Tipsheet: WM DC Shooting | Amazon Germany Strike | Home Sales +44.3%

 

Gunman kills one employee at Walmart distribution center before police fatally shoot him at CNN. “The shooter drove through and around the parking lot four times before crashing his vehicle into the lobby area of the building, the Sheriff’s Office said. When he hit the building and the car caught on fire, he then exited the vehicle and began shooting randomly into the building and through the parking lot area.” Read more

 

US pending home sales bounce back 44.3% in May at AP. Read more

 

Albertsons CEO says grocery operator’s IPO is ‘a great accomplishment’ amid coronavirus pandemic at CNBC. “Right now, we’re focused are creating more value through the assets that we have and we have a great set of assets,” (CEO Vivek Sankaran) said. “We have plenty of headroom there. But we’re always eyes open. When the right opportunities come by, we will do it.” Read more

 

Amazon warehouse workers in Germany will strike Monday because of coronavirus infections at The Verge. “Labor union Verdi says “at least 30 to 40 colleagues were infected” with the virus, according to Reuters. The strike will last 48 hours and be conducted with the motto “good and healthy work.” Read more

 

Walmart to reopen Chicago stores damaged by looting by Crain’s Chicago Business. “We have reflected on recent events and decided we want to stay,” said President and CEO Doug McMillon in a blog post on the retailer’s site. “And not just stay, but expand our investment.” Read more

 

**A message from Comfy Sacks bean bag chairs – Consumers want to be comfy at home! Sales on premium bean bags filled with superior quality furniture foam continue to rise sharply. Booklet | Video | Website | Request sample bag: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Starbucks is the latest company to pause advertising across social media platforms at CNBC. “Starbucks is the latest company to say it will pause advertising on “all social media platforms” and promises to have discussions internally and with media partners and civil rights organizations to stop the spread of hate speech.” Read more

 

CANADA – New NAFTA raises duty-free limits for private couriers, but not Canada Post at Financial Post. “We are just mystified that the government would be setting consumers up for that surprise,” said Andrea Stairs, president of eBay Canada and chief marketing officer for eBay North America.” Read more

 

Amazon eliminates single-use plastic in packaging in India at TechCrunch. “Flipkart, which had made a similar pledge last year, said last month that its reliance on single-use plastic across its supply chain had dropped by 50%.” Read more

 

Dollar General is cheap, popular and spreading across America. It’s also a robbery magnet, police say at CNN. “Every night I was just waiting for there to be a phone call that said, ‘Hey we’ve lost somebody,'” Brian Flannery, who oversaw security at around 2,000 Dollar General stores in the northeast as a divisional loss prevention director from 2011 to 2015, said. “It wasn’t a matter there [of] if you were going to have a bad robbery. It was a matter of when.” Read more

 

The real cost of Amazon at Recode. “I feel like I’m risking my life for a dollar” — what the struggle Amazon workers face during the pandemic says about the future of work in America.” Read more

 

Amazon to pay $500 million in one-time bonuses to front-line workers at Reuters. “Employees and partners who have been with the e-commerce company through June will receive bonuses ranging from $150 to $3,000…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Fed Reveals Bond Purchases Including AT&T and Walmart

Tesla ranks dead last on J.D. Power’s automobile quality survey

Winn-Dixie not ditching ‘Dixie’

Activists set up guillotine in front of Jeff Bezos’s D.C. home

Plastic waste surges as restaurants use more disposable packaging

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Tipsheet: Gap Stock Soars | Macy’s Cuts 25% Corporate | Microsoft Closes All

 

U.S. consumer spending rebounds; income plunges at Reuters. “consumer spending…jumped 8.2% last month…Economists polled by Reuters had forecast consumer spending rising 9.0%…personal income dropped 4.2%, the most since January 2013, after surging by a record 10.8% in April…” Read more

 

Microsoft to permanently close all of its retail stores at The Verge. “Microsoft locations in NYC, London, Sydney, and Redmond will be turned into experience centers.” Read more

 

Texas rolls back its reopening at CNBC. “All bars and similar establishments that receive more than 51% of their gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages are required to close at 12:00 pm Friday.” Read more

 

