Archive for year: 2020

 

Amazon to start selling cashierless Go system to other retailers at AP. “The world’s biggest web retailer said it has “several” signed deals with customers it would not name. A new website Monday will invite others to inquire about the service, dubbed Just Walk Out technology by Amazon.” Read more

 

Costco is pulling free samples over COVID-19 by Kelly Tyko & Jessica Guynn at USA Today. “It was not immediately known if Costco has pulled samples from all stores in the U.S. or only in select areas or when the suspension would end.” Read more

 

Consumer Brands Association wrote a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Monday urging him to take action on sellers taking advantage of the coronavirus outbreak at CNBC. Read more

 

Amazon won’t dock warehouse workers for missing shifts during coronavirus crisis at CNBC. “The company informed employees Sunday that it will not count any unpaid time (UPT) off should they need to take it during the month of March.” Read more

 

Japan’s economy shrinks 7% in last quarter, risks recession at AP. Read more

 

Tesco agrees $10.6bn sale of Thai and Malaysian operations at Financial Times. “The UK’s largest supermarket chain on Monday announced the proposed deal, which is Asia’s largest corporate acquisition in the year to date and the biggest in Thailand’s history.” Read more

 

Ace Hardware cancels convention at McCormick Place amid coronavirus concerns at WGN. “The trade show was scheduled (to start) March 11 and run through March 14.” Read more

 

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Modell’s prepping for bankruptcy filing by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “In an interview last month, Modell had blamed his company’s woes on “lousy” local sports teams that have depressed jersey sales, as well as a shorter holiday selling season and the warm winter, which hit jacket, boot and glove sales.” Read more

 

Walmart plans to bolster private fleet with push to hire 500 new truck drivers at Yahoo Finance. “To lure drivers, Walmart is touting a generous average salary of $87,500 per year for a newcomer, well above the median salary of $53,000 of a truck driver working a national, irregular route makes in a year…” Read more

 

Albertsons files for initial public offering at MarketWatch. Read more

 

Amazon Reduces Seller Fees for Fashion in UK, Europe at eCommerceBytes. “The referral fee has changed from a flat 15% in UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, to 15% on the portion of the price up to €45/£40, and 7% on the portion of the sales price over €45/£40.” Read more

 

eBay bans face mask and hand sanitizer listings to halt coronavirus price gouging at The Verge. Read more

 

Amazon is secretly working on a cure for the common cold at CNBC. “…top secret effort called “Project Gesundheit,” according to three people familiar with the effort. The company has more than 100 working out of Grand Challenge, a research and development group that sits under its cloud division, AWS.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

People fighting over ‘rotten’ food on coronavirus-stricken cruise: passenger

Boston braces for large crowds as 1st pot shop opens

Postmates says it will start ‘non-contact’ meal deliveries

U.S. Govt. Makes it Harder to Get .Gov Domains

Hy-Vee to Close Online Fulfillment Centers

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Bed Bath & Beyond has tapped Walgreens’ Chief Merchandising Officer Joe Hartsig to become its chief merchant at CNBC. Read more

 

Nordstrom shares dive on earnings miss, Erik Nordstrom to become sole CEO at CNBC. “Nordstrom said full-price net sales during the quarter rose 1%, and off-price net sales — for its Nordstrom Rack division — were up 1.8%. Digital sales climbed 9% and represented 35% of total sales, compared with 33% a year ago.” Read more

 

…Integrating Trunk Club into Nordstrom full-line stores and Nordstrom.com Earnings release

 

Target’s next frontier: Convenience stores and alcohol pickup by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “Target’s top executives told Wall Street analysts at its annual strategy update on Tuesday that its 100 smaller format stores, typically 30,000 square foot—a fraction of the traditional Target’s size—have proved to be such a boon that Target will test out an even smaller 6,000-square-foot model. That’s about the size of a Dollar General store or a convenience store.” Read more

 

…Target Outlines 2020 Strategic Initiatives “… offering an assortment of fresh grocery and adult beverage items via Order Pickup and Drive Up fulfillment…Testing will begin in Minneapolis-area stores in the spring, with plans to expand this service to nearly half of Target’s stores in time for the holiday season.” Press release | Earnings call transcript

 

Survey: U.S. businesses added 183,000 jobs in February at AP News. Read more

 

Ross Stores Q4 comp sales +4.0% Press release

 

Hygiene brand called ‘racist’ for Target ad at HuffPo via Yahoo. “I said nothing about our product being only for black girls,” Dixon noted. She also highlighted the company’s tagline: “made by humans with vaginas, for humans with vaginas.”…The outpouring of positive messages saw The Honey Pot’s sales double by almost 50% on Monday, Dixon told BuzzFeed.” Read more

 

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J.D. Power Study on Online Flowers: Proflowers.com ranks #1 in customer satisfaction, 1-800-Flowers.com ranks #2 Press release

 

Amazon employee in Seattle tests positive for coronavirus by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “The employee went home sick on Tuesday, Feb. 25 and later tested positive for COVID-19. Amazon notified employees who came into close contact with the individual. The employee is based out of Amazon’s Brazil building at 400 9th Ave N, near downtown Seattle.” Read more

