Tipsheet: FreshDirect Shopping Itself? | Instacart Protest | Amazon & Mary’s Place

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FreshDirect shopping itself after Bronx move fail: sources by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Amazon and Walmart recently vetted FreshDirect’s financial and performance data…In the past, FreshDirect brass have consistently brushed aside overtures — rebuffing offers from Amazon and Walmart in 2010 for $2.3 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively, according to a former executive with direct knowledge of those offers…but now JPMorgan…wants out of its investment, sources said.” Read more

 

Jeff Bezos’s Master Plan by Franklin Foer at The Atlantic. “To better understand him, I spent five months speaking with current and former Amazon executives…In the course of these conversations, my view of Bezos began to shift. Many of my assumptions about the man melted away; admiration jostled with continued unease. And I was left with a new sense of his endgame…” Read more

 

Target’s Chief Diversity Officer Caroline Wanga Is Here to Change the World by Ellen McGirt at Fortune. “Early in her corporate career, she hit rock bottom. “I hit a climax of faking it. And what became essentially an internal conflict between my psychology and my physiology rendered me paralyzed psychologically for 60 days. I was in a state of crisis and what I realized through getting help for that was that I had been carrying the burden of being somebody else for too long.” Read more

 

Seven & I Holdings to cut 3,000 jobs and close 1,000 7-Eleven convenience stores across Japan at The Japan Times. Read more

 

In heart of Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, a first-of-its-kind family shelter takes shape for Mary’s Place by Benjamin Romano at Seattle Times. “It appears to be the first of its kind anywhere built into a corporate office. Amazon essentially sliced off a 63,000-square-foot chunk of one of its new Seattle buildings to provide the nonprofit with a permanent space…When the shelter fills with up to 275 moms, dads and kids early next year, it will be a supportive, temporary home with help to find permanent housing…” Tiered subs.

 

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

 

Sears Hasn’t Fared Better After Bankruptcy as Another 100 Stores Will Soon Close by Suzanne Kapner at Wall Street Journal. “Sears is still struggling to win back suppliers who curtailed shipments during the bankruptcy proceedings. That has left shelves bare of key items. When Mr. Dworsky visited a Kmart in Somerville, Mass., in May, he was surprised to find the garden center empty at the height of a spring planting season. That store is among those now closing.” WSJ subs.

 

Instacart shoppers are organizing a nationwide protest at Megan Rose Dickey at TechCrunch. “From November 3-5, thousands of Instacart shoppers plan to protest with three demands. They want Instacart to change the default tip amount to at least 10%, ditch the service fee and commit to always giving 100% of the tip to the shopper.” Read more

 

Low prices aren’t fun anymore—consumers have reached peak happiness with clothing purchases at CNBC. “The apparel market has “hit a ceiling” and is “going into structural decline,” according to a note from Morgan Stanley. The cause of it? Consumers have reached peak happiness with clothing purchases, wrote analyst Geoff Ruddell on Friday.” Read more

 

The Fresh Market Appoints Dan Portnoy As Chief Merchandising Officer “(Portnoy has) been the President and CEO at Kings Super Markets/Balducci’s Markets and the Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer at Winn-Dixie Stores.” Press release

 

Kohl’s Promotes Finance Veteran to CFO in Effort to Boost Customer Traffic by Mark Maurer at Wall Street Journal. “Michelle Gass, the chief executive of Kohl’s, “has to deal with two major exits while she is under pressure to show that her strategy is working,” said David Swartz, an analyst at Morningstar Inc. “The results from the year’s first half didn’t give a lot of confidence.” WSJ subs.

