Archive for month: January, 2019

 

Sam’s Club CEO talks tech at event, says wholesale club is undergoing transformation by Wesley Brown at Talk Business. “(John Furner) told the Little Rock business community that the goal of the division is to eliminate friction for its customers and its associates…“And time is one of the most important things that we think about today when we consider what is valuable to the consumer and people who come to work for us,” Furner said.” Read more

 

Michaels holiday comp store sales -0.2%…on a calendar shifted basis +2.3%…have seen more volatility in consumer shopping behavior…expect Q4 comp store sales to be near the lower end of guidance range of -0.5% to 0.5%…will close all of its Pat Catan’s stores (36-store supplier in Ohio) and rebrand and reopen up to 12. Press release

 

Target Takeoff Accelerator Program Is Back With 10 Emerging Beauty Brands at A Bullseye View. List/Read more

 

UPS tops expectations in holiday quarter at Reuters via Yahoo. “…the company benefited from record volumes during the crucial holiday season…Revenue rose to $19.85 billion from $18.98 billion.” Read more

 

Fake Walgreens pharmacist handled over 700,000 prescriptions, state officials say by Ruben Vives at LA Times. “Upon learning of this issue, we undertook a re-verification of the licenses of all our pharmacists nationwide to ensure that this was an isolated incident,” (spokesman) Cohn said in a statement.” Tiered subs.

 

Blue Apron Q4 net revenue down 25% – will cut about 200 jobs at its Arlington fulfillment center Press release

 

Will Supersizing Restoration Hardware Stores Backfire For CEO Gary Friedman? by Samantha Sharf at Forbes. “These are complicated financials for what should not be a very complicated business, which is putting some crap in a store,” says Todd Fernandez, who runs Forensic Research Group, which has followed RH since 2014. “If the unit economics made sense, someone probably would have built stores like this.” Read more

 

Ten Safeway locations in B.C. will reopen as discount grocery FreshCo later this year by Stephanie Ip at Vancouver Sun. Read more

 

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H&M profit drops as retailer adapts to more online shopping at AP News. “…quarterly sales increased by 12 percent…full-year sales rose 5 percent.” Read more

 

Judge denies Walmart’s motion to dismiss EEOC suit regarding pregnant workers by Kim Souza at Talk Business. Read more

 

Super Bowl Survey: 47% identified Walmart as their go-to retailer for Super Bowl munchies, followed by Kroger (11%), Target (7%), Aldi (6%), and Costco (6%). at Field Agent. Read more

 

Family Behind OxyContin Maker Made Billions, Say Court Papers at Wall Street Journal. “More than $4 billion was paid out between 2008 and 2016 to members of the Sackler family, owners of drugmaker Purdue Pharma LP, according to redacted portions of a civil complaint brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey against Purdue for allegedly contributing to the state’s opioid crisis.” WSJ subs.

 

United Natural Foods Files Lawsuit Against Goldman Sachs Press release

 

Walmart IT Executive Joe Park to Keynote Enterprise Connect 2019 Press release

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Bezos Launches Investigation Into Leaked Texts

Man creates world’s first sausage-themed hotel in Germany

Lowe’s to cut 80 jobs as it outsources appliance business

Supreme Court likely to expand gun rights

Dadi brings in $2M to democratize sperm storage

Outdoor industry pushes political fight over lands, climate

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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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No mail will be delivered today in parts of 10 states as polar vortex chills postal delivery at USA Today. “The USPS announced that no mail will be delivered in parts of Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.” Read more

 

Trader Joe’s is ending grocery delivery services in New York City on March 1 and has no plans to roll out delivery in other markets. by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider. Read more

 

FedEx to Start Next-Day Delivery for Orders as Late as Midnight by Thomas Black at Bloomberg. “Less than 1.3 percent of the courier’s total revenue comes from Amazon, (FedEx’s CMO) said — a figure that hasn’t previously been disclosed. The company doesn’t expect that to increase as it sees better prospects in helping customers compete against the e-retailing behemoth.” Tiered subs.