 

…Seattle feels like ‘ghost town,’ at NBC News. “Millions of people visit Pike Place Market annually. But the stalls are empty this week. Vendors aren’t flinging fish to one another; instead, they’re checking their phones or reading a book.” Read more

 

Lowe’s Canada selling Ace Canada business to owner of TSC Press release

 

Amazon inks deal to stream New York Yankees baseball games on Prime Video by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “21 Yankees games on Prime Video later this year. The live MLB content will be free for Prime members, but only available to those in the Yankees “home-team footprint”.” Read more

 

WinCo Foods slated to open third Las Vegas store next week at Las Vegas Sun. Read more

 

Mindy Grossman: Risking the unconventional at CNBC. “And when she was ready to move on from HSN, she got calls from headhunters about “giant” retail jobs. They would tell her: “Go run this $30 billion company. Go take on this role. And I said ‘Look, it’s not what I want to do. I’ve done it. And I really feel that my next role is going to be something different,” Grossman told CNBC’s “The Brave Ones.” Read more/Video

 

Tipsheet Extra

US toy makers see business boom

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture drops hints on plans

Amazon Studios cancels SXSW plans due to coronavirus

States scramble to prepare ahead of food stamps rule change

Toms founder launches a wellness kit inspired by his own struggles

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Target Q4: comp sales +1.5% / digital comp +20% / same-day services accounted for more than 80% of Q4 comp digital sales growth Press release

 

…Target cancels in-person investor day in New York City due to coronavirus at CNBC. Read more

 

Kohl’s holiday quarter earnings, sales beat estimates:

Earnings per share: $1.99, adjusted, vs. $1.88 expected

Net sales: $6.53 billion vs. $6.52 billion expected

Same-store sales: flat vs. a drop of 0.1% expected
CNBC

 

Hudson’s Bay CEO Helena Foulkes reportedly on the way out as retailer prepares to go private at CNBC. “Hudson’s Bay Co. Chief Executive Helena Foulkes is leaving the company in the coming weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday morning, based on conversations with people familiar with the matter…It is not immediately clear who will be replacing Foulkes.” Read more

 

Publix Q4 comp sales +3.6% Press release

 

AutoZone Q2 comp sales -0.8% Press release

 

International Housewares Association cancels trade show at McCormick Place due to coronavirus worries at CBS 2 Chicago. Read more

 

Coronavirus fears prompt postponement of Natural Products Expo West – hope to set a new date by mid-April at The Orange County Register. Read more

 

Target Adds a Slice of Brooklyn with Boar’s Head Meats, Cheeses by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “Target is bringing between 50 and 200 items from Brooklyn-born Boar’s Head to as many as 200 of its stores this year.” Tiered subs.

 

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Amazon expands same-day delivery with new network of mini warehouses near cities by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “The tech giant has quietly built smaller versions of its fulfillment centers closer to customers in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando and Dallas…The new warehouses allow Amazon to offer more than 3 million items for same-day delivery in those cities.” Read more

 

Lawmakers Propose Making E-Commerce Companies Liable for Counterfeits by Alan Rappeport at NY Times. “The bill, called the Shop Safe Act, would create trademark liability for companies selling counterfeit goods that pose risks to consumer health and safety, like drugs and medical products. It would also force companies to more rigorously vet sellers who operate on their platforms and to remove counterfeit listings and those who repeatedly sell knockoffs.” Tiered subs.

 

EBay looking to sell South Korean unit at Reuters. “EBay is looking to sell its South Korean unit, which includes Gmarket, one of the largest online marketplaces in the country, in a deal that could fetch nearly $5 billion, a Seoul-based newspaper reported on Tuesday.” Read more

 

Diane Von Furstenberg Launches First-Of-Its-Kind #InCharge Initiative With Amazon For Women’s History Month by Maneet Ahuja at Forbes. “As part of the collaboration—a first for (Amazon)…von Furstenberg will appear on Amazon’s homepage on March 8, International Women’s Day, to showcase diverse and inspiring women-owned small businesses and share her #InCharge mission.” Read more

 

Welcome to Walmart. The doctor will see you now by Nathaniel Meyersohn at CNN. “Marcus Osbore, Walmart’s vice president of health and wellness transformation, said in an interview that people who come into the clinics often have not seen a primary care physician in two or three years, or a dentist in five years…”What we’re finding is all comers,” he said. “Unfortunately, the need is everywhere” in America.” Read more

 

The Fresh Market names ex-Sobeys exec new CEO “Jason Potter has over 30 years of experience in the grocery industry…Most recently, he served as EVP of Operations, having previously served as President Sobeys West, Sobeys Atlantic and President of Multi-Format Operations.” Press release

 

JD.Com Announces CFO Succession at Forbes. “(Sidney) Huang, who assumed the CFO post in 2013, will step down in September and be replaced by Sandy Xu, the current CFO of the company’s JD Retail unit.” Read more

 

NO FEAR SHOPLIFTING – Some Seattle merchants see shoplifting on the rise at Seattle Times. “(Employees) say much of the stealing is done by people who used to hit the Bartell at Third and Union, which, despite heavy security measures, closed in November after what former employees said was $1 million in theft-related expenses in 2019. “Now, they’re coming here,” said an employee at Fifth and Olive…a co-worker refilled a shelf of Sensodyne toothpaste emptied by shoplifters the night before. “You fill it today and tomorrow it’s gone,” she said. “No mercy.” Tiered subs.