 

DoorDash Just Expanded Into an Entirely New Business by Danielle Abril at Fortune. “DoorDash is going beyond online delivery and has opened its first brick-and-mortar shop: A shared kitchen for four of its restaurant partners. The company’s first DoorDash Kitchens location in Redwood City, Calif., provides cooking space for Nations Giant Hamburgers, Rooster & Rice, Humphry Slocombe, and The Halal Guys.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

The weird and complicated past behind Maraschino cherries

Menards employee hit by fleeing shoplifter’s car will undergo rehab at Colorado

Victoria’s Secret cuts 50 from HQ staff, head of stores to step down

Here are the ‘oppressive’ working conditions at the farms that supply Whole Foods

Amazon lays out its positions on a wide range of issues

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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

 

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Tipsheet: Tritton @ Bed Bath | Costco +4.2% | Kroger’s ‘Mistake’

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Target’s Mark Tritton will become Bed Bath & Beyond’s new president and CEO effective Nov. 4. at CNBC. “Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond spiked more than 21% in extended trading on Wednesday.” Read more

 

…Target said it will not search for a new chief merchant at this time. Instead, two current executives — Christina Hennington and Jill Sando — will assume interim leadership of the merchandising organization. by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. Tiered subs.

 

Target Names Michael Fiddelke Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer “In more than 15 years at Target, Fiddelke has served in a variety of roles across finance, merchandising, human resources, and operations. Most recently he served as Senior Vice President of Operations.” Press release

 

Costco September comp sales +4.2% “Comparable sales excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange were +5.6%” Press release

 

Walgreens partners with FedEx to accept online returns, print labels by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “…consumers will be able to drop off their online returns at thousands of Walgreens  locations nationwide. They’ll also be able to print their return shipping label in the store, if need be.” Read more

 

US consumer prices unchanged in September at AP. “The Labor Department says the flat reading in its Consumer Price Index for September followed a tiny 0.1% August increase and left prices over the past 12 months rising at a modest annual rate of 1.7%.” Read more

 

Kroger made ‘a multiyear mistake’ in how it delivers its groceries, Jefferies says at CNBC. “Kroger was downgraded by Jefferies to hold from buy due to what they believe was a key mistake: investing in centralized fulfillment centers instead of micro-fulfillment. Instead, it should be following Walmart’s lead, according to a Thursday note.” Read more

 

Inside Target’s new Disney Stores at Field Agent. “Of 11 agents who visited Target-Disney shop-in-shops, all said they were at least a little more likely to buy Disney products now that they are available in this new store format.” Pics/Read more

 

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Amazon’s top spokesperson Jay Carney slams the Trump administration at CNBC. “Virtually with no exception, everyone I dealt with in [previous] administrations, whether I personally agreed or disagreed with what they thought were the right policy decisions or the right way to approach things, I never doubted that they were patriots,” Carney said. “I don’t feel that way now.” Read more

 

Dollar General Boosts Digital Strategy by Sara Castellanos at Wall Street Journal. “Dollar General Corp. is working on making it possible for customers to buy its wares online and pick them up at a nearby store, a move that analysts say could help the retailer attract a younger demographic.” WSJ subs.

 

dunnhumby: QuikTrip, Wawa and Sheetz are the top U.S. C-stores “… surveyed nearly 7,000 U.S. households to determine which of the top 27 c-store retailers have the strongest combination of financial performance and consumer emotional connection. The retailers with the highest overall index scores are: 1) QuikTrip, 2) Wawa, 3) Sheetz, 4) Kwik Trip/Kwik Star, 5) RaceTrac, 6) Casey’s General Stores, and 7) Maverik.” Press release

 

Dick’s says Ex-Chief Technology Officer must give back $750K after jumping ship Law 360 subs.

