CULT STATUS – Costco’s Private-Label Booze Helps Warm Spirits During Dry Spell by Molly Smith at Bloomberg. “Alcohol sales have surged at the warehouse-club chain, lifted in part by the cult status of Costco’s Kirkland Signature-branded liquors…some are even convinced that the spirits are actually top-shelf liquors such as Grey Goose and Tanqueray hidden behind Costco packaging…The category has grown 46 percent during the past five years.” Read more

 

Target’s Boston pride T-shirts get yanked over errors by Arden Dier at Newsday via USA Today. “A Twitter user was among the first to draw attention to numerous misspellings (Jamaica Plain is Jamaca Plain, for instance) on one shirt displaying a map of Boston neighborhoods, but that was just the beginning. The shirt also omitted the Mission Hill neighborhood and replaced Chinatown, Downtown, and a few other neighborhoods with a single non-existent one dubbed “Central,” reports Boston.com. Perhaps worst of all, it spelled Southie as Southy, notes Boston.com.” Read more

 

Tiffany’s profit beats on strong demand in Japan, China at CNBC. “Tiffany’s Americas sales fell 3 percent to $587 million in the quarter ended Jan. 31…leading to a 7 percent drop in sales in the quarter…Sales in Asia-Pacific, which includes China and Korea, rose 9 percent to $284 million, while sales in Japan rose 15 percent to $185 million.” Read more

 

Amazon’s Amit Agarwal promoted to SVP at The Times of India. “It is not clear how many SVPs Amazon currently has. The company website has names of four SVPs in the leadership team. A disclosure made to the markets in 2010 lists 10 SVPs in the company.” Read more

 

UNLEASH YOUR INNER ORANGE – Home Depot And Others Look To Recruit Visionaries At SXSW by Alissa Coram at Investors Business Daily. “Our primary benefit here, I would say, is recruiting,” said Home Depot (HD) Corporate Communications Manager Matt Harrigan, who said the company has been connecting with top tech talent, “definitely some visionaries, problem-solvers, that can help us stay on the leading edge of retail.” Video/Read more

 

These are the 138 JC Penney stores that are about to close List

 

Coachella suing Urban Outfitters by Alison Burdo at Philadelphia Business Journal. “Urban Outfitters’ website features a section called “The Festival Shop” that advertises “sunny days spent with friends at our favorite festivals,” and the company has for years run blog posts about “Coachella Street Style.” Read more

 

**A message from Fabe – Italian hand-crafted pillows prevent and relieve neck and back pain. Fabe’s Ergo Praxis pillow supports and aligns the head and neck to prevent cervical pain. Created in cooperation with Ludes University in Switzerland – it gets the body in the right position for a good night’s sleep. 100% Made in Italy. Ergo Praxis Specs | Fabe Website | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net. Italy to America product connection

 

Dollar General Q4 Comp Sales +1.0% Press release

 

…Dollar General Announces James Thorpe to Retire as Chief Merchandising Officer Press release

 

…Dollar General is starting to look a lot like Wal-Mart by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. Read more

 

1-800-Flowers.com sells Fannie May and Harry London chocolate brands to the maker of Nutella for $115 million by Gina Hall at New York Business Journal. Read more

 

Venezuela seizes bakeries amid bread shortage by Jim Wyss at Miami Herald. “President Nicolás Maduro launched “Plan 700” against what he called a “bread war,” ordering officials to do spot checks of bakeries nationwide. In the plan, the government said it would not allow people to stand in line for bread but it’s unclear how it might enforce the order.” Read more

 

Washington Post: D.C. Whole Foods closes for renovation after problem with rodents by Justin Wm. Moyer. Read more

 

Gordmans owes money to trucker Werner, possibly Nebraska Furniture Mart – 450 jobs lost by Russell Hubbard at Omaha World-Herald. “The company said this week it plans to permanently close its Aksarben Village headquarters and Omaha warehouse by May 12.” Read more

 

Jessica Alba’s Honest Company is replacing its CEO after a sale to Unilever fell through by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Nick Vlahos was most recently one of Clorox’s two chief operating officers and previously ran its Burt’s Bees subsidiary, a brand known for its “natural” vibe.” Read more

 

Amazon, eBay and QVC have the most loyal mobile shoppers (Walmart #4, Home Depot #8, Costco #13) by Stefany Zaroban at Internet Retailer. Top 15 list

 

hhgregg Terminates Letter of Intent Press release

 

Subway sues TV network over ‘soy chicken’ report by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “Subway’s is claiming $210 million in damages in the legal flap, blasting the soy-filler allegations from news show CBC Marketplace as “defamatory and absolutely false,” a Subway spokesman told The Post.” Read more

 

Jo-Ann Fabric Aims to Retarget Its In-Store Wi-Fi Users by Kate Kaye at Ad Age. “We’ll start targeting people who come in, are permissioned into Euclid, but don’t buy,” said Steve Miller, VP-marketing and business development at JoAnn.” Read more

 

COSTCO COMPLAINER – Former producer warns of costly chicken contracts by Andrew Ozaki at KETV ABC 7. “Watts doesn’t know what is in the Costco contract. He urged farmers to read it carefully. “Why would this be any better than anywhere else in the United States?” Ruppert said. Walt Shafer, the project manager of Lincoln Premium Poultry, the company that will operate the plant, said he didn’t know Watts or what his experience was.”The contract we are offering farmers is like nothing offered before,” Shafer said.” Video/Read more 

 

Why shoppers can expect Christmas-like deals at their local malls by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “We are in for a wild ride,” said Gabriella Santaniello, founder of A Line Partners, a retail research firm. “This is a massive, unprecedented wave of store closures, and when a Macy’s closes, it has the ability to impact every retailer in the mall.” Read more

 

Pine Grove kindergartners get inside look at Publix by Paulette Lash Ritchie at Tampa Bay Times. Read more

 

Apple’s other new office: Bizarre building shaped like a Mac’s command key revealed near the iPhone maker’s new spaceship HQ at Daily Mail. Pic/Read more

 

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Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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