 

Tipsheet Extra

Wendy Williams claims she was racially profiled at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC

How to make your own hand sanitizer

Amazon’s AI generates images of clothing to match text queries

Amazon says two employees in Italy have contracted coronavirus

Buffett dismisses coronavirus, widens Delta Air Lines stake

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Best Buy Q4 comp sales +3.2% Press release

 

…Reuters: Best Buy beats broader holiday season blues with strong online sales “Best Buy’s overall same-store sales rose 3.2% in (Q4), beating analysts’ average estimate of a 1.9% increase…Revenue rose 2.7% to $15.20 billion, also beating the estimate of $15.05 billion. The company’s domestic comparable online revenue increased 18.7% to $3.52 billion.” Read more

 

JCPenney Q4 comp sales -7.0% (vs. expected -7.3%) Press release

 

…CNBC: JCPenney expects sales declines to continue in 2020, more store closures ahead “Q4: Earnings per share: 13 cents, adjusted, vs. a loss of 6 cents expected. Revenue: $3.49 billion vs. $3.44 billion expected.” Read more

 

Price analysis shows Amazon Go Grocery is already undercutting nearby retail rival by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “We compared a basket of 17 items, from fresh vegetables to packaged goods. The verdict? We saved more than 5 percent, or $2.92, at Amazon Go Grocery, paying $52.78 for items that cost $55.70 with a club card at the nearby QFC. Without a QFC club card, the difference would have been nearly 25 percent, a savings of about $10.” Read more

 

…Clues point to possible location of next grocery store in Seattle by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “An Amazon senior manager is listed on permit filings for a project in Seattle’s Central District, where Vulcan Real Estate is building a huge apartment complex with a grocery store on the ground floor.” Read more

 

Trump campaign’s plan to woo black voters: Retail stores at Politico. “As part of an ongoing effort to increase Trump’s share of the black vote this fall, the president’s reelection campaign unveiled plans on Wednesday to open a series of “community centers” in empty retail spaces across the U.S. where paid staffers and volunteers will spend the next several months courting black voters with literature, celebrity meet-and-greets and “woke”-branded attire.” Read more/Pics

 

Morgan Stanley: roughly 40% of units fulfilled by Amazon in the U.S. “went through” one-day delivery in the fourth quarter. That number could grow to 50% by the end of 2020 at CNBC. Read more

 

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Apple to begin online sales in India this year, open first retail store in 2021 by Manish Singh at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Harris Teeter making changes to its 24-hour grocery stores at Charlotte Observer. “…effective March 4, these stores will close at midnight and reopen at 5 or 6 a.m., said Danna Robinson, Harris Teeter communications manager. It’s not just in Charlotte. The new hours for its 24-hour stores and all other stores are companywide.” Read more

 

Amazon all set to enter India’s food delivery market by Manish Singh at TechCrunch. “The launch of the service, which would be offered as part of either Amazon’s  Prime Now or Amazon Fresh platform, could happen as soon as next month, we are told.” Read more

 

Walmart in discussions to sell stake in Asda at BBC. “The US retail giant said it was talking to a “small number of interested parties” about a possible investment. It comes after UK regulators blocked Walmart’s plan to merge Asda with Sainsbury’s last year on fears it would raise prices for consumers.” Read more

 

US economy grew at 2.1% rate in Q4 but virus threat looms at AP. Read more

 

Etsy tells sellers it’s going to advertise their goods and take a big cut of the sale at The Verge. “Etsy is going to start automatically advertising its sellers’ products and taking a fee — at least 12 percent — for every sale it refers. The ads will appear on “high-traffic sites” like Google, Facebook, and Pinterest, and they’ll be a requirement for shops doing more than $10,000 in sales each year.” Read more

 

Tesco becomes first UK supermarket to sell bandages for different skin tones at Daily Mail. “The supermarket said it developed the plasters after an employee saw a viral tweet in which a black man said he was ‘holding back tears’ at finding a plaster that matched his skin tone after 45 years.” Read more

 

Worries over panic buying arise as some supply shelves at stores empty out at KHON 2 “Supplies were flying off the shelves Wednesday, with some shoppers taking pictures of empty shelves at stores across Oahu…At Costco Iwilei, flatbeds were overflowing with boxes of canned goods, bottled water, toilet paper and paper towels.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

The Guardian: Target raised wages. Then it cut workers’ hours.

Coronavirus patient at UC Davis Medical Center since Feb. 19 wasn’t tested for days

Bill Fields, once considered CEO heir apparent at Walmart, dies at 70

NYC Council bills aim to slash food-delivery fees

Patagonia’s new film celebrates activists fighting urban oil drilling in L.A.

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Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

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Website: eyeonretail.net