 

Amazon Workers May Be Watching Your Cloud Cam Home Footage at Yahoo Finance via Bloomberg. “Dozens of Amazon workers based in India and Romania review select clips captured by Cloud Cam, according to five people who have worked on the program or have direct knowledge of it.” Read more

 

Why Foot Locker is backing Rockets of Awesome, a start-up disrupting the kids clothing market by Tom Connor at CNBC. “An expansion of Cricket’s Circle — Blumenthal shut down the online baby registry in 2016 so she could shift her focus to children sizes 2 to 14 — Rockets of Awesome now puts her in the ring to take on the global children’s apparel market, expected to reach $339 billion by 2024.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Environmentalists have a new target: Charmin toilet paper

Walmart directors accumulate sizable stock holdings

‘It’s a nightmare’: Zimbabwe struggles with hyperinflation

California bans widely-used pesticide linked to brain damage in children

Saudis likely clear in Jeff Bezos’ racy text and pic leak

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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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Tipsheet: Amazon’s 1st Ad Conf. | Lidl Part-Time Med | Whiskey Pods

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Lidl will offer medical benefits to all 1,200 of its part-time US employees at CNBC. “We want our team to have the peace of mind knowing they have healthcare coverage,” said Lidl U.S. Chairman Roman Heini in a statement.” Read more

 

Rent the Runway back up after operational glitch at Reuters. “The issue had forced the company to stop allowing new subscribers to the platform and halted its services for 11 days, starting Sept. 27, Rent the Runway said.” Read more

 

Amazon held its first big ad conference last week at CNBC. “Last week in Seattle, Amazon attracted roughly 400 people to “AdCon 2019,” CNBC has learned. The inaugural two-day event featured the company’s most senior ad executives and sessions to educate businesses on “how to use Amazon Advertising to create connections with shoppers at key moments across the purchase journey,” according to a page for the conference on events site Cvent.” Read more

 

Glenlivet has new whisky capsules that look like detergent pods by Kelly Tyko at USA Today. “Many who commented on social media talked about memories of the Tide Pod challenge where teens were ingesting the colorful detergent packs as dares. “Does it do laundry too? Who thought this was a good idea?” Twitter user @JohnGeyerman wrote.” Read more

 

Amazon, Walmart confront India’s slowing economy as holiday season growth stalls by Manish Singh at TechCrunch. “Online retailers in India sold goods worth $3 billion in the six-day festive sale that concluded last week, growing at an impressive 30% since last year, according to research firm RedSeer. The catch? A year before, the growth rate stood at 93%.” Read more

 

California power outage: What happens when the lights go out at AP. Read more

 

New York staple Dean and Deluca closed down at PIX 11. “Every time I came they didn’t have what I came for,” said Marie Valouch. Turns out the shelves were empty because vendors stopped supplying the New York staple after they stopped paying their bills.” Video/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 

 

Inside H-E-B’s first grocery store inside a mixed-use development at Houston Chronicle. 30 pics/tiered subs.

 

West African Poverty Alleviation Program Makes Cocoa This Year’s Hot Commodity by Joe Wallace at Wall Street Journal. “Uncertainty about the new way of pricing West African cocoa exports, designed to improve living conditions for farmers, is driving the rally. According to the World Bank, 80% of cocoa producers, or four million people and their families, live on less than $3 a day.” WSJ subs.

 

All this Virginia wine store needs to stay alive is 10 good customers by Thomas Heath at Washington Post. “In an era of big-box competitors like Total Wine, Costco and Walmart, the Wine Attic provides a window into how a little company can stay alive paying super-close attention to the customer base. “We sell ourselves,” said Juan, a 43-year-old former restaurant manager. “It’s the Juan and Renée experience. Every second with the customer counts.” Tiered subs.

 

Study: Publix is top Instacart grocery retailer at Supermarket News. Read more/Register

 

Supermarkets bag newspapers at the checkout counter by Jason Schott at Fox Business. “One paper that is fighting back is City Pulse, a free weekly newspaper in Lansing, Michigan…Schwartz posted a letter on City Pulse’s website on October 3: “Thank you for your outpouring of support for City Pulse in the face of a misguided and inconsistent decision by the Kroger Co. to ban free publications from its stores nationwide. Nearly 1,200 of you have signed a petition asking Kroger to reconsider…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Tips for Instacart delivery drivers are mysteriously decreasing

