Tipsheet: Amazon’s Auto Plan | JCP Exec Out | Drone Crash | WM Shooting

/in

 

Gap’s newest ad campaign attempts to clarify its identity ahead of the Old Navy spinoff at CNBC. “A 7-year-old blind pianist and 13-year-old electric-guitar player, rocking out to “Sweet Child O’ Mine” are the stars of Gap’s newest ad campaign. The videos, which rolled out last week on Gap’s social media channels, are also a step to focus Gap’s identity…” Read more

 

J.C. Penney’s top executive over stores and supply chain leaves abruptly as replacement hired by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “Michael Robbins…is leaving J.C. Penney effective Saturday., and his replacement worked in the past with CEO Jill Soltau at the now-defunct Shopko Stores. Jim DePaul has been hired to be executive vice president of stores. He has 25 years of experience, most recently as Shopko’s chief operations officer over stores, supply chain and e-commerce.” Tiered subs.

 

Drone crash near kids leads Swiss Post to suspend autonomous deliveries at TechCrunch. “…led to the drone attempting to deploy its parachute again, only to sever the line somehow and plummet to earth, crashing into the ground some 150 feet from a bunch of kindergartners.” Read more

 

Getting under the hood of Amazon’s auto ambitions at Reuters.”…the strategy is aimed at leveraging Amazon’s strengths in logistics, cloud computing and digital services together with new interests in related fields from robotics to manufacturing, according to more than two dozen people, including Amazon executives and industry executives familiar with the strategy, and a Reuters analysis of Amazon’s patent activity.” Read more

 

Sears retirees’ life insurance payouts could be just $135 each at Crain’s Chicago Business. Read more

 

Amazon’s new personal styling service will tell you what to wear — for a price by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “On Tuesday, Amazon rolled out Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe, a service that tells you what to wear, for a fee…For $4.99 per month, customers receive recommendations for clothes and accessories curated by personal shoppers at Amazon.” Read more

 

A drone made a successful commercial delivery in The Bahamas for the first time last month traveling more than 50 miles over land and water in 28 minutes. at Fox 5 NY. Read more

 

2 Mississippi Walmart employees shot dead at store, suspended co-worker charged with murder at ABC News. Video/Read more

 

High-End Diapers Test How Much More Mom and Dad Will Pay by Sharon Terlep at Wall Street Journal. “Kimberly-Clark’s Mr. Hsu said there is room in the U.S. market for more expensive diapers. A private-label diaper costs about 11 cents, while the most expensive offering until recently was around 35 cents a diaper, he said. Huggies’ new Special Delivery line goes for 55 cents apiece.” WSJ subs.

 

The Container Store Group Q1 comp sales +7.8%, with Custom Closets up 11.1%, contributing 500 basis points of the comp sales increase Press release

 

**A message from Real Coconut Water: The sweetest tasting coconut water available. 100% pure coconut water. PL or branded organic in Tetra Pak. Sell sheet | Website | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

A Seattle woman who is charged in Capital One breach is reportedly a former Amazon Web Services systems engineer at USA Today. Read more

 

Grubhub CEO calls out delivery rivals for price gouging at Forbes. “For now, customers seem to swallow the service fees in favor of the “novelty” of delivery, Maloney contends, but he argues that is likely to change when customers “wisen up” to the difference in cost structures between companies.” Read more

 

Gap’s Athleta brand lands its first sponsored athlete: Olympic track champion Allyson Felix at CNBC. Read more

 

Costco rolls out digital membership cards on its mobile app – however, the digital card can’t be used at Costco gas pumps at Business Insider. Read more

 

Lowe’s opens massive central Pa. distribution center at Penn Live. Read more

 

Walmart, Target, Ikea sued by UC Santa Barbara over Edison-style LED bulbs at Bloomberg via The OCR. “UC Santa Barbara says the retailers should be paying it royalties from sales of the bulbs. Bed Bath & Beyond and Ikea also were named in the complaint filed Tuesday.” Read more

 

Tim Cook confirms Apple Card is rolling out next month at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Kroger announces new Nashville Division President

Police find body of Indian coffee shop chain owner in river

Millenials, Gen Z say they can’t afford love

Cardi B calls off Indy gig at last minute, citing ‘security threat’

Woman sues for $1M after mistaking glass window for open doorway at Kroger

Woman accused of urinating on potatoes in Walmart

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

Tipsheet: Amazon Food Deliv India | Kroger Rush Audit | Gatik/WM Team

/in

 

