Archive for month: May, 2018

 

Dollar General Q1 Comp Sales +2.1% (vs. +3.2% expected) Press release

 

…Fox Business: Dollar General 1Q profit surges, but still short “Profit jumped 9 percent to $364.9 million, or $1.36 per share, falling short of the expectations of industry analysts by 4 cents.” Read more

 

Dollar Tree Q1 Enterprise Comp Sales +1.4% (vs. +2.19% expected) By segment: Dollar Tree +4.0%, Family Dollar -1.1% Press release

 

…CNBC: Dollar Tree Q1 same-store sales miss estimates “Net income fell to $160.5 million…in the first quarter ended May 5, from $200.5 million…a year earlier.” Read more

 

American Eagle Q1 Comp Sales +9.0% (American Eagle +4.0%, Aerie’s +38%) Press release

 

Best Buy unveils new Amazon Fire-powered smart TV by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “The new TV comes in three models — a 43-inch version for $329.99, a 50-inch model for $399.99 and a 55-inch version for $479.99 — and will be released June 22. The TV Will be available at all Best Buy stores, on BestBuy.com and from Best Buy’s new channel on Amazon.com.” Read more

 

J.Crew Q1 Enterprise Comp Sales +1.0% (J.Crew -6.0%, Madewell +31%) Press release

 

Fragile supply of antibiotics leads to shortages at Reuters. “The non-profit Access to Medicine Foundation (AMF) said there was an emerging crisis in the global anti-infectives market as fragile drug supply chains – reliant on just a few big suppliers – come close to collapse.” Read more

 

J.Jill Q1 Comp Sales +2.3% Press release

 

**A message from Real Coconut Water – Our Brazilian Coconut Water is Sweeter than the Rest! Organic & Natural, PL & Branded. Sell sheet | Website | Request samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Walmart holds no-frill shareholder business meeting by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Tom Horton, retired CEO of American Airlines, was named lead director as Dr. James Cash is exiting the board…The other directors elected by a majority vote were Penner, McMillon, Tim Flynn, Carla Harris, Marissa Mayer, Rob Walton and Steuart Walton.” Read more

 

…Walmart U.S. CEO Greg Foran encourages employees to ‘add your creative flair’ by Jeff Della Rosa at Talk Business. “Michael Moore, EVP and president of Supercenters, and Todd Harbaugh, EVP of Neighborhood Markets, along with Steve Bratspies, EVP of general merchandise, encouraged the use of the volume producing item (VPI) program in which employees select a specific item to help increase sales…the item (Bratspies) selected was squishies toys before employees threw out hundreds of them to employees in the arena.” Read more

 

…Walmart unveils new associate education benefit “…will be made available to all Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club associates, Walmart will subsidize the cost of higher education, beyond financial aid and an associate contribution equivalent to $1 a day.” Press release

 

PVH CEO sits down with Jim Cramer at CNBC. “PVH CEO Manny Chirico is a little more optimistic these days about the ongoing tariff rhetoric between the United States and China. “It feels like cooler heads will prevail,” he says.” Video/Read more

 

…PVH First quarter revenue +16% (+10% on a constant currency basis) Press release

 

Jeff Bezos: Amazon deserves to be scrutinized as a giant company, aims to ‘pass with flying colors’ by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “It sometimes feels that the “enemy hordes are at the gates,” in a way that Amazon hasn’t seen in years past. That was the assessment of one shareholder who quizzed CEO Jeff Bezos during the question-and-answer session at the company’s annual meeting Wednesday morning in Seattle…” Read more

 

Kroger Precision Marketing Launches Boosted Products in Search Press release

 

Effects of E.coli Outbreak in Lettuce Ripple Through U.S. Food-Supply Chain at Wall Street Journal. “It’s [cost] thousands and thousands of dollars; it could even run into the millions,” said Howard Popoola, Kroger Co.’s vice president of corporate food technology and regulatory compliance, referring to costs at the largest U.S. supermarket chain…Earlier this month, sales had dropped 45% from the year-ago period, according to Nielsen figures.” Read more (Subs.)

