Tipsheet: Wawa Breach | BJ’s New CEO | Baby Yoda #1

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Wawa says data breach may have collected thousands of customer card numbers and names at CNBC. “…its information security team discovered malware on its payment processing servers on Dec. 10 and stopped the breach on Dec 12. The company believes the malware was collecting card numbers, customer names and other data as early as March 4…The breach affected all of Wawa’s 850 locations.” Read more

 

BJ’s Wholesale Club names Lee Delaney CEO / Thomas Kingsbury, the former CEO of Burlington Stores, Inc., has been appointed to the Board Press release

 

Nike earnings beat, sales rise, as Jordan brand hits $1 billion at CNBC. “…digital sales were up a whopping 38%, thanks to a boost at the start of the holiday shopping season….But sales in North America overall still came up short. They climbed 5.3% during the period, reaching $3.98 billion. Analysts were calling for sales of $4 billion.” Read more

 

Lowe’s Partners with Yardi to Offer All Products from LowesForPros.com Press release

 

Walmart wants you to buy more alcohol from its stores by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider. “I would say the growth of hard seltzers has caught us all by surprise,” Fremstad said…”I think the one spirit that nobody talks enough about is the growth of tequila,” he said. “I mean tequila is growing incredibly fast — and really the premium tequila, not your college tequila.” Read more

 

Hudson’s Bay CFO, Ed Record, will return from medical leave and resume his duties, effective December 20, 2019 Press release

 

Chinese shoppers are spending more at home. Tiffany has big plans to cash in by Michelle Toh at CNN. “The company is also trying to win over young Chinese shoppers by building a Blue Box Cafe in its Shanghai store…”80% of consumers of luxury in China are millennials,” Bogliolo said. “I really wanted to bring to China, to Shanghai … the flagship experience you can have in New York.” Read more

 

Whole Foods hires Weber Shandwick veteran to lead consumer PR, social by Diana Bradley at PR Week. Subs.

 

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Saturday is expected to be the biggest shopping day of the year, rivaling, and even beating, Black Friday crowds by Kelly Tyko at USA Today. “About 147.8 million people, up from 134.3 million last year, plan to take advantage of Super Saturday sales and extended store hours, according to the National Retail Federation’s new survey.” Saturday store hours

 

Prime Power: How Amazon squeezes the businesses behind its store at NY Times. Tiered subs.

 

Home Depot adds space beside 6,500-employee HQ at Atlanta Business Chronicle. Subs.

 

Pilot Of Doomed Amazon Air Flight Had Poor Training Record at Forbes. “He also washed out of training at two other airlines, which he concealed when he applied for work at Atlas, claiming that he had been doing freelance real estate work and taking college classes during that period of time.” Read more

 

Baby Yoda Is No. 1 Best-Selling Plush Toy on Amazon, Even Though It Won’t Be Available for Months by Todd Spangler at Variety. “Disney held off on producing Baby Yoda merchandise because “The Mandalorian” creator Jon Favreau wanted to avoid spoilers before the series debuted on Disney Plus.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

NPD Group: ‘Food as medicine’ one of the trends to watch in 2020

Apple Has Secret Team Working on Satellites to Beam Data to Devices

Doll maker defends anatomically correct ‘boy toys’

CDC alert on hard-boiled eggs sold in bulk over food poisoning outbreak

FoodHero app lets you rescue groceries from landfills

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Tipsheet: Cornell Top CEO | R.Aid Beats | CBS Tests Amazon

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CORNELL CONGRATS – Target’s Brian Cornell is the top CEO of 2019 at CNN. “Cornell: To understand how we got here, you need to start back in February 2017 at Target’s Financial Community Meeting. We laid out a strategy and significant investment that put stores at the center of everything we do for our guests…The decision was not well-received at the time. The ‘retail-is-dead’ narrative was in full effect, and we were making one of the largest investments in our history.” Q&A

 

CBS News tests toys purchased from third-party sellers at Amazon at CBS This Morning. “Small magnets — if they’re swallowed — they can really just cause a lot of problems in a child’s digestive system,” said Rebecca Mond with The Toy Association…A 4-year-old Wisconsin boy reportedly had to have part of his intestines removed after swallowing small magnets from a different knockoff toy.” Read more

 

Rite Aid Q3 comp sales: Front-end (excluding cigs/tobacco) +1.0% / Pharmacy -0.1% Press release

 