Albertsons pulls off a downsized IPO after years of trying at CNBC. “Albertsons said it sold shares in its IPO at $16 a piece, below its $18-$20 target range…The downsizing of the IPO came after heated discussions between the underwriters and Cerberus, which deliberated whether to walk away from the offering at the last minute, as it did in 2015, a source familiar with the deliberations said.” Read more

 

Kanye West and Gap team up to create line of Yeezy apparel at Fox Business. “Aimed at young shoppers, the Yeezy-Gap line, which will offer items such as hoodies, basics, T-shirts and joggers…Gap said Yeezy would receive royalties and potential equity based on sales results. Yeezy said the brand is valued at $2.9 billion…As a teen, West, 43, worked at a Gap store in the Chicago area.” Read more

 

…Gap stock soars at CNBC. “Shares were up by about 39% early Friday. The move added more than $1.4 billion to Gap’s market cap of $3.8 billion.” Read more

 

**A message from Comfy Sacks bean bag chairs – Consumers want to be comfy at home! Sales on premium bean bags filled with superior quality furniture foam continue to rise sharply. Booklet | Video | Website | Request sample bag: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Target adds fresh grocery pickup nationwide at USA Today. “…adding 750 fresh and frozen grocery items for in-store and Drive Up curbside pickup, including produce, dairy, bakery, meat and frozen products. Target says the expanded assortment will roll out to more than 400 stores in the Midwest by the end of June and more than 1,500 stores “in time for the holidays.” Read more

 

49% of Costco’s stores are located in states where coronavirus cases are spiking at CNBC. List of retailers impacted

 

Amazon acquisition of robotaxi startup Zoox would add self-driving cars to its growing robot army at GeekWire. “At a reported purchase price of $1 billion, the acquisition would rank among the largest in Amazon’s history, in the realm of what the company paid for Twitch, Ring and Zappos…” Read more

 

Rite Aid Q1 Revenues Increased 12.2 Percent Press release

 

Saks Fifth Avenue says shopping hasn’t dropped as coronavirus cases rise in Florida, Texas at CNBC. “On CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” Saks Fifth Avenue President Marc Metrick said shoppers are still going to stores to buy handbags, shoes and other items. “We’re still seeing the traffic there,” he said. “We talk to our store, our teams everyday and they’re telling us they’re really not feeling it or seeing it in traffic or even in the attitude and the sensibilities in how they’re shopping.” Read more

 

Amazon is renaming the Seattle NHL stadium Climate Pledge Arena at The Verge. “Climate Pledge Arena will be the world’s first net zero carbon-certified arena, Amazon says, and the venue will be powered with 100 percent renewable energy and generate zero waste from operations and events. In addition, it will use reclaimed rainwater to create the ice surface for hockey games.” Read more

 

Schnucks Invests in Local Produce and Goods at Progressive Grocer. “Schnuck has unveiled a plan to purchase more than $5 million of local produce and goods this year from farmers who live and work in the communities served by the St. Louis-based grocer. To that end, Schnucks has formed a partnership with logistics and marketing platform Foodshed.io…” Read more

 

Macy’s to slash 3,900 corporate jobs – about a fourth of Macy’s corporate workforce at CNBC. “The department store chain said it expects to save about $365 million through the layoffs in fiscal 2020. It said it will save roughly $630 million on an annualized basis.” Read more

 

Meijer to offer free support to blind and low vision customers “…partnering with the Aira app to increase accessibility and ease in their shopping trip…At the touch of a button (on a smartphone), Aira will connect customers who need immediate visual assistance with anything from reading in-store signage to product labels.” Press release

 

Tipsheet Extra

Venezuelans take extraordinary steps to beat water shortage

Amazon launches ‘Smart Stores’ in India to win mom and pop

L’Oreal to drop words such as ‘whitening’ from skin products

Amazon Alexa leader: COVID-19 has sparked ‘a huge increase in the use of voice in the home’

Postponed Seafood Expo North America now canceled

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Tipsheet: Lowe’s Names HR EVP | Etsy Stock +3X in 3Mo | Kroger Top 100 IT

 

