Tipsheet: Costco +6.3% | Duluth 1st Underwear Store | Merlo Talks Vaping

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Costco October comp sales (ex. gas & f/x) +6.3% (US +6.8% / Canada +6.5% / Other Int’l +3.0%) Press release

 

Lumber Liquidators Q3 comp sales -3.6% Press release

 

Facing shorter holiday season, U.S. retailers rev up faster delivery, early deals at Reuters. “The last shortened shopping season was in 2013 – a year when retail chains and delivery companies scrambled to get packages to shoppers in time for Christmas. Retailers’ urgency to avoid a repeat of 2013 is on full display…” Read more

 

Rent-A-Center Q3 comp sales +4.5% Press release

 

Mystery shop: Buying alcohol from Walmart’s online grocery pickup at Field Agent. “On a scale from 1-5, with 5 “excellent” and 1 “poor,”…Among mystery shoppers who received their alcohol purchase(s) (n = 16), the average rating was 4.5, with 10 saying the selection was “excellent,” 5 “very good,” and 1 “fair.” Read more

 

Office Depot Q3 total sales -4.0% Press release

 

Duluth Trading gets cheeky with its first-ever store devoted only to men’s underwear by John Ewoldt at Star Tribune. “We offend people,” said Ricker Schlecht, a vice president for Duluth Trading…“We get letters. We dance on the line a lot with ball jokes and butt cracks. Some people don’t want to hear it, but we want people to have a smile on their face when they interact with our brand.” The company’s new store (opens Thursday at) the Mall of America.” Tiered subs.

 

Vitamin Shoppe Q3 comp sales -7.7% Press release

 

Walmart appoints Meredith Klein as PR director PR Week subs.

 

Kohl’s, Macy’s turn to pop-up shops and Instagram-worthy displays to try to win the holidays at CNBC. “We have a lot of experimentation [going on],” Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass said during an interview on Wednesday at a press event held at Kohl’s new pop-up shop. The temporary space in SoHo will be open to the public from Thursday through Sunday.” Read more/Video

 

SpartanNash Q3: Retail comp sales +0.1% / Net sales +6.0% Press release

 

CVS CEO discusses the vaping crisis at CNBC. “CVS CEO Larry J. Merlo tells Jim Camer he worries teen tobacco use is going the ‘wrong way’ with the vaping crisis.” 1:19 video

 

Ralph Lauren Q2 North American comp sales +2.0% Press release

 

Burrito Delivered by Bot, as Long as Students Don’t Trap It by Bradley Berman at NY Times. “Kiwi is a work in progress. Its bots frequently lurch in front of pedestrians. The GPS is imprecise, so couriers and customers need to hunt down the robot’s locations, sometimes behind bushes. There are regular reports of minor bot abuse by those protesting high-tech invasiveness.” Tiered subs.

 

Walmart’s Suarez provides an overview of the company’s global approach to last mile logistics at Logistics Management. Q&A

 

Save A Lot hopes modern store redesign draws new customers by Michael Calhoun at KMOX. Read more/Audio

 

Tipsheet Extra

Chicago Mayor vows to get tough to prevent Target-style abandonment of neighborhoods

Chobani’s newest food incubator is boosting veterans’ food businesses

Apple Store revenue grows to 31% of Apple’s income for 2019

Amazon Unveils First French Originals Slate

Hardwood industry pleads for relief from Trump trade war

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Tipsheet: Kroger’s Kroji | CVS -22 | B.Buy -18 | Wgreen Eyes Private

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Kroger Debuts New Logo and Launches Brand Transformation Campaign “Fresh for Everyone is Kroger’s brand ethos…The Kroji (Kroger + emoji) animation features a loveable cast of characters to represent Kroger customers, associates and communities…Kroger’s 20+ retail banners across America will continue to operate under their existing names…” Press release | Brand campaign

 

CVS Health third-quarter profit rises 10% on Aetna sales at CNBC. “Earnings per share: $1.84, adjusted, vs. $1.77 expected. Revenue: $63.81 billion vs. $62.99 billion expected. CVS reported third-quarter net income of $1.53 billion, or $1.17 per share, up 10% from $1.39 billion.” Read more

 

…CVS to close 22 drugstores next year at CNBC. Read more

 

Walgreens has explored taking drug store chain private at Reuters. “Many private equity firms have pushed back on the idea, concerned about Walgreens’ business prospects and the challenges of financing the deal, the sources added. A leveraged buyout of Walgreens would likely require participation of several private equity firms, each writing large checks, at a time when many of them have lost their appetite for teaming together on so-called club deals.” Read more

 

Best Buy has closed 18 stores, but physical locations still key to strategy by Kavita Kumar at Minneapolis Star Tribune. “A company spokesman declined to give an official tally of the total number of Best Buy store closings in recent weeks, saying the retailer will update its store count when it reports its third-quarter earnings later this month.” Tiered subs.

