Entries by jlong

SC #1 Growth | NWA #1 Metro | Goodwill +7%

Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs in the latest round of layoffs at AP. “Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at the ecommerce company, made the announcement Wednesday in a blog post…She said U.S.-based staff would be given 90 days to look for a new role internally.” Read more   South Carolina is the Nation’s Fastest-Growing State […]

SC #1 Growth | NWA #1 Metro | Goodwill +7%

  Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs in the latest round of layoffs at AP. “Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at the ecommerce company, made the announcement Wednesday in a blog post…She said U.S.-based staff would be given 90 days to look for a new role internally.” Read more   South Carolina is the Nation’s Fastest-Growing […]

Amazon Cuts Today? | Bain: Retail Slows | WD-40 Secret

  BAIN FORECAST: Retail sales growth will slow in the US, UK, France, and Germany in 2026 “Bain projects US retail sales to grow 3.5% year over year in 2026, to $5.3 trillion, slightly down from estimated 4.0% growth in 2025. Volume growth will be modest, with inflation projected to hover between 2.6% and 3.0%.” […]

Most Admired: Costco #7, WM #9 | GOP Hits CVS | Q3 GDP +4.4%

  Consumer spending pushes US economy up 4.4% in third quarter, fastest in two years at AP. “America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rose at a 4,4% annual pace in the third quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, up from 3.8% in the April-June quarter and from the […]

WM Home Glow Up | Stout Boom | China Pop. Bust

  Can a $1,699 Espresso Machine Help Walmart Challenge Amazon? at WSJ. “Walmart’s internal research shows that shoppers equate stylish designs with better quality, said Creighton Kiper, who runs the home category for Walmart in the U.S…“I went to Walmart because other people weren’t,” said (Drew) Barrymore of some other celebrity partnerships. When its (Beautiful) products […]

Saks Owes Chanel $136M | Amazon Buys US Copper | Gap New Role

  Inside the Mad Dash to Save Saks, America’s Last Luxury Retailer at WSJ. “Chanel’s tab is $136 million. At Kering, the company behind Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, the bill is nearly $60 million. And those are just two of the many brands owed money by Saks Global—a list so long it stretched […]

ICE Targets Target | CPI Steady | Mystery Shopping Gamble

  December core consumer prices rose at a 2.6% annual rate, less than expected at CNBC. “Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the consumer price index showed a seasonally adjusted 0.2% gain on a monthly basis and 2.6% annually, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Both were 0.1 percentage point below expectations.” Read more […]

HEB #1 Grocer | Costco +6.2% | WM Board +CEO | Sparky +Ads

  Costco December comp sales (ex fuel & f/x) +6.2%: US +6.3% / Canada +6.0% / Other Int’l +5.6% / Digitally Enabled +18.3% Press release   H-E-B and Market Basket Top dunnhumby’s Ninth Annual U.S. Grocery Rankings (Costco #4, Winco #6, Amazon #8) Top 10 list/Press release   Albertson’s Companies Inc. Q3 ID sales +2.4% […]