Amazon forms ‘Counterfeit Crimes Unit,’ under pressure to escalate fight against fake products at GeekWire. “The new unit, announced Wednesday morning, brings together former federal prosecutors with investigators and data analysts. The group will allow Amazon to “more effectively pursue civil litigation against bad actors, work with brands in joint or independent investigations…” Read more

 

Flipkart adds support for three more local Indian languages at TechCrunch. “The Walmart-owned firm said its online marketplace now has interfaces in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, three languages that are spoken by roughly 200 million people in India.” Read more

 

Instagram expands access to Instagram Shopping to more businesses, including creators who want to sell their own merchandise at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Etsy’s stock jumps to record, tripling in three months on surge in face mask sales at CNBC. “RBC wrote in a report that it conducted a survey of buyers, and 82% of respondents said they expect to spend more on Etsy over the next 12 months. Goldman said its bullishness is a reflection of app downloads after an increase of more than 100% in June from a year earlier.” Read more

 

Kroger Technology & Digital Named to Computerworld’s Top 100 Best Places to Work in IT Press release

 

Amazon signs lease for biggest NYC delivery station at Fox Business. “The property Queens is 1 million square feet; the delivery station building will be 117,000 square feet, and the rest of the space will be used for parking, a spokesperson said.” Read more

 

**A message from SPS Commerce. Are you struggling with getting accurate, complete and timely item data from your vendors? SPS Commerce can help you painlessly collect the item data you need to plan, buy and sell products! Check out this video to learn how SPS can help.

 

Walmart stops displaying the Mississippi state flag in stores because of Confederate flag imagery at CNN. Read more

 

Lowe’s diversity VP to lead human resources at Bizwomen. “Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has appointed Janice Dupre Little executive vice president of human resources effective June 22. She had served in the role as an interim since the departure of Jennifer Weber, who resigned in April. Little was senior vice president of diversity and talent management for the company since 2017.” Read more

 

Amazon’s carbon footprint grew 15% in 2019, highlighting the challenge of net zero emissions at GeekWire. Read more

 

Costco stopped selling half-sheet cakes and shoppers are pretty upset at NBC Today. “One Facebook user posted that their daughter is a cake decorator at Costco…”She says they are considering not bringing back the half sheet cakes, ever…But another person claiming to be a Costco employee said it’s just a temporary move to help stores catch up during these busy times.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Gun store robberies alarm law enforcement officials

Amazon is reportedly considering adding live TV to its Prime Video service

Segway to quit making the two-wheeled scooter

‘Jurassic Park’ tops box office 27 years after movie’s original release

Realtor association stops using the word “master” to describe bedrooms or bathrooms

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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 Ad Rev +23.5% | Square Withholding Money

 

Square, Jack Dorsey’s Pay Service, Is Withholding Money Merchants Say They Need at NY Times. “Thousands of small enterprises that use Square to process their credit card transactions…have complained that the company recently began holding back 20 to 30 percent of the money they collected from customers. The withholdings came with little warning, they said, and Square asserted the right to hang on to the money for the next four months. Square told them that it was doing this to protect against risky transactions or customers who demanded their money back.” Tiered subs.

 

Amazon pledges $2 billion venture capital fund to invest in clean energy at Reuters/WSJ. “The Climate Pledge Fund will invest in companies across industries such as transportation and logistics, energy, storage and utilization, manufacturing and materials, and food and agriculture, the e-commerce giant said.” Read more | WSJ subs.

 

Resale market expected to be valued at $64 billion in 5 years, as used clothing takes over closets at CNBC. “According to the report, secondhand goods are expected to make up 17% of a person’s share of closet space by 2029, up from just 3% in 2009.” Read more

 

Amazon’s Shakopee, MN warehouse has 88 COVID-19 cases at Star Tribune. Read more

 

**A message from Comfy Sacks bean bag chairs – Consumers want to be comfy at home! Sales on premium bean bags filled with superior quality furniture foam continue to rise sharply. Booklet | Video | Website | Request sample bag: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Saks Fifth Avenue swaps fencing for NYC-themed display windows ahead of Wednesday reopening at NY Post. “Shoppers will be encouraged to use the escalators, which are now alight with an iridescent glow of purple and green, thanks to the cleansing ultraviolet lights…upper management…have been charged with acting as the store’s “wellness team,” a job that entails walking the floors to ensure people are practicing social distancing and wearing masks.” Read more