 

Stitch Fix CEO Katrina Lake says her one regret with the IPO is that they let expectations get really high at Recode. Read more

 

Target and Shipt Launch Same-Day Delivery in Indiana Press release

 

Sears to close another 72 stores at USA Today. “The company said it had identified about 100 nonprofitable stores overall…It did not say what would happen to the 28 other nonprofitable locations.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

These tech companies have the most stressed-out workers

Canada Goose to open two retail stores in China

From armor to icon: How women’s suits became cool again

Starting in July, Australians will be blocked from ordering items on Amazon’s US site

How Sleep Became The Ultimate Luxury

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 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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Target Q1 Comp Sales +3.0% / Traffic +3.7% / Online +28% Press release

 

…Fox Business: Target’s 1Q profit falls short as it continues transition Read more

 

Lowe’s Q1 Comp Sales +0.5% Press release

 

…CNBC: Lowe’s missed Wall Street forecasts for quarterly sales as a long winter hit demand for outdoor products, but maintained its annual financial targets Read more

 

Cramer: JC Penney’s CEO bolting to Lowe’s means embattled department store chain can’t be saved at CNBC. “If there was any chance [of a turnaround], I think you would stay,” Cramer said on “Squawk on the Street.” “Because it would obviously be such a kick in the face of J.C. Penney to move over.” Read more

 

The Container Store Q4 Comp Sales +2.7% Press release

 

Amazon Is Now A ‘Cheap Mass Surveillance’ Dealer–It’s Selling Facial Recognition To U.S. Cops by Thomas Fox-Brewster at Forbes. “This is a very affordable mass surveillance machine, and that’s partly why it’s a concern,” ACLU attorney Matt Cagle told Forbes. “This company that’s built itself as customer-centric has entered the surveillance market.” Read more

 

SoftBank is selling its roughly 20 percent stake in Flipkart to Walmart at CNBC. Read more

 

HSN stars livid over exec’s ‘condescending and disrespectful’ email by Oli Coleman & Emily Smith at NY Post. “One guest, who’s been on the channel for 10 years, responded, “I am still in shock,” adding, “I can assure you that I know my product very well, as I am about to celebrate my 25th year in business.” Another replied to the email seen by Page Six, “Gordie we have not met but I must tell you in the 25 years in business I never received nor have even seen a note as condescending and disrespectful as this.” Read more

 

Tiffany’s quarterly earnings trounce estimates at CNBC. “Overall same-store rose 7 percent on a constant currency basis. Analysts on average had expected an increase of 2.7 percent.” Read more

 

Amazon clothing executive Jeff Yurcisin takes the helm at Zulily as the company’s new president by Clare McGrane at GeekWire. “Lori Twomey, a longtime Zulily executive who has been leading the company as interim president, will stay on in her former role as the company’s chief merchant.” Read more

 

**A message from 2018 Sweets & Snacks Expo – The show continues today and tomorrow! The single largest gathering of confectionery & snack companies under one roof! Chicago, May 22-24. Website | Exhibitors

 

Innovation reigns at Sweets & Snacks Expo by Corilyn Shropshire at Chicago Tribune. “Winners of the expo’s innovation contest were snacks and sweets rich with flavor mixes. Three examples: Gone Rogue’s Chicken Bacon High Protein Chips, made with “quality cuts of chicken”; Hershey’s Gold Bar, a combination of salty, crunchy bits of peanuts and pretzels with carmel-flavored creme; and Combos’ Honey Sriracha snacks.” Read more

 

Museum of Ice Cream Is Coming to Target’s Kids’ Department & Freezer Aisles at A Bullseye View. “Museum of Ice Cream will be launching seven ice cream flavors at Target starting July 8. Target is the first retailer to sell the premium flavors…” Read more

 

Low-Paid Women Get Hollywood Money to File Harassment Suits by Michael Corkery at NY Times. “Since its launch in January, the Time’s Up fund…has raised about $22 million in donations…So far, about 2,700 workers have contacted the fund, saying they have been harassed…Retail workers made roughly 5 percent of the complaints.“ Read more (Tiered subs.)