 

Pier 1 Taps Debt Restructuring Expert as Chief Executive at Wall Street Journal. “Struggling retail chain Pier 1 Imports Inc. has hired a bankruptcy veteran to serve as its new chief executive. The Fort Worth, Texas-based home furnishings retailer said Monday it named Chief Financial Officer Robert Riesbeck to lead the company.” WSJ subs. | Press release

 

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Costco and Instacart test free one-hour prescription delivery as Amazon eyes the space at CNBC. “The pilot program is limited to California and Washington state, according to two people familiar, and it includes delivery to a Costco member’s home or office.” Read more

 

Amazon’s $1.45M effort to upend Seattle City Council yields mixed results in early reporting by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “Of the seven Seattle City Council seats up for grabs, four candidates with backing from the business community were leading their opponents in early election results.” Read more

 

Walmart drops lawsuit against Tesla over solar panel fires at The Verge. “…a settlement appears to have been in the works for a while. In August, Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove told The Verge that the companies were “working towards a resolution,” before adding that “if you were to characterize that as a settlement, we wouldn’t dispute it.” Read more

 

Thomson Reuters nabs REI’s Alex Thompson to be CCO at PR Week. Subs.

 

Amazon Announces New Amazon Robotics Innovation Hub “…and create 200 tech and advanced manufacturing jobs in Westborough, Massachusetts. Opening in 2021, the company plans to invest more than $40 million in the new site to allow Amazon Robotics to continue to grow its engineering, manufacturing, support and test teams in the state.” Press release

 

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen appear before some 1,800 Kohl’s Corp. employees in advance of the retailer’s launch of their clothing line by Rick Romell at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Read more

 

CBD-Dispensing Robots Show Up At 7-Eleven Stores at Forbes. Read more/Video

 

News team travels to different Target stores in CA to document price differences on same items at NBC 4 Los Angeles. 3:49 video

 

Tipsheet Extra

LA wants sealed takeout bags to stop drivers from stealing food

From Lawn Mowers To Rock Concerts, Our ‘Deafening World’ Is Hurting Our Ears

Amazon is reportedly testing step tracking on Echo Buds

Shopping ads come to YouTube’s home feed and search results

How Tapestry is trying to fix the Kate Spade brand

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Tipsheet: Kroger Confident | K.Spade -16% | Target Improves | Barneys’ MIA Owner

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Kroger’s 2020 profit, same-store sales estimates top expectations at Reuters. “The company forecast adjusted profit between $2.30 and $2.40 per share in 2020, and identical sales growth, excluding fuel, to be greater than 2.25%.” Read more

 

…”We are confident that Restock Kroger is the right strategic framework for business growth in 2019 and 2020, and to position Kroger for long-term growth in the future,” said Rodney McMullen. Press release

 

Target’s First Loyalty Program Failed. Here’s How It Built a Better One by Diana Pearl at Adweek. “On stage at Adweek’s annual Brandweek summit, (Rick) Gomez said that ultimately, RedPerks simply wasn’t unique enough to set Target apart from its competitors. “This point-based, transactional program we were working on, it simply wasn’t very good,” admitted Gomez during his panel presentation, Marketing ‘For All’ Drives Results for Target.”  Tiered subs.

 

Weis Markets Q1 comp sales +1.7% Press release

 

Barneys’ MIA owner hangs at the beach while company struggles with bankruptcy by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “The department store’s management team hasn’t heard a peep from Perry — who bought a controlling stake in the upscale retailer in 2012 — since before Barneys’ Aug. 6 bankruptcy filing, sources said. Making matters worse, the only information staffers have been able to glean of Perry’s whereabouts comes from the Instagram account of his fashionista wife, Lisa Perry, showing the dapper couple jet-setting as Barneys execs struggled to find buyers, sources said.” Read more

 

Tapestry Q1 net sales -2.0%. Comp sales by brand: Coach +1.0% / Kate Spade -16% Press release

 

Stay away from Wayfair’s ‘toxic’ stock, Jim Cramer says at CNBC. “Wayfair has lost around 50% of its value since its highs in March, Cramer said, including a nearly 20% fall last Thursday after a disappointing earnings report.” 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

 

Save A Lot to Offer Customers Amazon Services in Store Press release

 

De Beers is cutting prices across the board for the first time in years at Bloomberg via Fortune. “The price cut is unlikely to trickle down to the retail market and consumers shouldn’t expect to see diamond prices getting cheaper anytime soon. Part of the problem in the diamond industry is that prices have stagnated as other luxury offerings, like shoes, handbags and resort vacations, crowd the field.” Read more

