Tipsheet: Target +17.2% | Bed Bath +Target/Macy’s Execs | Amazon #11 Patents

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Target comp sales jump 17.2% in November and December at CNBC. “Home goods and hardlines…saw same-store sales gains in the low-20% range…Comparable sales of food and beverage rose about 17%…Beauty and essentials saw growth in the low teens and apparel saw high single-digit gains…Combined transactions in Target stores and on its website rose 4.3% and average tickets grew by 12.3%.” Read more

 

Bed Bath & Beyond adds execs from Target & Macy’s – names new ad agency “…appointed Kristi Argyilan as SVP, Brand Innovation and Jim Reath as SVP, Marketing…has appointed MUH-TAY-ZIK / HOF-FER as lead brand agency…and M Booth as agency of record for corporate and consumer PR…Kristi Argyilan joins the Company from Target, where she was President of its media company, ROUNDEL…” Press release

 

Urban Outfitters shares tumble on disappointing holiday sales, retailer taps Harrington as CEO at CNBC. “During the two-month period ended Dec. 31, Urban said its…same-store sales fell 9% due to declines in store traffic…named Sheila Harrington, current CEO of Free People, as CEO of Urban Outfitters, and she will continue to oversee the Free People banner.” Read more

 

Walmart is piloting smart coolers to let you receive cold food outside at Fast Company. “The boxes, provided by HomeValet, have chilled compartments for frozen and refrigerated food, as well as a section for pantry-style groceries that can be stored at room temperature. They’re internet-enabled and designed to unlock when a courier approaches so that food can be stowed.” Read more

 

Circle K owner Couche-Tard in early talks to buy Carrefour for about $20 billion at Financial Post. “Couche-Tard’s focus has been convenience stores and gas stations, not supermarkets…Carrefour operates more than 2,800 supermarkets and 703 larger-format hypermarkets Europe. In Latin America, it has stores in Argentina and Brazil.” Read more

 

Walmart say they will block donations to lawmakers who objected to Electoral College results at The Hill. Read more

 

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Amazon moves up to No. 11 for most patent grants at GeekWire. “IBM had the most patent grants in 2020 with 9,130, followed by Samsung Electronics, Canon, Microsoft, and Intel. Apple ranked No. 8, while Amazon moved up four spots to No. 11, even though its 2020 grants dropped 8% from the previous year. Google came in at No. 17 and Facebook was No. 38.” Read more

 

Walmart customers don’t expect a speedy economic recovery, Chief Customer Officer says at CNBC. “Whiteside said customers are stretching the budget with strategies like switching from national brands to private brands or buying smaller pack sizes. “Our core Walmart customer is absolutely not immune to the economic slowdown, in fact may even be disproportionately impacted,” she said.” Read more

 

Walgreens to launch co-branded Mastercard credit and prepaid debit cards Press release

 

Synchrony CEO Margaret Keane stepping down after nearly a decade leading the co-branded card lender at CNBC. “Sixty-one-year-old Keane — one of few women to head a Wall Street financial firm — will remain at the company as executive chair of the board, while Synchrony president Brian Doubles takes over as CEO.” Read more

 

Casey’s: Inside same-store sales QTD are positive, with low single digit growth compared to the same period in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 Press release

 

Tipsheet Extra

Blind woman gets help from reporter after Walmart declines to provide assistance shopping

Home Depot co-founder feels betrayed by Donald Trump

Amid Home Improvement Surge, Jobber Raises $60 Million

Google urgently investigating Android coronavirus tracking app issues

US will require all arriving passengers to get COVID-19 test

Failing companies/retailers took stimulus money then closed anyway

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Tipsheet: Albertsons +12.3% | Ex-Target @ Dollar Shave | Amazon Fresh +2 Seattle

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Albertsons Q3 ID sales +12.3% “Net income was $123.7 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2020 compared to $54.8 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2019.” Press release

 

Walmart teams up with investment firm behind Robinhood on new fintech startup at Fox Business. “Walmart is teaming up with Ribbit Capital, a venture capital firm behind the no-fee investment platform Robinhood, on a new fintech startup designed to develop and offer “modern, innovative and affordable financial solutions” to the retailer’s employees and customers.” Read more