…Rite Aid shares rocket higher after big profit and 3Q beat at AP. “Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 54 cents per share, far surpassing the 7 cents Wall Street had expected, according to a survey by FactSet. Revenue edged up slightly to $5.46 billion, also beating analyst projections for $5.42 billion in the quarter that ended Nov. 30.” Read more

 

This Toy Store Invites Children to Play. But Will it Sell Anything? by Margot Boyer-Dry at New York Times. “Camp will need to move a lot of people through its stores. During the Ewings’ weekday visits to the Brooklyn store, which opened on Nov. 30, crowds were light. On a Friday, the twins shared the space with a handful of other families who stayed quite a while. On a Tuesday, they had the store nearly to themselves.” Tiered subs.

 

Bankrupt Retailers Can’t Stay Quiet, or They’ll Keep Dying by Matthew Townsend & Katherine Doherty at Bloomberg. “Troubled chains are sticking to ignoring the B-word, but that doesn’t fly in today’s media landscape.” Tiered subs.

 

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Retailers Brace for Bigger Holiday Returns Season by Jennifer Smith at Wall Street Journal. “Consumers are expected to return between $90 billion to $95 billion worth of merchandise purchased over the holidays, according to B-Stock Solutions, which runs online liquidation sites for major retailers. That is a projected jump of 15% to 20% over 2018.” WSJ subs.

 

…More online sales mean retailers need to solve a $50 billion returns problem this holiday season at CNBC. “The report by CBRE and Optoro said the overall returns rate in the retail industry continues to grow at 10% annually. This year, total returns of purchases made both in stores and online during the holidays are expected to top $100 billion, up from over $90 billion last year, the firms said.” Read more

 

PayPal completed its acquisition of a 70% equity stake in GoPay, making PayPal the first foreign payment platform to provide online payment services in China at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Testing Starbucks’ new pickup-only store in New York City by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “This was definitely the tiniest Starbucks I’ve ever been in…no mugs for sale or tables to sit at — but the wood paneling and green colors made it feel somewhat on-brand. Several customers came in and out within minutes. One told me that she absolutely loved the concept — “I thought mobile ordering was cool, but this…” Read more/Pics

 

Amazon to launch new satellite-communications headquarters in Redmond, Washington by Benjamin Romano at Seattle Times. Tiered subs.

 

Macy’s CMO responds to SNL spoof of the department store’s ad by Adrienne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “The spot advertised 40 percent discounts on cozy corduroys “that’ll pinch his little nuts” and snow boots “that are so hard to put on, it’ll strain your marriage.” In one promotion for “hard, shiny shoes that hurt,” a mother tells her whining daughter, “Welcome to being a woman, Kiley.” Tiered subs.

 

Amazon expands free return policy to ‘millions of items’ by Nick Statt at The Verge. Read more

 

A Major Shipping Change Is Coming, and So Are Higher Fuel Prices at Bloomberg. “In fewer than two weeks, thousands of ships the world over will be forced to use fuel containing less sulfur in order to comply with global rules set out by the International Maritime Organization. Those who don’t could face penalties and even imprisonment. Ports are deploying drones to — literally — sniff out wrongdoers. The regulations are having a profound effect on oil refineries and the cost of seaborne trade looks set to rise.” Tiered subs.

 

Tipsheet Extra

Home Depot thief arrested after getaway car doesn’t start

Eagles’ DeSean Jackson treats 50 kids to Walmart shopping spree

How regular people are using Amazon affiliate links to make money

China cuts America a break on tariffs after phase one deal

Juul-addicted teens are chewing nicotine gum just to get through school

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Tipsheet: Petland Puppy Problems | Costco Visa #1 Searched | Housing +10% 2020

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H&M’s Different Kind of Click Bait by Elizabeth Paton & Sapna Maheshwari at NY Times. “The Swedish retailer now lets customers know where nearly every garment it sells is made…This is part of the company’s new “consumer-facing transparency layer.” H&M shoppers can now find out not only the country where clothing was manufactured, but also details on materials and recycling, the name of the supplier or authorized subcontractor where a garment was made; the factory address; and the number of workers employed there.” Tiered subs.

 

You Might Be Buying Trash on Amazon—Literally at Wall Street Journal. “Just about anyone can open a store on Amazon.com and sell just about anything. Just ask the dumpster divers. These are among the dedicated cadre of sellers on Amazon who say they sort through other people’s rejects, including directly from the trash, clean them up and list them on Amazon.com Inc.’s platform. Many post their hunting accounts on YouTube.” WSJ subs.