 

David’s Bridal Receives Firm Commitments for $55 million of New Capital Press release

 

Amazon is responsible for most Big Tech job growth since 2000 at CNBC. “The five largest tech firms in the United States — Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, and Facebook — have collectively put more than 1 million people to work between 2000 and 2018.” Read more

 

ShopRite deli employee infected with Hepatitis A may have exposed shoppers at NJ Advance Media. Read more

 

UPS drone delivers medicine from CVS straight to customers’ homes at Cnet. “The prescriptions were lowered to their destinations via a cable while the drone hovered about 20 feet about each address. UPS said one of the packages was delivered to a customer with limited mobility…” Read more

 

Pier 1 Appoints Robert Riesbeck as CEO Press release

 

McDonald’s ousted CEO Steve Easterbrook steps down from Walmart board at CNBC. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Juul disregarded early evidence it was hooking teens

TikTok’s global social media takeover is starting to slow down

Shopify, on a quest to be the anti-Amazon, now has 1 million businesses

Trump’s National Park Changes Could, Ironically, Help Jeff Bezos

MIT develops a way for robots to find your front door

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Website: eyeonretail.net

Tipsheet: Shoplift in CA | T Value #1 in HI | 100 C-store Rally @ Boston

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China’s Shoppers May Boycott U.S. Brands on Singles’ Day at Bloomberg via Fortune. “More than three-quarters of Chinese consumers surveyed said they’ll reconsider buying from American companies during the Singles’ Day shopping event on Nov. 11…“U.S. brands can expect some disruption because of the consequences of the US-China trade war on consumer sentiment,” the report said.” Read more

 

Mastercard SpendingPulse: U.S. retail sales excluding automobiles to grow 3.1% from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24. That’s compared to 5.1% growth during the same period in 2018. at CNBC. Read more

 

Walmart’s Strategy When Wading Into Culture Wars: Offend Few by Michael Corkery at NY Times. “Interviews with more than a dozen Walmart executives, former executives, company advisers and regulators show that the retailer’s approach to public policy issues is more nuanced than a desire to simply do the right thing. When Walmart said it would remove e-cigarettes from its shelves in September, vaping critics praised the move as validation of their health concerns. But Walmart’s decision was partly driven by concerns that the retailer would be stuck with excess inventory if more regulators began to outlaw vaping, executives say.” Tiered subs.

 

Barneys to begin store closing sales soon “The liquidation sale is expected to last for a limited time only as the firms work to quickly sell through all inventory during the upcoming holiday season. Gift cards may be redeemed until November 7th, 2019.” Press release

 

Newsweek – America’s Best Customer Service 2020 Awards for Retailers:

#1 Home Goods: The Container Store

#1 Home Improvement: True Value

#1 Outdoor: L.L.Bean

#1 Pet: Petsense

Full list

 

Amazon and JPMorgan to roll out new health insurance plans as part of Haven joint venture by James Thorne at GeekWire. Read more

 

Under Armour says US investigators are probing its accounting practices at Wall Street Journal. “…the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are examining the sportswear maker’s revenue-recognition practices and whether it shifted sales from quarter to quarter to make them appear stronger.” WSJ subs.

 

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Walmart appears to be gaining ground against Amazon at CNBC. “The frequency of people buying items on Amazon six times or more per month has dropped to 40% this year from 80% in 2017, according to surveys by First Insight…55% said they prefer to shop at Walmart versus Amazon, up from about 47% a year earlier.” Read more

 

Kroger memo touts a ‘new brand’ and says ‘all will be revealed soon’ by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider. “The memo says “all will be revealed” on November 6, which is one day after Kroger plans to hold an investor meeting in New York…Our old approaches aren’t working,” states the memo, which was circulated internally…” Read more

 

Amazon unveils Small Business Academy to help third-party sellers bolster e-commerce presence by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “Amazon said the next seminar will be in December, but it didn’t give a location. Through grants, Amazon is supporting digital business classes launching in February at community colleges in Houston; Boston; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Elyria, Ohio; Fresno, Calif.; and Lakewood, Colo.” Read more

 

Disney Store is the latest retailer hit with an ADA lawsuit over Braille gift cards at Fast Company. Read more

 

Beauty Giant Coty Tries On a Smaller Size by Sharon Terlep at Wall Street Journal. “The maker of CoverGirl cosmetics, Clairol hair dye and OPI nail polish is abandoning a revival plan centered on adding businesses and spitting out new products. The new strategy: shrink, pay down debt and undo a failed makeover of one of its biggest brands.” WSJ subs.