 

Dollar Shave Club Appoints Ex-Target Digital Exec as CEO “The Board of Directors of Dollar Shave Club, today announced the appointment of Jason Goldberger as Chief Executive Officer of the company effective Jan. 19, 2021.” Press release

 

Rite Aid CEO said retailers will get tapped sooner than expected to help speed vaccine rollout at CNBC. “Rite Aid has given more than 5,000 Covid vaccinations so far and it’s seen those challenges firsthand, (CEO) Donigan said. “If you open up a bottle and you only get one person who wants a dose that day, you’ve got to figure out what to do with the rest of the vial,” she said.” Read more

 

Checkout.com raises $450 million and reaches $15 billion valuation at TechCrunch. “Checkout.com  wants to build a one-stop shop for all things related to payments, such as accepting transactions, processing them and detecting fraud. It focuses on large merchants…It finished 2020 with 940 employees. And this year, the company plans to hire an additional 700 people.” Read more 

 

Former Zulily execs raise $150M for new firm that buys and supercharges e-commerce businesses at GeekWire. “They’ve also won over some big-time backers, including VersionOne Ventures and Victory Park Capital. Seattle venture capital firm Maveron — known for its focus on consumer brands and an early investor in Zulily — also is a backer.” Read more

 

**A message from the Kitchenology 4-In-1 Scrub Bar™ –  Featuring a different abrasive strength on each of the four sides. Regular sponge, medium-duty, heavy-duty & super-duty. See it here | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Two Amazon Fresh grocery stores opening in Seattle region at GeekWire. “One is located on Jackson Street in Seattle’s Central District and the other is in the Factoria neighborhood of Bellevue, Wash…The stores are designed to be similar to a traditional full-service grocery store but with some added technology, including smart grocery carts…There are four Amazon Fresh stores open in the Los Angeles region, and one in the Chicago area.” Read more

 

Millennials double wealth to more than $10T despite pandemic, debt: Federal Reserve at Fox Business. Read more

 

Britain’s Tesco to deny store entry to customers not wearing face covering at Reuters. “Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, on Tuesday followed smaller rivals Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, saying it will not let anyone into its stores who is not wearing a face covering, unless they are medically exempt.” Read more

 

Tilly’s holiday period comp sales +2.7% Press release

 

Cybersecurity Insurance Has a Big Problem at Harvard Business Review. “With around 250 companies buying at least $200 million in protection, it would only take five insured losses of a bit more than that amount to wipe out an entire year’s premium. That’s only 2% of the companies in the market buying that much coverage. That kind of loss would likely take decades for insurers to earn back such losses.” Read more

 

Sneaker enthusiast group SoleSavy raises $2M, setting the stage for a community-driven commerce boom at TechCrunch. “SoleSavy’s co-founders Dejan Pralica and Justin Dusanj founded the company in 2018 as a paid community for collectors and enthusiasts seeking pairs that were getting snapped up by bots or resellers.” Read more

 

Home Depot #9 radio advertiser last week at Inside Radio. Read more

 

Ubiquiti: Change Your Password, Enable 2FA at Krebs on Security. “Ubiquiti, a major vendor of cloud-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as routers, network video recorders, security cameras and access control systems…says an incident at a third-party cloud provider may have exposed customer account information and credentials used to remotely manage Ubiquiti gear.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Schnuck Markets names fresh division leader

NYC’s iconic Halloween shop to close permanently after nearly 40 years

Developers eye downtown Bentonville for latest Hilton hotel brand

Carrie Underwood signs equity deal with sports drink maker Bodyarmor

Casey’s expands private brand assortment this month

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Tipsheet: Amazon Bumps HEB | Don’t Return It | Staples Eyes O.Depot

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Staples offers $2.1 billion cash to buy Office Depot parent at Reuters. “The two companies agreed to merge in 1996, but the deal was put to rest as a government lawsuit argued the move would have meant higher prices for pens, paper and other office supplies.” Read more

