Tuesday Tipsheet: PwC: AMZN #1, WMT #2 | Dollar Store=’Toxic’ Products? | Tracking Target’s Tie Teen
Lowe’s to launch innovation center in India by Varun Aggarwal at Economic Times. “Lowe’s expects to spend approximately $350M in their annual IT capital expenditures, including Omni-Channel capabilities. “We met with other retailers, asked them to explain how they were working on newage technology, and many of them pointed us to the global innovation centres they have in place in India,” (Robert) Niblock told ET in an exclusive interaction.” Read more
PwC Names ‘Top Ten Favorite Retailers’ (Amazon #1, Walmart #2, Target #3) by Andria Ching at MarketWatch. “PwC didn’t ask respondents to name their absolute favorite…Unlike past years, PwC combined both bricks-and-mortar and online retailers in one list. The total list comprised 38 retailers, and PwC declined to provide all the names. Some 71% of respondents have household income under $80,000, meaning that the list could be skewed toward certain kinds of retailers.” See the Top 10 list
…68% of respondents showroom…73% said they ended up making purchases at a physical store rather than online by Benjamin Snyder at Fortune. Read more
Retailers urged not to openly display Sports Illustrated ‘pornographic’ cover by Keith J. Kelly at NY Post. “The shot of the 24-year-old model pulling down the front of her bikini bottom “normalizes genital display,” according to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which wrote a letter to leading retail chains — including Walmart, CVS, 7-Eleven and Costco — asking them to display SI with its cover partially obscured as they would with adult magazines.” Read more
Arizona: Walmart tests grocery pickup service by Sue Doerfler at The Arizona Republic. “The service begins today at one Walmart Supercenter in Chandler and two in Mesa. It also is offered at select stores in Bentonville, Ark., and Denver.” Read more
***A Message from Orchard Road Canning: Orchard Road targets young canners with a simple and elegant glass jar design and a unique package design featuring authentic food-filled jars. See the sell sheet and package design. www.orchardroadcanning.com Contact info@shiftmarketinggroup.net for merchandising information.
Teen returns to Target to say thank you to store employee who helped him tie a tie for a job interview by James Gordon at Daily Mail. “Yasir’s mother is equally grateful to the strangers who showed her son kindness. ‘They could have just sold my son a tie,’ said Najirah Parrish. ‘But they took the time, helped him tie the tie and talked to him. They treated my son with dignity, respect.’ See the pics / Read more
…ABC 11 Tracks Down Target’s Tie Teen by Anna Laurel. “Moore went back for a second interview Saturday, and he did so well they will call him Friday for the next step in the interview process. Moore told ABC11 that he asked his parents to get him another new tie in case the same manager interviews him.” See the video / Read more
Report: Dollar-store products have unsafe levels of toxic chemicals at Louisville Business First. “The Campaign for Healthier Solutions tested 164 dollar-store products and found high levels of chemicals such as polyvinyl chloride, phthalates, lead and tin in 81 percent of them, WFPL-FM of Louisville, Ky., reports.” Read more
…See the 28 page report via Campaign for Healthier Solutions. Read more
Shop.org/Forrester Research: Mobile as a Percentage of Online Sales Increased 50% in 2014 Read the release
It’s No Fun Making Toys, Toasters in USA by James R. Hagerty at WSJ. “In terms of expertise and production capacity, “we let so much leave the country that you can’t find what you need,” he said.” Read more (Subscription)
Home Depot: hiring more than 80,000 workers for spring by Anne d’Innocenzio at AP via Yahoo News. Read more
Walmart VP of US Manufacturing to Address Plastics Industry Read the release
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