Tipsheet: Lowe’s & Trampolines | Publix Gun Arrest | RH +22%

/in

 

Police arrest man carrying 5 guns, body armor into Georgia Publix at The Hill. “After officers saw Marley leaving the bathroom, they quickly apprehended him. They found two long guns, and three pistols, the newspaper reports, all of which were concealed. Authorities have not yet determined why Marley was carrying so many weapons. Marley has been charged with reckless conduct.” Read more

 

RH Q4 net revenues +22% Press release

 

Covid-19 Vaccinations, Tests Give Boost to Kroger’s Health Ambitions at Wall Street Journal. “Covid has taught us that pharmacy is always really important and will be important as we go forward,” Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chief executive, said in an interview… The company plans to offer more nutrition counseling and sell curated boxes of healthy foods that are tailored to medical conditions. It is also discussing potential partnerships with hospitals.” WSJ subs.

 

Shoe Carnival Q4 comp sales +6.4% Press release

 

Lowe’s looks beyond gardening and grills this spring at CNBC. “Bill Boltz, executive vice president of merchandising, said…it makes sense for the retailer to sell trampolines and towels, along with lawn mowers, patio sets and bathroom shelving. “We’re not going to enter into the grocery space, but we think there’s an opportunity to do some things here and push it a little bit where we have a right to play,” he said in a CNBC interview.” Read more

 

…Lowe’s plans ‘SpringFest’ event with free curbside ‘Garden-to-Go’ projects for families at USA Today. “Spring just feels so metaphoric this year. Sort of this coming out of our winter, literally and figuratively,” (Marisa) Thalberg said in an interview with USA TODAY. “We’re already seeing that interest starting to really build quickly as the weather is starting to get warmer in different parts of the country.” Read more

 

IKEA Taps Linus Karlsson as Creative Chief Across Marketing and Product at Wall Street Journal. “Product development and communications are overlapping more and more,” Mr. Karlsson said. “Collaboration in all forms is definitely a way forward. It’s not good for things to be siloed.” Some of the shift can be attributed to consumers’ growing expressions of opinions on social media, as well as their interactions with marketers online, according to Mr. Karlsson.” WSJ subs.

 

Facebook, Amazon edge out other corporate giants in lobby spending at Seattle Times. “Facebook and Amazon.com became the largest corporate lobbying spenders in Washington, D.C., the last two years…Facebook increased spending 56% to $19.7 million between 2018 and 2020, while Amazon spent 30% more to reach $18.7 million.” Read more

 

H&M has been removed by major e-commerce and service apps in China at TechCrunch. “…after a Communist Party organization barraged it for a statement expressing “deep concern” over allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang’s cotton industry. On Thursday morning, a search for “H&M” yielded zero results on e-commerce platforms including Alibaba’s Taobao, JD.com…” Read more

 

Sobeys’ parent company teams up with manufacturers to draft code of conduct for embattled grocery sector at Financial Post. “I don’t love more legislation, more regulation — I don’t,” Empire chief executive Michael Medline said in an interview. “I just don’t see any other way to improve relationships in this industry, all the way from farmers to customers.” Empire co-wrote the code of conduct with Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP) — an improbable alliance, considering FHCP has for years been the loudest and fiercest critic of how the big grocers treat their suppliers.” Read more

 

Beauty and bargain retail could be the biggest winners in 2021, Wells Fargo predicts at CNBC. “Wells Fargo’s retail team recently polled 1,000 consumers in the United States to get a better sense of their post-pandemic shopping behaviors. When asked which products they are most likely to buy first, post-pandemic, respondents most frequently selected makeup, at 40%. That even surpassed “going-out apparel,” which was chosen by 37%.” Read more

 

7-Eleven is opening a taco drive-thru at CNN. “Typically, Laredo Taco locations can be found in 7-Eleven stores themselves. This is the first drive-thru for the taco chain, as well as the first drive-thru at a corporate-owned 7-Eleven store. Customers can order Slurpees in addition to items from the Laredo Taco menu…” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Q&A w/Brenda Lord, VP, private brands and quality assurance, CVS Health