 

Teamsters join fight against Amazon HQ2 by Matthew Flamm at Crain’s New York Business. “We are speaking out against this deal because this notoriously anti-union company is expanding its footprint in New York City,” said George Miranda, president of the Teamsters Joint Council 16. “New York is a union town, and if Amazon wants to plant its flag in our city, it needs to respect our city’s workers.” Read more

 

Walgreens and CVS are offering ways to fix your teeth in their stores at CNBC. “CVS Health is running a pilot with SmileDirectClub to fit people for the start-up’s invisible braces in CVS’ drugstores. Walgreens  opened an Aspen Dental office in one of its Florida stores, with plans to open another this year.” Read more

 

Amazon plans to launch a new Middle East marketplace at CNBC. “Amazon is telling sellers to focus on Amazon’s main site instead of Souq.com, the Dubai-based online retailer it bought for $580 million in 2017.” Read more

 

Walmart, Fanatics launch sports retail platform by Thomas Barrabi at Fox Business. “Fan Shop by Fanatics” will sell hundreds of thousands of items featuring professional sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA and MLB, Walmart U.S. e-commerce general manager Eric O’Toole said in a blog post.” Read more

 

Amazon to fund computer science classes in more than 130 NYC area high schools by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. Read more | List of schools

 

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Metro estimates loss from romaine outbreak to be around $1 million at Montreal Gazette. Read more

 

Landlords Relish—or Fear—J.C. Penney Store Closings by Esther Fung at Wall Street Journal. “(J.C. Penney) expects to announce details at the end of February when it reports its financial results. Real-estate executives said J.C. Penney could announce as few as 20 or as many as 200 stores will close.” WSJ subs.

 

Kohl’s to open first Weight Watches Studio in-store and add kitchen products in select stores and on Kohls.com  Press release

 

Amazon is cutting funding for some delivery companies by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider. “Starting Thursday, Amazon will stop paying dispatch fees to its delivery service partners, or DSPs…Dozens of delivery companies use these fees to employ key positions, called dispatchers, at Amazon delivery stations across the US. The funding changes could wipe out these jobs.” Read more

 

Canada’s Best Employers (Costco #35, Lowe’s #73) at Forbes. List

 

eBay Q4 revenue +6.0% Press release

 

Amazon looks to turn public buses into mobile delivery stations by Ethan Baron at Mercury News via Arizona Daily Sun. “Amazon on Tuesday received a patent for transforming public buses into mobile delivery stations. Customers would simply meet the bus at a convenient stop, and pick up their items from a removable delivery module attached to the vehicle.” Read more

 

Kroger CIO Chris Hjelm to retire August 1, 2019 – Yael Cosset promoted to CIO effective May 1, 2019 Press release

 

Shares in GameStop get hammered after stating they are no longer pursuing a sale of the company. at AP News. Read more

 

Apple  is launching 58 new Today at Apple sessions to beef up its in-store education offerings by Megan Rose Dickey at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Amazon, Facebook and Walmart Need to Watch Their Backs in India by Newley Purnell & Rajesh Roy at Wall Street Journal. “It is a tough time to start a trade debate as India is headed toward national elections before May and few politicians or policy makers are likely willing to side with big foreign firms, observers say.” WSJ subs.

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Fortune’s Blue Ribbon Companies 2018

Best in-store product displays of Super Bowl LIII

Zara’s new logo – why didn’t they add a bit more space between the letters?

Hospitals are posting prices online. It’s a mess.

Best Buy employee who was fired for tackling fleeing suspect will get his job back

Stray cows to be bar coded in Indian state to counter menace

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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: eyeonretail.net

 

 

 

Amazon Mulls Building Physical Stores in London at Bloomberg via Yahoo. “The online giant selected a real estate agent in October, according to the Daily Mail. The stores will be built in London or counties including Surrey, Kent, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and Middlesex, it said.” Read more

 

Walgreens, CVS And Rite Aid Among Winners At Shopko Pharmacy Auction by Bruce Japsen at Forbes. “Purchase agreements have been signed, or are in process, for the pharmacy assets at 120 locations, which are expected to generate proceeds of approximately $52 million for the debtors and their estates,” a Shopko spokesman said Saturday.” Read more

 

…Walgreens Is Big Winner at Auction for Shopko’s Pharmacy Assets by Becky Yerak at Wall Street Journal. “Walgreens Boots Alliance has been named the successful bidder at about half of the approximately 120 pharmacies at which bankrupt retailer Shopko auctioned off assets a few days ago.” WSJ subs.

