Archive for year: 2024

 

Costco April comp sales +5.6% Press release

 

Organized retail theft ring that targeted Macy’s, other retailers is charged in New York at CNBC. “Two New Yorkers were charged with possessing more than $1 million in stolen goods and reselling them through their business, Rehana’s Cosmetics, a perfume and cosmetics store in Midtown Manhattan, the borough’s district attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference. About $212,000 of the merchandise was stolen from Macy’s…” Read more

 

Insiders reveal why Walmart pulled the plug on Sam Walton’s dream to ’get the hospitals and doctors in line’ at Fortune/Yahoo. “While the company blamed “a challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs” as reasons for pulling the plug on Walmart Health, the reality was likely more complicated, as the five-year experiment was also plagued by leadership turnover and at times internal politics, according to multiple sources familiar with its operations. It also faced a miscalculation of how many patients would be willing to pay in cash.” Read more

 

Costco-loving man caught off guard by loved ones in store for his surprise birthday party at Fox Business. “Emma Blevins planned the whole thing out for her husband Clint’s 27th birthday, which was on Sunday, she told Storyful. A more than four-minute-long video shows him gleefully walking through the store, coincidentally running into loved ones and even explaining to one group that it is his birthday.” Read more/Video

 

Amazon rolls out fleet of heavy-duty electric trucks at GeekWire. “…has begun rolling out nearly 50 heavy-duty all-electric trucks in Southern California — its largest such fleet — to handle first- and middle-mile operations…” Read more

 

Ingles Markets Q2 net sales down 0.95% Press release

 

***A message from Su Salsa: Put the lime in the dip – not the chip! Su Salsa Mild salsa has a hint of lime and cilantro flavor with a kick of jalapeno at the end. Presentation/Lime Green Label | Request sample: jlong@eyeonretail.net

 

NYC’s hottest new hamburger is from a gas station at NY Post. “The tiny hamburger joint Smacking Burger has opened inside of a working gas station — which happens to be the last one in Manhattan below 14th Street. On a recent Saturday, the owners said they served some 800 customers.” Read more

 

The Buckle April comp sales down 6% Press release

 

America’s Cash for Clunkers Is Back—in China at WSJ. “Beijing isn’t just dangling financial incentives to trade in old jalopies for new vehicles, though, as the U.S. did. It also wants households to swap out rickety home appliances and factories to get new equipment. Beijing has billed the trade-in program as a long-awaited stimulus package aimed at lifting consumer spending, although economists are doubtful the effect will be large.” WSJ subs.

 

US Foods Q1 net sales up 4.8% Press release

 

Loblaw boycott organizer says she met with CEO to talk about grocery prices at Yahoo

 

Walmart has taken delivery of a Tesla Semi at Teslarati. “X user Accelerating Tech posted photos of a Walmart-branded Tesla Semi on Saturday, as spotted just a day earlier in Stockton, California.” Read more/Pics

 

…Tesla expands Semi testing program, partners with Costco, Sysco, and US Foods at Drive Tesla. “…in two separate sightings shared online this week a Tesla Semi has been seen pulling a Costco trailer.” Read more

 

Warby Parker Q1 net revenue up 16.3% Press release

 

Amazon launches a Prime-free marketplace in South Africa, its first on the continent at TechCrunch. “Amazon is launching in South Africa without its famous Prime membership program…initially it plans to sell international brands and local products spanning some 20 product categories…” Read more

 

Target treks off the beaten path – by selling its own-brand products at other retailers at Fortune/Yahoo. “…plans to expand its Cat & Jack children’s clothing line across 85 Hudson’s Bay Co. Canadian department stores, adding outerwear and shoes to the brand’s 1,400 items…Since the partnership launched in March, the brand has been incredibly popular in Canada, Target reported, resulting in a 15% increase in basket size at Hudson’s Bay. Target has no plans to replicate its own-brand expansion in the U.S…” Read more

 

Life Time fitness leans into pickleball with Lululemon partnership at CNBC. “…relationship includes selling Lululemon apparel online at Life Time clubs, in addition to collaborating on key pickleball events…Saturday, Life Time unveiled Manhattan’s largest indoor pickleball destination, just blocks from Penn Station. The 54,000-square-foot club has seven street-level pickleball courts…” Read more

 

Gen Z Sinks Deeper Into Debt at WSJ. “The average credit-card balance for 22- to 24-year-olds was $2,834 in the last quarter of 2023, compared with an average inflation-adjusted balance of $2,248 in the same period in 2013, according to new data from credit-reporting agency TransUnion.” WSJ subs.