 

Lululemon forecasts fourth-quarter earnings and sales at the top end of outlook thanks to strong holidays at CNBC. Read more

 

Amazon Pantry is being discontinued as Amazon consolidates its grocery delivery services at The Verge. “…instead rolling those household goods and shelf-stable pantry items into the main Amazon website where they can be ordered alongside the rest of Amazon’s products.” Read more

 

GameStop signs deal with investor, refreshes board to focus on e-commerce at Reuters. “GameStop Corp signed an agreement with investor Ryan Cohen’s RC Ventures LLC on Monday, appointing the Chewy.com founder and two other e-commerce veterans to its board as the ailing videogame retailer doubles down on digital sales.” Read more

 

Amazon, Walmart Tell Consumers to Skip Returns of Unwanted Items at Fox Business. “The relatively new approach, popularized by Amazon and a few other chains, is being adopted more broadly during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a surge in online shopping forces companies to rethink how they handle returns. “We are getting so many inquiries about this that you will see it take off in coming months,” said Amit Sharma, chief executive of Narvar Inc., which processes returns for retailers.” Read more | WSJ subs.

 

With grocery store access limited during the pandemic, drone delivery offers a high-tech boost to business at Fortune. “Manna’s biggest partner is grocery giant Tesco, but the drone delivery option has turned out to be a boon for local businesses, from mom and pop coffee shops to bookstores, as they fight to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic. Manna makes its money by charging customers a couple of euros, which is the same as road-based delivery services. Retailers don’t pay a penny to use it.” Read more

 

**A message from Readywise, the leader in emergency food supplies – Consumers are looking for emergency food supplies. Up to 25-year shelf life. High quality and great taste. Website | Catalog | Sample: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Amazon tops dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index at Store Brands. “The top 14 retailers ranked in order are: Amazon, H-E-B, Trader Joe’s, Wegman’s, Aldi, Albertsons’ Market Basket, Sam’s Club, Costco, Publix, Target, Fresh Thyme, ShopRite, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Walmart. The only new retailer to make the top 14 was Target, replacing Winco Foods.” Read more

 

The Tiny Satellites That Will Connect Cows, Cars and Shipping Containers to the Internet at Wall Street Journal. “In the near future, it isn’t unreasonable to imagine this evolving satellite technology could put a distress beacon in every automobile, allow remote monitoring of wildlife in any environment on earth, and track your Amazon shipment—not just when it’s on a truck, but backward, all the way to the factory that produced it.” WSJ subs.

 

Grocers Step In to Speed Up Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout at Wall Street Journal. “The executives of Kroger and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc…expressed frustration over what they said was a slower-than-necessary rollout because of holdups at the state and federal levels. Kroger is also exploring ways to hold large events in community centers and stadiums that would allow it to vaccinate 600 to 800 people at a time, Ms. Lindholz said.” WSJ subs.

 

Ben & Jerry’s enters the pet food business with frozen dog treats at AP News. “The treats come in two flavors: pumpkin with cookies and peanut butter with pretzels. Both are made with a base of sunflower butter.” Read more

 

How CEO Kenneth McGrath is turning Save A Lot around at KSDK 5. “McGrath grew up in Cork, Ireland, the son of entrepreneur parents who owned construction companies, a bicycle company, a taxi provider and a bus company. “I can identify with business owners, because I grew up at that table,” McGrath said. “I was serving customers from a very young age.” Read more

 

More virus-zapping robots are coming, and they’ll stick around at The Washington Post via SF Chron. “Sales of cleaning robots are projected to swell from $341 million in 2019 to more than $2.3 billion by 2025, according to a market advisory firm Mordor Intelligence.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Patagonia has had enormous success with upcycled clothing. Could others follow?