 

Fannie Mae boosts 2020 housing forecast ‘significantly’ at CNBC. “After increasing just over 1% annually this year, growth in single-family housing starts will accelerate to 10% during 2020 and top 1 million new homes in 2021, the group predicts. That would mark a post-recession high but is still far below the annual peak of about 1.7 million single-family starts in 2005 and the 1.2 million annual pace experienced in the late ’90s.” Read more

 

Amazon Air expansion takes wing with regional carriers at Fox Business. “A Minnesota airline is teaming up with Amazon to fly more cargo planes. Sun Country Airlines plans to hire 70 pilots to fly Amazon Air-branded jets under a six-year deal with the e-commerce giant that will represent 20 percent of all the carrier’s flights, according to the Minnesota Star-Tribune. The first trips will start in April.” Read more

 

Kroger, Publix and Hy-Vee produce on list of best grocery store chains in every state at USA Today. Best by state/Read more

 

Puppies have sickened at least 30 people with a drug-resistant bacteria, CDC says by Ryan W. Miller at USA Today. “…and many were at pet stores. At least 12 people who were infected came in contact with puppies at Petland, a national pet store chain, the CDC says.” Read more

 

Atlanta: Local communities halt new dollar stores by J.D. Capelouto at Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It’s the image that it portrays for a place. … We’re trying to send a signal that we’re a quality town,” said Lary, who has pushed for an upscale grocery store like Whole Foods or Sprouts to open in Stonecrest, which became a city in 2017.” Read more

 

The Costco Visa is by far the most-searched credit card, with about 935,000 monthly searches by Sarah Silbert at Business Insider. “By comparison, the second-most popular credit card search, for Southwest credit cards, racked up just 171,000 monthly searches.” List/Read more

 

**A message from Sweets & Snacks Expo: Save the date: May 19-21, 2020 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Your year starts here. Website/Register

 

Retailers offered free returns, and shoppers ruined it by Donald Moore at Bloomberg via Detroit Free Press. “Among those willing to risk consumer wrath is Urban Outfitters Inc.’s Anthropologie, which charges a fee for mail returns. Fashion Nova, the most-searched fashion brand on Google last year, offers in-store credit, not refunds. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will next year stop accepting returns without a receipt, invoice or order confirmation.” Read more

 

The 50 best companies for women, according to employee ratings at CNBC. “Making the cut: Costco, Home Depot, Publix, Bath & Body Works, H-E-B…” List/Read more

 

Inside Ikea’s big bet on smart home tech by Thomas Ricker at The Verge. “I am in Sweden to meet with Block and his team to better understand the extent of Ikea’s smart home ambitions. What I discover is a company that’s aware of its missteps, with a clear understanding of how it wants to improve and expand. Ikea believes its advantage in the smart home stems from what at first looks like its greatest disadvantage: Ikea is not a tech company…” Read more

 

FDA targets e-cigs that hook teens but don’t help smokers quit by Chris Kirkham at Reuters. “E-cigarette makers face an existential threat. By May, they must submit applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proving that their products provide a net benefit to public health. If a company fails to make its case, the FDA has the power to order its products off the market.” Read more

 

Sheetz to open 600th store at Penn Live. Read more

 

H-E-B store brings fresh food, concern to Houston food desert by Paul Takahashi at Houston Chronicle. “We know gentrification is going to happen anyway, but we can control what kind of businesses come here,” McDavid said. “We don’t need more auto mechanic shops or gas stations. We want real retail, somewhere I can shop and keep money in our area.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Costco, Instacart expand alcohol delivery to 200 club stores

Nearly 40% of children have received or sent a “sext” by the age of 13

Executive chairman of Meijer gives commencement address at Univ. of Michigan

The 11 cleverest tech ideas of 2019

Rumor: Bezos has talked to Ford family re: buying the Detroit Lions

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Tipsheet: Tritton Fires | Venezuela ‘Mini Walmart’ | Amazon’s ‘Sniper’

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New CEO at Bed Bath & Beyond shakes up chain of command by Michelle Chapman at AP. “The departures announced Tuesday include the company’s chief merchandising officer, marketing officer, digital officer, it’s general counsel and its chief administrative officer. The company’s chief brand officer resigned last week. “Balancing our existing expertise with fresh perspectives from new, innovative leaders of change, will help us to better anticipate and support our customers,” said CEO Mark Tritton in a prepared statement Tuesday.” Read more

 

Imitating Amazon: E-Commerce Battle Bolstered by Companies Mimicking the Market Leader by Jennifer Smith at Wall Street Journal. “Before 2005, when Amazon’s Prime program launched, online fulfillment involved two basic choices: “Fast and expensive or slow and inexpensive,” said Jim Tompkins, chief executive of supply-chain consultancy Tompkins International. Now, “it’s a whole new game,” he said.” WSJ subs.