When efforts to eat ‘clean’ become an unhealthy obsession

Gucci Under Fire for Shackle-Like Ankle Bracelet

Jean-Georges: Portrait of a Chef as a Young Man

How Soko Glam’s Charlotte Cho brought Korean beauty to America

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

 

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Tipsheet: Stack @ CNBC | H.Dep Exec @ College | Ulta #1 Beauty w/Teens

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Company making Costco pajamas flagged for forced labor by Martha Mendoza at AP. “In an interview with the AP, Costco officials said “we believe (the baby sleepers) were made in a factory other than the one that was the subject of the CBP detention order. As the facts develop, we’re prepared to consider what action we should take relative to the issue of a supplier to our supplier owning factories that may have problems.” Read more

 

Tiffany removes advert over Hong Kong controversy at Yahoo. “Tiffany & Co. have removed a tweet showing a woman covering one eye after Chinese consumers accused the jeweller of supporting the Hong Kong protesters.” Read more

 

From the Rooftops, Big Box Stores Are Embracing Solar by Bruce Horovitz at NY Times. “We view this as one of the most important things we can do,” said Mark Schindele, senior vice president of properties at Target. “The headline we are focused on is this: What’s most important to Target’s guests?” Tiered subs.

 

Target to power Toys “R” Us Shopping Experience “Consumers will be able to take advantage of all of the great benefits when shopping Target.com, including free two-day shipping, same-day curbside or store order pickup, same-day delivery with Shipt, Target Circle loyalty benefits, easy in-store returns and 5% off when using a Target REDcard.” Press release

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack appears on CBS Sunday Morning “I don’t understand how somebody, with everything that’s gone on, could actually sit there and say, ‘I don’t think we need to do a background check on people who buy guns.’ It’s just, it’s ridiculous,” (Stack) said.” Read more/Video

 

…Dick’s Sporting Goods destroyed $5 million worth of assault rifles by Kelly Tyko at USA Today. “I said, ‘You know what? If we really think these things should be off the street, then we need to destroy them,'” Stack told CBS News.” Read more

 

…Dick’s CEO Ed Stack: The consumer is in ‘pretty good shape’ at CNBC. “CEO Ed Stack said during CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday morning. “Our business is really good. … What we see, we’re pretty excited about it.” He added that the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China hasn’t yet presented any “meaningful” impact to the business.” Video/Read more

 

E-cigarette sales discontinued at Walgreens and Kroger by Nathan Bomey at USA Today. Read more

 

**A message from EasyLock keyless locking deadbolt – Deadbolts aren’t consistently locked – fumbling for the key is a hassle. EasyLock = no key required/twist to lock. Video | Sell sheet | Sample @ info@eyeonretail.net

 

Macy’s brings together nearly 800 brand partners to discuss strategic initiatives and brand innovations “In 2018, 50 Macy’s stores across the country received additional capital to enhance the customer experience…expanded to 100 additional stores in 2019…the 150 stores comprise approximately 50 percent of Macy’s store sales.” Press release

 

Capital One to continue running credit card operations for Neiman Marcus Press release

 

WeWork’s bet on the old Lord & Taylor building has become an albatross by Josh Kosman & Steve Cuozzo at NY Post. “The big worry: WeWork agreed to pay a stiff $105 per square foot — well above the $80-a-foot that’s more typical of buildings in the neighborhood. Now, sources say it’s having trouble finding subtenants who are interested in the pricey floor space — including Amazon, which had weighed a deal to become the sole occupant.” Read more

 

‘The Impact 50,’ A List Of The Country’s Most Influential Impact Investors at Forbes. List

 

Bonobos Trims Jobs as Owner Walmart Seeks to Cut E-commerce Losses by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “A few dozen people are being laid off, a personal familiar with the situation said. Bonobos has around 600 employees, said a Bonobos spokeswoman.” WSJ subs.