Amazon plans imminent launch of online food delivery service in India: sources at Reuters. “…is working with local partner Catamaran, founded by IT industrialist Narayana Murthy…Amazon is aiming to launch the new service delivering from restaurants ahead of India’s month-long festive season, which starts in September, one of the sources said.” Read more

 

Gatik’s self driving vans have started shuttling groceries for Walmart by Kirsten Korosec at TechCrunch. “Gatik’s autonomous vehicles (with a human safety driver behind the wheel) is now delivering customer online grocery orders from Walmart’s main warehouse to its neighborhood stores in Bentonville, Arkansas. The AVs will aim to travel seven days a week on a two-mile route…” Read more

 

Amazon Opens Streaming TV Ad Sales to Outside Buying Tools at The Wall Street Journal. “Marketers now can purchase slots on Amazon’s Fire TV platform through advertising technology companies Dataxu Inc. or the Trade Desk Inc., in addition to working through Amazon itself, the company said in an online post.” WSJ subs.

 

Flyfishing and kayaking trips help L.L. Bean, Orvis sell more gear and attract more customers by Jesse Pound at CNBC. “After their first time participating in one of L.L. Bean’s outdoor discovery programs, customers spend 30% more with the apparel brand in the next year, the company said.” Read more

 

Real shoppers try Kroger’s 30-minute delivery at Field Agent. “Ultimately, all agents in Field Agent’s study said they were at least moderately likely to use Kroger’s Rush service again in the future. Indeed, 3 of 5 said they’d be “completely likely.” Video/Read more

 

**A message from EasyLock: Lock your door with a simple twist! Deadbolts aren’t getting locked – people leave home in a rush and don’t want to fumble for the key. Introducing the EasyLock keyless locking deadbolt. No key required – twist to lock. Sell sheet | Sample: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Pfizer will combine its off-patent drug business with Mylan via USA Today. Read more

 

More Older Couples Stay Together Because They Live Apart by Clare Ansberry at Wall Street Journal. “Dr. Brown found in a survey of 2,166 adults ages 50 to 65 that nearly one-third of those in an unmarried relationship were in a committed long-term relationship but living apart—an arrangement academics often call “living apart together” and one that Dr. Brown expects to become more prevalent.” WSJ subs.

 

Sports Direct shares dive after results chaos at The Guardian. “David Cumming, the chief investment officer for equities and head of UK equities at Aviva Investors, told the BBC on Monday: “Sports Direct is almost a case study in failed corporate governance.” He said Ashley “has obviously got retail talent – or had retail talent”, but the firm had “lost its way”.” Read more

 

Millennials feel pressure to overspend on back-to-school shopping at Fox Business. “Fifty-six percent of Millennial parents who have gone back-to-school shopping say they have felt pressured to spend more than they’re comfortable with, compared to 39 percent of older parents.” Read more

 

Elon Musk says Teslas will soon be able to stream Netflix and YouTube at CNBC. Read more

 

Amazon’s new ‘Making the Cut’ is global in fashion, commerce at AP. “Salke said the series has an international look. It was shot in Tokyo, New York and Paris, with a catwalk staged in front of the Eiffel Tower. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn are the hosts of the series coming in 2020. Amazon said the winner gets $1 million for brand investment.” Read more

 

Are Companies About to Have a Gen X Retention Problem? by Stephanie Neal at Harvard Business Review. “We were surprised to see that in the past five years, the majority of Gen X leaders (66%) had received only one promotion or none at all — significantly fewer than their younger millennial counterparts (52%) and more senior baby boomers (58%) who were more likely to have received two or more promotions during the same period of time.” Tiered subs.

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Mosquito-borne virus that kills people by swelling their brains is found in FL

Rural Nevada not equipped for big ‘storm Area 51’ turnout

Kylie Jenner’s Cosmetics sales fall 14 percent as gloss dims

Apple and Amazon become top U.S. solar users, besting Target and Walmart

Facebook bans sales of alcohol and tobacco between users

Man accused of stealing 5,600 lbs of copper wire at Home Depot stores since Jan.

