US GDP rose a better-than-expected 1.9% in the third quarter as consumers continued to spend at CNBC. "Economists polled by Dow Jones had expected the first look at U.S. economic growth in the third quarter to come in at a 1.6% rate...Personal consumption expenditures, a gauge of spending by American households, rose at a 2.9% annualized rate while government spending grew at a 2% rate." Read more   How HBC’s CEO Is Trying to Win Canadians Back to Hudson’s Bay by Phil Wahba at Fortune. "(Helena Foulkes) said that the Neiman Marcus that opened in Manhattan in March has [...]

  Amazon makes grocery delivery free with Prime by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. "...no longer charging an extra $15 per month, or $180 per year, for Amazon Fresh delivery on top of the $119 annual Prime fee. (Amazon) is also expanding and further integrating Whole Foods Market into its grocery delivery and pickup service." Read more   Walgreens lays off employees at Deerfield HQ, scraps annual bonuses and boosts cost-cutting goal to $1.8 billion by Lisa Schencker at Chicago Tribune. "More than 100 employees in the Deerfield office lost their jobs, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. [...]

  Amazon clobbered after a miss on the bottom line and soft guidance at CNBC. "Amazon’s fourth-quarter revenue guidance came in between $80.0 billion to $86.5 billion, far below the street’s average estimate of $87.4 billion, indicating the all-important holiday shopping season may be underwhelming." Read more   ...Amazon will spend nearly $1.5B in Q4 for one-day delivery initiative as shipping costs skyrocket by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. Read more   ...Amazon tops 750,000 employees for the first time, adding nearly 100,000 people in three months by Nat Levy at GeekWire. Read more   ...Amazon's advertising business is growing like [...]

  Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO quietly tests presidential bid by Natasha Korecki at Politico. "Various messages were presented to a focus group in southern Wisconsin this week centering on (Ed Stack)...Those in the group were shown several short videos of other candidates including Biden, Warren and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz...but viewed eight or nine videos that included Stack messaging, according to a focus group participant." Read more   Amazon Ready to Pour Billions Into Policing Products on Its Site by Tripp Mickle at Wall Street Journal. "We have to be vigilant and willing to spend hundreds of millions and [...]

  Best Buy now offering next-day delivery with no minimum order at AP. "Best Buy says the next day service covers thousands of items but excludes bigger items like TVs and refrigerators." Read more   Destination Maternity to close 183 stores in Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Nathan Bomey at USA Today. "The company had 446 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico as of Aug. 3. It also operated 491 shops-within-a-shop at various department stores and baby specialty retailers." Read more   Walmart CEO writes to PM, seeks stable business environment at The Economic Times. "The letter comes at [...]

  Hudson's Bay to be taken private by chairman-led group at Reuters. "Hudson’s Bay Co said on Monday it has agreed to a higher offer from a group of shareholders led by its Executive Chairman Richard Baker to take the struggling Canadian department store chain private. The group has offered C$10.30 per share in cash for the 43% of shares it does not own, representing a premium of about 9% to the company’s closing price on Friday." Read more   Amazon is shipping expired food, scaring consumers and putting big brands at risk at CNBC. "A data analytics firm that [...]

  Amazon Holiday Toy List Slots Can Cost Brands Up to $2 Million by Spencer Soper & Matthew Townsend at Bloomberg. "It’s perfectly legal for Amazon to sell advertising on its site. It becomes a problem when the world’s largest online retailer tells shoppers recommendations are curated by experts but doesn’t disclose the money it gets from the toy industry, said Robert Weissman, president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen." Tiered subs.   Barneys enters deal to sell assets to Authentic Brands, B. Riley for $271 million cash at Reuters. "Any further bids must be received before a deadline [...]

  Walmart will now put groceries right in your fridge, starting in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Vero Beach, FL at CNBC. "InHome grocery delivery is a membership program that is being rolled out at an introductory price of $19.95 a month. It requires shoppers to purchase a $49.95 smart door lock kit or smart garage door kit, which comes with free installation and one month of free unlimited grocery delivery." Read more   Barneys nearing sale to Saks, Authentic Brands by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. "Saks Fifth Avenue is teaming up with licensing firm Authentic Brands Group to acquire [...]