Tipsheet: Amazon Groc Peek | CVS Beats | Kohl’s Cuts 250 | WM Mktg Reorg

/in

 

CVS Health beats on fourth-quarter earnings and revenue at CNBC. “Same-store sales rose 3.2% during the quarter, with sales in its pharmacy unit up 4.1%.” Read more

 

A first peek inside Amazon’s new grocery store at Bloomberg. “The $800 billion grocery industry is keeping a sharp eye on a strip mall in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. There, sandwiched between a nail salon and a bank branch, Amazon.com Inc. is working on the first in a new chain of grocery stores set to open this year. The company has kept construction inside the store firmly under wraps, and, until now, no one has peeked in on Amazon’s latest plan to upend how food is sold. Based on never-before-seen photos of the facility at 6245 Topanga Canyon Blvd., as well as planning documents filed with the city, the store looks remarkably conventional…” Tiered subs.

 

Kohl’s eliminating around 250 positions in corporate restructuring by Sarah Hauer at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “The departures include removing a layer of regional store leadership roles and positions, restructuring teams in our merchant organization, and changes to other positions in our corporate offices,” Johnson said.” Read more

 

Walmart’s marketing division realignment continues by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Rich Lehrfeld, SVP of brand marketing, media and creative, will serve as the retailer’s interim chief marketing officer…“For the last number of months, he [Lehrfeld] has made a big difference focusing on how we bring the team together, drive the business and advance Walmart’s creative execution and reputation,” (Janey) Whiteside noted in an internal memo dated Jan. 31, and obtained by Talk Business & Politics on Wednesday (Feb. 12).” Details/Names

 

Jeff Bezos buys L.A. mansion for $165M and land from Paul Allen estate for $90M at GeekWire. Read more | WSJ article (subs.)

 

Report: Supermarkets should do a better job informing shoppers about product recalls at USA Today. “A vast majority of stores – 84% – failed to “adequately inform the public about recall notification efforts”…The only chains to get passing grades: Harris Teeter, Kroger, Smith’s and Target.” Read more

 

Walmart to Scale Back Jetblack After Investor Talks Fizzle by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “The New York City-based unit, which offers fast product delivery through text message, plans to rebrand and in coming months would cease to be a personal-shopping service, some of these people said. Its technology could be moved within Walmart, they said.” WSJ subs.

 

Shares of Stage Stores plunge amid bankruptcy speculation by Paul Takahashi at Houston Chronicle. “Stage Stores’ financial woes comes as the retailer is converting all of its department stores into Gordmans locations, betting the company’s future on the still-flourishing off-price segment of the retail industry.” Tiered subs.

 

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

 

Peapod is shutting down grocery delivery in the Midwest and cutting 500 jobs at Chicago Tribune. “Chicago will remain the headquarters for Peapod Digital Labs, which runs the e-commerce technology for Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. grocery brands. Peapod Digital Labs employs about 450 people, half of them in Chicago, and plans to hire 100 more people this year.” Tiered subs.

 

Morgan Stanley Accused Of Draining Tops Markets Dry Law 360 subs.

 

Target apologizes for selling ‘Minnesota Badgers’ onesies at ESPN. “Target apologized to University of Minnesota Golden Gophers fans Tuesday for carrying a maroon onesie with the words “Minnesota Badgers,” the nickname of Big Ten rival Wisconsin.” Pic/Read more

 

Amazon headquarters in Madrid briefly evacuated after false bomb threat at Fox Business. Read more

 

Direct-to-consumer ‘is no longer a fad,’ Shopify COO says after strong Q4 earnings report at CNBC. “(Shopify) grew its top line by 47% year over year to $505.2 million in the December quarter…“We think we can be the entrepreneurship company. While other companies are trying to build empires, we are arming the rebels.” (COO) Finkelstein said.” Video/Read more

 

Alibaba beats estimates on record Singles’ Day sales at Reuters. “The company said sales during the 24-hour shopping event hit a record $38.4 billion in 2019.” Read more