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

Tipsheet: Prime Sues Prime | WM Bratspies Iview | Bed Bath -7% Corp. | Costco SVP Fresh Iview

/in

 

Bed Bath & Beyond cuts 7% of corporate staff by Carleton English at NY Post. “…eliminated the combined roles of president and chief operating officer, which had been held by Eugene Castagna…But Wall Street seemed unimpressed at the news and sent the stock down more than 2% in midday trading. “No one is terribly surprised by this,” one analyst told The Post.” Read more

 

U.S. Justice Department launches sweeping antitrust probe into top U.S. tech companies by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “No company is named in the announcement but DOJ says it will review “market-leading online platforms” with a focus on “search, social media, and some retail services online.” It’s safe to assume that the most powerful players in those industries, namely Google, Facebook, and Amazon, will be under the microscope.” Read more

 

UPS to get space in CVS, Michaels, Advance Auto Parts stores for package shipping, pickup by Nathan Bomey at USA Today. “The deal more than doubles the number of UPS Access Points in the U.S. to about 21,000…The expansion includes “most” of CVS’ about 9,600 stores, about 1,100 Michaels stores and an undisclosed number of Advance Auto Parts stores, UPS said.” Read more

 

Amazon Testimony May Have Been Untruthful, Top Democrat Says by Ben Brody at Bloomberg via Yahoo Finance. “The Rhode Island Democrat focused on testimony by Amazon lawyer Nate Sutton that the company doesn’t use data it collects on sales to favor its own products over third-party sellers.” Read more

 

Gap Inc. announces Nancy Green to join Old Navy as President and Chief Creative Officer Press release

 

Walmart’s Bratspies talks gender equality, Open Call, private brands by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Bratspies said the best way for Walmart to understand the pricing structure of a category is to operate it. Those insights can then be shared with suppliers to help bring down costs…Bratspies has no “master plan” to become a large-scale manufacturer…“We are talking [about] one milk plant and one meat plant, which is a drop in the bucket to Walmart’s total need for these products,” he said.” Read more

 

Home Depot pledges to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2035 Press release

 

**A message from EasyLock: Lock your door with a simple twist! Deadbolts aren’t getting locked – people leave home in a rush and don’t want to fumble for the key. Introducing the EasyLock keyless locking deadbolt. No key required – twist to lock. Sell sheet | Sample: info@eyeonretail.net

 

American Eagle exec says there shouldn’t be an age restriction on CBD at CNBC. “We don’t think there should be an age restriction. As I said, we are sticking to just topical CBD, which all the evidence shows is safe,” Chad Kessler, a global brand president for American Eagle, said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” Video/Read more

 

Amazon, Facebook lobbying hits record high amid heightened D.C. scrutiny by Steven Overly at Politico. “Facebook and Amazon each notched a quarterly sum above $4 million for the first time ever in the three-month period from April to June.” Read more

 

Stage Stores, Inc. plans to convert an additional 100 stores to Gordmans off-price in 2020 Press release

 

Trucking company sues Amazon over logo on tech giant’s shipping fleet by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “Prime Inc., a nearly 50-year-old trucking company based in Missouri, filed a lawsuit against Amazon earlier this month, alleging that the growing network of trucks sporting the Amazon Prime logo infringe on its trademarks and cause confusion among customers.” Read more

 

Costco SVP of fresh food Jeff Lyons discusses Equitable Food Initiative by Ashley Nickle at Produce Retailer. “EFI is one of a number of certification programs in the area of responsible labor practices, and Costco would like to see all of its suppliers move in that direction.” 18:11 video/Read more

 

UPS seeks government approval for ‘advanced’ drone delivery service by Andrew J. Hawkins at The Verge. “Very few drone companies have been given the green light under Part 135. In April, Alphabet’s Wing became the first to receive FAA approval to operate commercially. Others, including Uber’s food delivery service Uber Eats and Amazon Air, have yet to receive approval.” Read more

 

…UPS Is Moving to 7-Day Delivery with the Help of USPS at eCommerceBytes. Read more

 

Real estate giant Realogy partners with Amazon at CNBC. “Realogy and Amazon will now offer TurnKey, a program that takes potential homebuyers through the Amazon portal and connects them to a Realogy agent. Once they purchase a home, they then get complimentary Amazon Home Services and products worth up to $5,000.” Read more

 

Oakland clears homeless encampment after Home Depot delivers ultimatum by Alyana Gomez at Fox 2 KTVU. “What concerns me the most is I have 300 people working here,” (Councilman) Gallo said. He said many are people who grew up in East Oakland and that his community could not afford to lose 300 jobs. “Then I lose $8 million of annual tax money that helps me pay for services,” said Gallo.” Video/Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Kohl’s apologizes after video shows mom wrongly accused of shoplifting