Acme, Safeway add Bowery indoor-grown greens

Lidl cheers recognition from New York beer competition

New York Yankees team up with Amazon to offer 21 streaming games

Jay Leno apologizes for decades of jokes about Asians

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: Protesters Close Wegmans | Can. Tire #1 Reputable | At Home +30.8%

/in

 

Protesters force Wegmans store in Rochester, New York to close at Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. “Protesters commemorating the one-year anniversary of Daniel Prude’s fatal encounter with the Rochester Police Department on Tuesday marched down East Avenue and encamped in the Wegmans parking lot, causing the store to lock its doors…The group blocked entrances to Wegmans’ parking lot with their own vehicles, set up a tent in front of the store and wrote messages on the ground in chalk.” Read more

 

…Wegmans store protest pics & video Syracuse.com | Daily Mail

 

At Home Inc. Q4 comp sales +30.8% Press release

 

Carrefour to Buy Walmart’s Former Business in Brazil at Bloomberg via Yahoo. “Advent International and Walmart agreed to sell Grupo BIG Brasil SA for about 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), Carrefour said Wednesday. Brazil is already the French retailer’s second-largest market, and the deal would make that business almost as big as its European operations outside of France.” Read more

 

Orders for manufactured goods tumbled 1.1% last month at AP News. “The size of the drop surprised economists, though it is likely that there was significant disruption from severe winter storms that hit much of the country last month, on top of ongoing supply-chain problems.” Read more

 

Walmart begins application process for Open Call at Talk Business. “Walmart said Tuesday (March 23) the application process for Open Call is open through April 30 for entrepreneurs and companies to pitch their products at the virtual event slated for June 30.” Read more

 

Costco launches audiobook store, app for members at Fox Business. “The wholesale retailer recently started selling audiobooks on its website and released its own app for iOS, where buyers can listen to the audiobooks they purchase. Though the app is free to download, users need a Costco membership to sign in and listen to their audiobooks, according to the Apple AppStore description.” Read more

 

Amazon has appointed Tableau CEO Adam Selipsky as the new head of Amazon Web Services at CNN. Read more

 

**Find the future of the candy and snacks industries at the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Innovation Avenue! Innovation Avenue delivers the leading brands of tomorrow for retailers truly looking for something cutting-edge to wow their shoppers. Indianapolis, June 23-25 2021. Most innovative new products 2019 & 2018 | Register now

 

Loblaw senior management changes: President, Sarah Davis, retires, and Galen G. Weston returns as Chairman and President “Robert Sawyer will join Loblaw as COO and Richard Dufresne, President and CFO of GWL, will expand his responsibilities to include becoming CFO of Loblaw on May 6, 2021.” Press release

 

Amazon’s Deliveroo stake to drop to 11.5% after London IPO at Reuters. Read more

 

Retailers and Landlords Clash Over What Counts as a Sale at Wall Street Journal. “Landlords don’t want stores used as warehouses,” said Annette Healey, executive vice president of CBRE Group Inc., a commercial real-estate services and investment company. “They want all of the space in the store to be dedicated to sales for that store. But most retailers feel that if the transaction originated online, it’s not a store sale.” WSJ subs.

 

Canada: Canadian Tire ranked most reputable company in commerce at Financial Post. “Amazon’s score dropped the most, along with other shipping companies stretched by online shopping surge…Canadian Tire jumped two spots to land at No. 1, while Shoppers Drug Mart, Kellogg, Sony and Campbell — which jumped seven spots — rounded out the top five.” Top 10 list/Read more

 

Amazon was supposed to kill Instacart. Instead Instacart became a mini-Amazon at CNN. “Nilam Ganenthiran, president of Instacart: “In many ways, we’ve become the grocery industry’s antidote to Amazon because we believe that brick and mortar retailers are critical to the future of grocery,” he said.” Read more

 

Post Consumer Brands to repay shoppers for black-market Grape-Nuts purchases at NY Post. “Post Consumer Brands…(is) offering up to $115 to anyone who paid at least $10 for a box of Grape-Nuts between Nov. 1 of last year and March 15.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Rise in ‘nuclear verdicts’ in lawsuits threatens trucking industry

