Kohl’s ready to partner with grocer or c-store to fill vacant store space at CNBC. “(Kohl’s) has created operationally smaller, more profitable stores…That downsizing leaves unused footage, which Mansell said would benefit from traffic-generating retailers like those that sell food. “If we had our preference, we are going first after well-capitalized companies, and preferably ones that have high traffic in grocery and convenience” Mansell said.” Read more

 

Immigration agents raid dozens of 7-Eleven stores at CNBC. “Agents targeted about 100 stores nationwide…Derek Benner, a top official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told The Associated Press that Wednesday’s operation was “the first of many” and “a harbinger of what’s to come” for employers.” Read more

 

RESPECT THE CIRCULAR – The Hottest Targeted Ad? The Weekly Circular by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “Boxed spent 80% more on print advertising in 2017 compared with 2016 and says it now makes up about 12% of the marketing budget…Early last year, visits to Costco warehouse stores slowed slightly after the retailer sent fewer paper pamphlets touting deals. “We decided to change back immediately,” said Costco’s finance chief, Richard Galanti.” Read more (subs.)

 

Over 100 CEOs urge Congress to protect Dreamers in open letter (Cornell, Joly, Bezos, Peck, Wenig) List/Letter

 

How Hit Songs in Commercials Might Be Making You Shop More by Colin Stutz at Billboard. “Popular song syncs are a staple of modern advertisement, but it turns out these commercial uses benefit more than just good vibes — they increase viewers’ attention, emotion and memory by 20 percent and deliver a significant rise in effectiveness over multiple viewings.” Read more

 

Circuit City To Relaunch Feb. 15 by Alan Wolf at Twice. “The go-to-market plan…will begin with an experiential website and expand to kiosks, store-in-stores and ultimately showrooms….No date has been set for a showroom rollout, although Shmoel said major retailers in various distribution channels have expressed interest in his branded, traffic-driving store-in-stores.” Read more

 

CES organizers blame rainstorm for power outage, as weather continues to disrupt tech conference by Nat Levy at GeekWire. Pics/Read more

 

Glaxo Hires Ex-Walmart CIO Karenann Terrell at Daily Mail. Read more

 

Walmart Gets on Board with Automated Sampling by Patrycja Malinowska at Shopper Marketing. “Freeosk…now appears to have fairly saturated most major urban markets via (Walmart)…Freeosk also is available at select Giant Eagle stores (20 total) since July 2016, and last April expanded to Meijer (with 15 total locations).” Pics/Read more

 

Do Soda Taxes Work? Not Unless Retailers Raise Prices by Bryan Bollinger & Steven Sexton at Harvard Business Review. “Berkeley, California, was the first city in the U.S. to approve a soda tax on distributors…But our research estimated that this tax reduced calorie intake among Berkeley soda drinkers by only a few calories per day. We found that much of the cost of the tax is not being passed along to consumers, and consumption is not significantly dropping.” Read more (tiered subs.)

 

Grocery retailers located near Lidl stores in the U.S. set their prices for key staple products up to 55% lower compared to markets where Lidl is not present Press release

 

**A message from Hot Shot – There’s no place like home. When bugs cross your threshold, count on Hot Shot® brand for practical, easy-to-use, effective home insect solutions that take care of the creepy-crawlies for you – without breaking the bank. Save the Day. Facebook page

 

Academy Sports + Outdoors Names (Ex-Meijer & Ex-Family Dollar Exec) Michael Mullican CFO Press release

 

LOOKIN’ GOOD – Nike shows off gear that Team USA athletes will wear on the 2018 Olympics medal podium by Clare Duffy at Portland Business Journal. Pics/Read more

 

Tens Of Thousands Of Walmart Workers Win Labor Row Cert. by Dave Simpson at Law 360. “A California federal judge granted certification Tuesday to three classes of Walmart workers who claim the big-box retailer underpaid them for missing lunch breaks and did not provide enough information on their pay stubs.” Law 360 subs.

 

Amazon is seeking up to 1 million square feet in Boston by Tim Logan at Boston Globe. Read more

 

Fox Television Group chairman Dana Walden has bowed out of Amazon’s search process for a leader for its Amazon Studios entertainment arm by Cynthia Littleton at Variety. Read more

 

Tesco reports 1.9 percent rise in Christmas like-for-like sales via CNBC. Read more

 

…Tesco boss hands Christmas gift to his enemies by Andrea Felsted at Bloomberg. “CEO Dave Lewis is trying to convince his investors to back the company’s 3.9 billion pound ($5.3 billion) purchase of Booker Plc…A knock-out Christmas would have banished any doubts…Tesco didn’t deliver that.” Read more

 

Hype Meets Reality as Electric Car Dreams Run Into Metal Crunch by Elisabeth Behrmann, Jack Farchy & Sam Dodge at Bloomberg. “Complicating the process is the fact that the cobalt trail inevitably leads to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where corruption is entrenched in everyday business practices…The African nation produces more than 60 percent of the world’s cobalt, a fifth of which is drawn out by artisanal miners who work with their hands — some of whom are children.” Read more

 

FIVE-SYLLABLES – Man notices something about Trader Joe’s products – that you can sing the names of them to the tune of “Eleanor Rigby” by Andy Golder at BuzzFeed. Pics/Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Young Girls Mistake Costco Cashier for Moana Character — and He Plays Along

Sam’s Club health chief Jill Turner-Mitchael to retire

Woman returns her Christmas tree to Costco in Jan. because it died – and they gave her a refund

Chicago Cubs find their new marketing guru at Gatorade

Stater Bros. Promotes 3 More

H-E-B president to speak at Temple business banquet

Lyft debuting craft beer brand with ride discounts on each can

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

**

Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

Contact us: Send story tips, press releases and advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net