 

eMarketer report: Amazon gains significant ground in digital ad market at Fast Company. “Google’s total market share (is down) 2.2% to 29.4%…Facebook’s…market share will increase to 23.4%…Amazon is emerging as a winner here, as its digital ad revenues shot up 23.5% this year to $12.75 billion, buoying its market share from 7.8% to 9.5%.” Read more

 

Property Owner Simon Sees Buying Tenants as a Way to Boost Malls at Wall Street Journal. “The biggest mall owner in the U.S. by number of malls is teaming up with Brookfield Property Partners, another large owner of shopping centers, in exploring a bid for J.C. Penney Co., according to a person familiar with the matter.” WSJ subs.

 

Ann Taylor parent to pay retention bonuses to top brass at Fox Business. “Ascena Retail Group Inc., the distressed parent company of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant, plans to pay about $5.5 million in cash retention and incentive awards to three executives, becoming the latest struggling company to hand out bonuses to top management.” Read more

 

Neiman Marcus in talks with Facebook about leasing Hudson Yards space at NY Post. “Developer Related Companies is in talks with social media giant Facebook to take over the three floors Neiman Marcus now occupies at Hudson Yards, according to a WWD report. “Neiman wants out. Hudson Yards wants them out. They are figuring out an exit agreement,” a source told the publication.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Luxury fashion challenged to confront racist attitudes

Shell plans major restructuring around climate drive, CEO tells employees

Meet the summer’s sleeper hit product: A bag you pee into

Ford study says Americans would give up streaming, booze, sex over their pickup trucks

Nearly 20 percent of Earth’s seafloor is now mapped

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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: Sam’s CEO Iview | Wawa #900 | T.J.Maxx No Ecom Required

 

Patagonia joins growing list of companies boycotting Facebook ads at CNBC. “Patagonia has joined companies like REI and The North Face, saying it plans to pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram to show support for a movement called ”#StopHateForProfit.” Read more

 

Coronavirus Changed Everything. Except T.J. Maxx. at Wall Street Journal. “For a lot of companies, e-commerce is a blessing and a curse,” said Janine Stichter, Jefferies Financial Group analyst…“My advice is if you don’t need a big online presence, don’t do it. TJX is one of the few companies that doesn’t need it.” WSJ subs.

 

Seattle police investigating second shooting inside protest zone at AP. Read more

 

Sam’s Club CEO McLay talks about leadership, moving from Woolworths to Walmart at Talk Business. “Sam’s Club CEO Kathryn McLay said too often women executives don’t understand their value. In the June 18 interview with Doug Waller, chief revenue officer of InContext Solutions, McLay shared insights about her career as a woman leading a more than $58 billion business…” Read more

 

Sobeys Reports ‘Proudest Quarter’ in History at Progressive Grocer. “Empire, parent company of Sobeys Inc., saw same-store sales, excluding fuel, increase 18% in its fourth quarter, ended May 2.” Read more

 

**A message from SPS Commerce. Are you struggling with getting accurate, complete and timely item data from your vendors? SPS Commerce can help you painlessly collect the item data you need to plan, buy and sell products! Check out this video to learn how SPS can help.

 

Amazon is ending support for its Dash Wand, an Alexa-enabled device that let shoppers scan grocery barcodes and order household essentials from their homes at The Verge. Read more

 

Apple today confirmed earlier rumors that it plans to shut down re-opened stores in four states at TechCrunch. “Impacted locations include six stores in Arizona, two in Florida, another two in North Carolina and one in South Carolina.” Read more

 

Wawa opens its 900th c-store at Convenience Store News. Read more

 

Walmart’s self-driving partner is changing e-commerce economics at Automotive News. “Why focus on middle-mile?  It’s easier. We operate between fixed locations. We over-optimize the technology to focus on these routes. Some of the edge cases are reduced because we know the routes so intimately; we know the drive patterns. Because of all this, the go-to-market time is faster.” Q&A

 

Bed Bath & Beyond adds $850 million credit facility, expects nearly all stores to reopen by July at MarketWatch. Read more

 