Yum Brands buys social media ordering platform in second tech deal of the month

Fanatics valuation doubles to $12.8 billion after a new funding round

Amazon union push gives giant retailer a taste of its own progressive medicine

Pools and bucket-list trips: Canadians itching to spend pandemic nest eggs

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: K. Soopers Shooter ID’d | Cohen on Line 2 | Casey’s Acquires

/in

 

Ten killed in mass shooting at Boulder, Colorado King Soopers grocery store at Reuters. “Moonshadow said she tried to attend to a victim she saw lying on the pavement just outside the store, but her son pulled her away, telling her, ‘We have to go.’” The woman broke down in sobs recounting their ordeal, adding, “I couldn’t help anybody.” Read more

 

…Boulder supermarket shooter ID’d as 21-year-old man at AP. “The suspect was undergoing treatment at a hospital and was expected to be booked into the county jail later Tuesday, said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty. Investigators don’t know yet why the suspect opened fire inside the grocery store, Dougherty said.” Read more

 

U.S. Postal Service Overhaul Calls for Higher Prices, Slower Mail and More Packages at Wall Street Journal. “In tandem with higher prices, the Postal Service will look to change the service standard for first-class mail, allowing it to take up to five days to arrive instead of three…Messrs. DeJoy and Bloom said they were committed to continuing mail delivery at six days a week…” WSJ subs.

 

Amazon workers go on 24-hour strike in Italy over labor conditions at CNBC. “Trade unions FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL and Uiltrasporti said it’s the first strike to affect Amazon’s entire logistics operations in Italy. An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC the company and its delivery partners “already offer what these groups are asking for.” Read more

 

Sales of new homes plunged 18.2% in February at AP News. “Severe winter storms also had an impact on the sale of existing homes, which declined 6.5% in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.22 million units.” Read more

 

From pet food to video games: inside Ryan Cohen’s GameStop obsession at Reuters. “After almost four months of phone calls and emails to GameStop Corp complaining about the slow shipping of an order, New Jersey teacher Steven Titus received a late night call in early March…On the line was Ryan Cohen, the billionaire co-founder and former chief executive of online pet supplies retailer Chewy who is now leading GameStop’s push into e-commerce.” Read more

 

…GameStop loses second senior exec as shakeup deepens at Reuters. “GameStop Corp said on Tuesday its chief customer officer Frank Hamlin will resign from the company on March 31, pointing to a deepening of changes driven by its new biggest shareholder, Chewy.com co-founder Ryan Cohen.” 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

 

Amazon has added 3,700 new sellers a day this year at Business Insider. Read more

 

Airport Retail Shops Pin Hopes on Bump in Travel at Wall Street Journal. “Dufry operates more than 2,300 shops in airports, cruise liners and other tourist destinations around the world. It owns the Hudson Group, which runs the eponymous convenience shops in U.S. airports and temporarily closed more than 700 of its more than 1,000 stores during the pandemic. As of early March, it has reopened 635 of them.” WSJ subs.

 

Purplle, an e-commerce platform for beauty products in India, has raised $45 million in a new financing round at TechCrunch. Read more

 

DoorDash will let you order at-home COVID-19 testing kits delivered to your door at The Verge. “The initiative is part of DoorDash’s DashMart convenience store platform, a new type of virtual marketplace the company launched last summer as the pandemic was in full swing.” Read more

 

Casey’s General Stores to acquire 49 stores throughout Oklahoma from Circle K Stores in an all-cash transaction for $39 million Press release

 

SoftBank-backed delivery start-up goPuff valued at $8.9 billion in new funding round, more than double from five months ago at CNBC. “GoPuff, based in Philadelphia, was launched in 2013 by two college students at Drexel University. The company aims to take on traditional convenience stores by offering a range of household essentials like over-the-counter medicines and cleaning supplies to snack foods and alcohol.” Read more

 

SpartanNash Chairman Dennis Eidson Announces Retirement Press release

 

Sally Beauty Holdings Appoints Kim McIntosh as Group Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer Press release