 

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon to Speak at University of Arkansas’ Spring Commencement “McMillon will speak at the university commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 11, at 8:30 a.m. in Bud Walton Arena.” Read more

 

Lowe’s upgrades to digital security camera network at Chain Store Age. “Lowe’s…has shifted more than 80,000 analog in-store analog security cameras to a streamlined digital system…more than 35,000 associates across a wide variety of functions have access…the merchandising department may also use the camera system to gauge foot traffic around seasonal displays…” Read more

 

Uber Eats to Power Restaurant Delivery on Instacart Press release

 

Cash-Stretched New Homebuyers Are Drawing a Line at Fixer-Uppers at Bloomberg/Yahoo. “When agents identified the repairs and updates needed to make listed homes ready to live in, we were shocked by the scope,” according to a report from Jody Kahn and Dillan Krieg at John Burns. “Buyers want homes that are move-in ready.” Read more

 

Walgreens is now a candy destination, thanks to TikTok at CBS News. “…ramping up production of Walgreen’s Nice! Gummy Mango peelable candy, and limiting online sales to one bag per customer due to high demand for the squishy treats, fed by social media.” Read more

 

CANADA – Competition Bureau launches inquiry into Lululemon over ’greenwashing’ allegations at Financial Post. “Stand.earth…issued a statement early this year saying Lululemon has been using the slogan “Be Planet” as part of its “impact agenda” released in 2020, but the company’s own reports reveal a doubling of greenhouse-gas emissions since then.” Read more

 

In China, Costco, Sam’s Club make play for thrifty shoppers at Nikkei Asia. “Alibaba Group Holding’s Freshippo, widely known as Hema in Chinese…has nine warehouse stores in China…Also growing fast is Fudi, operated by a Chinese agricultural products seller, with four stores in Beijing. Its membership information emphasizes that its stores are “member stores for the people themselves,” appealing to patriotic sentiment.” Read more

 

Bloomingdale’s Men’s Fashion Director Justin Berkowitz Joins NN.07 as Strategic Partner WWD Subs.

 

Amazon to Close Grocery Fulfillment Center in San Francisco at Progressive Grocer. “As it closes one facility, the e-commerce giant is looking to build a 650,000-square-foot logistics center in San Francisco’s Showplace Square neighborhood, which is being vetted by city planners.” Read more

 

Walmart Takes On Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods With New Premium Brand at WSJ. “…introducing a line of premium food called Bettergoods this year, aiming to attract new, often higher income shoppers more frequently…The new brand took years to develop and will include foods such as cardamom rose raspberry jam for $5.24 and curry chicken empanadas. Walmart plans to add more than 300 Bettergoods items to shelves this year—many of which will cost $5 or less.” WSJ subs.

 

…products will fit within one of three major areas…items with more of a culinary flair…items that are plant-based…or items that exclude certain ingredients, such as gluten- and antibiotic-free chicken nuggets at CNBC | Press release

 

Walmart closing all 51 of its health clinics at CNBC. “…said it would also shutter its telehealth provider, which it acquired for an undisclosed amount in 2021…won’t affect the company’s 4,600 pharmacies and more than 3,000 vision centers…The clinic will close over the next 45 to 90 days, two people familiar with the matter told CNBC.” Read more

 

America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2024 (Costco, Target, Walmart, Schnucks & many more) at Newsweek

 

CANADA – Documents reveal feds’ efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code at Toronto Sun

 

A new Walmart in-store AI is giving employees advice on how to sell products before it’s too late at CNBC. “The internally developed AI technology allows Walmart employees to scan produce like bananas to see how ripe the product is. Then, using generative AI, a digital dashboard will make a suggestion on what to do with the product, eliminating the need for human decision making in the absence of informed advice.” Read more

 

FTC Accuses Amazon’s Jeff Bezos of Using Signal’s Disappearing Messages to Discuss Competitors at Inc.

 

CANADA – Grocery shoppers plan Loblaw boycott in May at Financial Post. “Johnson and others started organizing the boycott after a Reddit group she created gained thousands of followers looking for a place to complain about Loblaw and other grocers. The page, r/loblawsisoutofcontrol, now has about 56,000 members.” Read more

 

Dollar Tree DC in Oklahoma hit by tornado “…none of the 456 associates…were injured…pivoted its network to deliver product to the approximately 600 Marietta-serviced Dollar Tree stores…expects that these efforts will limit disruption to the Dollar Tree shopping experience.” Press release

 

London Drugs closes its 80 stores until further notice due to cyberattack at CBC

 

Walmart opens childcare center on new home office campus “Generously supported by the Walton family, this 73,000-square-foot facility will provide a safe and enriching environment for infants through pre-K…capacity to accommodate more than 500 children…will be the largest childcare offering in the Northwest Arkansas region.” Press release

 

…There is also a parent courtyard, allowing parents working on campus to check their children out and have a meal or time together at NWA Online

 

An $850 million retail giant is giving candidates their questions before a job interview because ‘nerves can seriously impact performance’ at Fortune/Yahoo Finance. “Those applying for a job at John Lewis Partnership, the U.K.’s largest employee-owned business, now won’t have to panic about which dreaded questions could arise during the interview because the $850 million retail giant has just published them all online.” Read more

 

Amazon launches low-cost grocery delivery subscription plan in US at Reuters. “…unlimited grocery delivery at $9.99 per month on orders over $35 from Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh, and other local grocery and specialty retailers on the platform, including Save Mart, Bartell Drugs, Rite Aid and Pet Food Express…available in over 3,500 cities…SNAP (individuals) would…pay a reduced $4.99 fee per month for the same perks and do not require a Prime membership…” Read more

 

