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

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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 HUNT – NY 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

 

**A message from deVaca – 50% of coffee drinkers limit consumption due to caffeine concerns. Boost coffee category sales with deVaca coffee substitute – the all-natural, caffeine free, non-GMO barley coffee grown and roasted in the USA. Sell sheet | Sample: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

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

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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

 

**A message from the game-changing antimicrobial handsink – Finally, a sink that reduces E-coli & Staph bacteria by 99%! Infused with Silver Ions to inhibit growth of millions of germs. Addresses need for foodborne illness solutions. Install in restaurants, hospitality, schools, hospitals, home & utility to create a Handwashing Only Zone. Sell sheet | Request sample @ info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

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

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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

 

**A message from deVaca – Give decaf coffee drinkers what they want – a natural option. Great tasting caffeine free, non-GMO coffee substitute. Grown & roasted in Colorado – Fill the natural caffeine free gap in your coffee assortment. Sell sheet | Sample: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

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

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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.)

 

**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

 

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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Website: www.eyeonretail.net

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

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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

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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%

/in

 

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

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Tipsheet: H.Dep Crushes Street | WM Likes Lord & Taylor | Shoppers Drug Likes Cannabis

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Home Depot Q3 Comp Sales +7.9% “…the Company lifted its fiscal 2017 sales growth guidance and now expects sales will be up approximately 6.3 percent and comp sales will be up approximately 6.5 percent.” Press release

 

…CNBC: Home Depot same-store sales crush Wall Street estimates “Revenue was $25.03 billion, versus an estimate of $24.55 billion. Same-store sales climbed 7.9 percent, compared with an anticipated increase of 5.8 percent.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart strikes deal with Lord & Taylor at CNBC. “The big-box retailer announced Monday it has partnered with Lord & Taylor to create an online “flagship store” for the apparel retailer. The landing page will launch on Walmart.com in spring 2018. “Our goal is to create a premium fashion destination on Walmart.com,” Denise Incandela, head of fashion for Wal-Mart’s U.S. e-commerce division, said in a statement.” Read more

 

Shoppers Drug Mart issues job posting for medical marijuana brand manager at Canadian Press via Vancouver Sun. “A job posting on the website of Canada’s largest pharmacy says the senior brand manager role will entail leading its strategy and marketing activities to doctors and health-care providers in the cannabis space.” Read more

 

Wall Street Journal says Dallas, Boston & D.C. have the strongest characteristics for Amazon HQ 2 by Laura Stevens, Sean McDade & Stephanie Stamm. WSJ subs.

 

…Minneapolis & Austin are Long Shots WSJ subs.

 

Spotify expands merch to beauty products, sells out tickets for Who We Be by Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch. “…this is not a new revenue stream for Spotify, which does not take a cut of any of the sales that happen through the platform. The idea, instead, is to sweeten the deal for artists and give them more opportunities to make money on Spotify beyond streaming.” Read more

 

Hobby Lobby Scion Spent Millions on Biblical Relics—Then Came a Reckoning by Kelly Crow at Wall Street Journal. “After months of back and forth, Mr. Green’s family business paid $1.6 million for the lot. Mr. Green thought he was getting a bargain…Archaeologists and biblical scholars now say there are questions about the origins and authenticity of the rest of the Green collection…It has also cast a shadow over the Nov. 17 opening of the museum the Green family built, in part to house its collection.” Read more (subs.)

 

Amazon denies report that it’s developing a free ad-supported video service to complement Prime Video by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. Read more

 

**A question from BK Resources – When a Restaurant owner, plumber or GC shops your assortment do they find food service equipment? BK Resources is a leading supplier of stainless steel: commercial faucets, sinks, work tables, bar equipment, ice bins and more. Grab your fair share of this business! Catalog | Website | Contact

 

Stitch Fix gets a close look from consumer VC firm Goodwater Capital ahead of IPO by Matthew Lynley at TechCrunch. “After surveying around 3,000 people over the past few quarters, the firm found that while a tiny fraction of the people surveyed are Stitch Fix users, more than half of those people expect their use of Stitch Fix to increase.” Read more

 

Lowe’s Built an Escape Room and Challenged Four DIYers to Build Their Way Out by Gabriel Beltrone at Adweek. “A new 17-minute reality-style ad puts four skilled craftspeople—an electrician, Moe; a contractor, Wes; and two YouTubers who run DIY channels, Bob and Grant—in a custom-built obstacle course with three rooms, a series of puzzles to solve, and one hour to make it to the ground floor.” Read more

 

Amazon to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ books into new fantasy television series by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. Read more

 

Ads May Soon Stalk You on TV Like They Do on Your Facebook Feed by Todd Shields & Gerry Smith at Bloomberg. “Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. and other TV station owners say the new standard, known as Next Gen TV, will provide sharper pictures and video on demand. It will also allow them to track viewers of their programming on tablets and other platforms.” Read more

 

Supervalu’s Anne Dament Promoted to Executive Vice President, Retail, Marketing and Private Brands Press release

 

Publix promotes: “Randy Barber, 55, will be promoted to VP of Industrial Maintenance and Purchasing…Brad Oliver, 44, will be promoted to Vice President of Product Business Development for Dry Grocery and Non-Foods.” Press release

 

Coming to Your Local Mall: Online Retailers Beloved by Millennials by Esther Fung at Wall Street Journal. “Five years from now, we won’t be debating whether ‘e-tailers’ are taking share from ‘brick-and-mortar retailers,’ because they are all the same,” said Citi Research analysts in a recent research note.” Read more (subs.)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

69% would skip exchanging gifts this holiday season if their friends and family agreed to it