 

Amazon threatened warehouse workers organizing amid COVID-19 pandemic, says US labor board complaint at The Verge. “The NLRB investigation found that warehouse managers may have violated US labor law on four accounts, Motherboard reports. During the pandemic, they allegedly instructed employees not to organize without first notifying them, interrogated workers about the walkout, and threatened to discipline those who spoke to colleagues about the protests.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Throwback picture of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’s meeting goes viral

Hudson’s Bay creates Canadian challenge to Amazon, Walmart, eBay

IKEA’s iconic catalog goes digital complete with an audio version

Reckitt Benckiser tidies name, rebrands as simply Reckitt

Toys R Us plans new stores

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: Sam’s CEO Q&A | DoorDash WM Gripes | China’s New #1 Ecom Site

/in

 

Sam’s Club C.E.O. on the Company’s High Sales and Low Wages at NY Times. “How have people’s shopping habits changed over the past year? We have seen periods that we called “carbs and calories,” where people would just buy up pizza, ice cream, potato chips. It was almost like they were looking for indulgence in food that they couldn’t get through experiences outside of the home. We’ve certainly seen a resurgence in people nesting and home improvement, yard improvement, outdoor entertaining. People are like, “How do I make my home my castle?” Read more/Q&A

 

Low tips, long waits – DoorDash takes on drivers’ Walmart gripes at Reuters. “After her day job, DoorDash driver Kat Ensey, 53, makes money delivering sandwiches and sodas outside of Chicago. Bringing Walmart orders to shoppers’ homes is less profitable, she said…(DoorDash) promised “there are more changes on the horizon” pertaining to its relationship with Walmart, though it did not specify what those are.” Read more

 

How a former Target intern became one of America’s most successful Black women at CNBC. “(Caroline) Wanga started at Target in the “most non-strategic way possible.” After getting pregnant at age 17, she dropped out of college to raise her daughter Cadence. It was the first major disruption in her life, especially troublesome for her parents, who both have doctorates, but it was far from a life-altering setback.  “That particular moment is actually the theme of my life in a very interesting way,” Wanga says. “After that happened, I became indignant that this wasn’t going to end my plan to success.” Read more

 

Amazon-backed Deliveroo aims for $12 billion market cap in biggest London debut in a decade at Reuters. Read more

 

Ikea France going on trial over illegal spying claims at AP News. “One accusation alleged that Ikea France used unauthorized data to try to catch an employee who had claimed unemployment benefits but drove a Porsche. Another says the subsidiary investigated an employee’s criminal record to determine how the employee was able to own a BMW on a low income.” Read more

 

**Find the future of the candy and snacks industries at the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Innovation Avenue! Innovation Avenue delivers the leading brands of tomorrow for retailers truly looking for something cutting-edge to wow their shoppers. Indianapolis, June 23-25 2021. Most innovative new products 2019 /2018 | Register now

 

How Pinduoduo Beat Alibaba to Become China’s Top Shopping Site at Wall Street Journal. “Though Pinduoduo’s annual revenue of $9.1 billion remains a fraction of Alibaba’s $72 billion from its last fiscal year, it almost doubled relative to 2019, cementing the Shanghai-based company’s status as the first challenger to loosen Alibaba and JD.com Inc.’s stranglehold over Chinese online consumption.” WSJ subs.

 

Bed Bath & Beyond debuts new store brand Nestwell at USA Today. “It’s the first of eight new store brands that will be released through February 2022…”It’s the biggest change in our product assortment in a generation,” Joe Hartsig, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Bed Bath & Beyond, said in an interview with USA TODAY about the new brands.” Read more

 

FTC fines Amazon work-from-home scammer $2 million at The Verge. “Randon Morris and several companies he ran conducted robocalls to promote the fake work-from-home opportunities, the FTC said, and they promised people they contacted that they could earn hundreds of dollars a day. As part of the scheme, the companies falsely claimed to be affiliated with Amazon.” Read more

 

White man pleads guilty to hate crimes in deadly Kroger store shooting at NBC News. Read more

 