 

Home Depot’s Hector Padilla, Southern Division president, speaks to Kennesaw State students “Once a quarter, Padilla writes out a list of his strengths and his opportunities for improvement, and then develops strategies for improving his performance. To reinforce the importance of writing things down, Padilla provided each student at the event with a canvas journal in The Home Depot’s signature orange.” Read more

 

Some Costco employees say they get a special cake after working with the company for 25 years that normal customers can’t order at Business Insider. Read more

 

Teens are spending less than in the spring – Favorite brands include: Chick-fil-A and Starbucks for restaurants and Nike and American Eagle Outfitters for apparel at CNBC. “Piper Jaffray is out with its 38th biannual “Taking Stock with Teens” report…When teens are buying beauty, Ulta is the favorite store, furthering its lead as the top beauty destination gaining 5 percentage points from the spring survey as second-place Sephora falls by 9 percentage points. Walmart comes in at number three, Target fourth and Amazon rounds out the top five.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

The 50 most powerful women in the world

The most popular beers of the 2019 Great American Beer Festival

Organic grocer Erewhon eyes expansion after private equity deal

Alibaba shopping sites appear to have de-listed Houston Rockets products in China

Lizzo is reunited with her high school band director

Officer kills man who sprayed him with ‘unknown substance’ outside Walmart

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Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

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Tipsheet: Costco +5.1% | Coface Cuts Neiman? | Krogers Ponies Shelved?

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US adds modest 136,000 jobs, lowering unemployment to 3.5% at AP. “All told, the September jobs report is likely to keep the Federal Reserve on track to cut rates later this month for the third time this year to try to help sustain the expansion.” Read more

 

Costco Q4 comp sales +5.1% / Ecom +19.8% Press release

 

…Costco earnings call: Richard Galanti on new China store – “200,000 shoppers are now members, which is well above the 68,000 average for a Costco warehouse.” at Fox Business | Call transcript via Seeking Alpha

 

Chip and Joanna Gaines Are Opening a Hotel in Waco, Texas at Architectural Digest. “Slated to open in 2021, the Gaineses intend to complete an extensive historic restoration of the 53,000-square-foot property, keeping the ballroom and many of the current exterior details, including that iconic archway.” Read more

 

Walmart exec Bratspies will moderate disability inclusion luncheon in Rogers at Talk Business. “Panelists include: Louis Martin, President, Global Walmart/Sam’s Club at Coca-Cola & Ashley Taylor, COO at Acosta.” Read more

 

Lenders give Barneys New York until Oct. 11 to find buyer by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “The extension by its lenders — Brigade Capital Management and B. Riley Financial — gives Barneys more time to secure a deal with a fashion trade show executive, Sam Ben-Avraham, who has emerged as the lead bidder to acquire Barneys as a retailer, sources said.” Read more

 

…Barneys Finds a Potential Buyer in Bankruptcy Court by Suzanne Kapner & Juliet Chung at Wall Street Journal. “The group is led by Sam Ben-Avraham, who founded the hip New York retail store Atrium in the 1990s as well as the streetwear brand Kith and also operates fashion trade shows. Mr. Ben-Avraham is assembling a consortium of retail veterans and brand investors to help fund the bid, the people said…It is also expected to include an agreement with the landlord of its Madison Avenue and Beverly Hills stores, one of the people said.” WSJ subs.

 

Schnucks to stop selling tobacco products next year by Jacob Barker at St.Louis Post Dispatch. Read more

 

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

 

MacKenzie Bezos Is Now Worth $36.1 Billion. But Who Is She? by Noah Kirsch at Forbes. “In keeping with character, MacKenzie wouldn’t talk for this story. To shed some light on her, we spent weeks contacting more than 100 friends and former classmates and coworkers; even that yielded only a hazy picture, one of an intensely private but talented woman who has, quietly, excelled at every stage of her life.” Read more

 

Jessica Adelman, group VP of corporate affairs at Kroger, explains how building a conscious brand creates a profitable business PR Week subs.