Why Chamberlain built a $3,000 automatic garage door for your dog

Hyundai says it’s in talks with Apple amid electric car buzz

Major cement firm inks $3.4B deal to focus on solar, green roofs

Economic recovery uneven: US Chamber of Commerce

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Tipsheet: Walmart.ca Data Exposure | Shoppers Don’t Like Being Watched | Albertsons +Gig Workers

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Data exposure flaw on Walmart.ca revealed personal customer information at CTV News. “Customers’ names, shipping and billing addresses, order dates, methods of payment and the last four digits of the credit cards used were on full display for orders of a $1,500 laptop computer in Ontario, a $700 spin bike in Saskatchewan, and more than $1,100 worth of baby gear in B.C. These are just a few samples of Walmart.ca orders CTVNews.ca was able to call up on the retailer’s website Tuesday…” Read more

 

Albertsons is laying off employees and replacing them with gig workers, as app platforms rise at Washington Post via Seattle Times. “The grocery chain Albertsons is laying off delivery workers and replacing them with gig and contract workers, a change that labor advocates and union representatives say is a direct result of the new California law that companies like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash sponsored last year.” Read more

 

PriceSmart Q1 net comp merch sales increase by 3.6% Press release

 

Shopify pulls Donald Trump stores off its platform at TechCrunch. “It’s a reversal of policy for the company, which had previously defended the rights of any customer to use the platform and a refusal to engage in what chief executive Tobias Lütke termed censorship.” Read more

 

Retailers, Beware: Shoppers Don’t Like to Be Watched Online at The Wall Street Journal. “The reason is that consumers dislike being observed while deliberating—to the point that many may react by not making a purchase if they think their shopping is being monitored, or by avoiding retailers that they know will watch them browse. That’s the gist of a recent paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research by Yonat Zwebner…” WSJ subs.

 

Instacart Announces Nick Giovanni Is Joining The Company As CFO “Before joining Instacart, Giovanni spent more than 20 years at Goldman Sachs…” Press release

 

U.S. Suspends Plan to Impose Tariffs on French Luxury Goods at Morningstar. “The suspended tariffs would have targeted a narrow list of French products, including handbags, soap, and cosmetics such as lipstick and nail polish.” Read more

 

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Wayfair to Pay All U.S. Employees a Minimum of $15 Per Hour Press release

 

Harris Teeter revamps fees for online shopping, adds incentives “Harris Teeter will waive the service fee on all ExpressLane orders over $100 and offer a tiered fee structure based on the online order value; minimum order must be $25.” Press release

 

New rules requiring travelers to have proof of a negative COVID-19 test before getting on a plane to Canada went into effect this week at Vancouver Sun. Read more

 

Best Buy Health VP, Sarah Jones, talks what’s next for senior tech in 2021 at Mobi Health News. “I know I work in digital heath, but I’m bearish on the idea that we have crossed the chasm, and we are never going to go back on these levels of adoption. If you look at the adoption rates of virtual from March to October you will see actually a downward trend.” Read more

 

The Buckle December comp sales +17.9% Press release

 

Rental home construction climbs as purchase prices surge at Fox Business. “…more than 50,000 houses were built specifically to serve as rentals during the 12 months ended Sept. 30, according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting. That tally — well above the 31,000 average over the past four decades — is likely low since it misses one-offs in which end use isn’t specified by building permits…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Costco opens new operations center in Oklahoma City, to bring 1,500 jobs

Walmart updates APIs, offers advice for marketplace sellers

There has been ‘10 years of innovation in 10 months,’ retail body says

New Senate majority jolts K Street

Smithfield Foods shakes up management team under new CEO

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Tipsheet: WM Drones @ Pea Ridge | 65% Will Garden | Costco +10.9%

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Costco December comp sales (ex. gas & f/x) +10.9% / U.S. +11% / Canada +5.7% / Other Int’l +15.8% / Ecom +61.6% Press release

 

Victoria’s Secret parent L Brands says holiday same-store sales rose 5% at CNBC. “Victoria’s Secret, same-store sales…fell 9% during the holiday period…Same-store sales for Bath & Body Works were up 17%.” Read more

 

Bed Bath & Beyond banner Q3 comp sales +5% / Total enterprise comp sales +2% Press release

 