Amazon driver quits, saying the final straw was the company’s new AI-powered truck cameras that can sense when workers yawn or don’t use a seatbelt at Business Insider. “Insider reported in February that Amazon was equipping all delivery vehicles with AI camera systems called Driveri, manufactured by a company called Netradyne. The cameras are always on and scan drivers’ body language, the speed of the vehicle, and even drowsiness. The system then uses “automated verbal alerts” to tell drivers if a violation has been detected.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Peloton accident that killed child under investigation

California senators calling on Biden to set date for phasing out gasoline cars

Kellogg’s bringing back popular Cereal Straws after 12 years

Whole Foods & Headspace launch IGTV series

Ocado officials tout smaller facilities

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: Rubio Endorses Amazon Union | Lowe’s EVP Q&A | Target Cuts Office Space

/in

 

Marco Rubio endorses Amazon unionization effort at CNBC. “In an op-ed in USA Today, Rubio asserted that Amazon has “waged a war against working-class values” and is “looking to crush the union vote” at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. “The days of conservatives being taken for granted by the business community are over,” Rubio wrote.” Read more

 

Ulta Beauty Q4 comp sales down 4.8% Press release

 

Ulta shares tumble on weaker-than-expected outlook, retailer taps President Dave Kimbell as CEO at CNBC. “Although the decline was smaller than expected, shares fell as the beauty retailer gave a disappointing outlook for the coming year…Kecia Steelman, Ulta’s chief store operations officer, will be promoted to chief operating officer.” Read more

 

Target downsizing Minneapolis office space at Fox Business. “Target will leave its office space in Minneapolis’ City Center skyscraper, according to an email to employees on Thursday. The move comes as the company is reimagining the future of work at its headquarters by adopting a hybrid “Flex for Your Day” approach. The “Flex” will give employees the option to work virtually and in person at the office as they “gradually return to headquarters” later this year.” Read more

 

Forbes Q&A with Marisa Thalberg, EVP, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Lowe’s “I wanted to open people’s eyes to the possibilities of dressing your home at Lowe’s—that we’re not just for building and project-based goods. The New York Fashion Week project came about when I was talking to a colleague who had a big responsibility for producing the New York Fashion Week. She was bemoaning, “How are we going to pull this off with virtual shows?” And I just started thinking, “Where does couture fashion even fit right now in the zeitgeist when people are so focused on their homes?” Read more

 

Poshmark sales top estimates in its first quarterly report as a public company, but outlook disappoints at CNBC. “Different parts of the country are behaving quite differently,” Chandra said, citing Florida as a strong growth market where customers are searching Poshmark for dresses and bathing suits, whereas New York is still catching up. “So, we are accounting for the state-wide differences.” Read more

 

Tilly’s, Inc. Q4 comp net sales +2.5% Press release

 

**Find the future of the candy and snacks industries at the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Innovation Avenue! Innovation Avenue delivers the leading brands of tomorrow for retailers truly looking for something cutting-edge to wow their shoppers. Indianapolis, June 23-25 2021. Most innovative new products 2019 | 2018 | Register now

 

Wayfair: Ed Macri, Chief Product & Marketing Officer, to retire “The marketing team will join other go-to-market functions as part of Wayfair’s Commercial organization under Steve Oblak, Chief Commercial Officer. Bob Sherwin, who has worked alongside Macri for the last eight years and currently serves as VP of Marketing, will assume the role of Chief Marketing Officer reporting to Oblak.” Press release

 

Costco membership fees poised to increase at Fox Business. “Analysts noted that Costco’s membership fee increases every five to 5.5 years, suggesting its next increase for international customers will begin in 2021 with U.S. and Canadian shoppers getting hit with an increase in the latter half of 2022.” Read more

 

SpartanNash appoints Jason Monaco as EVP and Chief Financial Officer Press release

 

14-hour days and no bathroom breaks: Amazon’s overworked delivery drivers at The Guardian via Yahoo. “Fourteen-hour shifts were common because delivery service providers wouldn’t allow drivers to return any packages from their routes and the pressure to meet delivery rates meant Meyers used a plastic bottle to go to the bathroom on a daily basis.” Read more

 

Instacart Appoints Frank Slootman, Chairman And CEO Of Snowflake, To Board Of Directors Press release

 

Amazon Won’t Sell Books Framing LGBTQ+ Identities as Mental Illnesses at Wall Street Journal. “The company explained its decision in a letter Thursday to Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Mike Braun of Indiana and Josh Hawley of Missouri, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The senators had written last month to Chief Executive Jeff Bezos requesting an explanation of why “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” was no longer available on Amazon nor on its Kindle and Audible platforms.” WSJ subs.