 

Home Depot’s strategy for hiring 80,000 new workers: help them with paying for school at CNBC. “The program provides part-time hourly employees $1,500 for educational expenses on their first day, $3,000 to full-time hourly employees and $5,000 for salaried employees.” Read more

 

Officer Buys Plane Ticket Home For Heartbroken Woman Stranded In Walmart After Falling Victim To Dating Scam at CBS 13 Baltimore. “I think that she only had three dollars on her. She was essentially homeless,” Gilbert Police Officer Adam Walicke told CBS affiliate KPHO. Walicke thought about taking her to a homeless shelter, but “that just did not sit well with me.” Video/Read more

 

‘Stopped dead in his tracks:’ toddler in awe when he saw Target ad with boy in wheelchair at Fox 6 Now. “It was just a beautiful moment to see — him admiring somebody like him — because he doesn’t get to see that often,” said Garza-Pena. Garza-Pena took to Facebook to share the moment that brought her to tears, and to celebrate Target’s inclusivity. The post quickly went viral.” Read more/Pic

 

Tipsheet Extra

Amazon patents a launch system for snapping payloads into the air

7-Eleven reportedly among those eyeing a takeover of Speedway

.com prices could rise for the first time in eight years

Police confront black man wearing KKK robe outside Target

Popular Costco store to close

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: Kroger #1 @ Daytona | WM Hero Needs Help | REI’s Outdoorsy HQ

/in

 

2 police officers injured, suspect dead at Walmart shooting in Arkansas at USA Today. “According to Forrest City police officials, a call was made to authorities from someone inside the Walmart Supercenter, about 50 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee. The caller reported an individual inside the store was making threats, acting suspicious and, as the police chief described it, “talking out of his head.” Officers arrived around 10:30 and confronted the man.” Read more

 

International Housewares Association cancels part of its Chicago show because of coronavirus travel limitations by Abdel Jimenez at Chicago Tribune. “The Inspired Home Show will not include an International Sourcing Expo, which was to include dishes, flatware and other household products made by 500 Chinese companies, said Leana Salamah, the International Housewares Association’s vice president of marketing.” Tiered subs.

 

Macy’s plan to build billion-dollar private label brands faces tough odds by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “The textbook case of private-label success is Target’s extensive brand overhaul…But here’s the rub: private label only works if consumers want what the brand sells. Indeed, trying to rejuvenate older brands is not easy. Just ask Kohl’s and J.C. Penney.” Read more

 

Walmart’s Mexico unit posts 2.7% rise in January same-store sales at Reuters. Read more

 

REI Building the Most Outdoorsy HQ Ever by Konrad Putzier at Wall Street Journal. “Once it opens in the summer, workers will be able to walk from one room to the next through outdoor staircases and bridges. They can hold group meetings on rooftop terraces, or around a fire pit in a courtyard full of native plants. Skylights and oversize sliding doors will bring in sunshine and air. “You can’t really be in the building anywhere without having a visual connection to the outdoors,” said Mindy Levine-Archer, a partner at architecture firm NBBJ, which designed the project.” WSJ subs.

 

Kroger Names Keith Dailey Group Vice President of Corporate Affairs Press release

 

Stakes Run High for Mall Owner Trying to Save Forever 21 by Esther Fung at Wall Street Journal. “Analysts are split about whether Simon Property Group Inc.’s bid to rescue a distressed fast-fashion retailer will succeed…Simon Property, Brookfield Property Partners LP and Authentic Brands Group LLC made an $81 million bid for Forever 21 Inc. last week. The retailer now says it will go ahead after no rival bids emerged.” WSJ subs.