Forever 21 sends Atkins diet bars to plus-size customers

Mystery hangs over Warren Buffet’s charity lunch cancellation

FDA warns top marijuana company for making CBD health claims

This music superstar is performing at Amazon’s annual Post-Prime Day concert

Meet the Austin woman making hundreds of H-E-B tortillas a day

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

Tipsheet: Tome @ “Mad Money” | Boxes Poaches Amazon | GNC -900

/in

 

Former head of Amazon Business takes a top job at Boxed at CNBC. “After building Amazon’s business marketplace to $10 billion in annual sales volume, Prentis Wilson is headed to the start-up world. Wilson, who spent almost eight years at Amazon and before that worked at Cisco and Honeywell, is joining Boxed as the company’s first president, CNBC has learned.” Read more

 

GNC plans to close up to 900 stores with big cuts to mall locations expected by Kelly Tyko at USA Today. “I think it could be likely that we’ll reduce our mall count by a nearly half,” said Tricia Tolivar, GNC chief financial officer. “So we’ve got a little over 800 malls today and over the long-term, we could bring that closer to 400 to 500.” Read more

 

People call out Macy’s for promoting eating disorders with ‘fat shaming’ plates at Yahoo Lifestyle. “Macy’s is under fire for “promoting fat shaming and food guilt” after a woman posted a photo of plates with sections dedicated to different jeans sizes. The smallest portion is labeled “skinny jeans,” the next is “favorite jeans” and the largest one is called “mom jeans.” Pics/Read more

 

Home Depot CFO Carol Tome talks to “Mad Money’s” Jim Cramer at CNBC. “Thirty-three-year-olds made up the largest group of first-time homebuyers in 2018, and they’re buying with investing in mind, she said. “They’ve told us through our research, ‘We want to work on our house because we think it’s a good investment,’” Tomé said in a one-on-one interview with “Mad Money’s” Jim Cramer. “So that’s music to our ears.” Video/Read more

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance appoints Aaron Radelet as Global Comms Chief at Global Cosmetics News. “Chuck Greener, previously Senior Vice President for global communications and corporate affairs, will now move up into the new position of Senior Vice President and global chief public affairs officer, with both Radelet and Greener reporting to Ornella Barra.” Read more

 

Kroger Names First-Ever Agency of Record: DDB New York Press release

 

Another Costco chicken operation proposed in Lancaster County, Nebraska – this one housing 380,000 birds by Matt Olberding at Lincoln Journal Star. “…which would make it twice the size of the poultry operation that was approved in the southwest part of the county last year, and about 75% larger than the current largest broiler operation, Bevans Barns near Waverly.” Read more

 

10 minutes with Andy Dunn, Bonobos co-founder and Walmart SVP by April Berthene at Internet Retailer. “The future is that brands have an independent connection, that direct-to-consumer connection, just the same way that Bonobos came up. And then there’s an opportunity for those brands to be distributed with the right wholesale partners. And we learned this coming up at Bonobos, when about five or six years later we launched with Nordstrom and saw that business take off.” Q&A

 

Etsy is acquiring Reverb, a new and used music gear marketplace, for $275 million in cash by Dami Lee at The Verge. Read more

 

Alibaba welcomes U.S. small businesses to sell globally on its platform at Reuters. “Roughly one-third of buyers on Alibaba.com are U.S.-based. More than 95% of sellers come from China. This plan will open up markets to U.S. merchants in countries including India, Brazil and Canada. U.S. merchants will also be able to sell to other U.S.-based businesses.” Read more

 

eBay names Pete Thompson Chief Product Officer; Mazen Rawashdeh promoted to Chief Technology Officer “Thompson joins eBay from Amazon where he served as Vice President of Alexa Voice Service. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer of TiVo.” Press release

 

Square launches robot photography service for online sellers by Julie Verhage at Bloomberg via LA Times. “It will charge about $10 plus shipping for customers to send a product weighing less than 20 pounds to the Brooklyn studio and within two weeks, receive three digital photos from different angles. (Staff will select the best ones for customers.) Square also offers a 360-degree photo service for about $30 apiece.” Tiered subs.