Walgreens Q1 comp sales at its U.S. pharmacies rose 3.7% “Comparable pharmacy sales increased 5.0 percent…Retail sales decreased 2.2 percent in the first quarter…” Press release

 

LVMH shakes up Tiffany management after $15.8 billion acquisition at Reuters. “LVMH said Anthony Ledru, a senior executive at the group’s Louis Vuitton brand, would be CEO at Tiffany, taking over from Alessandro Bogliolo, who is set to leave on Jan. 22.” Read more

 

CVS Health names Michelle Peluso as first-ever Chief Customer Officer “In her most recent role, as Senior Vice President, Digital Sales and Chief Marketing Officer for IBM, she oversaw marketing and brand strategy and execution, digital sales, and the commercial business…” Press release

 

Target closed down its DC stores amid rioters storming the US Capitol at Business Insider. Read more

 

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Planners approve Walmart drone launch pad request in Pea Ridge, Arkansas at Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “Pea Ridge’s city building inspector asked whether the service will be a subscription service offered by Walmart. Miquel deferred to Walmart spokesman, Michael Lindsey, public affairs director. “That has yet to be determined,” Lindsey said. “All of this is so new.” The drone, which Miquel referred to as a “zip,” is fully autonomous, electrically powered and has a 10-foot wing span.” Read more

 

U.S. considering adding Alibaba, Tencent to China investment ban at Reuters. Read more

 

Bed Bath & Beyond is closing more than 40 stores this year. Here’s a map of where they are. at CNBC. Read more

 

Lowe’s study finds that 51% of respondents said they “have bigger plans” for their homes than a year ago at Store Brands. “56% are looking to learn how to take on a new home improvement project…65% of respondents are looking to try gardening and 45% are looking to improve an outdoor living space in 2021.” Read more

 

Kroger’s Kristal Howard – director and head of communications – talks shop. PR Week subs.

 

Former Home Depot CEO Frank Blake interviewed in podcast at The Darden Report. 20 minute podcast

 

Tipsheet Extra

Moderna CEO says vaccine likely to protect for ‘couple of years’

Amazon tops 75,000 employees in Seattle area

New economic woes for Cubans as prices surge

Digital license plates now installed at Best Buy stores nationwide

Pfizer unveils its first major logo redesign in 70 years

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Tipsheet: Lowe’s Outlet +TX | T.Joe’s +Harlem | Tiffany Record Holiday

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Tiffany 2020 holiday period, preliminary worldwide net sales increased approximately 2% / Ecom +80%+ Press release

 

Amazon eases new seller delivery requirements as Covid strains carriers at CNBC. “Last August, the company announced that, starting in February 2021, members of Amazon’s Seller Fulfilled Prime program would be required to make deliveries on Saturdays and meet one- and two-day delivery targets. In a note sent to sellers on Tuesday that was viewed by CNBC, Amazon said it was temporarily relaxing the delivery speed targets…” Read more

 

AmerisourceBergen to buy Walgreens’ distribution unit in $6.5 billion Europe push at Reuters. “The deal will help Walgreens focus more on core pharmacy unit as well as its retail business, where sales have tanked due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a nearly 30% slump in shares in 2020.” Read more

 

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Appoints Patty Wu as General Manager of buybuy BABY “She joins buybuy BABY from Beautycounter, where she served as its Chief Commercial Officer. She was previously Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of the Baby Division at The Honest Company, and has also held senior management roles at Mattel, Inc. and Walmart.” Press release

 

Macy’s is shuttering 45 more locations this year, as part of its 3-year store closure plan at CNBC. Read more

 

Amazon Launches $2 Billion Housing Equity Fund “Amazon is providing below-market capital—in the form of loans, lines of credit, and grants—to preserve and create 20,000 homes affordable for moderate- to low-income families in the Puget Sound region, Arlington, and Nashville.” Press release

 

**A message from the Kitchenology 4-In-1 Scrub Bar™ –  Featuring a different abrasive strength on each of the four sides. Regular sponge, medium-duty, heavy-duty & super-duty. See it/Website | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Trump signs executive order blocking transactions with Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office at The Verge. Read more

