Costco co-founder Sinegal bids goodbye at shareholder gathering by Benjamin Romano at Seattle Times. "One of my sons and I own a vineyard down in Napa Valley, and I take care of my own personal investments, so I’ve got a lot to keep me busy,” (Sinegal) added." Read more (tiered subs.)   Wal-Mart updates suppliers on new OTIF requirements by Kim Souza at Talk Business. "An estimated 4,000 Wal-Mart suppliers are in Bentonville this week at the retailer’s annual Supplier Growth Forum...Suppliers, in town for Tuesday and Wednesday meetings, were told the new threshold for OTIF deliveries for full [...]

  Amazon, Berkshire, JPM team up for cheaper employee healthcare at Reuters. "The ballooning costs of healthcare act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy,” said Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO, Warren Buffett. “Our group does not come to this problem with answers. But we also do not accept it as inevitable.” Read more   ...UnitedHealth, CVS plunge at CNBC. "Analyst at Leerink Partners: "It is unclear if this means Amazon will accelerate its entry into the pharmacy supply chain, though the quest for transparency...would point to a more transformative effort by the new entity." Read more   Walmart [...]

  Casey's explores buying Kroger convenience stores valued at $2 billion amid pressure from activists at CNBC. "JCP Investment Management in January called for the Ankeny, Iowa-based convenience store operator to explore strategic alternatives, including a potential sale. Buying Kroger's convenience-store business could stave off pressure to sell, sources say." Read more   Why a new trucking regulation is driving up the cost of produce by Greg Trotter at Chicago Tribune. "For Pete’s Fresh Market, a 12-store grocery chain in the Chicago area, truckloads of produce from Mexico have roughly doubled in cost since the new devices were mandated — from about [...]

  Amazon met with Boxed CEO to discuss acquisition: source by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. "Jeff Bezos’ e-commerce giant invited Boxed founder and Chief Executive Chief Huang to Amazon’s Seattle headquarters on Wednesday to discuss an acquisition of the four-year-old company, a source with knowledge of the trip and discussions told The Post." Read more   ...In the last two weeks, Kroger made an offer for Boxed — that was in the $300 million to $400 million range, according to sources. That offer was rejected, sources said. Read more   Wal-Mart Job Cuts Rise to 1,000 in Company's Latest Shake-Up [...]

  Sam's Club restructures merchant team by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. "A spokeswoman said the warehouse club retailer will consolidate what had been six buying roles into three: merchant, senior merchant and divisional merchandise manager. The reshuffle, effective Feb. 3, will not result in a loss of jobs. The idea is to give experienced employees a chance to select the most successful products, said spokeswoman Carrie McKnight." Read more   Target Launches Same-Day Delivery in Florida "Beginning on February 1, 2018, Shipt will deliver from Target stores in Tampa and South Florida. On February 8, delivery from Target will be available in Daytona [...]

  Amazon gives in to Massachusetts tax officials and agrees to turn over third-party seller data at CNBC. "The move — which is the first public case of Amazon handing over seller data to state tax officials — will help the state of Massachusetts identify which Amazon sellers may owe them unpaid sales taxes. It could also mean incredible headaches for the majority of third-party sellers who never comply with various state laws on sales tax collection — if more states follow Massachusetts and demand unpaid taxes from those sellers." Read more   THEN THERE WERE 19? - If Amazon doesn’t pick [...]

  Target CEO Brian Cornell is RILA’s New Chairman "Cornell: Without a doubt, the battle over the border adjustment tax was unprecedented, and it showed us that there’s an opportunity for more retailers to engage in public policy on an ongoing basis and advance our common agenda." Cornell Q&A   Amazon Prime’s Monthly Price Hike Will Generate $300 Million a Year by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. "Cowen estimates that 30 percent of Amazon’s 60 million Prime subscribers in the U.S. pay monthly." Read more   Carrefour details investment plan, job cuts at Fox Business. "Carrefour says it will invest 2.8 billion [...]

  Lowe's names two directors after talks with activist investor at Reuters. "Lowe’s said on Friday it added two board members, a week after reports that hedge fund D.E. Shaw & Co had built an active stake in the home improvement chain, sending its shares up 2 percent. David Batchelder, co-founder of Relational Investors, and Lisa Wardell, CEO of Adtalem Global Education, were named to the board after “constructive discussions” with D.E. Shaw, the company said." Read more   U.K. Retailers See Black Friday Hangover as Sales Slump at Bloomberg. "Fourth quarter sales gained just 0.4 percent, half the pace seen [...]