Bernie Sanders targets Walmart with bill that would prevent stock buybacks unless companies pay workers $15 minimum wage at CNBC. "The Walton family, the owners of Walmart, are the wealthiest family in America with a net worth of about $180 billion. Meanwhile, most Walmart retail workers are working for horrendously low wages with minimal benefits," Sanders said in a statement to CNBC." Read more   Nordstrom Q3 comp sales +2.3% Press release   ...Credit-card mistake slams Nordstrom’s Q3 profit by Benjamin Romano at Seattle Times. "Nordstrom’s quarterly profit — and its stock price — were walloped by the disclosure [...]

  US retail sales rebound sharply in October at CNBC. "The Commerce Department said retail sales increased 0.8 percent last month also as households bought electronics and appliances. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales increasing 0.5 percent in October. Retail sales in October rose 4.6 percent from a year ago." Read more   Walmart U.S. Q3 comp sales +3.4% and Walmart U.S. eCommerce sales grew 43% Press release   ...Walmart 3Q earnings beat expectations, but revenue misses at Fox Business. Read more   About 38% of American consumers plan to shop on Black Friday this year, and six in [...]

  Amazon Picks New York City, Northern Virginia for Its HQ2 Locations at CNBC. "The report said Amazon is dividing the headquarters evenly between New York's Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens, and the Crystal City section of Arlington County, across the Potomac from Washington. According to Reuters, Amazon will also be announcing a significant investment in one additional city." Read more   ...Reuters: Nashville will be home to Amazon’s new East Coast hub of operations, adding 5,000 new corporate jobs Read more   Home Depot Q3 Comp Sales +4.8% / US +5.4% Press release   ...The Street: Home Depot [...]

  Alibaba sets new Singles Day record with more than $30.8 billion in sales in 24 hours at CNBC. "In Chinese currency terms, GMV totaled 213.5 billion yuan, easily beating last year's figure of 168.2 billion yuan and representing a nearly 27 percent year-on-year rise. That was, however, smaller than the 39 percent year-on-year growth recorded in 2017." Read more   UPS Freight approve new labor contract, avoid strike by Ben Tobin at USA Today. Read more   Wegmans has highest 'societal ROI' at PR Week. "Societal ROI looks at three broad areas: ethical stewardship, civic minds, and visible values. [...]

  FDA plans to restrict flavored e-cigarette sales to vape shops, ban menthol cigarettes from market at CNBC. "The flavor restrictions will exclude menthol, meaning menthol vapor products will still be allowed to be sold in convenience stores and gas stations — until the FDA removes menthol cigarettes from the market." Read more   Brookstone will return to malls in $165M deal by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. "...(Brookstone) has inked a deal to supply department stores by next spring...To start, Macy’s and Bed Bath & Beyond will beef up their Brookstone offerings, Gindi said. Plus, Bloomingdales will sell Brookstone [...]

  The 20 Best Workplaces in Retail 2018 (Wegmans #1, Publix #2, Sheetz #4, Burlington #5) at Fortune. List   Costco October comp sales (ex. gas & f/x) +6.6% "Net sales of $11.16 billion for the retail month of October, the four weeks ended November 4, 2018, an increase of 10.6 percent from $10.09 billion last year." Press release   TARGET STANDS BY 'DIFFICULT DECISION' - Chicago South Side stores will close, despite city's push to reconsider by Lauren Zumbach at Chicago Tribune. "Mayor Rahm Emanuel has spoken with Target’s CEO at least five times since the company notified the city of its plans the [...]

  Facebook catches pop-up fever, opening first retail shop in 9 Macy's stores by Charisse Jones at USA Today. "(Facebook) is introducing a mix of roughly 100 businesses at nine Macy's stores across the U.S. this month, through December. The small ventures will be housed within "The Market,''  a nearly year-old space carved out at various Macy's stores to put the spotlight on new or growing brands." Read more   Ahold ups stakes in U.S. grocery war with mini-'robot supermarkets' at Reuters. "At an investor event on Nov. 13, the world’s eighth biggest food retailer is set to showcase a partnership that [...]

  US Christmas sales predicted to surpass $1 trillion for the first time this year at CNBC. Read more   Marvin Ellison has chopped 150 stores since taking the reigns at Lowe's at MarketPlace. "Lowe’s announcement that it would shutter 51 “underperforming” stores...is the second set of closures in Marvin Ellison’s short tenure as CEO, and analysts say they might not be the last. The company announced in August that it would close all 99 Orchard Supply Hardware stores." Read more   ...Rona pays the price — 31 stores — after rebuilding with Lowe's at Montreal Gazette. "Lowe’s Canada, with [...]