US economy accelerated at a robust 6.4% rate last quarter at AP News. "Thursday’s GDP report showed that consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the economy, surged at a 10.7% annual rate in the January-March quarter, a significant acceleration after spending had slowed to a 2.3% annual gain in the final three months of last year. Business investment rose at a strong annual rate of nearly 10%, reflecting a burst of spending on equipment." Read more   Pending home sales rose less than expected in March as prices soared at CNBC. "Pending home sales, a measure of [...]

  Coming this summer: Gas stations running out of gas at CNN. "Not that there's a looming shortage of crude oil or gasoline. Rather, it's the tanker truck drivers needed to deliver the gas to stations who are in short supply. According to the National Tank Truck Carriers, the industry's trade group, somewhere between 20% to 25% of tank trucks in the fleet are parked heading into this summer due to a paucity of qualified drivers." Read more   LinkedIn Top Companies 2021: The 50 best workplaces to grow your career in the U.S. Amazon #1 / Walmart #9 / [...]

  Tractor Supply CEO @ "Mad Money" at CNBC. "Many millennials are leaving dense urban centers to settle in more rural communities, and the relocation trend has been a boon for Tractor Supply, CEO Hal Lawton told CNBC Monday. “We’ve been gaining market share with our core customer, but also with the new customer: the millennial customer,” Lawton said in a one-on-one with Jim Cramer on “Mad Money.” “We’re really seeing a revitalization of rural led by millennials.” Video/Read more   Camping World will accept Bitcoin at Fox Business. "The recreational vehicle dealer announced the offering in a new partnership with [...]

  New home sales surged 20.7% in March to 1.02 million at AP. "The big jump in new home sales stood in contrast to sales of existing homes, which fell for a second consecutive month in March, a drop that was blamed on a lack of supply which has pushed exiting home prices to new highs." Read more   Costco Brings Its Low-Price Magic to Employer-Paid Drug Plans at Bloomberg. "(Costco) has become partners with Navitus Health Solutions LLC, a small pharmacy benefit manager based in Madison, Wis., on a strategy that could rewrite the complicated playbook for running prescription [...]

  Walmart Is Pulling Plug on More Robots at Wall Street Journal. "...phasing out the hulking automated pickup towers that were erected in more than 1,500 stores to dispense online orders...“The customer told us they want one pickup spot, and they want that pickup spot to be outside,” said a Walmart spokeswoman." WSJ subs. | Fox Business   Tractor Supply Q1 comp sales up 38.6% "...included an increase in comparable average transaction count and ticket of 21.0% and 17.6%, respectively. All geographic regions of the Company had positive comparable store sales growth of at least 30%." Press release   First-time [...]

  How a sweetheart deal gives GameStop CEO a $179 mln goodbye gift at Reuters. "...GameStop granted him more shares linked to his tenure at the company rather than to his performance as most companies do with their CEO, said Eric Hoffmann, a vice president at compensation consultant Farient Advisors LLC." Read more   America's Best Employers for Diversity 2021 at Forbes. Best Buy #65, Williams-Sonoma #77, Home Depot #105, Nordstrom #141 Ranked list   Amazon to let Whole Foods shoppers pay with a swipe of their palm at Reuters. "The deployment stops short of introducing Amazon's cashier-less technology at [...]

  Gap is taking its Athleta workout brand to Canada, rival Lululemon’s home turf at CNBC. "It marks the women’s athletic apparel brand’s first expansion outside of the United States. Gap said Athleta will launch online in the Canadian market later this summer, followed by the opening of company-owned retail stores in North York, Ontario, and West Vancouver, British Columbia, this fall." Read more   ...Lululemon is testing a resale program where shoppers can sell and buy used items in its stores at CNBC. "Starting in May, Lululemon customers in California and Texas will be able to trade in gently [...]

  Amazon illegally interfered in Alabama warehouse election, union alleges in complaint to federal officials at CNBC. "In its filing submitted to the NLRB, the union listed 23 objections surrounding Amazon’s behavior during the monthslong campaign, including allegations of employee intimidation and manipulation. The RWDSU said Monday it has requested a hearing before the NLRB to discuss its objections." Read more   Amazon workers could soon be assembling furniture upon delivery a Fox Business. "The new assembly furniture service is slated to roll out in Virginia and two other markets, sources told Bloomberg. Customers who order big-box items such as [...]