So long, salad bar: Grocers get creative, consider robots to revive prepared food amid pandemic at CNBC. “At Publix, salad bars and hot bars have reopened, but employees dish out each item. Wegmans moved hummus, olives and more behind a counter where cheese shop employees fill orders. And at Texas-based H-E-B, some coolers carry prepared meals from local restaurants and a former food bar became an ice chest of beers.” Read more

 

Krispy Kreme introduces new Doughnut Bites and Mini Crullers in Walmart locations nationwide Press release

 

Johnson & Johnson pulls skin-whitening products at Fox News. “Conversations over the past few weeks highlighted that some product names or claims on our dark spot reducer products represent fairness or white as better than your own unique skin tone,” Johnson & Johnson said in a statement.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Amazon slammed for offering workers chicken and waffles on Juneteenth

These 9 hand sanitizers for sale could be poisonous — do not buy, FDA warns

Garden salad mix may be linked to Cyclospora outbreak in 6 states

Nextdoor eliminates its Forward to Police program

Hollywood Reporter TV critics pick the 10 best shows of 2020 so far

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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

Tipsheet: Speedway For Sale | At Home -46.5% | Amazon Adjusts Seattle Route

 

Amazon adjusts delivery routes in Seattle protest area as some customers can’t get orders delivered at GeekWire. “Reddit user nerevisigoth said “I know I wouldn’t want to drive an Amazon-branded van into a ‘cop-free’ area inhabited by volatile people who really hate Amazon.” Read more

 

At Home Group Q1 comp sales -46.5% Press release

 

Marathon Petroleum in Talks With Potential Buyers of Speedway Gas-Station Unit at Wall Street Journal. “Possible buyers include Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard, people familiar with the matter said. It couldn’t be determined how much the business might fetch, but Marathon indicated last fall that it could be worth between $15 billion and $18 billion. Any deal is likely weeks away, and Marathon might opt to stick with a plan to spin off the unit instead.” WSJ subs.

 

There’s a one-in-three chance of a ‘massive’ disaster that could be worse than COVID-19, says Deutsche Bank at MarketWatch. “The solar flare possibility is one rarely discussed, perhaps because the last severe one was in 1859, but the Deutsche Bank team finds that to be more likely than a major global war.  “There could be major power outages as electrical power grids are disrupted…” Read more

 

Kohl’s says its tie-up with Amazon ‘underscores’ importance of having stores at CNBC. “It has opened our eyes … that there are other roles a Kohl’s store can play to the American consumer,” Kohl’s chief technology officer Paul Gaffney told CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa Thursday afternoon during a virtual CNBC @Work Spotlight event.” Read more

 

Walmart’s Black Executives Lost Ground Since Five Years Ago at Bloomberg. “The share of senior Black executives at the world’s largest retailer has declined since 2015, while the share of Black mid-level managers has stagnated, the report shows…Many of Walmart’s rivals, like Target Corp., are also struggling to create a more diverse workforce. And Walmart’s leadership ranks are more diverse than the overall retail industry…” Read more

 

**A message from Real Coconut Water: 100% pure coconut water. Ask about our organic private label Tetra Pak. Sell sheet | Website | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Albertsons sets IPO terms – seeking to sell 65.8 million shares in a range between $18 and $20 a share at MarketWatch. Read more | WSJ subs.

 

Global Pandemic “Wasn’t in the Plan,” Says Casey’s CEO After First Year at Helm at Convenience Store News. Read more

 

Tractor Supply names Melissa Kersey EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer “Melissa Kersey most recently served as the Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer for McDonald’s USA…Before joining McDonald’s in 2017, Kersey held a number of executive-level roles with Walmart from 2008 to 2017…” Press release

 

RIS: Influentials: Top Movers and Shakers in Retail 2020 List

 

Alibaba and JD.com handle a record $136.51 billion in sales during major Chinese shopping event at CNBC. “Known as 618 because it falls on June 18, the festival was being closely watched for signs about the health of the consumer in China.” Read more

 

Amazon joins Valentino in Rockstud counterfeit case, putting the legal shoe on the other foot at GeekWire. Read more

 

Kroger Q1 2020 Earnings Call Transcript at Seeking Alpha. Transcript

 

