Fortune's Most Powerful Women 2019 (McKenna #15, Barry #18, Campbell #20) Top 50 list   Forever 21 fashion chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at AP. "...it will close up to 178 stores in the U.S. As of the bankruptcy filing, the company operated about 800 stores globally, including more than 500 stores in the U.S.  The company said it would focus on maximizing the value of its U.S. stores and shutter certain international locations. Forever 21 plans to close most of its locations in Asia and Europe but will continue operating in Mexico and Latin America." Read more [...]

  Sam’s Club launches health care pilot to members at AP. "Starting next month, Sam’s Club members in Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina will be able to buy bundles of health care services that include discounted dental care, free prescriptions for certain generic medications, and telehealth consultations. Fees range from $50 for individuals to $240 for up to six family members." Read more   Rite Aid beats on Q2 profit / Retail pharmacy revenue -1.6% / Comp prescription volume +2.7% at MarketWatch. Read more   US economy grew at modest 2% rate in Q2 at AP "In the current quarter, [...]

  eBay CEO steps down as it continues to weigh selling off businesses at CNN. "Devin Wenig has stepped down as president and CEO...Scott Schenkel, a longtime eBay executive, will take over as interim CEO while the board conducts a search for a permanent replacement." Read more   Best Buy CEO Corie Barry wants to ‘double down’ on its strategy at CNBC. "We’re the last consumer electronics retailer, and we offer unique advantages to both our vendors and our customers,” Barry said in an interview with CNBC. “If you’re going to hinge on a strategy that’s built around these unique [...]

  Walmart to offer workers college degrees in health and wellness at CNBC. "...employees pay just $1 a day for an education...(Walmart's) 1.5 million U.S. workers will now be able to pursue career diplomas for pharmacy technicians and opticians, through the Penn Foster online college. Also, seven bachelor’s degrees in health science, health and wellness and health-care management/administration will be offered through Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Bellevue University and Wilmington University." Read more   AutoZone Q4 comp sales +3.0% "For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, sales were $11.9 billion, an increase of 5.7% from the [...]

  Water rescues begin as Imelda soaks east Texas at AP News. "Forecasters warned that Imelda could bring up to 35 inches (90 centimeters) of rain this week in some areas of Texas through Friday...“It’s bad. Homes that did not flood in Harvey are flooding now,” Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said." Read more   Drop in online shopping knocks UK retail sales in August at Reuters. "Monthly retail sales volumes dipped by 0.2%, the Office for National Statistics said, compared with an average forecast for a flat reading in a Reuters poll of economists and the first fall in [...]

  Capital One launches two new co-branded Walmart credit cards: 5% off purchases at Walmart's website In-store: 5% off first 12 months then 2% off when checking out with Walmart Pay CNBC   US home building climbs 12.3% in August to 12-year high at AP. "Construction of single-family homes rose 4.4% to 919,000. Building of apartments and condominiums surged 30.9% —biggest monthly gain since December 2016 — to 424,000. Residential construction rose 30.5% in the Northeast, 15.4% in the Midwest and 14.9% in the South but was unchanged in the West." Read more   Chewy shares slide despite narrower-than-expected second [...]

  Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products by Dana Mattioli at Wall Street Journal. "The Amazon search team’s view was that the profitability push violated the company’s principle of doing what is best for the customer, the people familiar with the project said. “This was definitely not a popular project,” said one. “The search engine should look for relevant items, not for more profitable items.” WSJ subs.   Holiday retail sales could climb 5% despite ‘unprecedented uncertainty’ at CNBC. "Holiday retail sales for 2019 are forecast to increase 4.5% to 5%, exceeding $1.1 trillion, according [...]

  Summer ranges lift H&M's sales but at a price at Reuters. "H&M said sales before currency moves were up 8% in June-August, its third quarter, from a year ago. It was the fifth straight quarterly rise and the fastest pace recorded since the third quarter of 2016." Read more   Amazon announces an expansion of its Chicago Tech Hub and plans to create 400 new tech jobs Press release   Vapes spiked with illegal drugs show dark side of CBD craze at AP. "The results of AP’s lab testing echo what authorities have found, according to a survey of [...]