 

Gas hits $5 a gallon in New York City at Fox 5. Read more

 

Walmart and Dunkin’ Donuts Gaining on Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, But Starbucks Is Tops by Aaron Pressman at Fortune. “The Starbucks payments app was used by 20.7 million people at least once every six months last year, beating out the 19.9 million Apple Pay users. Google Pay was used by 9.3 million and Samsung Pay came in fourth place with 8.4 million users.” Read more

 

Revlon just named its first woman CEO at Fast Company. “Debra Perelman, who was named chief operating officer just four months ago, is a daughter of billionaire chairman Ronald Perelman.” Read more

 

THE DISNEYLAND OF QUILTING – The Doan family went from bankruptcy and food stamps to starting the Missouri Star Quilt Co., a YouTube sensation that turned a tiny town into a tourist destination by Susan Adams at Forbes. Read more

 

The 15 best companies to intern for, according to interns (Target #14, Home Depot #9, Walgreens #4) at CNBC. Read more

 

Publix faces boycott over $670,000 donation to ‘proud NRA sellout’ in Florida election by Matthew Rocco at Fox Business. Read more

 

Walmart kidnapping staged for social media by Jared Gilmour at The News & Observer. “Their plan was to film onlookers’ horrified reactions as they witnessed the “abduction,” according to police. Then the group planned to post the video and make a splash on social media.” Read more

 

Pawn shop trolls Dick’s Sporting Goods with sign advertising AR-15’s at Fox 35. Pic/Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Krebs: Third party co’s have been careless in securing prized mobile location data

Marathon seeks EPA biofuel waiver

43% Of Millennials Plan To Quit Their Job Within 2 Years

Sunscreen Pills Are Dangerous Nonsense, According to the FDA

74% of adults say they’re OK financially

Sears to close 40 more stores this summer

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 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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Walmart shares rise on earnings beat at CNBC 
* Walmart said U.S. online sales grew 33 percent.
* U.S. same-store sales were up 2.1 percent beating estimates of 2.0 percent.
* Sam’s Club same-store sales were up 3.8 percent, driven by comparable traffic growth of 5.6 percent. Read more

 

JC Penney Q1 Comp Sales +0.2% “Marvin Ellison: ‘Although our overall top line sales results came in below our expectations for the quarter, we were encouraged by the strong positive comp performance throughout February and March, as well as the last two weeks of April, when temperatures began to normalize.'” Press release

 

…CNBC: JC Penney shares tank on sales decline, outlook slashed “Revenues fell about 4.3 percent to $2.58 billion…vs. estimates for $2.61 billion…Same-store sales rose 0.2 percent but this was also short of analysts’ forecast for roughly 2 percent growth.” Read more

 

Kohl’s CEO Kevin Mansell retires, passes torch to Michelle Gass by Melanie Lawder at Milwaukee Business Journal. “…was marked by an enthusiastic reception from around 1,200 Kohl’s employees…the employees held signs saying “Good Luck, Kevin” and “Retirement: One thing Kohl’s Cash can’t buy” and cheered on a surprised Mansell.” Pics/Read more

 

Whole Foods is selling home decor now by Mark Wilson at Fast Company.”It’s part of a new mini store within Whole Foods dubbed Plant & Plate. It’s got plants. It’s got plates. And it’s got pretty much any other little piece of Instagram-ready home decor item you could imagine.” Read more

 

GasBuddy names top gas station restrooms by state at Trib. “QuikTrip and Wawa ‘hold’ the top spot in most states. Texas-based Buc-ee’s secures the ultimate ‘throne’ with top-rated restrooms in the nation.” List/Press release

 

**A message from 2018 Sweets & Snacks Expo – Next week – The single largest gathering of confectionery & snack companies under one roof! Chicago, May 22-24. Website | Exhibitors

 

San Diego county cracks down on free popcorn in hardware stores by Peter Rowe at San Diego Union Tribune. “Meanley & Son would need to install a three-basin sink to clean and sterilize the popcorn popper. Also required: regular inspections, just like a restaurant. Meanley declined and instead rolled the offending machine into storage. Thus ended a tradition he had started 25 years ago.” Read more

 

Feds say iconic Cincy grocer bilked the government out of $3.45 million by Sarah Brookbank & James Pilcher at Cincinnati Enquirer. “The agents allege that 63.7 percent of the vendor’s total SNAP electronic benefit transactions (EBT) since 2010 – nearly $5.5 million – were fraudulent.” Read more

