benefits Suffer by Noam Scheiber & Michael Corkery. Read article

 

Play about ‘corporate mess Target made’ set in empty Canadian Target store by Flora Pan at CBC News. “On Sunday Dec. 3, a stage reading will take place in a former Target store in The Centre on Barton. He said while it’s not a full-scale production at this point, there will be some interested staging aspects to the performance on Sunday. And he feels he owes it to the people told him about their experiences, to show them what has come out of those interviews.” Read more

 

The 50 Best Companies for Working Parents (Wegmans #10) at Fortune. Top 50 list

 

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SELFIE HELPER – Millennials’ growing demand for makeup is the lipstick on retail’s pig by Julie Creswell at NY Times via Seattle Times. “When Ulta held a meet-and-greet in November at a store in Los Angeles with Jaclyn Hill, a YouTube beauty personality, nearly 700 followers stood outside for hours — some even camped overnight — to meet her…In the past year, global views of beauty videos on YouTube surged 60 percent, to 219 billion, according to Pixability.” Read more

 

Home Depot to Host 2017 Investor and Analyst Conference on December 6  Press release

 

Kwik Trip Reveals Plans for $300M Facilities Expansion at Convenience Store News. “Kwik Trip owns and operates more than 600 retail convenience stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. The company is building 56 new stores in 2017.” Read more

 

NRF Ask Supreme Court to Let Patent Office ‘Apply Its Expertise’ Press release

 

C-O-S-T-O-C-O: Man a Victim of Piracy After Typing Extra Vowel by Samantha Chatman & Chris Chmura at NBC 5 News. “The page asked Allen to do an eight-question survey. As a “thank you,” Allen was offered a free bottle of face cream if he paid shipping. Allen called the Responds team after four $97 and $98 charges appeared on his credit card for a cosmetic “membership.” He returned the cream and complained to Costco in writing.” Read more/Video

 

Kroger ends Texas warehousing contract, nearly 700 jobs cut by Korri Kezar at Dallas Business Journal. Read more

 

Retailers are the first to feel the pinch as Canada’s red-hot economy cools down at Financial Post via Vancouver Sun. “The Canadian economy is expected to cool in the latter part of 2017 and into 2018, (and) much of the slowing is expected to reflect more moderate consumer spending and a cooling — not collapsing — housing market,” says Craig Wright, senior vice-president and chief economist at RBC Economics Research.” Read more

 

RH Unveils RH West Palm, The Gallery at CityPlace Press release

 

‘Organic’ eggs don’t require chickens to have open-air pens, USDA says by Geoffrey Mohan at LA Times via Seattle Times. “Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue (who is not related to the chicken-raising family) left open a loophole in organic regulations that has allowed factory egg farms, some with 100,000 hens to a barn, to earn an organic imprimatur without much more than a nod to letting chickens leave their coop — that is, attaching a gated, screened porch to their barns.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Pokémon Go players may have caused $7.3B in damages last year

Army Tests New Super-Soldier Exoskeleton

Springsteen Extends Broadway Gig by Four Months ($2M+ gross weekly!)

Ocado and supermarket giant sign deal to develop smart platform

Costco customers leave cars at store after shooting

Arby’s owner Roark to buy Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.4 billion

Amazon Takes a Trip In Virtual and Augmented Reality

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

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: Amazon Workers ‘Sleep on Feet’ | ‘Fecal Matter’ in Makeup Samples

 

Blowout Cyber Monday numbers expected at Seeking Alpha. “First Data president Guy Chiarello tells Bloomberg TV that e-commerce traffic was up over 30% Y/Y for the first couple of hours of the shopping event. The strong showing follows the record $5.03B brought in during Black Friday by retailers.” Read more

 

Cyber Monday showdown – Wal-Mart closes in on Amazon in online price war by Nandita Bose at Reuters. “Prices at Walmart.com are now only 0.3 percent more expensive than Amazon on average, according to the study by retail data analytics firm Market Track, which analyzed prices of 213 products in 11 categories over a period of 700 days ending November 7, 2017. By comparison, Wal-Mart’s online prices were 3 percent higher than Amazon’s on average in the first 350 days ending November 7, 2016, according to the study.” Read more

 

Inside the Wal-Mart vs. Amazon Battle Over Black Friday by Sarah Nassauer & Laura Stevens at Wall Street Journal. “The number of people visiting U.S. stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday fell 4% from last year, according to RetailNext Inc…ShopperTrak found that visits declined a combined 1.6% on Thanksgiving and Black Friday from a year earlier.” Read more (subs.)