 

Hong Kong’s “yellow” stores support protests at AP. “Nicknamed “yellow shops,” they make their politics plain and are winning customers in protest-hit Hong Kong because of it…They say they’re hoping to create a “yellow economy” — a network of stores that will help fund and support the protest movement for a long-haul struggle with the Hong Kong government.” Read more/Pics

 

The Man Who Built Amazon’s Delivery Machine by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “Shortly after being named Amazon.com Inc.’s global logistics chief in 2013, Dave Clark held a conference call with his new reports…Clark described his early-career habit of lurking in the shadows of Amazon warehouses and scoping out slackers he could fire, which earned him the nickname The Sniper. Clark speaks in a monotone and is hard to read, but the message was clear enough: The new boss wanted his underlings to know that he will let little stand in the way of ensuring that customers get their orders on time.” Tiered subs.

 

Congress poised to ban tobacco sales to anyone under 21 at The Hill. Read more

 

Cramer: Costco has a China problem — and it’s not tariffs at CNBC. “The problem is Shanghai, a city of nearly 25 million people, has only one Costco store, the “Mad Money” host said. Pair it with Costco’s ability to deftly handle tariffs in the U.S.-China trade war, and it “sounds to me like a terrific investment thesis for owning Costco’s stock for years and years to come,” Cramer said.” Read more

 

Amazon bars Marketplace sellers from using FedEx shipping over ‘delivery performance’ at The Verge. Read more

 

**A message from Sweets & Snacks Expo. Save the date: May 19-21, 2020 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Your year starts here. Website/Register

 

Walmart Calls in SWAT Teams to Handle 500 Store Remodels a Year by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “American retailers remodel thousands of stores each year, but the process is rarely smooth. Now imagine the headaches for Walmart Inc., which overhauls 500 locations annually on its own. “Things always come up that you can’t plan for,” according to Tara Barnes, a store manager in Allen, Texas, whose location went through a refurbishment this summer.” Tiered subs.

 

Hibbett Names Michael Longo as President and CEO “Mr. Longo served as Chief Executive Officer for Memphis-based City Gear…Prior to City Gear, he worked in positions of increasing leadership roles with AutoZone.” Press release

 

Apple’s AirPods Pro are sold out online ahead of the holidays at CNBC. Read more

 

Costco in Caracas: how Florida goods flood Venezuelan stores at Reuters. “Venezuelan businessmen have taken advantage of his government’s quiet abandonment of price, currency and import controls to buy direct from U.S. wholesalers including Costco and Walmart. The goods are delivered to Florida-based door-to-door services run by Venezuelans, according to 11 interviews with customs agents, operators and businessmen.” Read more

 

Target says you can drive up, drop by and get delivery on Christmas Eve by Charisse Jones at USA Today. Read more | Press release

 

Amazon delivery hardware takes on a new look in truck and plane photos by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. “The dark blue box trucks have Amazon’s signature smile logo and “Prime” across the side, and on the back is a slogan that Amazon has been using on big rigs, which we’ve seen more of on the highway recently. “There’s more to Prime. A truckload more,” the rear-door wording reads.” Read more

 

Van crashes into crowded Ross store near Seattle, injuring 11 at AP. “The driver of the van tried to take off at high speed after a woman, who had apparently shoplifted inside the Ross Dress for Less story in the suburb of Burien, got into it Monday night, said Sgt. Ryan Abbott of the King County Sheriff’s Office.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Eataly to open its second West Coast location

Wegmans bans man for life after shoplifting incident

Man arrested at Home Depot after he blockaded the door with his pickup

American Girl is in free fall

Clashes erupt in Indian capital over citizenship law

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Tipsheet: McKenna #21 Power | China Livestreaming

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From Online Shoppers to Dairy Farmers, the New Nafta Will Leave Winners and Losers in Its Wake at Fortune. “The deal will raise Canada and Mexico’s de-minimis levels, or the threshold above which consumers pay tax on a cross-border shipment. This means, for instance, that Canadians will now be able to buy more online, tax-free.” Read more

 

The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women at Forbes. 

