Tipsheet: JCP Jill | H.Dep Innovation Seal | M.Firm Bankrupt?

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Home Depot plays up innovative products with new seal by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “The award, given annually, highlights 10 products that create more value and convenience in the home improvement space for customers…Each item will be marked with the seal online beginning Oct. 2; in-store customers will see the label next month.” Tiered subs.

 

JC Penney taps former Joann Stores chief Jill Soltau as its CEO at CNBC. “Prior to working at fabric and crafts retailer Joann stores, Soltau was a chief merchandising officer at Shopko Stores. She also has worked for Sears and Kohl’s.” Read more

 

…Joann Stores President & CEO Jill Soltau will resign immediately Press release

 

…will receive a one-time cash signing bonus of $6 million…Her base salary was set at $1.4 million a year. at Wall Street Journal. Subscription

 

Walmart plans to acquire plus-sized fashion startup Eloquii for $100 million by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “The Eloquii brand was first created by traditional retailer The Limited in 2011 but was discontinued just 18 months later. A team of employees, with the help of an outside investor, bought the brand and relaunched it in 2014.” Read more

 

Mattress Firm planning bankruptcy filing as soon as this week at Reuters. “…as it seeks to exit costly store leases and shore up its business, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.” Read more

 

BEZOS SILENCES BERNIE – Bernie Sanders on Amazon: ‘I want to give credit where credit is due’ at Yahoo Finance. Read more

 

Gump’s bankruptcy auction will take place on October 17, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time Press release

 

Amazon quietly ends its year-old Instant Pickup program that was supposed to be like a better vending machine by Dennis Green at Business Insider. “Customers could order items like snacks, drinks, and basic essentials from the Amazon app and use a barcode to access their purchase at designated Pickup locations. An Amazon employee would fill an Instant Pickup locker within minutes of the order being placed.” Read more

 

25 most popular stores in America (Target #7, Lowe’s #18, Kroger #24) via USA Today. List

 

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Parents Magazine Announces Best Children’s Books List (“Do Not Lick This Book”) Press release

 

How Ring got on Amazon’s radar before $1B acquisition by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “It was working with them for a long time and building real relationships,” (Ring founder) Siminoff explained. “We realized Amazon had a very similar culture to Ring. Amazon’s core tenant is to start from the customer and work backwards.” Read more

 

Toys ‘R’ Us debtholders plan to bring back ‘iconic’ brand – plan to open stores in US by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more

 

How to Reach Chinese Consumers? Market in Australia by Mike Cherney at Wall Street Journal. “The Chinese buyers in Australia are called “daigou,”…That role has evolved from students or tourists who sent home the occasional package to people who do it as a part-time or full-time job, reaping often hefty profit margins.” WSJ subs.

 

Nielsen Brandbank chosen to join Walmart’s Connected Content Partner Program Press release

 

Restaurants in Austin banned from throwing away food by Avery Anapol at The Hill. “Businesses can dispose of their food waste by donating extra food, giving scraps to local farms for animals, or composting…Official city data shows that 37 percent of material sent to landfills is organic.” Read more

 

Ex-Rite Aid exec pleads guilty in $5 million kickback scheme by Myles Snyder at ABC 27 News. “James Pilsner, a former vice president for advertising, approved inflated invoices and received a significant portion of Rite Aid’s payments to Nuvision.” Read more

 

Man, 81, tried to buy woman’s 8-year-old daughter for $200,000 at Walmart store at Newsweek. “The first amount was $100,000, the second amount was $150,000 and then the final amount was $200,000,” Nigh said. “I then said ‘no, we have to go.’” When the pair then tried to leave, the suspect grabbed the girl’s arm and kissed her wrist, police added.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

42% of all so-called “power gamers” are parents

DxE Occupies Amazon Chicken Supplier To Treat ‘Sick, Starving’ Birds

Walmart files WARN letter on closing return center in Bentonville

Impatient patients turn to online ‘buyers club’ for new drugs

Apple’s Wallet makes room for college student IDs

Tulsans get their first taste of full-strength beer

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Tipsheet: Kroger/Wgreens Partner | 7-11/Taco Bell Exclusive | Best Beer City

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Kroger and Walgreens to collaborate on exploratory pilot at CNBC. “Kroger and Walgreens are exploring a partnership to offer customers a new service that allows them to pick up groceries ordered online at Kroger at certain Walgreens locations, the two retailers announced Tuesday. The two are testing the concept at 13 Walgreens stores in Northern Kentucky, near Kroger’s Cincinnati headquarters.” Read more

 