 

AirPods and Outerwear Start Out Strong This Holiday Shopping Season by Jonathan Roeder & Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. “Macy’s had sold 200,000 coats by 7 a.m. on Friday morning and expects to sell up to a million by the end of the weekend, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gennette said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.” Read more

 

Amazon, in hunt for lower prices, recruits Indian merchants by Vindu Goel at NY Times. Read more

 

NBC Today show finds harmful bacteria in store makeup samples “You could literally be applying and smearing someone else’s fecal matter directly onto your lips,” Bowe said. Some samples from all three stores also tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause very serious infections, boils and lesions, especially if you have an open cut on your skin or lips, or it gets in your eyes.” Video/Read more

 

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Retailers’ Emails Are Misfires for Many Holiday Shoppers by Suzanne Kapner at Wall Street Journal. “Two-thirds of companies examined by Sailthru received a score of 50 or less out of 100 based on their ability to personalize their sites, emails, mobile apps, social media and loyalty programs.” Read more (subs.)

 

L.L. Bean expects to sell a record number of duck boots this year at AP via Omaha World-Herald. “The company projects to sell about 750,000 of them this year, company spokeswoman Carolyn Beem said. That would be 100,000 more than last year, and nearly three times the amount sold in 2012. The company has eliminated most of the backlog for boots and doesn’t anticipate problems with availability this holiday shopping season, Beem said.” Read more

 

Amazon says Thanksgiving mobile orders spiked 50% from last year by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. Read more

 

Discarded H&M clothes being used to power electrical plant by Jesper Starn at Bloomberg. “The Vasteras plant burned about 15 tons of discarded clothes from H&M so far in 2017, compared with about 400,000 tons of trash, Neren said.” Read more

 

Amazon working conditions too harsh for some European workers by Andrew Levy at Daily Mail. “…the investigation, by an undercover reporter for the Sunday Mirror who spent five weeks there…He said that some of his colleagues were so tired from working 55-hour weeks that they would ‘sleep on their feet’. ‘Those who could not keep up with the punishing targets faced the sack – and some who buckled under the strain had to be attended by ambulance crews,’ he added.” Read more

 

Poland may phase out Sunday shopping by 2020 via ABC News. “The bill still needs approval from the Senate and from President Andrzej Duda. Poland’s influential Roman Catholic bishops said in a statement they were not fully satisfied and insisted that all Sundays should be free from work for everyone.” Read more

 

Sobeys to axe 800 office jobs across Canada in reorganization of grocery business via Financial Post. “Analyst Irene Nattel of RBC Dominion Securities wrote in a note to clients that the elimination of about 20 per cent of the Sobeys office workforce is a “critical step” towards reducing the company’s operating burden — but she remains cautious.” Read more

 

JCPenney coupon change leaves customers confused at CNN Money. “For the past few years, Stephanie Lugo and Jose Irizarry made JCPenney the first stop on Black Friday. The embattled retailer would typically give out coupons at the door that would save them anywhere between $10 and $500. This year, they were disappointed to find that there were no coupons available.” Read more

 

Macy’s suffers credit card payment glitch at the worst possible time: Black Friday at CNBC. “Hey Macys, just left $300 of items on counter because your credit card machines are down at State St Chicago,” wrote Meghan McCollough.” Read more

 

Amazon Merchants Continue to Find Ways to Cheat by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “This stuff has been going on nonstop since we started selling on Amazon,” said Hart, president of VIAHART in New York City. “It’s still the Wild West. There are tons of scams and they constantly evolve to keep gaming the system.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

The 2018 Fortune Crystal Ball: 59 Predictions for the Year Ahead

HBR: The Hidden Pitfall of Innovation Prizes

Tesco’s CEO Is Ready for His Close-Up

Watch Jeff Bezos describe Amazon’s business in 1999 

Senator warns at-home DNA tests could put your sensitive data at risk

Greek police arrest 7 for selling bogus olive oil

Massage Envy under fire after nearly 200 women report being sexually assaulted

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Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

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Tipsheet: Retailer ‘Toxic’ Rankings | Lowe’s +5.7% | D.Tree +3.2%

 

Lowe’s Q3 Comp Sales +5.7% (vs. 4.6% expected) “Hurricane-related sales in the quarter were approximately $200 million. For the nine-month period…comparable sales increased 4.0 percent.” Press release

 

…CNBC: Lowe’s sales top Street expectations, boosted by hurricane-related purchases Read more

 