 

Lowe’s will open its first Texas outlet store in Irving this year at The Dallas Morning News. “The Lowe’s Outlet, at 3500 West Airport Freeway, will take the place of a former Lowe’s that closed in 2019, and will sell scratch-and-dent appliances at discounted prices…The first Lowe’s Outlet opened in Monrovia, Calif. in 2019…” Read more

 

Trader Joe’s 13th NYC store set to open in Harlem at NY Post. “The surprise lease signing adds Trader Joe’s to a Harlem retail renaissance that has brought major national brands to the neighborhood — especially on historic 125th Street. Target is coming to the same building as Trader Joe’s. A massive Whole Foods and Burlington Coat Factory opened three years ago at the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard. also known as Lenox ­Avenue.” Read more

 

The company that processes payments for Amazon and Swiggy has reported a data leak at Business Insider. “In what could be a major data breach, information of over 100 million debit and credit card users from payments processor Juspay has leaked on the dark web.” Read more

 

POUR ME – Morgan Wallen promotes Target after Walmart leaks his album at Radio.com. “Wallen (said)  he had provided Target with two extra bonus songs. “So, if you’re going to buy my album, go to Target, baby. It’s kind of messed up, but I don’t shop at Walmart anyway.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Amazon reportedly developing radar-equipped sleep apnea tracker

UC San Diego offers students COVID test kits by vending machine

Germany: Big companies must put women on management boards

Busch beer offers $1 off for each inch of snowfall per state

Trader Joe’s Reports Progress on Diversity Efforts

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Tipsheet: Macy’s New Chief Merch. | Ma Found | Podcast Merch Hot

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Macy’s Names Nata Dvir Chief Merchandising Officer “She currently serves as Macy’s senior vice president and general business manager for Beauty and Center Core merchandise.” Press release

 

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is lying low for the time being, but he’s not missing at CNBC. Read more

 

Podcast Merch Has Become Big Business at The Wall Street Journal. “Marisa Morales, the head of merchandising at Stitcher, a podcast conglomerate, said that sales of merchandise associated with Stitcher shows like “WTF with Marc Maron,” “Sklarbro Country” and “Freakonomics Radio” are roughly doubling every year. She likened the excitement surrounding, say, a newly launched mug from “The Office Ladies,” a podcast about the bygone sitcom, to the frenetic hype around the release of Air Jordan sneakers. Hundreds of coffee cups can sell out in hours.” WSJ subs.

 

Haven, the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan venture to disrupt health care, is disbanding after 3 years at CNBC. “…insiders claim that it will allow the founding companies to implement ideas from the project on their own, tailoring them to the specific needs of their employees, who are mostly concentrated in different cities.” Read more

 

Blue Apron Names Randy J. Greben Chief Financial Officer “Prior to joining Blue Apron, Greben was Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer at ANN Inc., which was a subsidiary of Ascena Retail Group, Inc.” Press release

 

Apple temporarily closes all remaining Apple Stores in the UK at The Verge. Read more

 

**A message from Readywise, the leader in emergency food supplies – Consumers are looking for emergency food supplies – are you offering the selection they want? Up to 25-year shelf life. High quality and great taste. Website | Catalog | Sample: info@eyeonretail.net

 

Boris Johnson orders England to stay at home … again at Politico. “…Brits will be stuck at home — with schools and non-essential shops closed — for around six weeks, as the other U.K. nations are implementing similar measures.” Read more

 

Police Give All Clear After Queens Place Mall Evacuated Due To ‘Hoax Device’ at CBS New York. “It looks a little jenky, not gonna lie. Like someone made it in their basement or something, but that’s still scary someone had the time and patience to do that and scare everyone,” said Monique Wright of Forest Hills.” Read more

 

Costco coronavirus outbreak in Washington prompts demand for vaccine for frontline employees at Fox Business. Read more

 

2021 Retail Winners – Early Predictions at Placer.ai “Albertsons, Kroger & Publix have already had a huge year with visits from January through November up 5.3% for Albertsons and 0.7% for Kroger with Publix down just 1.7% even though it operated heavily in Florida, one of the hardest hit states…” Read more

 

Amazon purchases eleven aircraft from Delta Air Lines and WestJet Airlines to join the Amazon Air cargo Press release

 

…Amazon said it’s the first time it has purchased planes for its delivery network. Over the past couple of years, Amazon has been leasing planes to build its fleet. at AP. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Would you pay $92 for Neiman Marcus tamales?

