Home Depot mobile chief: Google’s Mobilegeddon helped my company by Mark Sullivan at Venture Beat. “Mike Amend told VentureBeat CEO Matt Marshall onstage at the MobileBeat conference that Home Depot saw a six percent uptick in clicks on mobile entries after the change. It also saw a one percent increase in the effectiveness of its search keywords.” Read more

 

Target Launches School Shopping List Tool, Taps Social Media Stars by Ashley Rodriguez at Ad Age. “Target is gearing up for back-to-school, its second biggest selling season, with half a dozen new spots starring social media influencers, as well as a new tool called “School List Assist” and deals to make shopping easier for parents. The effort aims to establish Target as a one-stop shopping destination during the high-traffic period, said Rick Gomez, SVP-marketing at Target.” Read more

 

Up To 60,000 Canadians Affected By Possible Walmart Credit Card Data Breach by Daniel Tencer at HuffPo. “Walmart Canada has taken down the website for its online photo processing service following a possible data breach that may have compromised customers’ credit card numbers…“We immediately launched an investigation and will be contacting customers who may be impacted,” Alex Robertson, Walmart Canada’s director for corporate affairs, said in a statement.” Read more

 

Markets jarred by surprisingly weak retail sales at Reuters via CNBC. “The Commerce Department said on Tuesday retail sales slipped 0.3 percent last month, the weakest reading since February…Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales rising 0.2 percent last month.” Read more

 

With new CEO, Walgreens faces unique governance issues by Ameet Sachdev at Chicago Tribune. “…a chief executive is normally not the largest shareholder in a large public corporation like Walgreens…”Twenty percent makes him pretty powerful,” said (Charles) Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. “It puts other directors in an awkward position when evaluating him.” Read more

 

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Do reusable shopping bags encourage an unhealthier diet? by Angelica Lieth at Triangle Business Journal. “The researchers examined the habits of 884 families who made almost 143,000 shopping trips during a two-year period…They found shoppers who bring their own bags were more likely to buy organic goods, but also were more likely to purchase unhealthier items, such as ice cream, cakes, candy, cookies and chips.” Read more

 

Dollar Tree to build 400-job distribution center in Upstate S.C. by Ken Elkins at Charlotte Business Journal. “The project will receive a $1.5 million S.C. grant to improve the site of Interstate 85. Dollar Tree also is eligible for job-development credits.” Read more

 

Food Lion Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items via Yahoo. “The price reductions are based on extensive customer research of frequently purchased items, such as everyday staples like apple juice, peanut butter, frozen vegetables, canned beans and household items like paper towels, detergent and much more. “ Read the release

 

BuyMeBuy Saves Food From the Landfill with Discounts as Expiration Dates Loom by Sean Captain at Fast Company. “We’re helping get food to the underserved,” (Carlos) de Santiago says, “either if you’re on a really low budget or you’re homeless…and that reduces waste by tons.” Read more

 

Amazon builds 208MW wind farm by James Risley at Geek Wire. “The new wind farm will…generate enough energy to power 61,000 homes. The 208 megawatt facility will be constructed and maintained by Iberdrola Renewables and will be the first utility-scale wind farm in North Carolina.” Read more

 

Fascinating maps show where and why men die early and women survive by Ana Swanson at Washington Post. “Depending on the location and the age group, some places have a lot more women than men, and vice versa — as a fascinating series of maps by Dadaviz’s Jishai Evers shows.” See the map

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s really happening in the world of retail. See our website at www.eyeonretail.net