…Lowe’s also announced that Chief Operating Officer Rick Damron will retire and be replaced by the president of the company’s international business, Richard Maltsbarger, effective Feb. 3. Read more

 

Dollar Tree Enterprise Q3 Comp Sales +3.2%: Dollar Tree +5.0%, Family Dollar +1.5% Press release

 

Burlington Q3 Comp Sales +3.1% Press release

 

Amazon Web Services Announces Secret Cloud Region for CIA by Frank Konkel at Nextgov. “The AWS Secret Region will allow the 17 intelligence agencies to host, analyze and run applications on government data classified at the secret level through the company’s $600 million C2S contract.” Read more

 

What millennial staffers taught Neiman Marcus in a much-needed beauty makeover by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “Beauty buyers and planners tested 300 brands and edited them down to 45 companies…Neiman Marcus…usually added one or two beauty lines a season, said Kelly St. John, the vice president of beauty who led the project. Twenty beauty coordinators, assistant buyers, and planners were told to think out of the box, she said.” Read more

 

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Home Depot’s Ann-Marie Campbell Never Stops Learning by Alisa Gumbs at Black Enterprise. “I spend time benchmarking other companies; like I’ll go and meet with the CEO of Publix or operations leaders at T.J. Maxx. I spend time in other businesses as well, so I can get a sense of what’s going on there.” Read more

 

DSW Q3 Comp Sales -0.4% Press release

 

Amazon is selling sketchy health products and it may be illegal by Emma Court at MarketWatch via NY Post. “Honestly, if Amazon wants to get into this business they should clean up their own house first,” said Nicodemo Fiorentino, a pharmaceutical and medical device regulatory expert, adding that consumers “do not understand the complexities of drugs and devices” and could be misled by offerings.” Read more

 

How Retailers Rank on Toxic Chemicals (Walmart A-, Target B+, Costco C-, Lowe’s D-) at Mind the Store. Rankings

 

Sporting Goods Wholesaler Maurice Hits Ch. 11 – brought down by new DC by Ryan Boysen at Law 360. “Chief Restructuring Officer Patrick J. O’Malley says the debtor, one of North America’s largest sporting goods distributors, was brought down by a new, state-of-the-art distribution center that went over budget and decreased sales due to the recent bankruptcies of other sports retailers.” Read more (subs.)

 

Macy’s Plan to Survive the Retail Apocalypse by Susan Berfield & Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. Read more

 

How Amazon Can Make or Break Holiday Retail by Laura Stevens at Wall Street Journal. “With a small product lineup, “it is tough for us to create visibility for our products in stores like Target and Best Buy,” says Vikas Gupta, co-founder and chief executive at Wonder Workshop, a 5 year-old startup based in San Mateo, Calif. The only way to do that would be to invest more in displays, and that is “very hard for a small company.” Read more (subs.)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Shoplifter fleeing Target dies in fiery crash during police chase, cops say

Amazon reps reportedly spotted touring Chicago’s former Finkl Steel site

Curious George Store avoids the axe in Harvard Square

Duluth Trading Company becomes official outfitter to U.S. Olympic luge team

Titleist CEO Blasts Push for Reduced-Distance Golf Ball (WSJ subs.)

Amazon Strikes International Output Deal With AMC Studios

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Tipsheet: Why is B.Buy Selling Barbie? | ‘Virus of Amazon’ | Macy’s Santa Reservation

 

In this year’s holiday twist, Best Buy is selling Barbies and J.C. Penney has TVs by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “It’s still a small category for us, but it’s a fast-growing category,” said CEO Hubert Joly. “We are clearly known as a destination for entertainment, including gaming and movies — and toys are a natural extension of that.” Read more (tiered subs.)

 

This Amazon seller lost $400,000 in sales after being attacked by self-proclaimed ‘virus of Amazon’ at CNBC. “In one text message to Damavandi, a person purporting to represent Krasr called himself the “virus of Amazon” and threatened to put him out of business. “Cash flow is dead,” said Damavandi, who’s already let go of half of his 12 employees. “These guys are putting people out of business overnight.” Read more

 

Why This Christmas Is Make-or-Break for Macy’s by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “Gennette tells Fortune Macy’s is now at “about the right number of doors.”…Closing stores can create a vicious cycle in which reduced brand visibility hurts sales in nearby stores, and vendors stop giving that retailer priority…The company says that in areas where it has closed a physical store, it holds on to an average of only 12% of its sales, either online or at another store.” Read more

 

FCC to Outline Plan to Roll Back Net-Neutrality Rules by John D. McKinnon at Wall Street Journal. “If the rollback survives likely legal challenges, it has the potential to reorder the online business environment. It could give internet providers such as AT&T Inc., Comcast Corp., Charter Communications Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. more flexibility to use bundles of services and creative pricing to make their favored content more attractive to consumers.” Read more (subs.)