 

Kohl’s pushes back against activist investors – says they’re focused on short-termism and financial engineering Press release

 

***Eye on Retail Tipsheet will not be published next week and will return 3/22/21. Thank you!

 

Tipsheet Extra

In Brazil, organized crime siphons billions from gas stations

Stuart Weitzman Selling Three Treasures to Benefit Charities

E-commerce: 44% of respondents rarely complain directly to a company

U.S. consumer sentiment rises in mid-March to highest in a year

Chocolate sales up 10.5% in 2020 in grocery outlets

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: China’s Alibaba Plans | WM/Lowe’s @ UBS | Curbside Samples

/in

 

Coupang – South Korea’s largest e-commerce company – raises $4.6 billion in U.S. IPO at Reuters. “Coupang said in a statement that it had priced 130 million shares sold in the IPO at $35 per share…giving (Coupang) a market value of $60 billion.” Read more

 

China Lays Plans to Tame Tech Giant Alibaba at Wall Street Journal. “Officials familiar with Beijing’s thinking said regulators don’t want to crush (Alibaba) – as long as it disassociates itself from its flashy and outspoken founder and aligns itself more closely with the Communist Party…Those people said Alibaba also will be required to end a practice that has been dubbed “er xuan yi”—literally, “choose one out of two”—under which, regulators believe, the tech giant punished certain merchants who sold goods both on Alibaba and its rival platforms, including JD.com.” WSJ subs.

 

Free samples with your curbside groceries: How brands are wooing Walmart’s online shoppers at CNBC. “Jay Picconatto, director, General Mills commerce marketing, said sampling in grocery pickup “is something we wouldn’t have even touched two years ago or 18 months ago.” Yet as store traffic plummeted last spring and retailers limited in-store demos, he said, the company leaned in aggressively.” Read more

 

Kroger to close 3 stores in Los Angeles over a $5-per-hour hazard pay mandate at Cincinnati Enquirer via USA Today. “…will shutter two Ralphs and one Food 4 Less stores in the city on May 15…”It becomes impossible to operate these three stores,” Kroger said in a statement, noting the mandate will cost nearly $20 million over the next 120 days.” Read more

 

Amazon leases another Bellevue office tower as it makes room for planned 25k employees in city at GeekWire. Read more

 

China’s JD.com cashes in on steady online demand, beats market expectations at Reuters. ” JD.com raked in 110 million new active customer accounts during the year. Meanwhile, Jack Ma’s Alibaba added about 68 million active buyers in the same period…The company’s net revenue rose 31.4% to 224.3 billion yuan in the quarter ended Dec. 31.” Read more

 

Lowe’s Presents at UBS Global Consumer and Retail Virtual Conference Transcript @ Seeking Alpha

 

US jobless claims fall to 712,000 as pace of layoffs eases at AP. “The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for unemployment aid dropped by 42,000 from 754,000 the week before.” Read more

 

Amazon quietly opens its eleventh Fresh store, reportedly plans 28 more at The Verge. Read more

 

Activist investor group cuts its Kohl’s board slate to 5 directors from 9 at CNBC. “The five nominees are Macellum Chief Executive Jonathan Duskin, former Denny’s Chief Marketing Officer Margaret Jenkins, former Macy’s Chief Merchandising Officer Jeffrey Kantor, former Burlington CEO Thomas Kingsbury, and former Chico’s President Cynthia Murray.” Read more

 

Walmart Presents at UBS Global Consumer and Retail Virtual Conference Transcript @ Seeking Alpha

 