 

Under Armour shares tank on sales miss, sees $50 million to $60 million hit from coronavirus at CNBC. Read more

 

**A message from Sweets & Snacks Expo: The Most Innovative New Product Awards program showcases the most innovative ideas, concepts & products in candy and snacks! View the 2019 award winners | Register/Website

 

Democratic senators press Amazon over injury rates by Emily Birnbaum at The Hill. “The senators also called called for a “comprehensive ergonomic evaluation of all warehouse tasks.” The company said it has already employed many ergonomic experts to observe and update how workers are advised to move on the job. The senators asked for a written response by Feb. 21.” Read more

 

…Amazon’s PR chief gets combative on Twitter over media criticism by Nick Statt at The Verge. “Carney’s op-ed for the NYT framed a 2018 phone call from Sanders as a voice of support from the senator for Amazon raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour. It did, however, leave out that Amazon did so after pressure from Sanders himself, among other vocal critics and labor activists.” Read more

 

Nearly 70% of U.S. smart speaker owners use an Amazon Echo device by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Kroger is main sponsor of pole position car at the 2020 Daytona 500 at Cincinnati Enquirer. “It was a great start, definitely thrilled about it,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “It’s been an offseason that’s had a lot of news. New people, new team, new manufacturer and new partners. Obviously, The Kroger Company has been a big part of what we do at JTG Daugherty Racing.” Tiered subs.

 

El Paso Walmart mass-shooting hero says he suffered minor heart attack and is asking for financial support on a GoFundMe page by Aaron Montes at El Paso Times. “As of Monday afternoon, he had raised $3,817 of a $50,000 goal.” Read more

 

Home Depot Roars Back on Radio at Radio Ink. “(Home Depot) rose more than 20 places to land at number two on the Media Monitors chart of the nation’s leading radio advertisers. Home Depot had been quiet by its own standards for some time, but last week ran 47,697 spots.” Read more

 

Brandless, the pioneering Amazon alternative, shuts down at Fast Company. “The company, which sold simply branded household, personal care, baby, and pet products on the cheap, is no longer taking orders and has laid off 70 people. The last 10 employees still working at the company will process the remaining few customer orders…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

H-E-B gives $100 bills to all employees after being named top grocer

Save A Lot Stores Closing in Florida

Jennifer Lopez promotes Walmart frozen meals

SiriusXM Acquires Minority Stake in SoundCloud for $75 Million

Tyson Foods to trim corporate payroll with about 500 job cuts

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 Wants to Depose Trump | Ex-Target Execs Boutique

/in

 

Amazon wants to depose Trump, accuses him of ‘bias’ after losing $10 billion Pentagon cloud contract at CNBC. “Amazon Web Services told CNBC in a statement: “President Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to use his position as President and Commander in Chief to interfere with government functions – including federal procurements – to advance his personal agenda…” Read more

 

Simon Property Group to acquire Taubman Centers for $52.50 a share in cash at CNBC. “The news sent Taubman’s stock soaring up 52% after it resumed trading following a halt for the announcement.” Read more

 

Mattel closing factories with plan to outsource at Fox Business. “…its Mega Bloks factory in Montreal, Canada, will shutter in 2021 after opening in 2014. Before that, the company said it would consolidate two factories in Mexico (meaning one factory would close)…” Read more

 

‘Jeff Bezos is so rich … ‘: Amazon CEO called out in multiple jokes during opening of Oscars at CNBC. “Jeff Bezos is so rich, he got divorced and he’s still the richest man in the world!” (Chris) Rock said. “He saw ‘Marriage Story’ and thought it was a comedy,” he added, about the Oscar-nominated movie starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.” Read more

 

Oscars 2020: The Complete Winners List at Variety. List

 

L Brands nears sale of Victoria’s Secret to Sycamore Partners at CNBC. “The private equity firm is one of the few to continue to invest in retail…Sycamore financed its $6.9 billion acquisition of beleaguered office retailer Staples in a way that allowed it the flexibility to wind down its retail business while retaining its stronger business-to-business segment.” Read more

 

Zulily is searching for a new PR agency by Thomas Moore at PR Week. “The brand is looking for a consumer PR firm to handle media relations and media strategy…Next Fifteen subsidiary M Booth is the incumbent on the account.” Tiered subs.