 

Deliv to power same-day grocery delivery for Walmart in San Jose by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Retailers Try New Pricing Tricks to Battle Amazon on Black Friday by Khadeeja Safdar at Wall Street Journal. “Since Oct. 1. Target has had the lowest prices for a basket of 10 popular holiday toys, including a Barbie doll, Nerf gun and Xbox videogame, on 38 out of the first 47 days, according to information provided by Thinknum, a data analysis firm.” Read more (subs.)

 

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Wal-Mart reserves 15 Tesla electric big rigs, analyst questions battery life, cost at Talk Business. Read more

 

…Loblaw pre-orders 25 at Toronto Star. “Earlier this month, Loblaw committed to have a fully electric fleet as part of the company’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 2030.” Read more

 

Retailer Auchan says it has not been approached by Amazon in Europe Read more

 

Alibaba Bets $2.9 Billion It Can Take on Wal-Mart in China by Daniella Wei & Lulu Yilun Chen at Bloomberg. “(Alibaba) agreed to acquire 36% of Sun Art Retail Group Ltd., which operates about 400 hypermarkets under the Auchan and RT-Mart banners. As part of the deal, France’s Auchan RetailSA will raise its stake in the Hong Kong-listed company to a similar level, and form an alliance with the internet giant to tackle the same Chinese food retail sector Wal-Mart’s targeting.” Read more

 

Apple’s HomePod delayed until next year at The Verge. Read more

 

Retailers Play Loyalty Card This Holiday Season at Bloomberg. “U.S. consumers hold a total of 3.8 billion memberships in customer-loyalty programs, up from 3.3 billion in 2015, according to a report earlier this year from research firm Colloquy.” Read more

 

Wayfair needs a home for the 10,000 people it plans to hire at Boston Globe Read more (tiered subs.)

 

Activate the Crowd-Control Unit! They’re Opening a Wegmans by Sarah E. Needleman & Heather Haddon at Wall Street Journal. “Across the U.S., grand openings of specialty grocery chains such as Whole Foods Market, Stew Leonard’s and Wegmans Food Markets Inc. are attracting customer hordes. Credit television shows such as “MasterChef” and the spread of so-called food porn on social media, industry observers say, for popularizing party-atmosphere store openings.” Read more (subs.)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Families must make reservations to see Santa Claus at Macy’s flagship

Horrible little kid blamed for destroying $1,300 of makeup at Sephora

Retailers that close on Thanksgiving lose out, says location data

Fake Fingerlings: WowWee granted temporary restraining order against 165 counterfeiters

Goldman Sachs says if you thought 2017 was surprisingly good, just wait for 2018

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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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Tipsheet: F.Locker -3.7% | O.Dep CEO Buys Manse | Hibbett -1.3%

 

Foot Locker Q3 Comp Sales -3.7% Press release

 

…Fox Business: Foot Locker beats Street 3Q forecasts “Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 87 cents per share…The average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 80 cents per share.” Read more

 

Gap Q3 Comp Sales +3.0% Press release

…By Concept: Old Navy +4.0%, Gap +1.0%, Banana Republic -1.0%

 

Williams-Sonoma Q3 Comp Brand Revenue +3.3% Press release

…By Concept: Pottery Barn -0.3%, Williams-Sonoma +2.3%, West Elm +11.5%, Pottery Barn Kids +0.1%, PBteen +3.0%

 

…Williams-Sonoma is buying a 3-D imaging and augmented reality startup for $112 million by Jason Del Ray at Recode. “Williams-Sonoma has been a client of Outward’s for three years and originally used its technology to allow customers to get a 360-degree view of a piece of furniture on its websites and to easily swap out different color choices.” Read more

 

Shoe Carnival Q3 Comp Sales +4.4% Press release

 

Costco to detail gender pay gap after investor pressure by Jim Hammerand at Puget Sound Business Journal. “About 43 percent of Costco employees are women, the investment firms said, and 53 percent are sales workers. Coscto women make up 3 percent of executive leaders and senior level managers and 31 percent of first- and mid-level managers, they said.” Read more

 