California officials on Thursday mandated mask-wearing in public with few exceptions at NBC News. “Exceptions include dining, drinking or participating in outdoor athletic activity that can be done with a distance between people of 6 feet. The mandate includes medical exemptions. The requirement was already in place in the state’s two largest counties, Los Angeles and San Diego.” Read more

 

Walmart Faces Pension-Fund Suits Over Internal Opioid Files at Bloomberg/Yahoo. “Walmart and several U.S. pharmacy chains face a November trial before a federal jury in Cleveland in which states and municipalities will seek billions in damages for the companies’ alleged failure to recognize “red flags” about heavily repeated sales of the painkillers.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

The ‘eBay’ for discounted lost luggage just opened

BetRivers becomes first legal online sportsbook in Illinois

Florida Keys now requiring face masks until June 2021

NBA players to wear “smart” ring  to help monitor coronavirus

Time is money: the armchair stock traders of lockdown

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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

 

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Tipsheet: Kroger +19% | Coin Shortage | Publix #1 ADA Website

 

Kroger Q1 comp sales (no fuel) +19%; Digital sales +92% Press release

 

Amazon Uses ‘Hardball’ Non-Competes in Ways California Rivals Can’t at Bloomberg. “Amazon’s industry peers rarely seek to enforce non-compete clauses…The dearth of cases is partly the result of state law in California, home to the headquarters of Alphabet, Apple and Facebook…Washington state, home to Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, has no such prohibition…” Read more

 

JD.com stock closes 3.5% higher in Hong Kong trading debut at AP. “JD.com’s Hong Kong debut coincided with its annual “618” sale, or June 18 online shopping extravaganza. The shopping festival, which JD.com launched to rival Alibaba’s annual November 11 Singles’ Day sales, is the first major e-commerce festival to be held in China since the coronavirus pandemic started.” Read more

 

J.C. Penney’s top execs and directors just dumped their penny stock because they can at Dallas Morning News. “Eight executives and board members, including (CEO) Soltau, chief financial officer Bill Wafford, chairman of the board Ron Tysoe, have sold more than 4 million shares of Penney stock since June 12…the executives were in a new trading window that opened for insiders, and well, there’s still liquidity. Shares closed at 35 cents a share…on Wednesday.” Read more

 

TravelCenters of America to open first TA Express in Arizona Press release

 

Publix Scores High for Online Accessibility at Progressive Grocer. “…with standards set by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Publix took the top spot, with a score of 3.55 on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest). Giant Eagle scored 3.50, followed by SafeWay at 3.22, Kroger at 3.20, Whole Foods at 3.10, Meijer at 3.09, Winn-Dixie at 3.00 and Walmart at 3.00.” Read more

 

**A message from SPS Commerce. Are you struggling with getting accurate, complete and timely item data from your vendors? SPS Commerce can help you painlessly collect the item data you need to plan, buy and sell products! Check out this video to learn how SPS can help.

 

Hang on to your nickels and dimes, the pandemic has created a coin shortage at Washington Post. “As the economy ground to a halt earlier this year, “the flow of coins through the economy has gotten all — it’s kind of stopped,” Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell said in a Wednesday hearing before the House Financial Services Committee. Powell said the Fed has been working with the U.S. Mint and reserve banks to fix the temporary issue.” Read more

 

Walmart appeals to Supreme Court to sell spirits in Texas at Fox Business. Read more

 

Amazon has expanded its Flex delivery program to more than 35 cities in India at TechCrunch. “Amazon Flex allows individuals to help the company deliver packages to customers. The company said “tens of thousands” of students, homemakers and others have joined the program in India in the past one year and supplemented their income.” Read more

 

Walmart’s Mexico unit rolls out mobile phone service at CNA. “Walmex said in a statement that the offering is meant to help populations in rural areas, and that shoppers at its stores would receive additional “megas” of data usage.” Read more

 

Amazon expands SNAP partnership covering 90% of beneficiaries at Fox Business. “People who receive nutrition assistance from the federal government can now use those benefits to purchase groceries online from Amazon in 36 states.” Read more

 

The 2020 Top Women in Grocery: Senior-Level Executives at Progressive Grocer. 87 Executive-Level women

 