Where Brands Are Reaching Gen Z at Harvard Business Review. “With 37 million daily active users and 20 million multiplayer games and experiences, Roblox, which launched in 2004, has quietly become a powerhouse shared experience campfire. More than two-thirds of all 9 to 12-year-olds in the U.S. play Roblox.” Read more

 

Jeff Bezos names Andrew Steer CEO of Earth Fund, will spend $10B by 2030 at Fox Business. Read more

 

Amazon staffers reportedly fear secret ‘Vesta’ robot will be a pricey flop at NY Post. “People are very skeptical — we’re worried it could turn into another Fire Phone,” one source told Insider, referring to the unsuccessful smartphone on which Amazon took a $170 million write-down in 2014, the year it was released.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Walmart partners with craft brewers on ‘Black is Beautiful’ stout beer

Looking beyond tobacco, BAT tries Canadian pot luck

The states with the longest and shortest life expectancies, according to the CDC

Parents rally again against a proposed Costco location in Black Mountain Ranch

Kroger says it administered ‘empty syringes’ instead of COVID-19 vaccines

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: Sam’s App Dloads 2X Costco | 75% Apparel Online | Weis Markets +14.1%

/in

 

Mastercard exec says almost 75% of apparel sales were made online last month at CNBC. “…up from 47% just a year ago.” Apparel sales overall declined 5.3% during the month, but e-commerce spending didn’t miss a beat. Online clothing sales spiked 47% year over year, according to data from Mastercard Economics Institute.” Read more

 

Consumer prices up 0.4% last month but core prices moderate at AP News. “U.S. consumer prices increased 0.4% in February, the biggest gain in six months, led by a sharp jump in gasoline prices. But core inflation, excluding food and energy, posted a much smaller 0.1% gain, easing fears about a possible sustained acceleration in inflation.” Read more

 

Weis Markets Q4 comp sales +14.1% Press release

 

Sam’s Club tops Costco in the land of apps at Fox Business. “The Sam’s app was downloaded 9.6 million times, nearly double the amount that Costco’s app was downloaded…BJ’s saw its app downloaded about three million times last year, according to Apptopia.” Read more

 

United Natural Foods, Inc. Q2 net sales +7.1% Press release

 

Amazon’s secret home robot Vesta reportedly in ‘late-prototype stage’ of development at The Verge. “The device has been under development for around four years and now has more than 800 employees working on it..The basic premise…is that Vesta will be an Amazon Echo on wheels: a voice-activated assistant that can navigate your home, respond to your commands, and interface with other smart home devices.” Read more

 

Express, Inc. Q4 comp sales down 27% Press release

 

**Find the future of the candy and snacks industries at the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Innovation Avenue! Innovation Avenue delivers the leading brands of tomorrow for retailers truly looking for something cutting-edge to wow their shoppers. Indianapolis, June 23-25 2021. Most innovative new products: 2019 | 2018 | Register now

 

CDC, Dollar General exploring partnership to speed up COVID-19 vaccine rollout at USA Today. Read more

 

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc Q4 net retail sales down 8.7% Press release

 

Canada’s competition laws come under scrutiny after grocery business controversies at Financial Post. “A group of MPs will start considering changes to Canada’s antitrust rules next month, prompted in part by a series of controversies in the grocery business. Supermarket chains have been under scrutiny from Ottawa since last spring, when the country’s three largest grocers opted to simultaneously cut $2-per-hour pandemic pay bonuses for front-line workers.” Read more

 

The Gap Inc. can’t use the pandemic and ensuing lockdown orders as an excuse not to pay rent for a pair of stores in Manhattan Law 360 subs.

 

Planned production of the smallest iPhone 12 mini has reportedly been reduced by 70 percent or more in the first half of this year at The Verge. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Entrepreneur shines in first ever national pitch competition put on by Lowe’s

Scientists turn Amazon’s Alexa into heart monitoring device using sound waves

Beyond Meat expands distribution at Walmart

How one small Pennsylvania pharmacy is vaccinating thousands

Swingers crazy golf comes to America

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: Target ‘Embarassing’ @ Mag Mile | Dick’s +19.3% | Gap China For Sale?