**A message from ReadyStrainer – Sink full of dirty dishes and need to drain noodles? The ReadyStrainer sits at the side of the sink and directs water into the sink! Until now, colanders have been designed for use in or over a sink. But dirty dishes are cumbersome to move and can contaminate other food with unhealthy bacteria. Problem solved! Product overview | Website | Sample: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

Ross Stores Q3 Comp Sales +4.0% Press release

 

Walmart adjusts to Jet’s racier product offering by Jen Wieczner at Fortune. “I had some really fun conversations early on—I used to joke with [Walmart’s] head of compliance that the only thing we ever talked about was sex. Because we sell adult products on Jet,” (Liza) Landsman said at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summitin Laguna Niguel, Calif. “And those are really products that aren’t, pretty much, sold on Walmart.com or in Walmart stores.” Read more

 

Stitch Fix prices IPO of 8 million shares at $15, below expectations at CNBC. “…below its indicated range of $18 and $20. The company had originally planned to sell 10 million shares in the offering.” Read more

 

Kum & Go to Shift Its C-Store Business to McLane Press release

 

Walmart tests deal with Handy: Buy TV, someone will install at CBS. “The test, which started recently in Atlanta only, is a partnership with on-demand online services platform Handy. Shoppers who buy furniture or a TV at the stores participating in the limited pilot program can also pay for Handy’s services and book a professional to help.” Read more

 

Hibbett Sports Q3 Comp Sales -1.3% Press release

 

Office Depot CEO Buys Mansion from Wayne Huizenga Jr. for $6.7 Million by Brian Bandell at South Florida Business Journal. 38 pics

 

Fred’s sheds nearly 90 jobs by Meagan Nichols at Memphis Business Journal. “A source familiar with the situation said the cuts were made across the company’s 13-state footprint and that severance would be provided.” Read more

 

Albertsons Invests in Texas-Based El Rancho Supermercado Press release

 

Amazon quietly launched an app called Relay to go after truck drivers at CNBC. “Relay is Amazon’s first attempt at automating the truck delivery process, which is error-prone due to its reliance on phone calls and paperwork. About 80 percent of cargo in the U.S. is transported via truck.” Read more

 

Apple is giving away free Postmates Unlimited subscriptions by Megan Rose Dickey at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Macy’s Emotional Holiday Ad Tears a Page Out of the U.K. Retailer Playbook by Angela Natividad at Adweek. See the spot

 

It Sure Feels Like Rotten Tomatoes Is Covering For ‘Justice League’ by Paul Tassi at Forbes. “In this case, it seems like bad optics but RT maintains Warner Bros. is not involved, despite their stake in the site. I would argue that this timetable of having the score go live a day or two after embargo is not a great idea generally, and especially so given the context of Justice League.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Millionaire to install a 800-pound, eight-foot tall Ten Commandments stone tablet inside his mall

See Inside: FedEx’s state-of-the-art packaging lab (50 pics)

Wal-Mart may soon settle bribery allegations, takes $283 million charge Q3

Pa. approves Amazon’s Woot! clothing plant near Norristown

Amazon Uses Tennis for Fresh Attack on Sports Broadcasters

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: Sam’s +2.8% | B.Buy +4.4% | Target +Taylor | Ace +7.1% | WM +2.7%

 

Walmart Q3 Comp Sales +2.7% “Total revenue was $123.2 billion, an increase of $5.0 billion, or 4.2%…comp traffic increased 1.5%…eCommerce growth increased 50%.” Press release

 

…Sam’s Club Q3 Comp Sales +2.8%, Traffic +3.6% Press release

 

…CNBC: Wal-Mart’s earnings, sales top Street expectations, sending shares higher “We expect top line growth going forward to be led more by comp sales and eCommerce with less emphasis on new units in the U.S.,” Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs said on a pre-recorded conference call. “We’re prioritizing eCommerce, technology, supply chain and store remodels over new stores and clubs.” Read more

 

Best Buy Q3 Comp Sales +4.4% (vs. expected +4.8%) “As a percentage of total Domestic revenue, online revenue increased 190 basis points to 12.7% versus 10.8% last year.” Press release

 

…Fox Business: Best Buy 3Q results fall short with holiday profit forecast “Its forecast for adjusted earnings for the fourth quarter was $1.89 to $1.99 per share, well short of analysts’ consensus expectation of $2.03 per share.” Read more

 

Amazon has privately blamed the U.S. Postal Service for grocery delivery issues that led to Amazon Fresh changes by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Amazon officials have told several food brands that the USPS had delivered an unreliable experience to customers with too many late or missed deliveries, according to people familiar with the discussions. With no other good delivery options for fresh food in these areas, Amazon decided to shut down the service.” Read more