Walmart Opening More Healthcare ‘Super Centers’ at Forbes. “…that feature an array of primary medical services, dental care, and behavioral health services…Walmart says the new health centers opening this month will be located in Loganville, Georgia, and Springdale, Arkansas. They will be the third and fourth such centers to open in less than a year.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Mastercard provides extra security for Amazon purchases

Rich Americans slashed spending amid coronavirus, hurting poor workers

Amazon Studios buys Stacey Abrams voting rights documentary

This startup is helping gig workers launch grocery delivery businesses

As Mexico focuses on coronavirus, drug gang violence rises

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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

 

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Tipsheet: CVS #1 Retail Citizen | Cornell Iview Thur | WM Now #2 Ecom

 

Walmart surpasses eBay in U.S. e-commerce for the first time at MarketWatch. “Amazon tops the list with 38.0% of all U.S. e-commerce sales share, followed by Walmart with 5.8% and eBay with 4.5%. Apple 3.5% and Home Depot 1.9% round out the top five.” Read more

 

Carrefour and Google launch voice grocery shopping service in France at Reuters/NY Post. “The new service will allow users who associate their Google account with their Carrefour account to add items to a shopping list by saying generic words such as butter or milk, or names of products or brands.” Read more

 

100 Best Corporate Citizens 2020 at 3BL. 

CVS #12

Gap #42

Best Buy #46

Target #89

Top 100 list

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods opens two new concept stores “…Overtime by Dick’s Sporting Goods and Dick’s Sporting Goods Warehouse…Dick’s Sporting Goods WarehouseSale locations…will offer deeper discounts on customer-favorite footwear and apparel brands at up to 90% off.” Store locations/Press release

 

Target declares Juneteenth a company holiday at KARE 11 NBC. Read more

 

Amazon’s ‘Climate Pledge’ gets its first additional signatories: Verizon, Infosys and RB at GeekWire. “It has not been easy — 2020 has presented us with unexpected challenges — from the COVID-19 pandemic to a serious reckoning on racial equity,” says Kara Hurst, Amazon’s vice president and head of worldwide sustainability.” Read more

 

H-E-B’s latest amenities star in new South Austin store at Supermarket News. Pics/Read more

 

**A message from Comfy Sacks bean bag chairs – Consumers want to be comfy at home! Sales on premium bean bags filled with superior quality furniture foam continue to rise sharply. Booklet | Video | Website | Request sample bag: info@eyeonretail.net

 

TOMORROW 11AM ET – Target’s Brian Cornell will discuss how Target is facing pain with purpose in the wake of the pandemic and recent protests, working to advance social justice, and evolving for the future of the industry Register: NRF webinar

 

Publix won’t budge in allowing employees to wear Black Lives Matter garb at work at NY Daily News. Read more

 

Target raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour, giving frontline workers $200 coronavirus bonus at USA Today. “Target said Wednesday that it is raising its minimum wage for U.S. hourly workers to $15 beginning July 5.” Read more

 

JC Penney reaches deal to resume Nike deliveries at Law 360. Subs. 

 

When Workers Can Live Anywhere, Many Ask: Why Do I Live Here? at Wall Street Journal. “…coronavirus-spurred moving could accelerate a shift already under way from dense, expensive cities to more affordable areas, including small cities and suburbs. In places like Boise, Idaho, real-estate agents say people are finally breaking ties with the West Coast after years of waffling, and sometimes buying properties sight-unseen.” WSJ subs.

 

Lowe’s presents at Oppenheimer Conference at Seeking Alpha. Transcript

 

How Wayfair is becoming the Amazon of the home goods market at CNBC. “I think Wayfair may be benefiting more from Covid-19 than almost any single other company except for like an Instacart,” said Dan McCarthy, assistant professor of marketing at Emory University.” Read more

 

Read the memo Jeff Bezos sent to Amazon employees about Juneteenth at CNBC. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Seattle City Council unveils new payroll tax targeting Amazon

Flushing toilets spreads coronavirus: study

Seattle cuts deal with protesters to open some streets, make business deliveries easier

Cinnamon rolls to the rescue in New York’s COVID-19 lockdown

FL restaurants under no obligation to report employees who test positive for COVID-19

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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