 

**A message from Sweets & Snacks Expo: The Most Innovative New Product Awards program showcases the most innovative ideas, concepts & products in candy and snacks! View the 2019 award winners | Register/Website

 

Amazon drops out of major European tech show over virus at AP. “…it’s scrapping its appearance at Mobile World Congress, the world’s biggest mobile industry trade fair, in Barcelona, Spain, this month.” Read more

 

In Amazon’s Bookstore, No Second Chances for the Third Reich by David Streitfeld at NY Times. “…the increasing number of banished titles has set off concern among some of the third-party booksellers…Amazon, they said, seems to operate under vague or nonexistent rules. “Amazon reserves the right to determine whether content provides an acceptable experience,” said one recent removal notice that the company sent to a bookseller.” Tiered subs.

 

Microsoft, Twitter and Walmart want to help you get a job in tech — without racking up student loans at CNBC. Read more

 

Target veterans put their personal style and retail know-how on display in Edina boutique by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “As he walked around the store on a recent day, Casey Carl, Target’s former chief innovation and strategy officer, had a story to share or a recommendation about nearly every item, from the casual lifestyle brand Sol Angeles he has worn for years to an infused alcohol kit that he was thrilled to discover after several failed attempts of trying to do it on his own…” Tiered subs.

 

Amazon challenges India antitrust probe in court: filing at Reuters. “Amazon.com Inc has begun legal action in India to quash an antitrust investigation against the company, saying it could cause “irreparable” loss and damage to its reputation, according to its court filing seen by Reuters.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Food prices are soaring in China

SmileDirectClub lands in 3,800 Walmart stores

Valentine’s Day: Zoo will name a rat after your ex before feeding it to a snake

Dangerous Domain Corp.com Goes Up for Sale

Dunkin’ Brands to Shutter 450 Speedway Locations

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: Bellevue HQ2 | HEB Sues H.Depot | Bezos Likes Art

/in

 

US employers add a strong 225K jobs; unemployment up to 3.6% at AP. “The public’s confidence that jobs are plentiful is helping persuade more people without jobs to begin looking for one. Last month, 61.2% of American adults had jobs, the highest proportion since November 2008.” Read more

 

Lifeblood of Amazon merchants threatened as coronavirus infects Chinese workers at Reuters. “Running out of product on Amazon can wipe out a small business. Amazon’s algorithm gives top billing to sellers with the briskest and most recent sales. That prominent placement helps drive even more sales. “Going out of stock is the best way to kill that,” Plugable’s Thompson said.” Read more

 

Trump adviser, Bezos escalate feud at The Hill. “Navarro brushed off any connection between his frustration with Bezos and the president’s vendetta: “This is not about that. Period. Full stop.” He derided Bezos’s Instagram post as a “wonderfully banal passive aggressive post from the would-be author of ‘Zen and the Art of Counterfeit Trafficking.'” Read more

 

Coronavirus Cuts Chinese Tourism, and Luxury Retailers Suffer at Wall Street Journal. “If you think you see a Chinese shopper these days, it’s probably a mirage,” said Giovanni Cammaroto, who works in a Fendi store on the Italian city’s most upscale shopping street. “Until a week ago, we still had large groups of Chinese coming through, but in the last few days it’s been maybe one or two here and there.” WSJ subs.

 

**A message from Sweets & Snacks Expo. Save the date: May 19-21, 2020 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Your year starts here. Website/Register

 

Tapestry Q2 net sales +1.0%: Coach Q2 global comp sales +2.0% / Kate Spade Q2 global comp sales -4.0% Press release

 

…Tapestry Leadership Team Appointments:
* Liz Fraser as CEO & Brand President, Kate Spade
* Giorgio Sarné as CEO & Brand President, Stuart Weitzman
* Yann Bozec as President, Tapestry Asia Pacific

Press release

 

Speculation about Jeff Bezos excites art world at Bloomberg via Seattle Times. “Bezos, 56, bought two significant works during New York’s November auctions, according to art dealer Josh Baer…One piece, “Hurting the Word Radio #2” by Ed Ruscha, fetched $52.5 million at Christie’s, setting a record for the Los Angeles artist. The second, “Vignette 19” by Kerry James Marshall, sold for $18.5 million at Sotheby’s, more than doubling its high estimate.” Tiered subs.