 

Harvard Study: Millions should stop taking aspirin for heart health at AP News. “A daily low-dose aspirin is recommended for people who have already had a heart attack or stroke and for those diagnosed with heart disease. But for the otherwise healthy, that advice has been overturned.” Read more

 

Walmart’s exec shuffle – names and details by Kim Souza at Talk Business. Read more

 

Saks Off Fifth closing only store in the Bronx by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more

 

Kids clothing retailer Rockets of Awesome nabs former Walmart e-commerce exec for SVP role at CNBC. “Scott Turner, a director for Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce team who had been working at Jet.com with Marc Lore before the company was acquired by the big-box retailer back in 2016, announced in a post on LinkedIn Sunday evening that he was leaving.” Read more

 

Home improvement marketplace Porch acquires HireAHelper, doubling down on moving services by Nat Levy at GeekWire. Read more

 

Doug, Shelley McMillon give $1 million to Mercy Northwest Arkansas at Talk Business. “Mercy said the McMillon family would have its name on the new heart unit in the hospital tower. The McMillon gift puts Mercy at approximately $20 million in philanthropic support toward a goal of $25 million in the campaign.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Google’s new shopping platform is now live

The ‘Costco of cannabis’ raises $2.8M for a membership weed delivery service

Amazon taps Trump ally to lobby

Walmart, Sam’s Club offer audible prescription labels for visually impaired

Retailers are finally launching affordable clothing lines for children with disabilities

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

Tipsheet: JCP Debt Restructure | Chewy +45.2% | Amazon Sue Surescripts?

/in

 

J.C. Penney taps debt restructuring advisers: sources at Reuters. “J.C. Penney’s restructuring plans are at an early stage, one of the sources cautioned. The discussions with restructuring specialists reflect J.C. Penney’s resolve to take steps in coming months to increase its financial breathing room and avoid confronting a potential bankruptcy filing down the road, the source added.” Read more

 

Amazon threatens to sue major pharmacy if it prevents PillPack from accessing patient drug data at CNBC. “Amazon’s PillPack is considering legal action against Surescripts and other drug supply-chain players in a dispute over patient health data. PillPack was informed this week that it will soon be cut off from patient medication data.” Read more

 

Dressbarn to close 53 stores in August – All 650 or so Dressbarn stores are expected to shut by the end of the year at CNBC. Read more

 

7/11 baby to receive 7-Eleven promos at NY Daily News. “7-Eleven is pledging $7,111 to the newborn’s college fund to honor her entry into the world at 7/11 at 7:11 p.m., weighing 7 pounds and 11 ounces,” spokeswoman Christina Figg wrote in an email.” Read more

 

Police in Florida have ditched Amazon’s facial recognition technology because of glitches and resourcing issues at Business Insider. Read more

 

Home Depot exec explains why chasing trends is overrated in the home decor space by Aine Cain at Business Insider. “…for the most part, Home Depot isn’t too concerned about chasing down trends. That’s simply not what its customers are looking for, according to (Jeanine) Huebner. “We will not lead in trend and design, because we really have more of that kind of a general customer and we don’t hit on either side of the larger spectrum,” she said.” Read more

 

Chewy Q1 net sales grew 45.2 percent year-over-year to $1.1 billion Press release

 

**A message from Real Coconut Water: Young Brazilian coconuts = Sweeter taste. 100% pure coconut water. PL or branded organic in Tetra Pak. Sell sheet | Website | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

The fluffy toilet paper you are buying is helping kill Canada’s ancient forest, study says by Mike Moffitt at SFGATE. “The report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Stand.earth gave Costco’s in-house brand Kirkland toilet paper…an “F” in sustainability. Costco was not alone, however. Georgia-Pacific’s Angel Soft and Quilted Northern brands, Procter & Gamble’s Charmin, and Target’s generic Up & Up Soft & Strong all received failing grades.” Read more

 

50% of the U.S. population lives in states that have raised the legal age of purchase for all tobacco products to 21 Press release

 

New 7-Eleven stores in San Diego make a move to attract millennials by Rob Nikolewski at San Diego Union Tribune. “In December, a 10,000-square-foot 7-Eleven “lab store”…will open on 35th Street and El Cajon Boulevard that will feature a deli, a taqueria and a walk-in cellar for wine and beer purchases…One lab store has already opened in the Dallas area…The El Cajon Boulevard lab store will be the company’s second. Three others across the country are on the drawing board.” Read more

 

From beer to pens, South Koreans boycott Japanese brands as diplomatic row intensifies at Reuters. Read more

 

55% of American men are ashamed of their body hair at NY Post. “44% of the men surveyed consider it “unmanly” for men to practice good grooming habits.” Read more

 