 

Neiman Marcus loses support of top trade-credit firm by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Coface, one of the three industry’s largest trade-credit insurers, has stopped insuring Neiman Marcus’ inventory receivables — a move that could force some brands to stop doing business with Neiman in the coming weeks, sources said.” Read more

 

New Disney stores at Target open Friday in 25 locations, featuring ‘Frozen 2’  and ‘Star Wars’ merchandise by Kelly Tyko at USA Today. Read more

 

Kroger suspends decades-long tradition of pony pictures after customer complaint at WKRC. “We love Kroger. Kroger has supported us for 38 years and we made our living,” Lonnie said. But the Alexanders and their supporters don’t understand how 38 years of loyalty can be put on pause because of one complaint.” Video/Read more

 

…HOLD YOUR HORSES – Customer who said picture ponies at Kroger were being mistreated pulls complaint at WKRC. “That person has deleted his Facebook post and asked Kroger to bring back the ponies. A Kroger spokesperson told Local 12 it is evaluating the future of the program.” Video/Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Helzberg Diamonds to offer free marriage ceremonies

Best Buy recently opened its first outlet in the Houston area

U.S. helps Mastercard, Visa score victory in Indonesia

Google contractors reportedly targeted homeless people for facial recognition

Target debuts Golden Girls costumes for Halloween 2019

Google Shopping gets a makeover, but it still doesn’t have a prayer against Amazon

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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

 

Website: eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: Bed Bath -6.7% | Kroger -Mid Mgmt | WM Healthcare Test

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Bed Bath & Beyond Q2 comp sales -6.7% Press release

 

…Bed Bath & Beyond increases projected store closures to 60 by Kelly Tyko at USA Today. “…up 20 from the April estimate of 40 stores…Forty of the stores closing will be Bed Bath & Beyond stores and 20 will be stores in the company’s other concepts.” Read more

 

Kroger is looking to lay off several store employees holding middle management roles at Fox Business. Read more

 

Walmart to test programs for U.S. workers to cut its healthcare costs at Reuters. “In Colorado, Wisconsin and Minnesota, Walmart will expand a program that allows patients to video chat with a doctor from home for $4 per chat. The retailer will also offer workers access to fitness clubs for $9 per bi-weekly pay period and add a predictable co-pay of $35 for every visit to a primary care physician under its most popular medical plan.” Read more

 

Shoppers have more options to return online purchases by Anne D’Innocenzio at AP. “Shoppers are increasingly able to have a return get picked up inside their home. Walmart says it will launch such a return service later this year but didn’t offer any details.” Read more

 

Zulily unveils price comparison feature to compete with Amazon and Walmart by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “Zulily is also offering a price-matching promise for items that are higher-priced on its site compared to Amazon or Walmart. The strategy is part of a “pilot” that lasts until Dec. 19, said John Lohnas, Zulily’s chief merchant who joined the company in May after nearly a decade at Amazon where he ran apparel and footwear businesses.” Read more

 

Amazon sites in France and India should be added to US counterfeit watchlist, says apparel trade group at CNBC. 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 

 

WEGMANS OPENING RECORD – More than 3,000 people lined up outside the new Wegmans in Raleigh before dawn for the grand opening by Marcia Greenwood at Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. “Previously (Wegmans Natale said), the grand opening crowd record was 2,400 people, held by Wegmans’ Northborough, Massachusetts, store, which launched in 2011.” Read more/Video

 

The BrandLab auctions off 1 hour meetings with Target’s Rick Gomez and others Read more

 

New Tesco boss isn’t the obvious choice for chief executive by Nils Patley at The Guardian. “The surprise is that the Tesco chairman, John Allan, couldn’t find a replacement within the ranks. One can’t judge Ken Murphy until he arrives, but a 20-year career at Boots and its US-based parent may not be ideal preparation for a scrap with Aldi et al.” Read more

