Walmart Canada’s COO Lee Tappenden to take over as Canadian head in August via Financial Post. “Prior to joining Walmart’s Canadian subsidiary, Tappenden held a number of global leadership roles including chief merchandising officer with Walmart Japan and vice-president of merchandising for the company’s international division.” Read more

 

Home Depot tells its stores, ‘Get comfortable with days of inventory, not weeks’ by Paul Ziobro at WSJ. “Home Depot Inc. is bringing a new philosophy to its cavernous stores: Less is more. Instead of filling its warehouse-style racks to the ceiling with Makita drills, rolls of Owens Corning insulation and cans of Rust-Oleum paint, Home Depot wants fewer items on its shelves and it wants them to be within customers’ reach.” Read more (subscription)

 

Kroger Sues Visa Over PIN Debit Transactions via The Enquirer. “It filed suit Monday in federal court in Cincinnati to block Visa from levying fines against the grocer for not allowing signatures instead of requiring PIN numbers when accepting Visa debit cards…The 47-page suit charges that Visa has fined Kroger $7 million over the 54,000 new chip terminals it has installed in 3,200 stores nationwide. Kroger said in the suit that it has paid $3.1 million to date.” Read more

 

Stores Accepting Food Stamps Face Stricter Rules by Annie Gasparro & Heather Haddon at WSJ. “Big supermarket chains like Wal-Mart already happen to meet the tougher requirements because of their breadth of inventory. But some 195,000 smaller stores would have to add as many as 168 items to their shelves—a move they say would be costly and unprofitable, given their limited shelf space and spoilage issues for fresh food.” Read more (subscription)

 

Planning Commission advises Fremont to take the next step on proposed Costco chicken plant by Paige Yowell at World-Herald. “Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend that the Fremont City Council declare more than 400 acres of land on Fremont’s southern edge “blighted and substandard,” which is required by state law for the project to qualify for tax-increment financing.” Read more

 

27 MILLION – After 3 Deaths, Ikea Recalls Millions Of Dangerous Dressers by Stephanie Gosk & Tim Stelloh at NBC. “Ikea has issued a recall for at least 27 million chests and dressers that can easily tip over onto children, injuring or killing them, NBC News confirmed.” Read more

 

**A message from 2016 Sweets & Snacks Expo –The Expo set a new attendance record with 17,000+ industry professionals from 90+ countries! Attendees represented 80% of the buying power in the candy category and 75% of the buying power in the snack category. Hershey’s Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cups received Best-In-Show new product award. See the post-show highlights. The 2017 Sweets & Snacks Expo is nearly 90% sold out and will take place May 23-25 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. See 2016 Expo Instagram pics #SSE16

 

Online Costco meets Whole Foods raises $111 million by AnnLee Ellingson at L.A. Biz. “Venture capitalists didn’t get it at first. Co-founders Nick Green and Gunnar Lovelace wanted to bring the Costco membership model to the kinds of natural and organic products consumers bought at Whole Foods and sell them online…Launched in 2014, the company says it has more than 300,000 paid members and ships more than $200,000 in good per day.” Read more

 

Report: Dick’s Sporting Goods bids on 17 Sports Authority stores at Reuters. Read more

 

…Dick’s Sporting Goods to surge 32%: Goldman via CNBC. “We expect sharp acceleration in earnings growth in 4Q16, as DKS cycles an easy compare with the benefit of share gain from TSA, and further acceleration in 1Q-3Q17, when ‘full run rate’ TSA benefits compound margin gains from in-sourcing eCommerce next year.” Read more (subscription)

 

Forget ‘Plus Size.’ JCPenney Just Bravely Stood Up for ‘Fat Girls’ by Rebecca Cullers at Adweek. “The nearly three-minute fist-pump for JCPenney’s plus size Boutique+ puts the focus on five fabulous fat girls who are defying society’s limited perceptions of what you’re allowed to do beyond a certain size.” See the spot / Read more

 

Warby Parker to open optical lab in Hudson Valley, add 128 jobs by Teresa Novellino at New York Business Journal. “Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Sen. Chuck Schumer announced the move as part of an arrangement made through the state’s economic development agency.” Read more

 

Nielsen Announces 2016 U.S. Breakthrough Innovation Award Winners “This year’s Breakthrough Innovation Award process reviewed close to 3,500 consumer products that were introduced to the market in 2014. Through this objective analysis, 18 brands met Nielsen’s requirements for distinctiveness, relevance and endurance to earn the award.” See the 18 winners

 

Walgreens Enables Coupon Redemption and Clipping on Digital Channels Read the release

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Target: Video Capturing Girl Getting Scolded By Shopper For Selling Candy Outside Store Goes Viral

Mountain Biker Tests a Walmart Huffy on a Downhill Trail (GoPro video)

Marijuana shops are more lucrative than Whole Foods, by at least one metric

Nearly 40% of consumers willing to buy groceries online available in their area

Amazon launches education content sharing service for K-12 teachers and schools

Online grocers expand their offerings with a merger

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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