Walmart in blockchain collaboration with FDA at Reuters. “IBM, Merck and Walmart have been chosen for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration pilot program that will explore using blockchain technology to improve the security of prescription drug supply and distribution.” Read more

 

Target expands same-day delivery options – Shoppers pay a flat fee of $9.99 per order at CNBC. “Up until now, Target shoppers have been able to get orders delivered on the same day by being a Shipt member, which costs $99 per year. That option is still available for everyone, Target said, but the company is making it easier for people to choose same-day delivery on an order-by-order basis, versus signing up for an annual membership.” Read more

 

Walmart Adjusts to Trump’s Tariffs Through a Price-Changing Tool by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “The retailer introduced the tool, dubbed “Cost Change Scenario,” a year ago and has been rolling it out across product categories, according to internal memos and emails obtained by Bloomberg. The online application, whose existence hasn’t previously been reported, replaces Excel-based forms that vendors had to fill out manually.” Tiered subs.

 

Lululemon Q1 comp sales +14%, beating a Refinitiv consensus estimate for 11.6% growth at CNBC. Read more

 

Walmart will fold Jet.com into Walmart.com by Catherine Shu at TechCrunch. “Jet president Simon Belsham will support the transition through early August. After that, Jet will be managed by Kiernan Shanahan, Walmart  senior vice president of food, consumables and health and wellness and the lead of Walmart Ecommerce’s Everyday Living category.” Read more

 

Greenpeace report ranks 20 grocers on their plastic reduction plans – H-E-B scored last among grocers by Paul Takahashi at Houston Chronicle. “H-E-B does not participate in surveys, which we believe is responsible for our low score,” Lisa Helfman, director of H-E-B’s public affairs in Houston, said in an email.” Read more | Greenpeace report

 

RH Earnings, Sales Top Estimates; RH Stock Jumps at Investor’s Business Daily. “RH on Wednesday reported first-quarter earnings per share of $1.85, a 53% jump…Net sales rose 7.4% to $599 million, above estimates for $583 million.” Read more

 

A Buyout Won’t Solve Saks Owner’s Real Issue: Department Stores Are Dying by Suzanne Kapner at Wall Street Journal. “Some investors say the Hudson’s Bay Co. buyout offer of C$9.45 a share is too low, given that its CEO Helena Foulkes recently told investors at a conference that the company’s real estate is worth C$28 a share.” WSJ subs.

 

Alibaba files for HK listing that may raise $20 billion as soon as third quarter at Reuters. Read more

 

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Why Targeting Millennial Consumers Might Not Be Such a Hot Idea After All by Robert Klara at Adweek. “That’s one of the takeaways of a brand new study from Deloitte’s Center for Consumer Insight, which surveyed over 4,000 American consumers to determine their current consuming habits. And when it came to millennials, one statistic stuck out: Since 1996, the average net worth of consumers under 35 has dropped by 35%.” Tiered subs.

 

Kroger and Ocado Break Ground on America’s First High-Tech Customer Fulfillment Center Press release

 

Women’s clothing rental service Armoire raises more cash, moves into new Seattle HQ by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “Starting at $149 per month, Armoire ships designer clothes to members who can swap out the items at any time or purchase them at a discounted rate.” Read more

 

Chewy founder on its fast-approaching IPO: “It’s like seeing by baby graduate” by Connie Loizos at TechCrunch. “TC: Without outside help, how did you get started? RC: We contacted a local distributor who worked with a [third-party logistics] company that was next to him, and we started buying product the same day.  Then we started marketing to cities and states near fulfillment centers, using all direct response marketing that we were able to optimize on the fly.” Q&A

 

Blue Apron Appoints Irina Krechmer as Chief Technology Officer Press release

 

Amazon ranks No. 1 as most dog-friendly company in America (PetSmart #4, Petco #7, Chewy #12) by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “There are more than 6,000 registered dogs who come to Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, with 500 coming in on the average day.” Read more | Rover list

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Full list of cereals and snacks that tested positive for glyphosate

Tyson is launching a new part-beef, part-pea burger

Amazon execs slam Oracle and Microsoft as the cloud wars heat up

Costco announces the location of its first New Zealand store

Jeff Bezos: This is who ‘always wins’ in business

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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