Judith McKenna #21

Roz Brewer #43

Ranked list

 

Can Bergdorf Goodman Win the Barneys Race? by Sapna Maheshwari at NY Times. “While (President Darcy) Penick, who speaks in measured tones and has a blond pixie cut, aims to propel Bergdorf’s forward, her office is steeped in reminders of the store’s legacy. There is a letter from Jacqueline Kennedy to a Bergdorf’s associate about hats, and a photo of a young Michael Kors, who got his start at the store.” Tiered subs.

 

lululemon Q3 comp sales +16% Press release

 

Safeway Owner, Rival Grocers Bet on Smaller Warehouses by Jaewon King at Wall Street Journal. “The owner of the Safeway and Jewel-Osco chains is adding small fulfillment facilities at two stores in South San Francisco, Calif., and San Jose, Calif., in partnership with Takeoff Technologies Inc., which builds automated warehouses. Albertsons said it is establishing more of these 10,000-square-foot distribution centers, which each cost about $3 million to build.” WSJ subs.

 

Home Depot 2019 Investor and Analyst Conference Transcript via Seeking Alpha. Transcript

 

Tariff Threat Dims Holiday Cheer for Christmas Tree Company by Alex Leary at Wall Street Journal. “Mr. Harman is chief executive of Balsam Brands of Redwood City, Calif., which sells artificial Christmas trees made in China. One of the factories that he buys from has given him a Dec. 20 deadline to place orders for next year…Since tariffs will force him to take either lower profit margins or fewer sales, Mr. Harman’s company is holding off plans to add 50 people to its U.S. workforce of 130.” WSJ subs.

 

Dollar Tree, Inc. makes leadership changes “Michael A. Witynski has been promoted to Enterprise President…Richard L. McNeely has been promoted to Chief Merchandising Officer…Thomas R. O’Boyle, Jr. has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer.” Press release

 

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Size, color and smell: Livestreaming rings up big sales in China by Brenda Goh at Reuters. “While e-commerce growth has slowed in a stuttering economy, the world’s second-biggest, the livestreaming model has given retailers a shot in the arm. Alibaba Group said over 50% of its Tmall merchants used livestreaming to sell nearly 20 billion yuan ($2.84 billion) of products on Singles Day last month.” Read more

 

Americans’ Credit Card Debt Poised to Reach 10-Year High at Bloomberg/Yahoo. Read more

 

Home Depot ties opioid crisis to recent surge in store theft by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg via MSN. “In response, (Home Depot) is using technology including machine learning to anticipate where the crime rings are headed next. It’s also installing technology so that power tools won’t work unless they go through the retailer’s point-of-sale system, while working with local law enforcement and taking some high-value inventory off the sales floors…The “significant” impact of thefts was a reason why Home Depot’s operating profit margin should narrow to about 14% next year, the company said.” Read more

 

Former Snap exec Imran Khan’s retail site Verishop has teamed up with a US mall owner to open 14 stores at CNBC. Read more

 

Walmart, Flipkart invest in fresh produce supply chain startup in India by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Ninjacart’s focus on direct-from-farm sourcing resonates well with Walmart’s commitment to supporting farmers in India. We are working towards our commitment of sourcing 25% of produce in our Best Price cash-and-carry stores directly from farmers by 2023…,” said Krish Iyer, president and CEO, Walmart India.” Read more

 

RH Chairman & CEO sells 6.9% of his RH common stock ownership position Press release

 

QUEBEC RECORD STORE CRACKDOWN – Mile End record stores facing steep fines for staying open past 5 p.m. by T’cha Dunlevy at Montreal Gazette. “Several Mile End record shops were celebrating their unlikely survival (on Record Store Day) along with the rest of the world on Saturday, April 13, when a little past 5 p.m. they got a not-so-friendly visit from Quebec’s Ministère de l’économie et de l’innovation…Eight months later, those warnings have turned into hefty fines they say threaten their livelihood.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

The Hollywood Reporter’s 2019 Women in Entertainment Power 100

The great $50M African IP address heist

The 100 most important gadgets of the decade

Toy industry turns to Trump pal to save it from tariffs

Study says Americans spend over $1,000 a year on lotto tickets

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Tipsheet: Kroger/Wgreen Alliance | Best Buy/Mayor Pete | H.Dep Tamps Down