Walmart-backed fintech One introduces buy now, pay later as it prepares bigger push into lending at CNBC. “Walmart’s majority-owned fintech startup One has begun offering buy now, pay later loans for big-ticket items at some of the retailer’s more than 4,600 U.S. stores, CNBC has learned. The move puts One in direct competition with Affirm, the BNPL leader and exclusive provider of installment loans for Walmart customers since 2019.” Read more

 

Britain’s biggest sportswear retailer JD Sports to buy US rival Hibbett at Yahoo Finance. “It will pay $87.50 per Hibbett share in cash, representing a premium of about 20% to the U.S. firm’s last closing price…Hibbett has about 1,169 stores across 36 U.S. states…(JD) already owns Shoe Palace, which has a big presence on the U.S. west coast, and DTLR, which is established in the east.” Read more

 

Express files for bankruptcy, plans to close nearly 100 stores as investor group looks to save the brand at CNBC. “…a group of investors led by brand management firm WHP Global is looking to save the company by acquiring it. Express, whose portfolio includes its namesake banner, Bonobos and UpWest, said it will close 95 of its eponymous shops and all of its UpWest doors.” Read more

 

Amazon ends California drone delivery – will extend drone delivery to Arizona at TechCrunch. “…ending Prime Air drone delivery operations in Lockeford, California. The Central California town of 3,500 was the company’s second U.S. drone delivery site, after College Station, Texas…College Station deliveries will continue, along with a forthcoming site in Tolleson, Arizona set to kick off deliveries later this year.” Read more

 

Kroger, Albertsons to sell 166 more stores seeking approval of $25 billion merger at Reuters. “With the additional 166 stores, the companies are now selling 579 stores to C&S, as well as giving it access to Albertsons Signature and O Organics private label brands.” Read more

 

…Albertsons Q4 ID Sales +1.0% Press release

 

DoorDash adds Amazon vet to board at GeekWire. “Former longtime Amazon exec Jeff Blackburn joined the board of DoorDash. Blackburn, who retired from Amazon in 2022, joined the board of Roku last year.” Read more

 

Walmart reports on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at Talk Business. “42.51% of people of color hold management positions in 2024, up from 40.65% a year ago. The officer ranks also improved for people of color to 29.66% from 27.61% a year ago. Latino employees holding management positions increased to 14.08%, up from 10.93%.” Read more

 

***A message from Su Salsa: Put the lime in the dip – not the chip! Su Salsa Mild salsa has a hint of lime and cilantro flavor with a kick of jalapeno at the end. Presentation/Lime Green Label | Request sample: jlong@eyeonretail.net

 

Kitty rescued from brink of death now a Target model at NY Post

 

Massive new Costco, once slated to be world’s largest, to open in California at SF Gate. “The store was originally planned to be the company’s largest in the world at over 240,000 square feet; a Salt Lake City store currently holds the title at 235,000 square feet, and the average size of Costco warehouses in the U.S. is 146,000 square feet. But the company walked those plans back after receiving concerns from the community.” Read more

 

Amazon surprises 13 Seattle-area students with ‘Future Engineer’ college scholarships at GeekWire

 

Michelle Obama signs books undercover at St. Louis Target at Fox 2

 

NY Home Depot hires guards, dogs to keep parking lot safe from thieves at NY Post. “The guarded New Rochelle lot was quiet and no migrants loitered there when The Post visited this week, though seven miles away in Throggs Neck, the Bronx, at least 30 male migrants hovered at the doors of Home Depot. Some were day laborers simply trying to “shape” for work with local contractors. But many others aggressively confronted shoppers, trying to sell them phony Apple Airpods or soliciting tips for lifting items from shopping carts into cars — even when uninvited.” Read more

 

CVS loses latest bid to escape HIV patients’ discrimination lawsuit at Reuters

 

Walmart’s new corporate campus in Bentonville will include Wright’s Barbecue restaurant at Talk Business. “…the campus has food and beverage partnerships lined up with Onyx, Heroes and Airship coffee roasters and a “global array of made-from-scratch delights” at 8th & Plate…Walmart’s campus construction is nearing the finish line, and most campus buildings are expected to open in 2025…encompasses roughly nine city blocks, 12 office buildings and 10 community buildings with outdoor and indoor recreation areas.” Read more | Virtual campus tour

 

 $300 million mega yacht owned by Walmart heiress at YachtWorld

 

Nike Reverses Course as Innovation Stalls and Rivals Gain Ground at WSJ. “…as the CEO spoke at the meeting, critical comments started to fill the chat window on the Zoom call while more than 20,000 employees watched. “Accountability: I do not think that word means what you think it means,” an employee wrote….Soon a cascade of laughing emojis filled the screen…The attacks went on for several minutes.” WSJ subs.

 

Target confirms it’s all but completely ditching DVDs in physical stores at The Verge

 

Costco Distribution Drivers Become First in Nation to Unionize “…a group of nearly 150 Costco Distribution drivers voted to become members of Teamsters Local 174…Costco driver Paul Lowrie (said)  ‘Costco may not be a bad place to work, but being in a Union will make everything better for us…’ Press release