 

Tesco says changes to UK business to impact up to 9,000 jobs at Reuters. “It estimated that half of that number could be re-deployed across the business. Tesco is Britain’s biggest private sector employer with a staff of over 300,000.” Read more

 

UK retailers warn no-deal Brexit would risk food security: BBC at Reuters. Read more

 

Doug McMillon & Jeff Bezos attend Alfalfa Club dinner in DC by Helena Andrews-Dyer at Washington Post. “It’s that time of year again: when the biggest of bigwigs don black tie garb and descend upon the Capital Hilton ballroom to bask in the collective glow of their stunning accomplishments — and consume lots of booze. It’s the 106th annual Alfalfa Club dinner and, despite the collective PTSD of the longest partial government shutdown on record, the party must go on.” Tiered subs.

 

Retail generic brands that customers trust the most (Costco wins easy) by Aine Cain at Business Insider. List/Read more

 

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Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture breaks ground on Alabama engine factory by Alan Boyle at GeekWire. Read more

 

Amazon Closes $13 Million Deal for Mindy Kaling’s ‘Late Night’ – It is the first major sale out of the Sundance Film Festival. by Brent Lang at Variety. Read more

 

Google, Amazon Seek Foothold in Electricity as Home Automation Grows by Bradley Olson at Wall Street Journal. “The technology giants aren’t interested in selling megawatts—at least not for now. But they are seeking ways to expand their smart speakers, internet-connected thermostats and other devices to harness information on consumers’ personal energy use.” WSJ subs.

 

Trump: Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz ‘doesn’t have the guts’ to run for president at CNBC. “Watched him on @ 60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the ‘smartest person,'” Trump wrote. “Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!” Read more

 

Pentagon to examine possible conflict with Amazon employee in $10B contract at The Hill. “A new lawsuit filed by Oracle centers on Deap Ubhi, who worked at AWS and then the Defense Department before returning to Amazon.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Germany to shutter all 84 coal-fired plants to fight climate change

Michelob Ultra targets Latino audience with Super Bowl ad

Quebec Burger King closes three months after it unionizes

Cadillac is resurrecting its subscription service

Couple won $26M by using ‘basic arithmetic’ to ‘crack the code’ of state lotteries

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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: eyeonretail.net

 

China will this year surpass the US in total retail sales for the first time: Forecast at CNBC. “The world’s most populous country is expected to see its total retail sales grow by 7.5 percent this year to $5.6 trillion, compared to 3.3 percent growth in the U.S. retail market to reach $5.5 trillion.” Read more

 

Microsoft wins cloud business from Albertsons at CNBC. “…signed a three-year agreement with Albertsons…to make Microsoft Azure the grocer’s preferred public cloud. The partnership comes a little over a week after Microsoft disclosed a seven-year deal with Walgreens.” Read more

 

U.S. voices concern as India’s e-commerce restrictions hit Amazon, Walmart – sources at Reuters. “This has gone way beyond being a local (India) tussle.” A U.S. government official earlier this month told Indian officials to protect Walmart and Flipkart’s investments in the country, an Indian trade ministry official told Reuters.” Read more

 

Walmart to raise truck driver pay amid national shortage by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Walmart runs the third-largest private trucking fleet in the country with 8,000 drivers…Walmart drivers will receive a per-mile increase of $0.01 along with a 50-cent increase in pay for each time they arrive at their destination and each time they drop a trailer…can earn an average of $87,500 in their first year of employment.” Read more

 

Paralegal for Sears bankruptcy case billed for $174K in one month by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more

 

Synchrony’s Walmart feud is over, Sam’s Club deal extended at Fox Business. “The two companies parted ways in last July after Walmart chose Capital One to handle its private-label and co-branded credit cards. Since, the two have been negotiating whether to sell or retain the $10 billion in balances on Walmart’s portfolio. Synchrony finally agreed to sell Walmart’s loan to Capital One.” Read more

 

Amazon rolls out autonomous package-delivery robot ‘Scout’ to a test area north of Seattle by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “Amazon is starting with six delivery bots in an unspecified neighborhood in Snohomish County, and they will be accompanied by an Amazon employee at the outset.” Read more/Video

 

Canadians spend $54M on weed in first month after legalization by Greg Quinn at Bloomberg via Toronto Star. Tiered subs.