 

California’s Prop 47 leads to rise in shoplifting, thefts, criminal activity across state by Barnini Chakraborty at Fox News. “…black-market dealers frequently cross state lines because they know California will go easy on them if caught. “They know what they’re doing. They will bring in calculators and get all the way up to the $950 limit,” Michelin told Fox News, adding that “one person will go into a store, fill up their backpack, come out, dump it out and go right back in and do it all over again.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Lead in some Canadian water worse than Flint

The best department store restaurants for dining while shopping

Amazon now sells movie tickets in India

100 c-store owners rally in Boston for sensible tobacco regulations

Unraveling the Secret Origins of an AmazonBasics Battery

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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: Penney’s 1st Store | ‘Save Barneys’ Fizzles | China Small Town Battle

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J.C. Penney creates the store of its wishes in Hurst, Texas – settles on using it as a lab by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News. “With 13% less inventory, that space has been given back to the shopper in the form of 11 lounges to “hang out and chill so they can continue shopping.”…A Pearl Cup coffee bar is on the first level and the popular local coffeehouse is operating a café with food on the second level. A shop designed by the Dallas Cowboys organization has a fitness studio behind it and a couple of social media-ready spots, including a star to stand in.” Tiered subs.

 

‘Save Barneys’ campaign fizzles as bidder bows out by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Barneys employees at the Madison Avenue flagship learned the sale to ABG in a Thursday letter from Barneys Chief Executive Daniella Vitale. “They are in panic mode” over the prospect of losing their jobs in the coming weeks, one staffer said.” Read more

 

Armed for sales success, Target unleashes holiday campaign by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “Target’s holiday marketing push this year may look similar to previous years. Like last year, it’s starting on Nov. 1. There are 20 English spots and 18 Spanish spots, the same lineup as in 2018.” Tiered subs.

 

Dressbarn liquidation starts Friday at all locations, new website planned by Kelly Tyko at USA Today. “While the 544 stores will close no later than Dec. 26, the women’s clothing website is expected to relaunch in 2020 with a new owner.” Read more

 

Amazon confirms its Amazon Go team is ‘running internal tests’ at secretive retail store in Seattle by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “It’s an unusually large space for a potential new Amazon Go store, and sits below an apartment complex in a residential neighborhood, unlike the 16 existing locations nationwide.” Read more

 

Google, Walmart Help Drive India Payments Past 1 Billion Transactions by Saritha Rai at Bloomberg. “Amazon and Google now vie with local startup Paytm, Walmart-PhonePe and a host of other players in a digital payments market forecast to quintuple to $1 trillion by 2023.” Tiered subs.

 

China’s online retailers take the battle to the hinterlands at Reuters. “Alibaba and JD.com have for years tried to unleash rural China’s spending power…But the success of Pinduoduo’s model, which offers users deeper discounts on mostly generic products if they buy in groups, and encourages them to share purchases through messaging app WeChat, is driving Alibaba and JD.com to make a fresh push into China’s lower-tier cities.” Read more

 

In 2018, Amazon dominated the online costume market with about 85% of all sales but others are catching up this year at CNBC. 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

 

Kroger tests package pick-up, drop-off service by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati Enquirer. “Kroger is working with UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal service in an experiment to act as a drop-off and pick-up location for packages for customers. The pilot project will be launched in 2019 at 220 stores, according to a report by Business Insider. Kroger officials confirmed the plan to The Enquirer but offered no details, including whether Cincinnati stores will be involved in the test.” Tiered subs.

 

Marathon announces plans to spin off its Speedway chain at CNBC. “Marathon said Speedway would trade as an independent public company after the separation is completed.” Read more

 

Boot Barn Q2 comp sales +7.8% Press release

 

The Liquor Everyone’s Buying – And Nobody’s Drinking at Wall Street Journal. “China’s Kweichow Moutai Co. has become the world’s most valuable liquor company thanks to a fiery spirit that can cost nearly $400 a bottle…One drawback: many people can’t stand it. The taste is “very much like ethanol,” said Jenny Miao, a 26-year-old market researcher in Shanghai.” WSJ subs.

 

Jeff Bezos gathers power players Wednesday night at his NYC pad for a celebratory dinner at TMZ. “The event was filled with power couples, including Hollywood mogul Barry Diller and fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg, mega TV producer Mark Burnett and actress Roma Downey … and model Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

How Below-the-Radar Film Festivals Prey on Struggling Moviemakers

Founders Brewing Co. reaches settlement in racial discrimination lawsuit

Allen Institute maps out a high-resolution ‘org chart’ for connections in the brain

Breaches at NetworkSolutions, Register.com, and Web.com

Pharmacy owner gets 10 years for fraud that ripped off veterans’ program

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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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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