Amazon raising its minimum wage for all U.S. workers to $15 an hour, effective November 1 by Anthony Ha at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Stitch Fix shares crater as revenue, active clients miss estimates at CNBC. “Stitch Fix said active clients grew 25 percent from a year ago to 2.7 million by the end of the fiscal fourth quarter, while analysts were calling for 2.81 million, according to StreetAccount. Stitch Fix also on Monday announced its expansion into the U.K., which is expected to happen by the end of next year.” Read more

 

‘They want us to be robots’: Whole Foods workers fear Amazon’s changes by Michael Sainato at The Guardian. “No one trusts Amazon and there are fears in upper management that Amazon will clean house if sales rates aren’t hit,” said one of the founders of the Whole Worker community in an interview. Staff are reluctant to speak on the record for fear of retaliation.” Read more

 

Canadian companies confused by new USMCA trade deal:

 

…Canada ‘caved’ on intellectual property issues: trade deal critics by James McLeod at Vancouver Sun. “The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) lengthens copyright protection by 20 years, forbids governments from enacting data localization laws, and extends patent protection on cutting-edge drugs in a way that will increase costs for the Canadian health-care system, among other provisions.” Read more

 

…Canadian Tire: “As part of yesterday’s USMCA announcement, the federal government will reduce import and sales taxes for foreign retailers by raising the de minimis threshold…Canadian Tire expects and, frankly, assumes that the federal government will create a level playing field by extending the same treatment to Canadian retailers.” Press release

 

…eBay: “As we understand it right now, the Canadian de minimis provision in the USMCA applies only to shipments made by private courier; it does nothing to change the 30-year-old threshold for postal shipments. As such, it is a failure for Canadian taxpayers.  Press release

 

Inside Amazon 4-Star at Field Agent. “Over the weekend, Field Agent dispatched 15 agents to Amazon 4-Star to collect photos, capture video, and, basically, give us the tour of Amazon’s new digs.” Video/Read more

 

Q&A: Walmart’s Frank Yiannas on the use of blockchain for food safety by Lucas Mearian at Computerworld. Q&A

 

**A message from the Megaphone sound enhancing case – Don’t tolerate average smart phone sound! No wires or batteries, boosts sound 2X and filters the sound for a smoother “stereo” listening experience. Website/Video | Sample

 

Camping World Promotes Brent Moody to President Press release

 

Accenture: Millennials Likely to Be the Biggest Spenders This Holiday Season “Nearly four times as many younger millennials compared to baby boomers (49 percent versus 13 percent) said they plan to spend more this holiday season.” Press release

 

CMO Next 2018: The Full List Of 50 Chief Marketers (Old Navy, Boxed, Wayfair, Amazon Fashion) by Jenny Rooney at Forbes. List

 

The Best Beer City in the World by Kate Krader at Bloomberg. “Based on his research, Bjergsø has a surprising pick as the world’s best beer city: It’s not London or Munich or even the craft beer mecca San Diego; it’s New York.” Tiered subs.

 

Hibbett launches reserve and buy online, pick up in store at all locations by April Berthene at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

The Mooch wants to help laid-off Toys ‘R’ Us workers by Lisa Fickensher at NY Post. “His hedge fund, SkyBridge, an investor in a company that invested in Toys ‘R’ Us’ debt, wants the firm to fork over some cash to a hardship fund for laid-off workers.” Read more

 

Target is first brick & mortar retailer to carry the web-hatched Quip toothbrush at Bloomberg via Internet Retailer. Read more

 

Amazon’s ‘Free Dive’ Ad-Supported TV Streaming Service to Launch as Early as This Week, Report Says at Fortune. Read more

 

Taco Bell’s Diablo sauce now comes as a tortilla chip and is exclusive to 7-Eleven via CNBC. “… its new, limited-edition Diablo Tortilla Chips are exclusively available at participating 7-Eleven stores nationwide through Oct. 31. After that, they will roll out to additional grocery and convenience stores through November.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

The Top 10 Rising Cities For Startups

The Most Dangerous Celebrity Online Is Revealed

‘Mosquito-pocalypse is in full effect’ in North Carolina

Aldi set to open Oct. 18 in Walmart’s Bentonville back yard

It’s going to be an Instagram Christmas

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

 

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This is the beginning of the end for Lord & Taylor’s flagship store by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “The upscale retailer’s 104-year-old flagship store at 424 Fifth Ave. — New York City’s oldest — is set to launch a final “store closing” sale on Thursday that will hawk deals on fashions and accessories throughout the holidays before the store shuts down for good.” Read more

 

These retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving at CNBC. Long list

 

Amazon Enters Bed Market With Low-Cost Basic Foam Mattress by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “The AmazonBasics foam mattress, starting at $130, was spotted Friday by TJI Research…Amazon’s furniture brands already included bed frames and bedding, but this is the first Amazon-branded mattress, according to TJI.” Tiered subs.