 

…Jeff Bezos sells off another $1.6B in stock; he’s sold $3.4B over the past week at GeekWire. Read more

 

The Buckle January comp sales +7.4% Press release

 

Looking to cut emissions, Europe eyes a ‘sustainability’ tax on meat at Fortune. “The hope is to drive meat consumption down by two-thirds—essentially by driving prices at the butcher up by around 40% to reflect the environmental cost of meat production—in a novel new effort to combat climate change.” Read more

 

Sally Beauty Q1 comp sales -0.3% Press release

 

Yes, Virginia, there is an Amazon HQ2, but it’s actually 10 miles outside of Seattle by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “Amazon announced Thursday morning that it will expand to 15,000 employees in Bellevue in the next few years…The company’s employee base in Bellevue has grown from almost nothing to 2,000 employees in a little more than two years.” Read more

 

Walmart shooting suspect charged with federal hate crimes at AP. “Patrick Crusius, 21, has been charged with 90 counts under federal hate crime and firearms laws for his role in the Aug. 3 shooting that authorities said was aimed at scaring Hispanics into leaving the United States, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.” Read more

 

College grads, baby boomers big winners in Trump’s economy at Reuters. “On average, Americans have seen a 17% jump in household wealth since Trump’s election, while wealth at the bottom half has increased 54%.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

H-E-B Suing Home Depot, Others Over Cooler Tech

Apple’s contract for indie repair shops is so invasive that some refuse to sign it

Plastic ban coming to Canada in 2021

Satellites: The Night Sky Will Never Be the Same

This compostable packaging can tell you when your food is going bad

Wawa Alerts Customers of Criminal Attempts to Sell Breached Data

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: Costco +6.6% | Bezos Stiffs Navarro |

/in

 

US productivity up 1.7% in 2019, best gain in 9 years at AP. “The Commerce Department said Thursday that productivity grew at an annual rate of 1.4% in the October-December quarter, a significant improvement from a 0.2% drop in productivity in the third quarter.” Read more

 

Costco January comp sales +6.6% “For the twenty-two weeks ended February 2, 2020, the Company reported net sales of $68.56 billion, an increase of 7.6 percent from $63.70 billion during the similar period last year.” Read more

 

China to halve retaliatory tariffs on hundreds of US goods worth about $75 billion at CNBC. “After the cut, duties on U.S. crude will be reduced to 2.5%, from 5%, and the tariff on soybeans will be trimmed by 2.5%…China said that the next adjustment will depend on how Sino-U.S. trade ties evolve.” Read more

 

Walmart U.S. restructures central operations division by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “John Furner said he plans to shift some of the duties from central operations to a newly created product team that will report to Chief Customer Officer Janey Whiteside. ‘We are standing up this product team – to be led by Meng Chee, EVP and Chief Product Officer – to design great technology products and customer and associate experiences with the end-user in mind.'” Read more

 

White House trade adviser claims Bezos won’t meet with him about online counterfeits by Emily Birnbaum at The Hill. “Navarro said Bezos in January agreed to meet with the White House about the scourge of fake products on his platform, but about a month later the company has only offered up senior executives for a sit-down rather than the Amazon founder himself.” Read more

 

Global shipping has been hit by the coronavirus. Now goods are getting stranded at CNN. “Still more vessels are idling in “floating quarantined zones,” as countries such as Australia and Singapore refuse to allow ships that have called at Chinese ports to enter their own until the crew has been declared virus-free, added Sand. Platten said he knew of at least one crew that is running low on food because their ship has been idled for so long.” Read more

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance Appoints Richard Ashworth President of Walgreens Press release

 