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Kroger and Walgreens want to buy products together to cut supplier costs at CNBC. “Kroger and Walgreens hope more retailers will join their alliance. “If another organization thinks they have significant buying in these areas, they could partner with Kroger and Walgreens to save and reduce waste,” Millerchip said.” Read more

 

Home Depot forecasts 2020 sales growth below expectations at Reuters. “The company, ahead of its analyst day on Wednesday, said it expects fiscal 2020 sales growth of about 3.5% to 4%. Analyst on average had expected sales growth of 4.3%, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.” Read more

 

Stitch Fix CEO talks up future for online fashion company as shares soar on strong quarterly results at CNBC. “Revenue grew 21% year over year to $445 million, above the $441 million that had been expected. Stitch Fix’s active clients matched analyst estimates at 3.4 million, a 17% increase from a year earlier.” Video/Read more

 

Pete Buttigieg’s McKinsey clients included Best Buy and Loblaws at CNN. “Buttigieg later disclosed that he had two clients in 2008…The first was Loblaws…the mayor worked for six months on analyzing “the effects of price cuts on various combinations of items across their hundreds of stores.” The second was Best Buy, where the mayor said he spent three months working on a “project to investigate opportunities for selling more energy-efficient home products in their stores.” Read more

 

American Eagle Q3 comp sales +5.0% Press release

 

Walmart and Nuro test autonomous grocery delivery in Houston by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Walmart said the service will be available in the coming months for a select group of Houston customers who opt into the test program. The service plans to expand to the general public later in 2020.” Read more

 

GameStop Q3 comp sales -23.2% Press release

 

Walmart will continue accepting paper prescriptions in 2021, but for how long? at USA Today. “Starting Jan. 1, 2020, six more states will require electronic, or e-prescriptions for controlled substances, which include opioid painkillers and antidepressants. A year later, Medicare Part D will require controlled substances prescriptions be submitted electronically. But at Walmart, paper prescriptions for controlled substances aren’t being tossed out completely in the new year like initially planned.” Read more

 

**A message from Home & Outdoor cookware – High quality cookware made for the cabin, camping, and the great outdoors. 3X stain and scratch resistance. Retail ready packaging. Sales deck | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Ingles Markets Q4 comp sales +3.7% Press release

 

Flaws in Smartwatches on Amazon May Let Strangers Track Kids at Bloomberg. “Security researchers discovered vulnerabilities in cheap smartwatches for children that make it possible for strangers to override parental controls and track kids.” Tiered subs.

 

United Natural Foods Q1 net sales increased to $6.0 billion, including an incremental $3.1 billion from Supervalu Press release

 

How Rare Luggage Replaced Sneakers as the Latest It-Accessory at Wall Street Journal. “For me, luxury luggage is part of the outfit, it’s like a handbag,” said Gary Wong, 33, an architectural lighting designer in New York City who fits the mold of a hype-conscious frequent flier.” WSJ subs.

 

Suspects targeted kosher supermarket in Jersey City shooting rampage, mayor says at USA Today. Read more

 

U.S. short-seller makes Canadian Tire its latest target at Financial Post. “As short sellers, we look for companies with challenged business models and bad balance sheets,” Spruce Point founder Ben Axler said. “In the case of Canadian Tire, the debt has been rising, and in fact, there doesn’t seem to be a complete understanding of how much debt the company has.” Read more

 

Amazon’s Deliveroo deal in doubt after UK regulator raises serious concerns at Reuters. Read more

 

COSTCO CLIMBER – ‘Mission: Impossible’- like thief swipes fine jewelry from Costco store at Livingston Ledger. “The burglar climbed an outside drainage pipe to get access to the store’s roof, and then pried open a skylight, police said. The thief then used a rope to rappel about 40 feet to the sales floor. From there, he made his way to the fine jewelry department…“The burglar is believed to be familiar with climbing sports,” police said in a news release.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Amazon and Apple will be our doctors in the future

Popeyes serving up ugly Christmas chicken sandwich sweater

Hollywood Reporter: The Worst Movies of the Decade

Macy’s has shrunk to the size of Beyond Meat

Tesla files patent for lasers that clean your car’s windshield

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Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

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Tipsheet: Martinis @ Retail | Target Co. of the Year | AutoZone +3.4%

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Fourth Floor, Men’s Wear. Fifth Floor, Martinis. at NY Times. “All over Midtown Manhattan, department stores are opening a new department: the spiffy, up-to-date cocktail bar. The new Neiman Marcus at Hudson Yards has Bar Stanley, a snug nook on the sixth floor that has two prebatched and bottled cocktails among its offerings. This month, Bergdorf Goodman will open Goodman’s Bar, an Italian-style cafe and aperitivo bar, on the second floor of its men’s store on Fifth Avenue.” Tiered subs.