 

JCPenney CFO Jeffrey Davis left to become CFO at Qurate Retail Group, which owns QVC, HSN & Zulily by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more

 

…JCPenney has been without a CEO since June 1 by Tatyana Shumsky at Wall Street Journal. “The retailer must finalize its CEO pick before it can turn to filling the CFO spot, said Peter Crist, chairman for executive recruiter Crist|Kolder.” WSJ subs.

 

Best Buy stocked an unannounced Chromecast ahead of Google’s hardware event at TechCrunch. “The cashier wasn’t able to scan the item because it wasn’t in the system yet. The release date was labeled October 9 — the same day as the 2018 Google hardware event. “But since I already had it in my hand and was the same price as the 2nd generation Chromecast, they let me have it under the old SKU,” the post read.” Read more

 

Canada, US confirm new deal with Mexico updating NAFTA at Fox Business. Read more

 

**A message from BK Resources – The Best Kept secret for commercial and food service kitchen equipment. Leading supplier of stainless steel: commercial faucets, sinks, work tables, bar equipment, ice bins and more. Catalog | Website | Contact

 

Chicago’s Beloved Treasure Island Grocery Chain Will Close All Six Stores by Micheline Maynard at Forbes. “Julia Child once described the chain as “America’s Most European Supermarket.” Treasure Island was upscale, with a locally focused approach, years before similar shopping trends swept the country.” Read more

 

Amazon’s new 4-star-product store in NYC is like a mini-Target by Jimmy Im at CNBC. “…unfortunately, for me, “Top Selling” didn’t necessarily translate to cool or interesting. Many of the products seemed to be things you could just as easily find at Target or Walmart.” Read more

 

…The giant Roomba installation eats up a fair amount of floor space. You’re telling me iRobot isn’t paying Amazon a hefty sum for that exposure? by Chris Welch at The Verge. Pics/Read more

 

In holiday ‘war for talent,’ retailers offer turkey dinners and haircut deals to lure temp workers by Abha Bhattarai at Washington Post. “Nationally, retailers say they plan to pay as much as 54 percent more than they did a year ago…They are increasingly offering a chance at other perks, too: $500 gift cards at Target, all-expenses-paid vacations to Miami and New York, as well as $5,000 “prize packages” at J.C. Penney….Gap and Old Navy are advertising employee discounts of 50 percent, as well as backup child care and free flu shots.” Tiered subs.

 

…Retailers tout big hiring plans this holiday season, but workers will be hard to find at CNBC. “Roughly 23 percent of retailers weren’t able to hire all the temporary workers they wanted for the 2017 holiday season, according to new Korn Ferry report.” Read more

 

Target’s new fashion line goes a different route by Charisse Jones at USA Today. “Target is about to launch one of its signature limited collections. But rather than its typical team-up with a celebrity or haute label such as Victoria Beckham or Missoni, Target’s new fashion collaboration for the first time will be with a nonprofit.” Read more

 

Nearly a quarter of US households own a smart speaker, according to Nielsen by Micah Singleton at The Verge. Read more

 

Harley-Davidson to sell apparel, riding gear on Amazon at CNBC. “Previously, customers could only purchase Harley apparel and riding gear from the company’s website or licensed dealerships.” Read more

 

Indonesians Loot Markets After Tsunami Creates Shortage Of Food, Water at NDTV. “Men and women made off with plastic bin bags and baskets full of biscuits, crisps, nappies, gas canisters, tissue paper and more. “There has been no aid, we need to eat. We don’t have any other choice, we must get food,” shouted one man. “We are in a crisis,” cried another.” Pics/Read more

 

South Korean cookie shop sold Costco desserts as store-made at UPI. “The roll cakes were hand-baked at our store at first, but we made the wrong choice as the orders surged,” said Mimi Cookie in an apology statement, according to Korea Joongang Daily.” Read more

 

Health officials seek woman who delivered rabies-infested bat to Target employees at Fox 40 News. “…she placed the bat in a Starbucks cup before bringing it into the store and giving it to two employees…The bat bit one of the Target employees, who has now received a rabies vaccination. The other employee has also been treated.” Video/Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Two people are shot – one a child – when gunman opens fire in Indiana Walmart

Washington state man gets prison for overharvesting sea cucumbers

Vintage baseball jerseys are red hot – four favorites up for auction

Ex-Amazon engineers raise $18M to prove that companies will pay to have someone crash their apps

‘Babylon Berlin’ Is the Biggest Drama Launch on German TV in 2018

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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