/in

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods Q4 comp sales +19.3% “…which included an increase in eCommerce sales of 57%. eCommerce penetration for the fourth quarter of 2020 was approximately 32% of total net sales, compared to approximately 25% during the fourth quarter of 2019.” Press release

 

…Dick’s Sporting Goods shares fall as retailer predicts slowing sales in year ahead at CNBC. “The sporting goods retailer estimated that same-store sales could decline as much as 2% or grow by as much as 2% in the year ahead, a significant drop from same-store sales growth of nearly 10% in fiscal 2020.” Read more

 

Lowe’s aims to fund local community repair projects at Fortune. “…providing a total of $10 million for projects it will select, such as refurbishing a town’s theater that has fallen into disrepair, or repainting a seniors home, with work to be completed this calendar year. “It’s a way to state our long standing commitment of community service,” Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison tells Fortune. People can make submissions at  Lowes.com/100hometowns as of Tuesday and Lowe’s will award the grants in June.” Read more

 

The World’s Most Innovative Companies 2021 (Shopify #3, Lululemon #26) at Fast Company Top 50 list

 

Stitch Fix swings to a quarterly loss and softens outlook on shipping delays; shares plunge at CNBC. “Net sales rose 12% to $504.1 million, falling short of expectations of $512.2 million. Shipping delays over the holiday season meant that the company was forced to work through a backlog and couldn’t record revenue for all boxes shipped during the quarter.” Read more

 

PayPal plans to acquire Curv, a cryptocurrency startup based in Tel Aviv, Israel at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Target in talks to replace Macy’s in Water Tower Place, a switch one local official calls ‘embarrassing’ for Chicago’s Magnificent Mile at Chicago Tribune.”Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, who lives near the vertical mall, on Friday spoke out against Target’s potential arrival on the avenue in an interview on WGN Radio. Pappas said a Target store would damage the reputation of Michigan Avenue and nearby Oak Street as destinations for higher-end retailers.” Read more

 

Walmart expands shoppable TikTok efforts into beauty and outside brands Ad Age subs.

 

Shopify buys contract to suck CO2 from air to cut emissions at Reuters. “E-commerce firm Shopify said on Tuesday it would become the first customer to buy contract carbon removal units from Canada-based direct air capture company Carbon Engineering to slash its greenhouse gas emissions and called on others to follow suit.” 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

 

Amazon expanding its food delivery service, called Amazon Food, across 62 zip codes in Bangalore at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Wish Q4 revenue +38% Press release

 

Ahold CFO Aims to Make Online Sales a Larger Part of Its Revenues at Wall Street Journal. “In the U.S., Ahold’s biggest market, online sales grew to €1.97 billion, equivalent to $2.37 billion, in 2020, up more than 100% compared with the previous year. Still, this represents roughly only 4.3% of the company’s U.S. sales, which totaled €45.47 billion last year, up 15.6% compared with the prior-year period. Chief Financial Officer Natalie Knight is working to increase online sales further, she said.” WSJ subs.

 

Callaway Golf, Topgolf merger approved by shareholders at NBC. Read more

 

Gap weighing sale of China business: Bloomberg News at Fox Business. “Gap entered the Chinese market about a decade ago, betting on rising incomes in the world’s second largest economy to boost its sales. However, it stopped selling Old Navy apparel in the country last year…Gap’s Asian market accounts for about 5% of its overall net sales…” Read more

 

Casey’s General Stores Q3 inside comp sales +2.1% Press release

 

Target introduces new sweet and savory owned brand – Favorite Day at A Bullseye View. Read more

 

Amazon spends $131 million to take minority stake in air cargo contractor ATSG at CNBC. “It comes as Amazon continues to grow Amazon Air…with plans to open a $1.5 billion air hub in Kentucky later this year.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Soaring home prices are starting to alarm policymakers

Peloton alternative launches at Sam’s Club for $799

Home Depot and Lowe’s land on Citi’s consumer spending winners list

Nike announces senior leadership changes to drive consumer direct acceleration

Rolling Stone: The best products we tested in March 2021

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