Amazon slashes seller fees on items priced $15 or less to try to improve its grocery selection online by Jason Del Rey at Recode. "Amazon previously charged 15 percent on all grocery items, but will now charge only 8 percent on the lower-priced goods... “To help you list more products and keep prices competitive, we are offering you a limited-time referral fee discount on Grocery products,” the email said, according to a copy forwarded to Recode. “This fee promotion starts at 12:00 a.m. October 15, 2017 (PST), and will run through 11:59 p.m. October 14, 2018 (PST).” Read more   [...]

  Powerful storm lashes East Coast - More than 300,000 Bay Staters without power at Boston Herald. "Peak wind gusts overnight reached 78 mph - the equivalent of Category 1 hurricane force - according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency." Read more | Weather Channel video   Home Builders Will Oppose Republican Tax Bill by Richard Rubin at Wall Street Journal. "The plan nearly doubles the standard deduction, ends personal exemptions and likely repeals the deductions for state and local income and sales taxes. The combination would remove much of the incentive for the mortgage-interest deduction outside the highest-cost areas and could [...]

  JC Penney chops 2017 comp sales, profit forecast; shares plummet at Reuters via CNBC. "Penney estimated it would post an adjusted loss of 40-45 cents per share in the quarter ending Oct. 28, much bigger than analysts average estimate of 18 cents...The company also said it now expects full-year comparable sales to be flat at best, while it had earlier forecast that sales could increase as much as 1 percent." Read more   Wal-Mart is rolling out shelf-scanning robots in more than 50 U.S. stores by Nandita Bose at Reuters. "The approximately 2-foot (0.61-meter) robots come with a tower that [...]

  Amazon's Dream of Drone Deliveries Get Closer With Trump's Executive Order by Alan Levin at Bloomberg. "Trump’s order, a response to calls from companies making and using drones, will allow local governments to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration for waivers allowing them to conduct tests of deliveries, drone air-traffic systems, long-range flights and other uses generally prohibited under current rules, Kratsios said." Read more   Family Dollar worker stole secrets for her Dollar Express boyfriend, lawsuit alleges by Katherine Peralta at Charlotte Observer. "In her affidavit, Frailey admits to sharing a thumb drive containing the list with Siliakus, but she says [...]

  Walgreens profit falls 22% in 4th quarter at Fox Business. "...hurt mainly by a more than $300 million fee it paid Rite Aid Corp after their failed attempt to merge." Read more   ...Walgreens Q4 Retail Pharmacy USA comp sales +3.1% Press release   Lowe's to Sell Craftsman Tools at CNBC. "Tuesday's announcement validates the fact that Stanley Black & Decker is now strategically seeking other outlets for growth. According to Craftsman's website, the brand is currently sold at Ace Hardware, Orchard Supply Hardware, Blain's Farm and Fleet, and Atwoods Ranch and Home, in addition to Sears and Kmart." Read [...]

  Amazon rivals turn to legal fine print to stem Whole Foods strategy by Jeffrey Dastin at Reuters. "A Reuters examination of real estate agreements and interviews with 20 retail landlords, lawyers and brokers show that the strings attached to operating in malls like City Center present an emerging and little-scrutinized challenge to Amazon’s quest to re-shape Whole Foods." Read more   Harvard Business Review Ranks the World’s Best-Performing CEOs (Blake Nordstrom #44, Jeff Bezos #71, John Mackey #91) Top 100 list   Walmart CTO Jeremy King speaks at VB Summit 2017 in Berkeley, California at Venture Beat. "The secret [...]

  Target plans fewer promotions it hopes will pack bigger holiday punch by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. "Target’s bevy of promotions and up-and-down prices confused shoppers last year, Mark Tritton, Target’s chief merchandising officer said at a media briefing. So this year, it is simplifying the approach to have fewer sales events that it hopes will have a bigger impact." Read more (tiered subs.)   ...Target executives also saw room for improvement with its marketing. While its holiday campaign last year...reach(ed) its target audience of families and Latinos, they realized it didn’t do much to inspire young adults without [...]

  Apple's Angela Ahrendts in Chicago to open the company’s new glass-walled flagship store along the Chicago River on Friday by Corilyn Shropshire at Chicago Tribune. "Q: What are some of the details in the new store? A: It was designed in partnership with Jony Ive and Foster + Partners — the same team that did Apple Park (in Cupertino, Calif.). We totally redid the entire plaza, putting stairs on the inside and outside. We’ve never done this before. The pavilion is totally glass, all the way around." Full Q&A   Target will remodel more stores to compete with Amazon [...]