Rent the Backyard wants to build a studio apartment in your yard at TechCrunch. “Rent the Backyard works with a partner to build the apartment, finances the construction, lists the property, selects the tenant, collects the rent and serves as the landlord. In exchange for all that, it has an ownership stake in the unit and keeps 50% of the rent.” Read more

 

HEAT WAVE – NYC Mayor De Blasio signs an executive order that requires office buildings to set their A/C to 78 degrees at Curbed New York. Read more

 

Michelle Obama is the world’s most admired woman at YouGov. “Microsoft founder Bill Gates remains the world’s most admired man. He’s topped the list every time YouGov has conducted the survey.” Top 20 Men/Women List

 

Family Dollar store employees reportedly didn’t have air conditioning for a month at Fox 10 Phoenix. “FOX 10 has contacted Dollar Tree Inc. to update them that the AC is now working, and asked why several weeks passed before technicians came out to fix it. A representative did not address our questions, and simply said, “Terrific. That’s great news.” Video/Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Bucky’s C-Store Employee Fired After Telling Customers ‘Go Back To Their Country’

OpenTable Reveals 100 Most Scenic Restaurants in Canada

Hulu CFO Elaine Paul Jumps to Amazon Studios

‘Uber for lawn mowing services’ company uses satellite imaging for quotes

‘Walking Dead’ Creator Teases Negan Spinoff

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

Tipsheet: Amazon Go Stores ‘Deserted’? | Weston Joins Party | Kohl’s Holiday Hiring Now

/in

 

Amazon’s Most Ambitious Research Project Is a C-store by Brad Stone & Matt Day at Bloomberg. “Will all this work be worth it? Some Go stores seem almost deserted except for the lunchtime rush. Employees familiar with Amazon’s internal projections say the outlets in Chicago, in particular, are falling short of expectations, and the company has had to resort to raffles and giveaways of tote bags and other branded goodies.” Tiered subs.

 

Inside the massive Amazon Prime activation at Comic-Con 2019 by Phillip Molnar at San Diego Union-Tribune. “Amazon Prime…has taken over a 60,000-square-foot lot across from the convention and turned it into an interactive advertisement for three new TV shows. It is free and does not require a Comic-Con badge. It is also bigger in scale than anything outside the convention, and possibly inside.” Tiered subs.

 

Where did Forever 21 go wrong? by James Peltz & Hailey Mensik at LA Times via Seattle Times. “It’s so hard because I like Forever 21 in some circumstances,” (shopper) Pena said. “But at this age, when you’re going into internships, you need nicer clothes and ones that last, so you can’t really shop at Forever 21.” Tiered subs.

 

The World’s Highest-Paid Entertainers 2019 at Forbes. List

 

Amazon says this year’s Prime Day surpassed Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined at CNBC. “Amazon said it sold more than 175 million items during this year’s Prime Day shopping event…it added more new Prime members on July 15 than it ever has before on a single day. And it said almost as many people signed up again on July 16.” Read more

 

2019 Disability Equality Index: Companies scoring 100% include CVS, Walgreens and Walmart Report

 

These 16 states are giving families a back-to-school tax break at USA Today. “Alabama’s holiday is first, with a three-day holiday kicking off Friday. Mississippi and Tennessee hold their holidays later in July but the bulk of the holidays are set for the beginning of August.” List/Read more

 

**A message from X1 Ebike – Up to 37 miles on a single 4-hour charge. Folds into the size of a golf bag in seconds! GPS tracking, VIN # & alarm for security. Video | Website | Contact

 

Lead paint suppliers settle California lawsuit for $305M at AP News. Read more

 

EBay is buying a 5.5% stake in e-com marketplace Paytm Mall at TechCrunch. “Paytm Mall claims to have over 100,000 seller partners on its platform. This is EBay’s third investment in India.” Read more

 

Ex-Petco CEO Brad Weston named Party City President Press release

 

Netflix suffers first major loss of US subscribers, blames price hikes by Julia Alexander at The Verge. “The company lost approximately 130,000 subscribers in the United States in Q2, and only gained 2.7 million global subscribers, after projecting it would add 5 million.” Read more

 

$15 minimum wage bill headed to House floor at Fox Business. Read more

 

Toys R Us stores will be back this holiday season, this time with a tech partner at CNBC. “…will open two permanent stores in November – at Simon Property Group’s Galleria mall in Houston and at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, New Jersey. The stores are product of a joint venture between software retailer b8ta and Tru Kids.” Read more

 

Former Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli’s sons have a new series debuting on Amazon at Fox Business. Video/Read more

 

