Amazon sues longtime exec over new job at Target, says retail rival will be able to steal its secrets by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “While interviewing with Target’s most senior executives, Mr. Valdez referenced not only core aspects of Amazon’s confidential information, training and expertise, but also the title and topics of a key analysis and strategy meeting Mr. Valdez was contributing to and participating in at Amazon,” the company says in its suit.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart names Disney’s Brian Besanceney as chief communications officer by Frank Washkuch at PR Week. “He will report to Dan Bartlett, EVP of corporate affairs at the retailer. Besanceney will have four direct reports: VP of global internal communications Tracy Harlow; VP of shows and events Mark Henneberger; VP of global corporate communications Greg Hitt; and senior director of executive communications Nathan Barr.” Read more

 

comScore: Top 50 U.S. Digital Media Properties for February 2016 (Amazon #5, Walmart #22) See the top 50 list

 

Here’s how Macy’s decides which stores to close by Andy Brownfield at Cincinnati Business Courier. “Hoguet also noted that when a retail location closes, Macy’s sees a corresponding drop in sales on macys.com and bloomingdales.com. She speculated that part of the dip in online sales could come from consumers not having a convenient way to return merchandise that doesn’t fit or that they don’t like.” Read more

 

Meet Ad Age’s 2016 40 Under 40 (Deisha Barnett – Walmart, Olivia Kim – Nordstrom…) See the full list

 

Target Begins Testing Concepts from the Food + Future coLab at a Bullseye View. “First, at the Fenway Target store in Boston, the team tested a concept known as Good & Gather that flips the traditional food label on its head by boldly and clearly displaying ingredients on the front of packaging rather than in fine print on the back. A second concept, aimed at providing real time nutritional information, allows people to scan fruits and vegetables, learn the exact nutritional value and then pay based on freshness.” Read more

 

Reporter Gets Sneak Peek Inside Home Depot’s Product Walk by Marni Jameson at Orlando Sentinel. “Blue has been rising for a while but is big, big, big, in every sector, and isn’t going away…feeding a growing appetite for grey, the company’s Behr paint line is adding 69 new shades of gray, almost doubling the number it currently offers…in kitchens: Tone on tone in shades of white, taupe and grey are what consumers will crave, predicts Sarah Fishburne, director of trend and design for the Home Depot.” Read more

 

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Cuba: Michelle Obama’s Sundress Sells Out Online at Bergdorf Goodman by Jeanette Settembre at NY Daily News. “She choose a perfect dress for her visit to Cuba, the print is decidedly warm friendly upbeat and the shape is classic, sophisticated and appropriate,” stylist Gretta Monahan tells the Daily News.” See the dress / Read more

 

CREDIT CARD FRAUD BAZAAR – Carders Park Piles of Cash at Joker’s Stash at Krebs on Security. “Unlike so many carding sites that mainly resell cards stolen by other hackers, Joker’s Stash claims that all of its cards are “exclusive, self-hacked dumps.” “This means – in our shop you can buy only our own stuff, and our stuff you can buy only in our shop – nowhere else,” Joker’s Stash explained on an introductory post.” Read more

 

CNBC: When $1 can be much more: The dollar-store divide by Krystina Gustafson. “Thanks to a round of minimum wage hikes and a lower unemployment rate, dollar stores are poised to benefit from a healthier low-income consumer. But in analysts’ eyes, there’s one chain in particular (Dollar General) that’s likely to reap the biggest reward.” Read more

 

Staples’ merger with Office Depot hangs in balance at court hearing by Diane Bartz & Clarece Polk at Reuters via Yahoo. “Reinhart argued that Amazon is not a true competitor to Staples or Office Depot…Staples’ lawyer, Diane Sullivan, argued that her client was “like penguins on a melting iceberg,” referring to Amazon’s 2015 announcement that it planned to enter the office supplies market in a serious way.” Read more

 

…Lawyers for the two sides in Monday’s proceedings at times expressed something akin to disbelief at their opponents’ arguments by Brent Kendall at WSJ. Read more (subscription)

 

Ralph Nader: Amazon would make highways more dangerous ‘to get you your toothpaste faster’ by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “The New York Times reported that Nader said he wrote to Bezos, asking the company to stop supporting the proposal, but never heard back from the Amazon CEO. “Drones and longer trucks, what are all these efforts for?” Nader told the New York Times. “To get you your toothpaste faster?” Read more

 

Coke Tweaks Its Business Model Again by Mike Esterl at WSJ. “Coke management knows it has to get moving to avoid becoming an acquisition target. “The clock is ticking,’’ said Carlos Laboy, a beverage analyst at HSBC.” Read more (subscription)

 

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