94% of Americans surveyed read online ratings and reviews prior to making purchases at Field Agent. “Online R&R activity is high for electronics and even health/beauty supplies, while relatively lower for groceries and household consumables (e.g., cleaning supplies, toilet paper).” Read more

 

**A message from Sweets & Snacks Expo. Save the date: May 19-21, 2020 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Your year starts here. Website/Register

 

7-Eleven Tests Cashierless Store At North Texas Headquarters at CBS DFW. Read more

 

JC Penney revamps women’s clothing brand, focusing on denim in bid to boost sales at CNBC. “We have been spending a lot of time with customers,” said Michelle Wlazlo, executive vice president and chief merchant. “One thing that came out loud and clear was … they didn’t look at us as a place to buy casual.” Read more

 

Amazon paid a 1.2% tax rate on $13,285,000,000 in profit for 2019 by Kristin Myers at Yahoo Finance. Read more

 

The Apple Watch is killing the Swiss watch industry at Fast Company. “Apple shipped a total of 30.7 million Apple Watch units in 2019, while the entire Swiss watch industry only shipped a total of 21.1 million units worldwide last year. What’s more is that Apple Watch shipments grew an astounding 36% from the previous year, while Swiss watch shipments shrank 13%.” Read more

 

Pictures from inside the most popular Costco store in South Korea by Kate Taylor at Business Insider. Pics/Read more

 

Coty Q2 net revenue decreased 6.6% Press release

 

‘The classics in blackface’: Barnes & Noble suspends reissues of classics via USA Today. “Barnes & Noble is withdrawing a planned line of famous literature reissued with multicultural cover images that has been met with widespread criticism on social media…The author Adriana Herrera had called the books, scheduled to be launched this week, “the classics in blackface.” Read more

 

Barneys wins bankruptcy court approval of its Chapter 11 plan at Bloomberg Law. Tiered subs.

 

…My family founded Barneys. Now the great department store is closing. by Maris Kreizman at Vox. “Early in his career, my great-great-uncle was known as the “Cut-Rate Clothing King,”…Barneys initially made its fortune by selling brand-name men’s clothing at heavily discounted prices and focusing on innovative advertising…” Read more

 

Struggling Subway lays off over 300 at its headquarters by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “The cuts, which sources say represent about a quarter of Subway’s staff, are so steep the Milford police were on hand to provide security at the company’s offices on Wednesday, a local TV station reported.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Prada reaches settlement with NYC over ‘racist iconography’ in window display

New High of 90% of Americans Satisfied With Personal Life

AT&T’s low-band 5G now live in 13 more cities

Cornell study says adding more grocery stores will reduce food waste

Man gains remote, online access to his old car four years after his lease ended

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: Macy’s HQ to Close | Smart Speaker Shopping Slow | New Luggage @ Target

/in

 

Private payrolls soar in January, the best monthly gain in nearly 5 years at CNBC. “…adding 291,000 in private payrolls for the best monthly gain since May 2015, according to a report Wednesday from ADP and Moody’s Analytics. That was well above the 150,000 estimate from economists surveyed by Dow Jones…” Read more

 

Macy’s to shutter Cincinnati HQ & 125 stores at The Enquirer. “The company said it will shift an unspecified number of jobs to Springdale, where it has about 480 employees. That number will grow to 950 after the Downtown headquarters closes…The moves are all part of a broader blood-letting by Macy’s, which said Tuesday it would cut 2,000 corporate jobs and 125 stores over the next three years.” Tiered subs.