 

AutoZone Q1 comp sales +3.4% Press release

 

California fines CVS $3.6M for failing to redeem recyclables at The Hill. “In California, stores located in “convenience zones” that do not have associated recycling centers must allow customers to redeem California Redemption Value beverage containers or face $100 per day fines.” Read more

 

Casey’s Q2 grocery/other merchandise comp sales +3.2% Press release

 

Retailers Don’t Like Paying the Fees for Your Apple Card at Bloomberg. “That’s because the card, marketed by Apple and backed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., is designated “elite,” which allows it to levy significantly higher interchange fees on each swipe or tap.” Tiered subs.

 

Kroger slashes food waste to feed the hungry at The Hill. “It’s a journey,” Armbruster says. “You’ll see that reflected in the fact that we only estimate we’re capturing 40 percent of the food waste in our stores and the rest still ends up in landfill. But I would say you definitely would see a much different assortment in there now than you would have three years ago or even one to two years ago.” Read more

 

HD Supply Q3 net sales +2.0% Press release

 

She was Instacart’s biggest cheerleader. Now she’s leading a worker revolt. at Washington Post. “But Bain, then a 30-year-old mother, was quickly won over with meaningful work and a sense of respect. And her take-home pay rose roughly 65 percent compared to teaching and tutoring combined. At the end of a day working for Instacart, Bain had more energy, which made her a better mom…” Tiered subs.

 

Chewy Q3 net sales +40% Press release

 

Target is the Yahoo Finance 2019 Company of the Year “Obviously, there were some doubters out there a few years back,” Target CEO Brian Cornell tells Yahoo Finance. “But to see people put Target back in the winner’s circle, this iconic American retail brand, I take a lot of pride in the work the team’s done. And it’s certainly gratifying to see the progress that we’ve made.” Video/Read more

 

Empire wants to crack the Toronto grocery market and Farm Boy is its secret weapon at Financial Post. “When Empire’s chief executive Michael Medline acquired Farm Boy last year for $800 million last year, he said he wanted to double the chain’s 26 stores within five years. The plan, he once said, was to “blanket Toronto with Farm Boy.” Sobeys, Empire’s main banner based in Stellarton, N.S., has historically had trouble in Toronto, Medline said.” Read more

 

Lululemon COO to leave for luggage maker Away at Reuters. Read more

 

Companies Say They Want to Save the Planet—but They Can’t Agree How at Wall Street Journal. “Our objective is to avoid a huge divergence in what it means to be climate positive,” said Mark Griffiths, who works on climate issues at the World Wide Fund for Nature. WWF is facilitating an event Tuesday in Madrid at the United Nations’ conference on climate change, known as COP25, for companies to discuss the parameters for a global definition.” WSJ subs.

 

Hudson’s Bay Q3 comp sales -1.7% / Saks Fifth Avenue -2.3% / Saks Off 5th +4.9% Press release

 

…Hudson’s Bay Sales Slump Ahead of Vote on Baker’s Takeover Bid at Bloomberg via Yahoo. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Jim Cramer: Macy’s, Kohl’s ‘have never felt more irrelevant’

Amazon’s Ring is making its first smart light bulb, FCC documents reveal

CDC: Salinas company salad kits linked to another E. coli outbreak

Dollar General to sell CBD cosmetics in select Tennessee and Kentucky stores

Museum of Ice Cream scoops NYC flagship location, eyes global expansion

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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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: Put your product or service in front of the most powerful retail execs in the world, send advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

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Tipsheet: D2C White Flag | Boot Barn Eyes 500 | Instacart Protest

/in

 

Boot Barn CEO plans to double store count to 500 at CNBC. “We’ve said in the past that this is a massive retail opportunity that’s been hidden in plain sight for years,” (CEO) Conroy said. “It’s hard to understand when you’re in Manhattan or when you’re in Los Angeles, but when you fly across the country you look down and you’re looking at our customer.” Video/Read more

 

Big Brands, Online Startups Find Success Rests on Store Shelves at Wall Street Journal. “We gave up on the direct-to-consumer angle to work with retailers,” said Yanghee Paik, co-founder of Rael, which sells organic maxi pads, tampons and other feminine-care products. “We’re already asking people to convert from conventional products made by the P&Gs of the world. To also buy online is asking for a lot of change.” WSJ subs.