EBay moves forward with potential StubHub sale: Sources at CNBC. “The sources said eBay is still early in the process, but note there are “multiple” parties interested in buying StubHub.” Read more

 

James Savarese and John Mulliken to retire from Wayfair – Thomas Netzer Appointed Chief Operating Officer, Allan Lyall Appointed Chief Global Supply Chain Officer, Jim Miller Appointed Interim Chief Technology Officer Press release

 

Kohl’s says let the holiday hiring season begin at CNBC. “Kohl’s said it’s now hiring for an “early wave of seasonal positions” at 500 stores, about double the number in last year’s early-hiring program.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Drake to open his 8th OVO store in Chicago

Coyote enters ‘doggie door,’ kills dog inside home

Post Malone Partners With Icon Farms to Launch Hemp Pre-Roll Line

This delivery robot wants to share the bike lane

Clever new service auto-cancels your free trials

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

Tipsheet: D.C. Hits Amazon | CVS Eyes Dialysis | McMillon Iview

/in

 

EU says it will investigate Amazon over possible anti-competitive business practices at CNBC. “Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the EU opened a formal investigation to determine how Amazon uses data from independent retailers who sell on the company’s marketplace. The investigation centers on Amazon’s “dual role” as both a retailer and a marketplace, Vestager said.” Read more

 

Walmart CEO McMillon says the retailer has been playing ‘catch up’ in e-commerce at MarketWatch. “We’re not proud, we’re not egotistical,” McMillon said. “If somebody’s doing something better than we are, let’s copy and paste what we should. In the case of Amazon and others, clearly customers are responding to convenience.” Read more | 22:09 video

 

Yesterday: CBS interviews Jeff Bezos and Caroline Kennedy “The Trump administration’s official policy is committed to a return to the moon in the next five years. But the relationship between Mr. Trump and Bezos, at times, can seem light years apart. “To go back to the moon and the time frame that the administration wants to do, we absolutely need the support of the government to do that,” Bezos said.” Video/Read more

 

CVS Pushing Into Kidney Dialysis With Segway Inventor’s Help by Robert Langreth at Bloomberg. “CVS Health Corp. is beginning human trials of a new home dialysis machine that could shake up the $35 billion market for end-stage kidney care and create a new business for the drugstore chain.” Tiered subs.

 

True Value Retools Hardware Supply Chain by Jennifer Smith at Wall Street Journal. “Instead of having everything everywhere, we have all the things we need, in the right place,” True Value Chief Executive John Hartmann said in an interview. The company’s two-day window for fulfilling orders hasn’t changed, but “having larger quantities of the faster-moving items allows us to have higher fill rates on the products that are most important to our customers.” WSJ subs.

 

Union reaches tentative agreement with Safeway and Vons in Northern and Central California Press release

 

Lawmakers focus on Amazon during antitrust hearing by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “Congress asked four of the top tech companies in the world to testify on antitrust issues Tuesday — but once questioning got underway, it was clear that many of them only had eyes on Amazon. The Seattle tech giant fielded the several pointed questions from the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust division.” Read more

 

...On Tuesday, Sen. Sanders, Rep. Ilhan Omar and 11 other House Democrats signed a letter to the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, asking the government to investigate Amazon warehouses. by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. Read more

 

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

 

Rothy’s Makes This Year’s ‘It’ Shoe. But Can It Keep Growing Amid A Flood Of Copy Cats? by Amy Feldman at Forbes. “Obsessive Rothy’s customers wait in line outside the company’s miniature Fillmore Street store and join a private Facebook group for self-described Rothy’s addicts with nearly 14,000 members. “We’re creating a product that women love,” says (cofounder) Martin, 46.” Read more

 

Giant Food Stores second Giant Heirloom Market will open in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia on Friday at Progressive Grocer. Read more

 

Large retailers saw 64% increase in sales on Monday, thanks to Amazon Prime Day by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “That’s up quite a bit from the 54% increase seen by these large retailers (those with over a billion in annual revenue) last year, the report notes…retailers with less than $5 million in annual revenue saw a 30% increase in their online sales on Monday.” Read more

 

Claire’s announces that ex-Party City president Ryan Vero has been appointed CEO Press release

 

Jeff Bezos closes out Prime Day by standing on top of Amazon’s massive glass spheres by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. “I love my job and tap dance into work every day, but not usually on top of The Spheres,” Bezos wrote in his Instagram caption.” Pic/Read more

 

After years of both opposition and support, a small-scale Target store will open Wednesday in San Diego’s free-spirited, laid-back Ocean Beach community at NBC 7 San Diego. “The plans had been in the works since August 2017, when just the idea of putting a Target store in the beachside community stirred controversy.” Read more/Video

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Forbes: Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2019

Do pets really love us – or do they just stick around for the food?