This executive is leading the tech makeover at South Florida’s Walmarts

Tesco wins UK regulator’s provisional approval for Booker takeover

A Digital Pill That Can Be Tracked When Swallowed Was Just Approved by the FDA

12% of Couples Consider Divorce When Remodeling Their Home

Apple could reportedly put a rear-facing 3-D sensor in its 2019 iPhone

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

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: Mall of America Stabbing | WM Online Prices Higher | Worker @ Costco Can Sit

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Multiple people stabbed at Mall of America in botched robbery by Chris Perez at NY Post. “It happened around 6:45 p.m. (Sunday) in the men’s department of Macy’s, which is not far from the mall’s Santa Experience. What started as simple robbery attempt quickly escalated into a violent, multi-victim incident after the would-be thief was caught stealing from two men inside a fitting room.” Read more

 

Now Featured on Wal-Mart’s Website: Higher Prices Than Stores by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “The higher online prices are part of Wal-Mart’s efforts to nudge more customers into stores as well as raise its e-commerce margins by offsetting the cost to ship orders to homes. A $1.28 box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese could cost a big retailer around $10 to ship from Chicago to Atlanta, depending on how remote the buyer’s address is, according to a cost analysis by consultants Spend Management Experts.” Read more (subs.)

 

Target CEO Q&A by Anne D’Innocenzio at AP via Denver Post. “If you shop beauty today, we have someone there that can help you, who understands the category, that’s there to assist you and make a decision. In apparel, there’s someone who can put together an outfit for Friday night…We’re seeing stability and improvements in food and beverage and a big uptick in produce. We now have produce experts.” Q&A

 

Why the CEO of Wish spent more than $30 million to sponsor the Los Angeles Lakers jersey by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “More than half of Wish’s business come from shoppers living outside of the U.S., but Los Angeles still accounts for more sales than any other metro area.” Read more

 

Veterans recognized by Wal-Mart Stores by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Sam’s Club CEO John Furner welcomed 104-year-old U.S. Navy veteran Jim Downing to Bentonville Friday at the retail giant’s annual Veteran’s Day event held at its headquarters…Downing is believed to be the second-oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor…Downing said he helped fight the flames and will never forget his fellow servicemen in water, covered with oil and burning.” Read more

 

Boxed.com inks deal with Telaflora by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “(Boxed.com) has been quietly adding products like fresh food, wine and hotel booking services — and now flowers — with an eye towards launching a premium membership program, founder and chief executive Chieh Huang told The Post.” Read more

 

Target unveils first store with new design at Houston-area location by Jen Para at Houston Business Journal. 34 pics/Read more

 

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Jack Link’s opening its first store by Dan DeBaun at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. “Jack Link’s is opening its first retail store, called Wild Side, inside the skyway level of the recently renovated Target Center…(CMO) Dixon said. “I don’t necessarily see it as something everywhere, but you think about places like Vegas, New York, Orlando, these are definitely places that we think we can create this same sort of concept.” 8 pics/Read more

 

Millennials really love Christmas music by Richard Morgan at NY Post. “Music aficionados aged between 18 to 34 now account for a whopping 36 percent of holiday music fans — a chunk that’s more than 40 percent larger than the corresponding pool of Christmas-jingling baby boomers, according to a study by Nielsen.” Read more

 

Amazon has already made changes to its new try-before-you-buy Prime Wardrobe service by Jason Del Rey at Recode. Read more

 

‘We’re not lazy, we’re old’: 71-year-old worker at Costco wins right to sit on the job at CBC News. “When Gourdeau decided to bring his own bench from home, he said he was told by management to either get rid of the bench or go home. “So I took my bench, and I got the hell out of there,” he said. “I didn’t quit, I came back. They didn’t fire me.” Read more

 

Target pulls fidget spinners over lead concerns by Sean Rossman at USA Today. Read more

 

This Robot Swarm Finishes Your Grocery Shopping In Minutes by Jesus Diaz at Fast Company. “Could Ocado one day license its tech to other e-commerce companies working with the same challenges? The company says it’s already doing that with Morrisons, one of the big four chain of supermarkets in the UK.” Videos/Read more

 

American Girl opening new NYC flagship store with salon, café by David Schuyler at Milwaukee Business Journal. Read more

 

Why Millennials Crave Cold Coffee by Julie Jargon at Wall Street Journal. “U.S. retail sales of refrigerated ready-to-drink coffee rose 29% in the 52 weeks ended Sept. 10 to more than $289 million, according to market researcher IRI.” Read more (subs.)

 

Dollar General is expanding in rural Midwest, presenting a threat to small-town grocery stores by Barbara Soderlin at Omaha World-Herald. Read more

 

Coming to a Theater Near You: Subscriptions, Toys and Downloads by Anousha Sakoui at Bloomberg. Read more

 

“Mr. Costco” dies after long bout with cancer by Denis Cuff at East Bay Times. “He wore tropical-themed shirts and Superman socks emblazoned with little capes. “If Arlie saw a child in danger of traffic in our parking lot, he would run out to protect them even if he put himself at risk,” said Ken Wooten, the Danville store manager. “I told him he had to watch out.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

The Big Money Behind Naming A “Color Of The Year”

Vatican will stop selling cigs in its shops – was making $11 million/yr profit on tobacco

Costco shopper chases van that hit his car – dragged to death after confronting man

With New Café, Tiffany & Co. Realizes the Promise of Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Bill Gates buys 25K acres near Phoenix to build ‘smart city’

Budweiser’s Ex-Marketing Chief Sees Weed as the New Craft Beer

Amazon expands its Influencer Program to Twitter and Instagram, in addition to YouTube

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