 

The World’s Biggest Brands Want You to Refill Your Orange Juice and Deodorant by Saabira Chaudhuri at Wall Street Journal. “Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Pepsi and Unilever are among 25 companies that, this summer, will start selling some products in glass, steel and other containers designed to be returned, cleaned and refilled.” WSJ subs.

 

Amazon is beefing up its brand metrics by Tim Peterson at Digiday. “These “new-to-brand” metrics break out how many purchases of a brand’s products on Amazon were from people who had not purchased anything from that brand on Amazon within the past 12 months. It also includes how much it cost to acquire those new customers.” Read more

 

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UnitedHealth sues former executive for stealing trade secrets and taking them to Amazon joint health venture at CNBC. Read more

 

A Home Depot exec explains the key reason why pushing for ‘the store of the future’ could backfire by Aine Cain at Business Insider. “Albert Vita, Home Depot’s in-store experience and visual merchandising director, thinks we should all take a deep breath…He likened retail innovation to an iceberg. Glittery, consumer-facing aspects of stores of the future tend to be the topics that people like to focus on. But everything lurking beneath the surface requires just as much attention.” Read more

 

Target’s Brian Cornell accepts award for gender diversity Press release

 

Where Amazon Returns Go to Be Resold by Hustlers by Alexis C. Madrigal at The Atlantic. “Liquidity Services, the operator of liquidation.com, became a major (though not exclusive) handler of Amazon’s American liquidations…Liquidity Services now has 3,357,000 registered buyers on its various liquidation websites… In its most recent SEC filing, (Liquidity) disclosed that it spent approximately $33.7 million on Amazon liquidation inventory.” Read more

 

‘Be prepared to wait in line’: At discount shop, prices drop … and drop … and drop by Michael McGough at Sacramento Bee. “About 800 people lined up on Tuesday…One woman said she waited 2 1/2 hours to get in. The man working the entrance could let only two people in at a time, to comply with fire codes…It’s a liquidation outlet for retail giants like Target and Amazon, tucked into the corner of a Carmichael strip mall.” Read more/Video

 

Amazon lobbying spend +10.5% in 2018 to $14.2M at Recode. Read more

 

Walmart’s next generation of managers will train using a video game by Julia LaRoche at Yahoo Finance. “Called “Spark City,” the game is an app that lets players create their own avatar and run the Dry Grocery department. The idea is to reenact a department manager’s day, from the customers to the chaos.” Read more

 

Apple dismisses more than 200 employees from its autonomous vehicle group at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Hannaford customers get free groceries after system crashes at WMTW 8 ABC. “The store’s cash register systems started to fail around 2 p.m. Monday, said store manager Shawn Quelch…Quelch said the store decided to let those stuck in line take their goods home free of charge…”Hannaford just took the worst shopping experience I’ve ever had and made it into one of the best,” (shopper) Blanchard said.” Video/Read more

 

Amazon’s executive org chart, revealed at CNBC. List/Read more

 

FIRST TO FIFTH – Amazon knocked off top of UK consumer poll once ethics considered by Rob Davies at The Guardian. “(Amazon) had taken the top spot in the last six published biannual UK Customer Satisfaction Indexes. But it slipped to fifth place, with a score of 85.4 out of 100.” Read more

 

Under Armour is developing spacesuits and footwear for Virgin Galactic at CBS This Morning. “Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank said their partnership began during a visit to Branson’s private island. Fittingly, Branson was wearing beach shorts. “In my world, Sir Richard Branson is larger than life and so there’s nothing more disarming than someone approaching you wearing beach shorts,” Plank said.” Read more/Video

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

This was Jeff Bezos’ pep talk to employees before a rocket launch

32,000 Belgian students march to demand climate protections

Sam’s Club vendor busted in theft of $20K Rolex

Lowe’s CEO says millennials aren’t killing the home-improvement market

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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: eyeonretail.net