 

…Off-Price Expansion: Macy’s will continue to expand Macy’s Backstage over the next three years. In 2020, the company plans to open an additional 50 Backstage store-within-store locations and 7 additional freestanding, off-mall Backstage stores. Press release

 

…Macy’s to shut San Francisco tech offices, cut some jobs at CNBC. “Macy’s said its operations in these offices, which include product and digital revenue segments as well as its online and technology groups, are moving to New York City and Atlanta.” Read more

 

Supplies are running low for firms that depend on China imports at Fortune. “In order to meet deadlines for summer goods, retail experts say that Chinese factories would need to start ramping up production by March 15. If Chinese factories were instead to remain idle through May 1, it would likely cripple retailers’ crucial back-to-school and fall seasons.” Read more

 

Best Buy board stands by CEO following investigation Press release

 

Target takes on startups like Away with new luggage brand by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Target’s designers and engineers spent about 14 months developing Open Story, researching not only the features offered by premium luggage brands, but also talking to consumers about what they’re looking for in luggage and where they’d like to see improvements. They went through several prototypes and stress tested them on trips and on cobblestone streets. “It’s going to blow all other luggage offerings out of the water,” Guggemos said.” Tiered subs.

 

Boot Barn Q3 comp sales +6.7% Press release

 

The owner of the New York Stock Exchange says it explored deal with eBay at Reuters. “ICE said in its statement that “eBay has not engaged in a meaningful way”, and as a result, it was not in negotiations regarding the sale of all or part of eBay.” Read more

 

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

 

The Container Store Group Q3 comp sales +3.0% “…with Custom Closets up 10.2%…and all other product categories were down 2.0%.” Press release

 

Shopping via smart speakers is not taking off, report suggests by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “Still, it’s important to point out that the overall number of people making purchases via a smart speaker is growing. It will even pass a milestone this year, when 10.8% of all digital buyers in the U.S. will have made a purchase using their smart speaker.” Read more

 

Sephora to open 100 stores in 2020, in bid to grow outside of the mall at CNBC. “Sephora will also be looking to grow in cities like Charlotte, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee — not necessarily urban markets like New York and Los Angeles.” Read more

 

Instacart workers in Skokie, IL vote to unionize at The Verge. “The union vote is a landmark victory for gig worker activism, as it represents the first time employees of tech companies that rely predominantly on contract labor have formed a union to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.” Read more

 

$9 Cabbages, Emergency Pork: Coronavirus Tests China on Food by Raymond Zhong at NY Times. “As if one dangerous disease was not enough for China right now, the national government over the weekend reported a “highly pathogenic” outbreak of bird flu at a chicken farm in Hunan Province. Some 4,500 chickens had died, and 17,000 were culled pre-emptively.” Tiered subs.

 

Nearly $40 million worth of legal weed sold across Illinois in January at Chicago Sun-Times. Read more

 

Tiffany Stockholders Approve Merger With LVMH Press release

 

Justice Department Ramps Up Google Probe, With Heavy Focus on Ad Tools at Wall Street Journal. “In recent months, the department has been posing increasingly detailed questions—to Google’s rivals and executives inside the company itself—about how Google’s third-party advertising business interacts with publishers and advertisers, the people say.” WSJ subs.

 

Climate protests shut BP’s London headquarters on CEO’s first day at Reuters. Read more

 

Jeff Bezos sells more than $1.8B in stock, new regulatory filings show at GeekWire. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Jeff Bezos racked up $16,800 in parking tickets during renovation to his DC mansion

The woman who wants to reinvent recycling

Walmart gift card scam ring allegedly steals $600K from Utah seniors

David Glass’ leadership path did not include shortcuts

Man walks into Walmart store with ‘I have the coronavirus’ sign

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 Delisted? | Avocado Crime Soars | HQ2 Musk Envy

/in

 

Behind Amazon’s HQ2 Fiasco: Jeff Bezos Was Jealous of Elon Musk at Bloomberg. “When Elon Musk secured $1.3 billion from Nevada in 2014 to open a gigantic battery plant, Jeff Bezos noticed. In meetings, the Amazon.com Inc. chief expressed envy for how Musk had pitted five Western states against one another in a bidding war for thousands of manufacturing jobs; he wondered why Amazon was okay with accepting comparatively trifling incentives. It was a theme Bezos returned to often, according to four people privy to his thinking.” Tiered subs.