 

Kroger Is Fending Off Amazon’s Whole Foods With a New Service of Its Own via Fortune. “Kroger (will) license Ocado’s technology to expand its own home-delivery business, (and) could include construction of up to 20 distribution centers over the first five years. This puts it on a completely different scale to Ocado’s other contracts, with France’s Casino Guichard-Perrachon and Canada’s Sobeys.” Read more

 

Academy Sports + Outdoors Names Ex-Foot Locker CEO Ken Hicks Chairman and CEO “Departing CEO J.K. Symancyk is leaving the company to pursue another opportunity.” Press release

 

Local Crate meal kits roll out to 200-plus Target stores in Minnesota, California by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “The startup — which launched in 2015 and has a production facility in St. Paul — was part of the Techstars’ retail accelerator at Target headquarters last summer.” Read more (Tiered subs.)

 

America’s Heaviest Smokers Don’t Want to Know if They Have Cancer at Bloomberg. Read more (Tiered subs.)

 

Target quietly removes a t-shirt from its website after being accused of ‘stealing the art of a gay Mexican artist’ by Kate Taylor at Business Insider. “Target stole a design of mine and printed it on a tshirt,” artist Felix d’Eon‏ tweeted late on Tuesday. “Is this how you support the queer Latinx community, @Target…” Pics/Read more

 

Bumble Bee CEO indicted on charge he fixed canned tuna price via NY Post. Read more

 

Amazon loses another key executive as it becomes a top target for poaching tech talent at CNBC. “More than a dozen executives and senior managers have left Amazon over the past 10 months. Among them, Susan Harker, a VP responsible for global recruiting, took a leave of absence because of a family member’s health issue, according to people familiar.” Read more

 

Shopping while black. African Americans continue to face retail racism. by Michelle Singletary at Washington Post. Read more (Tiered subs.)

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Bay Area’s best specialty grocery stores

Starbucks to open new China store every 15 hours until 2022

Rent-a-goalie app helping solve rec hockey netminder shortage

Korea: Costco under fire after plastics found again in PB products

Mattress Firm Names Lorie Silva Chief Merchandising Officer

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 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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The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that retail sales rose 0.3 percent last month after surging 0.8 percent in March. Last month’s increase in retail sales was in line with economists’ expectations. at Reuters. Read more

 

Home Depot Q1 Comp Sales +4.2% Press release

 

…Home Depot shares fall on sales miss, hurt by slow start to spring at CNBC. “Customer transactions during the quarter fell 1.3 percent, though shoppers spent an average of $66, 5.9 percent more than a year earlier…Same-store sales growth 4.2 percent vs. 5.4 percent forecast by Thomson Reuters.” Read more

 

Target ‘flow center’ test could mean big changes for backrooms by Mark Reilly at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. “Typically, Target’s stores are supplied with big deliveries from distribution centers that are then kept in stockrooms until they’re needed on the floor. Under the flow center model, Target stores would get more frequent, smaller shipments tailored more closely to that store’s demand.” Read more | WSJ article (Subs.)

 

Retailers target Trump on tariffs with ‘Ferris Bueller’ parody ad campaign by Vicki Needham at The Hill. “The NRF has recreated an iconic scene from the 1980s movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” with Ben Stein, an economist and an actor, about tariffs and voodoo economics as part of a broad campaign to convince Trump and his voters that raising tariffs would cost jobs and damage the economy.” Spot/Read more

 

Amazon responds to tax vote: Seattle’s ‘hostile approach and rhetoric … forces us to question our growth here’ by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “Under the amended tax, Amazon will be on the hook for about $11 million annually, rather than the $20 million that the original proposal would have levied…(Mayor) Durkan said she stands by the legislation.” Read more

 

Detecting Cloned Cards at the ATM, Register at Krebs on Security. “Traynor and a team of five other University of Florida researchers partnered with retail giant WalMart to test their technology, which Traynor said can be easily and quite cheaply incorporated into point-of-sale systems at retail store cash registers. They said the WalMart trial demonstrated that researchers’ technology distinguished legitimate gift cards from clones with up to 99.3 percent accuracy.” Read more

 