 

Why Amazon’s Move Into Food Delivery Could Get Tripped Up by Facebook’s WhatsApp Buy at Bloomberg via Fortune. “Amazon.com Inc.’s bid to buy into one of the U.K.’s most successful startups may get caught up in antitrust authorities’ fear that they made mistakes in the past. The Competition and Markets Authority has until Wednesday to decide whether to continue a two-month-old probe that froze Amazon’s bid of around $500 million for a minority stake in food-delivery service Deliveroo.” Read more

 

Kicking off next Monday, Instacart shoppers plan to take one action per day, for six days in protest of Instacart at TechCrunch. “We’re still just trying to get this one tiny thing: double the default tip percentage,” Instacart shopper and protest organizer Sarah (pseudonym) told TechCrunch. “We’ve tried endlessly to get them to raise the base guarantee pay. But we feel like, fine, at least give us the higher default tip.” Read more

 

Amazon remains low-price leader online against competitors by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Analysts with Profitero surveyed prices across 12,500 products and 16 categories…Walmart’s prices were 4.1% higher than Amazon, while Target’s prices indexed 10.6% higher…Walmart..was competitive in the baby category, with prices just 0.2% above Amazon.” Read more

 

Proxy adviser ISS opposes plan by Hudson’s Bay chairman to take firm private at Reuters. Read more

 

CVS CEO on What’s Happened After Its Aetna Merger—and What Comes Next at Fortune. “Fortune sat down with Merlo for a wide-ranging conversation on meeting patients where they are, the value of Aetna to CVS’ expansion ambitions, and the pilot projects the company has coming down the pike. The top line takeaway? “The Aetna integration certainly has changed CVS into a full-fledged health care company,” says Merlo.” Read more

 

Build-A-Bear expects to close up to 30 stores at St. Louis Post Dispatch. Read more

 

Bezos says ‘the country is in trouble’ if big tech turns its back on the Pentagon at CNBC. “Look I understand these are emotional issues, that’s okay, we don’t have to agree on everything, but this is how we are going to do it, we are going to support the Department of Defense. This country is important,” (Bezos) added.” Read more

 

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French e-grocery app Jow has raised $7 million in new funding at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Someday There Might Not Be a Menswear Department at Bloomberg. “According to Pew research, 35% of Generation Z knows someone who identifies as non-binary and prefers gender neutral pronouns—and millennials and even Generation X aren’t far behind. Retailers, and in particular clothes sellers, have taken notice.” Tiered subs.

 

Amazon will open a new office in Manhattan in 2021 and accommodate more than 1,500 employees at CNBC. Read more

 

Forget fashion and beauty. These are the grocery store influencers at CNN Business. “Jen Coleman and Laura Wiertzema started their Instagram page, Costco_doesitagain, two years ago after success with a similar Target handle. Today, the Costco page has more than half-a-million followers…Katie Cooksey, who runs Kroger Krazy, a Facebook page with nearly 600,000 followers, said Kroger sends her its weekly advertising early and invites her to special corporate events.” Read more

 

How Nordstrom uses robots and shelves inspired by ants to deliver lipstick faster at CNBC. “Nordstrom is working with two tech companies, Attabotics and Tompkins Robotics, at one of its nine U.S. distribution centers.” Read more

 

Amazon expands Bezos’ elite ‘S-team,’ adding 6 execs from emerging branches of the company by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “The expanded leadership team will have 22 executives. The six members Amazon is adding to the S-team are:

Neil Lindsey — Vice President, Worldwide Prime & Marketing
Rohit Prasad — Vice President & Head Scientist, Alexa
Colleen Aubrey — Vice President, Performance Advertising
Matt Garman — Vice President, Amazon Web Services Compute Services
Christine Beauchamp — Vice President, Amazon Fashion
Peter Krawiec — Vice President, Worldwide Corporate Development Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Walmart donates 75 acres for ‘destination park’ in Bentonville

Field Agent: Best grocery displays Christmas 2019

Walmart apologizes for sweater that appears to feature Santa with cocaine

There’s a unit inside Amazon that will be a $31 billion business in four years, RBC says

Barneys Employees Brawl With Suspected Shoplifters

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

**

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: Put your product or service in front of the most powerful retail execs in the world, send advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: eyeonretail.net