 

The Trump administration slapped 25% tariffs on French wine, Italian cheese and single-malt Scotch whisky — but spared Italian wine, pasta and olive oil at Reuters. Read more

 

Meet Triple Five Group: The real estate developers behind New Jersey’s ‘American Dream’ mega mall at CNBC. Read more

 

Target’s back rooms are becoming unsafe, overcrowded ‘nightmares’ as the company cuts shifts and hours, workers say by Shoshy Cimint at Business Insider. “Business Insider spoke with 28 former and current Target workers, 13 of whom said they felt that the shift changes made their back rooms an unsafe work environment.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Walmart continues process of relocating workers out of future corporate campus footprint

Amazon workers in Sacramento are protesting the company’s strict time-off rules

Empty shelves at numerous Fry’s Electronics stores spark concern

Chick-fil-A drive-throughs now slowest among big chains, study finds

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes biology is the next frontier in computing

Man arrested for cutting the brakes on over 100 electric scooters

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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

 

Website: eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: WM +$794M w/Bernie | PetSmart/Chewy Up-Close | Amazon Go @ Theaters?

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Amazon is in talks to bring its cashierless Go technology to airports and movie theaters at CNBC. “The company has been in talks to bring Go equipment into OTG’s CIBO Express stores at airports and Cineworld’s Regal theaters, one of the people said. Another person said Amazon is looking at concession stands in baseball stadiums.” Read more

 

How PetSmart Swallowed Chewy—and Proved the Doubters Wrong by Miriam Gottfried at Wall Street Journal. “Chewy went public in June, and its shares have climbed nearly 20% since then in what has been a busy year for initial public offerings and despite the recent tumult in the IPO market. PetSmart’s roughly $10 billion paper gain on Chewy’s first day of trading is one of the largest ever from a private-equity-backed IPO.” WSJ subs.

 

Read the full transcript of Mark Zuckerberg’s leaked internal Facebook meetings by Casey Newton at The Verge. Transcript

 

Amazon unveils new ‘IP Accelerator’ to battle fraud on its platform, help sellers trademark products by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “The new Intellectual Property Accelerator takes a unique approach to battling fraud by connecting small- and medium-sized businesses with a group of law firms that specialize in trademarks and IP. Sellers who participate in the program — whether their products are available on Amazon’s retail stores or not — get discounted rates from the law firms.” Read more

 

A boycott of Fred Meyer stores in Oregon and Washington is over  Video/Read more

 

**A message from Real Coconut Water: We’re sweeter than the rest. 100% pure coconut water. PL or branded organic in Tetra Pak. Sell sheet | Website | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Amazon’s Grocery-Store Plan Moves Ahead With Los Angeles Leases by Esther Fung at Wall Street Journal. “One of Amazon’s first grocery locations will be on N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, at a strip center in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, the people said…The roughly 35,000 square-foot store was previously occupied by Toys “R” Us, and its neighbors are Citibank, Office Depot and Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill. There is a Costco wholesale market half a mile away.” WSJ subs.

 

Sportsman’s Warehouse to Acquire 8 Field & Stream Stores from Dick’s Press release

 

UPS wins FAA approval for drone delivery airline at CNBC. “The company plans to use the approval — the first that the FAA has granted to a company to operate a fleet of drones as an airline — to deliver packages to hospital campuses.” Read more

 

Under Bernie Sanders’ income inequality tax plan, Walmart would have paid up to $794 million more in 2018 at Newsweek. Read more

 

…Home Depot up to $538.2 million more at Fox News. Read more

 

Report: holiday season accounted for almost 24% of all retailers’ sales in the late 1990s, but is closer to 21% today and is expected to continue to shrink at CNBC. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Monthly enlists experts and celebrities to teach 30-day online classes

Yuengling and Hershey’s have concocted a new chocolate porter

Publix wine buyer says an online presence is a must for success

US construction spending up slight 0.1% in August

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