 

US manufacturing activity rebounds in January at CNBC. “U.S. factory activity unexpectedly rebounded in January after contracting for five straight months amid a surge in new orders…The improvement in the ISM data likely reflects ebbing trade tensions between the United States and China.” Read more

 

US construction spending dips 0.2% in December at AP. “The Commerce Department said Monday that the decline was the first monthly drop since a 0.9% fall in June…The fall-off reflects weakness in nonresidential construction, which fell 1.8%…Home building rose a solid 1.4%.” Read more

 

Forever 21 enters deal to sell for $81 million at CNN. “As part of the deal, the struggling fast-fashion retailer would be sold to a consortium made up of mall operators Simon Property Group and Brookfield Properties and brand management firm Authentic Brands Group…Other potential buyers have until February 7 to place bids for the company.” Read more

 

J.C. Penney in danger of being booted from New York Stock Exchange at Fox Business. “…it’s no longer in compliance with (NYSE) listing criteria. Shares are required to maintain an average closing price of at least $1 over a 30-trading day period. The company has six months to regain compliance…J.C. Penney shares have plunged more than 93 percent since March 2016.” Read more

 

Target and Walmart gain (a little) ground in the e-commerce war with Amazon at Fortune. “To better understand who is winning and losing in the e-commerce war, Fortune-SurveyMonkey polled* almost 2,600 Americans between January 4-7…The good news for Walmart and Target is that Amazon Prime members actually bought from them online at a higher rate than people who aren’t Prime members during the 2019 holiday shopping season.” Read more

 

**A message from Sweets & Snacks Expo. Save the date: May 19-21, 2020 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Your year starts here. Website/Register

 

Amazon now has 798,000 employees, up 23% from last year at GeekWire. “Amazon added 48,000 employees over the last three months alone…Amazon is the second-largest employer in the U.S., behind only Walmart.” Read more

 

Payments giant Worldline to buy rival Ingenico in $8.6 billion deal at CNBC. Read more

 

Apple Offering Onsite Device Repairs in Select Cities at MacRumors. “Onsite repairs from Go Tech Services appear to be available in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas.” Read more

 

Amazon’s Echo Show can now scan barcodes to flesh out your shopping list at The Verge. Read more

 

Target looks like it could be loser in Casper IPO at CNBC. “At the midpoint of its $17–$19 initial public offering range, the pricing would represent a 37% decline from Casper’s share price at the time Target became an investor in the start-up’s Series C fundraising in 2017. Target also holds $80 million in equity.” Read more

 

Walmart worker takes the temperature of a customer at the entrance of a store in Wuhan at AP. Pic

 

Apple temporarily closes all 42 stores in China until February 9th as coronavirus spreads at CNN. Read more

 

Avocado crime soars as Mexican gangs hijack truckloads of ‘green gold’ heading north at Financial Times via Financial Post. “The rise in avocado-related crime has turned parts of the state into no-go areas even for the police. “We’ve tried to work with the government [to combat crime] but even they are afraid in some areas and don’t dare go in,” said Juan, whose family has two farms near Uruapan, the city at the centre of the state’s avocado production.” Read more

 

Jeff Bezos sued by girlfriend’s brother for defamation at Fox Business. Read more

 

Jeep, Bill Murray win USA TODAY’s Ad Meter with ‘Groundhog Day’ commercial “Part of the mystique of Bill Murray is the fact that he is nearly impossible to contact…”He doesn’t have a phone, doesn’t have an agent, doesn’t have an email,” Fiat Chrysler Automobiles chief marketing officer Olivier Francois told USA TODAY Sports…”He allegedly has an 800 number. You leave a message and maybe he’ll call you back.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Amazon quietly publishes its latest transparency report

How HBO’s ‘McMillions’ got the story of McDonald’s Monopoly game conspiracy

This new H&M dress is made from wood and recycled jeans

Shaq covers family’s Best Buy purchase after they express Kobe condolences

Walmart’s Super Bowl ad ironically highlights the biggest trends retailers missed

Jeff Bezos cozies up to Lizzo at Super Bowl

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