Craftsman tools now stocked in Lowe’s stores by Ken Elkins at Charlotte Business Journal. Read more

 

**A message from Real Coconut Water – Our Brazilian Coconut Water is Sweeter than the Rest! Organic & Natural, PL & Branded. Sell sheet | Website | Request samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Collagen, a Wrinkle-Cream Staple, Catches On in Foods by Anne Marie Chaker at Wall Street Journal. “Dermatologists say there isn’t any conclusive evidence that ingested collagen affects the hair, skin and nails. When collagen reaches the stomach, it gets broken down into amino acids just like any other protein. “It’s not as if there is collagen that can be magically transported to the skin in its whole form,” says Mary Sheu, a dermatology professor at Johns Hopkins University.” Read more (Subs.)

 

Sears initiating a formal process to explore the sale of its Kenmore brand and related assets Press release

 

How Helena Foulkes Dealt With a Massive Data Hack a Month Into Her New CEO Job by Valentina Zarya at Fortune. “It brought our team together,” Foulkes said in her first interview as HBC CEO at a Fortune Most Powerful Women dinner in New York City Monday evening. She held regular calls with her company’s top leadership—including on Easter Sunday—to discuss next steps. The strategy appears to have paid off, as she says the FBI later told her that HBC had “the fastest response to a breach they’ve ever experienced.” Read more

 

H-E-B names entrepreneur to newly created role of chief digital officer at San Antonio Business Journal. “H-E-B has named Jag Bath to its newly created position of chief digital officer. Bath is CEO of Favor Delivery, an Austin-based company that H-E-B bought in February. Bath will remain CEO of Favor.” Read more

 

Gap sorry for T-shirt’s ‘erroneous’ China map via NY Post. “We are truly sorry about this unintentional mistake,” Gap said, promising to carry out “more rigorous reviews” in the future.” Read more

 

HBC Appoints Vanessa LeFebvre President of Lord & Taylor “LeFebvre joins HBC from Stitch Fix…After spending the first 10 years of her career as a buyer and DMM at Lord & Taylor, LeFebvre went on to senior roles at several retailers including Macy’s, TJX Companies and Daffy’s.” Press release

 

Raley’s goes ’boutique’ with new downtown store in Sacramento by Tony Bizjack at Sacramento Bee. “The store, called Market 5-ONE-5, is one-fifth the size of a typical supermarket. Owner Michael Teel described it at a Monday preview as a boutique neighborhood grocery with a focus on shoppers who want a smaller sampling of healthy local food.” Read more

 

Target Names Ex-Walmart Exec President of Target Sourcing Services “Target named William J. Foudy, Jr. as president, Target Sourcing Services. Foudy will oversee Target’s global sourcing organization, including strategy, operations, quality assurance, product safety and responsible sourcing initiatives.” Press release

 

Southeastern Grocers Plan of Reorganization Confirmed by Court “SEG will continue to operate more than 575 stores under the BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie banners.” Press release

 

Buc-ee’s hoping to overpower Choke Canyon in trademark spat by Gabrielle Banks at Houston Chronicle. “The trademark spat pits Buc-ee’s buck-toothed rodent star against the countrified, finger-licking reptile at San Antonio’s Choke Canyon, a rest stop chain which specializes in barbecue.” Read more

 

Amazon Go to open in Chicago and San Francisco – no timetable provided by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. Read more

 

America’s most popular department store is Target, of which 69% of Americans have a positive opinion. That’s followed by Dollar Tree(66%), Kohl’s (64%), Walmart (63%), and Costco (61%) at YouGov Read more

 

Toys ‘R’ Us is putting its famous mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe, on the auction block. “Also up for sale: sex-toys-r-us.com.” at CNBC. Read more

 

United Natural Foods Says COO Will Retire On Oct 1 “Chris Testa, who currently serves as President, Atlantic Region will assume the role of President, UNFI.” Press release

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

United Airlines has change of heart about beloved tomato juice

‘Metro Gun Share Program’ on display in Chicago

Pharmacist fights off 3 women attempting to rob store at gunpoint

CVS responds to $40M Fred’s deal

American Airlines moves to ban insects, hedgehogs and goats – but miniature horses are still okay

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 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