Nielsen: Candy and snack sales up in cannabis-legal states

CES will allow sex toys at next year’s show

What Kroger stands to gain from its new partnership with Myriad Genetics

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

Tipsheet: Amazon +$10 for Data | Saks Shoe Dept +60% | BJ’s +Frank

/in

 

Amazon offers $10 to Prime Day shoppers who hand over their data at Reuters. “The deal is for new installations of the Amazon Assistant, a comparison-shopping tool that customers can add to their web browsers. It fetches Amazon’s price for products that users see on Walmart.com, Target.com and elsewhere.” Read more

 

On the other side of Prime Day, Amazon workers brace for ‘two months of hell’ at NBC News. “(Ex-truck driver) Brady said that Prime Day doesn’t come with any specific bonus or special pay rate outside of regular overtime pay, but did say management gives workers a special Prime Day T-shirt and sometimes a special treat. “During the week of Prime, you’ll get a snack,” she said. “Like a granola bar.” Read more

 

…Amazon fulfillment center workers in Shakopee, Minnesota, begin walking out at 3 p.m. ET Monday and will strike for a six-hour period that overlaps with the morning and evening shifts. at CNBC. Read more

 

Saks Fifth Avenue to create huge men’s luxury-shoe department by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “…plans to open an 8,000-square-foot shoe department at its Fifth Avenue flagship on Wednesday…The new, sixth-floor emporium will be 60% larger than its predecessor and will boast at least 2,000 different pairs from more than 60 luxury brands, said Saks president Marc Metrick.” Read more

 

Barneys explores possible July bankruptcy at CNBC. “Barneys, which is facing a liquidity crunch spurred by a rent hike at its Manhattan flagship, has engaged law firm Kirkland & Ellis and financial advisers a M-III Partners to assist with the potential preparations, the people said.” Read more

 

Rent-A-Center acquires Merchants Preferred, a nationwide provider of virtual rent-to-own services Press release

 

The One Amazon Prime Day Deal That Walmart and Target Can’t Match at Wall Street Journal. “Amazon added more new Prime memberships on the first day of last year’s Prime Day event than any other day in the company’s history, according to Jefferies analyst Brent Thill.” WSJ subs.

 

**A message from Real Coconut Water: Young Brazilian coconuts = Sweeter taste. 100% pure coconut water. PL or branded organic in Tetra Pak. Sell sheet | Website | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

At Home marks 200th store milestone Press release

 

IKEA to Close Its Only U.S. Factory by Charlie McGee at Wall Street Journal. “…shifting the operations to Europe where it says production costs are lower. The company’s Danville, Va., facility will be closing in December, resulting in about 300 job cuts.” WSJ subs.

 

Barclays sees Carrefour-Casino merger as possible at Reuters. Read more

 

Amazon and rival retailers are much tighter than you think by Andria Cheng at Forbes. “Yes, even though Target uses Google Cloud and Walmart has reportedly told its tech vendors to stop using AWS, itself inking a deal to use the Microsoft Azure cloud service, AWS remains the top global cloud service provider and is favored by many rival retailers.” Read more

 

BJ’s new ad campaign features Frank, an active member of the local community who doesn’t want what BJ’s has to offer See TV spot/Press release

 

Michael Bender, CEO of Eyemart Express, elected to Kohl’s Board of Directors Press release

 

Chicago businesses try to cash in on viral search for the Humboldt Park gator by Lauren Zumbach at Chicago Tribune. “It’s not a #gatorwatch without Miller Lite,” Miller Lite tweeted…The Chicago Police Department responded to the tweet thread saying that alcohol isn’t permitted in the park, and one of the accounts tweeting as the gator, @ChanceDaSnapper, said it was “more of a @whiteclaw kinda gator,” referring to a hard seltzer.” Tiered subs.

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Landlord offers homeless $2,000 each to leave Home Depot camp

Walmart employee reportedly fired for posting confidential information to Reddit

TikTok took over VidCon, and YouTube is next

Walmart yodeling kid featured in latest “Old Town Road” remix

How Crocs have taken over teen footwear

Halo Top wants you to eat your sorrows away in an ice cream–themed ski lodge

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