Jeff Bezos donated richest gift of 2020

Rubik’s Cube Movie and Game Show in Development

Shopper fatally shot inside West Nashville Target

Anti-mask rally planned at WinCo Foods store

CVS Pharmacy launches Best of Our Brands awards

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Tipsheet: Chewy Sends Paintings | Ma Disappears | Luxury Shed ROI

/in

 

Minimum wage hike could be Biden’s bipartisan breakthrough at The Hill. “Biden might begin by issuing an executive order mandating a $15 minimum hourly wage for all workers on federal contracts (which would also increase the pressure on state legislatures to raise their minimum wage). If necessary, he might then agree to stretch out the number of annual increases before the minimum wage reaches $15 (and indexing to median annual wages kicks in).” Read more

 

Jack Ma’s disappearing act fuels speculation about billionaire’s whereabouts at Reuters. “China’s highest-profile entrepreneur has not appeared in a public setting since a late October forum in Shanghai where he blasted China’s regulatory system in a speech that put him on a collision course with officials, resulting in the suspension of a $37 billion IPO of Alibaba’s Ant Group fintech arm.” Read more

 

Delays in holiday deliveries, delays in returns, plague small businesses at USA Today. “FedEx Ground alone handled 45.5 million packages during the 12 months ended Nov. 30, up 24% from the same period a year earlier. UPS moved 67.6 million packages for the 12 months ended June 30, a 13% jump from a year earlier.” Read more

 

JC Penney CEO Jill Soltau to leave retailer after it emerged from bankruptcy with new owners at CNBC. Read more

 

Chewy sends pet paintings to keep customers from straying at AP. “Chewy’s strategy seems to be working on Schwartz, whose blue-eyed cat likes to rub up against the painting from his cat tree. “I just want to buy everything from them,” she says. “They’re a big company. I was shocked that they did something so personal.” Read more

 

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U.S. may cut some Moderna vaccine doses in half to speed rollout, official says at Reuters. Read more

 

Whole Foods founder John Mackey on having Jeff Bezos as a boss: ‘People had this wrong stereotype that the CEO is like a god’ at CNBC. “Whole Foods has changed and evolved, to be sure, but in a respectful way. I always use this analogy, when you get married, do you change?” Mackey said to Dubner. “And the answer is, ‘Duh, if you don’t change, you’re going to get a divorce.’” Read more

 

You Can’t Find These Luxury Sheds at Home Depot at The Wall Street Journal. “Ms. Hart’s kitHAUS cost $45,000. She added heating and air conditioning, for an additional $5,000; landscaping, for $8,000; security cameras, for $1,000; and electricity, for $3,000. Her lease, for which she gave 30-day notice in May, cost $4,500 a month. It will take her about 14 total months to break even on the space.” WSJ subs.

 

The online grocery startup betting big on the pandemic shift in grocery shopping at Fortune. “Fortune recently spoke with Katie Tyson, cofounder and chief commercial officer of Hive, to learn more about the business, the lessons learned, the hurdles overcome, as well as Hive’s plans for the new year.” Q&A

 

Home prices are rising faster in the middle of the U.S. as Covid drives people away from coasts at CNBC. “Smaller metropolitan markets like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Boise, Idaho, Austin, Texas, and Memphis. Tennessee are seeing some of the strongest price gains in the nation now, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Prices in those cities are now at least 10% higher than with a year earlier.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Feds calculate riskiest, safest places in US

IRS says executors undervalued Prince’s estate by 50%

UK abolishes tax on women’s sanitary products

The exhilarating world of post-pandemic shopping

Antidepressant use soars as pandemic cuts counselling access

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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