 

Forever 21 tells customers that some credit card numbers may have been stolen by Taylor Hatmaker at TechCrunch. “While the company has not yet offered many details about the intrusion, we know that it is looking into a portion of credit card transactions between March 2017 and October 2017.” Read more

 

Ace Hardware Q3 Retail Comp Sales +7.1% “Total wholesale revenues were $1.28 billion, an increase of $105.9 million, or 9.0 percent, as compared to the prior year third quarter. Increases were noted across all departments with outdoor living and lawn and garden showing the largest gains.” Press release

 

**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

 

Calvin Klein is for the first time selling new underwear only on Amazon this holiday season by Suzanne Kapner at Wall Street Journal. “The new Calvin Klein underwear styles, including cotton bralettes and striped panties, will be available on Amazon through a dedicated Calvin Klein page and in pop-up shops in New York and Los Angeles from Thursday through Dec. 31. Department stores won’t receive the styles until January.” Read more (subs.)

 

Makeover ahead for Ulta Beauty with new agencies by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “After issuing requests for propoals for both its creative and media accounts in July, Ulta has chosen McCann New York to handle creative and MullenLowe’s Mediahub for media duties. The brand formerly worked with MullenLowe on creative and Mediahub on media.” Read more

 

Amazon’s Cashierless Store Is Almost Ready for Prime Time by Olivia Zaleski & Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “Employees have tried to fool the technology. One day, three enterprising Amazonians donned bright yellow Pikachu costumes and cruised around grabbing sandwiches, drinks and snacks. The algorithms nailed it…hiring for the Amazon Go team has shifted from the engineers and research scientists…to the construction managers and marketers who would build and promote the stores to consumers.” Read more

 

Taylor Swift shocks fans as she buys her new album Reputation at Target at Daily Mail. “The pop sensation continued the custom of buying her new album at the mega-chain as she stopped by a Nashville location to pick up a copy of Reputation. ‘We have a tradition of going to Target to go buy the album so we’re gonna go do that,’ the 27-year-old said in her Instagram story.” Video/Read more

 

Stage Stores Q3 Comp Sales -3.9% Press release

 

Almost half of all online shopping will be on Amazon.com this holiday season, according to analysis from SunTrust at CNBC. “Mobile (smartphone + tablet) visits will surpass desktop visits for the first time this holiday season, according to Adobe, and one notable trend within mobile is more ’boutique-like’ interfaces will lead to better conversions.” Read more

 

Dick’s Hires Ex-Home Depot Exec as CTO by Stacey Federoff at Pittsburgh Business Times. “Paul Gaffney will lead the company’s technology, including infrastructure and ecommerce platforms, effective Nov. 20…Gaffney most recently served as the senior vice president of information technology with The Home Depot.” Read more

 

Postmates launches in first international city – Mexico City by Megan Rose Dickey at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Advance Auto Parts execs praise reorganizing efforts by Lauren K. Ohnesorge at Triangle Business Journal. “the company streamlined its field operations from 34 to 12 regions in recent months…the firm plans to take $1 billion of inventory out of its system in the next few years – more than $800,000 per store. And plans are in place to optimize the supply chain in 2018.” Read more

 

Loblaw is closing 22 stores and launching home delivery via Financial Post. Read more

 

Prime members get cheaper turkey by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “Whole Foods has cut prices for organic turkeys to $3.49 per pound and antibiotic-free turkeys for $2.49 per pound; for Prime members, those deals are $2.99 per pound and $1.99 per pound, respectively.” Read more

 

RH Raises Third Quarter and Fiscal 2017 Adjusted Net Income Guidance “Adjusted net revenues for the third quarter fiscal 2017 are now expected to be approximately $592.5 million… compares to the Company’s prior guidance of adjusted net revenues in the range of $575 million to $590 million.” Press release

 

Some CVS pharmacies are blocking prescription refills, exec blames ‘internal network’ issues at CNBC. Read more

 

NY Times: Overnight in Walmart Parking Lots: Silence, Solace and Refuge Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Man with Best Buy tattoo already camped out in line

Court orders paint companies to pay to clean lead paint out of California homes

IKEA glass tables are spontaneously exploding

P&G just bought this venture-backed deodorant startup for $100 million cash

Banana Republic employee suspended for box braids files discrimination suit for $1 million

GameStop names interim leader as CEO is treated for illness

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

**

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