Archive for category: Eye-on-Retail

PayPal pushes into in-person payments with cashback rewards, Apple integration at Reuters. “PayPal is expanding into U.S. point-of-sale payments by integrating its debit card with Apple’s mobile wallet and offering 5% cashback rewards, as the global online payments giant seeks direct competition with tech companies and banks.” Read more

Target slows store theft, but at a cost to shopping experience at Minneapolis Star Tribune. “They’ve locked up a lot,” said Joey Mueller, 31, about his local Target store in northeast Minneapolis. “It’s toothpaste, deodorant, laundry detergent. … Out of principle, if it’s locked up, I don’t buy it.” Read more

Casey’s Q1 inside comp sales +2.3% Press release

Shein’s pop-up store ruffles South African retail sector at Reuters. “The store that opened in Mall of Africa, north of Johannesburg, for just over a week in August attracted long queues of customers eager for clothes and accessories often selling for the equivalent of less than $10 each.” Read more

The Buckle, Inc. August comp sales +1.7% Press release

Dollar Tree, Inc. Q2 comp sales: Dollar Tree +1.3%; Family Dollar -0.1%; Enterprise +0.7% “We are encouraged by the continuous progress we are making in the transformation underway at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, despite immense pressures from a challenging macro environment,” said Rick Dreiling, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.” Press release

Ontario’s corner stores allowed to sell alcohol as of today at Yahoo. “All grocery stores will be able to sell alcohol by Oct. 31, but spirits will only be available in Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores and outlets. Shim said the development for convenience stores is a lifeline to many stores that have seen tobacco sales plummet, which he attributes to the rise of illegal tobacco sales and a slumping economy.” Read more

Dick’s Q2 comp sales +4.5% Press release

Amazon is ‘joint employer’ of some contracted delivery drivers, labor group says at CNBC. “Amazon has fought to avoid being designated as a joint employer of its sprawling network of contracted delivery companies. Lawmakers and labor groups, including the Teamsters union, have disputed the company’s characterization, saying drivers wear Amazon-branded uniforms, drive Amazon-branded vans and have their schedules and performance expectations set by the company.” Read more

Shoe Carnival Q2 comp sales -2.1% Press release

The Nordstrom family teams up with a Mexican retail group to bid for its namesake retailer at AP. “The Mexican retail group, El Puerto de Liverpool, operates more than 300 stores in Mexico and is that nation’s third-largest credit card issuer with over 7.2 million active accounts. It already owns about 9.6% of Nordstrom stock.” Read more

Walmart leads in online grocery with 37% of U.S. market share at Talk Business. “Online grocery pickup remains a popular choice, with Walmart claiming 58% of the total share in the second quarter.” Read more

Wharton School’s Baker Retailing Center and RLC Global Forum Announce Initial Speaker Lineup for the 2024 CEO Summit “Mary Dillon, President and CEO of Foot Locker, Inc., will be honored the night before the summit with the Retail Excellence Award…Confirmed speakers to date include: John Furner, President and CEO of Walmart U.S.” Press release

U.S. safety regulator calls for probe of Temu, Shein over ‘deadly baby and toddler products’ at CNBC. “We seek to better understand these firms, particularly their focus on low-value direct-to-consumer — sometimes called de minimis — shipments and the enforcement challenges when firms with little or no U.S. presence distribute consumer products through these platforms,” the commissioners wrote.” Read more

Lowe’s latest US firm to end some diversity policies at Reuters. “Lowe’s will no longer participate in surveys for Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group supporting transgender rights, and is also combining its various business resource groups that represent diverse employees into one umbrella organization…The company will not be sponsoring or participating in community events such as parades, festivals, or fairs and might also make additional changes to the policies over time…” Read more

Kroger and Albertsons defend merger plan in federal court against US regulators’ objections at AP. “Albertsons told a federal judge Monday that it might have to lay off workers, close stores and even exit some markets if its planned merger with Kroger isn’t allowed to proceed.” Read more

…Little-Known Company Key to $20 Billion Kroger-Albertsons Deal at WSJ. “The roughly $3 billion divestiture deal with Kroger and Albertsons would boost C&S’s store total to 744, on par with Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. C&S would become the eighth-largest U.S. grocer by revenue, with more than $40 billion in estimated sales, according to investment firm Solomon Partners, which is working with Kroger and Albertsons.” WSJ subs.

The Line For Japan’s Newest Costco Is Stretching Out The Door at Daily Meal/Yahoo. “It became increasingly clear that this opening was one to remember as the line to enter continued to grow, eventually reaching a five-hour wait time…Costco already operates 34 locations across Japan, and the Nanjo City location fills the absence of Costco locations in Southern Japan.” Read more

Shares of Temu parent company PDD plunge almost 29% at CNBC. “Harburg said the Chinese e-commerce sector is currently saturated, and that PDD faces domestic competitors such as JD, Alibaba, and Shein. Globally, the firm is coming up against incumbents like Amazon. This, combined with weak consumer growth in China, has resulted in a slump in the Chinese e-commerce sector, Harburg said..” Read more

Amazon aggregators Branded and Heyday plan to merge as once-booming industry continues to shrink at CNBC. “The Amazon aggregator space has faltered since venture capital money dried up and companies struggled to profitably operate the brands they acquired.” Read more

Canada’s largest railways to resume service as work stoppage ends at National Post. “The work stoppage came to an end at 12:01 a.m. on Monday based on a decision issued on Saturday by the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordering both companies and their workers to resume operations ahead of binding arbitration.” Read more

Walmart recalls apple juice sold in 25 states due to elevated arsenic levels at AP. “… applies to 9,535 cases of Great Value brand apple juice…Florida-based manufacturer Refresco Beverages US Inc. voluntarily recalled the contaminated six-packs of 8-ounce juice bottles.” Read more

SpartanNash Welcomes Erin Storm as SVP, Chief Marketing Officer “…following an 18-year career with Kellogg’s and its spin-off Kellanova, where she was most recently the Vice President of Commercial Strategy.” Press release

Walmart CEO discusses making a difference, the future, and his time at UTulsa at The University of Tulsa. “We say at Walmart, ‘You can’t run it. It’s too big to run, but you can lead it,’” he told the students. “The No. 1 responsibility I have is focusing on working with great people. Who you spend your time with and who you surround yourself with will have a lot to do with your degree of success.” Read more

Stop & Shop will stop selling cigarettes at CNN. “The supermarket chain, which has about 360 stores primarily in the US northeast, said the changes are part of its “commitment to community wellness” and will end sales of all cigarettes and tobacco products on Saturday, August 31.” Read more

Whole Foods Market Announces Participants of 2024 Local and Emerging Accelerator Program’s Early Growth Cohort Press release

Harps Food Stores makes leadership changes after longtime exec retires at Talk Business. “Jim Bob Tackett, director of store technology, has been appointed as the new vice president of store systems, and John Taylor, vice president of information systems, was named to the company’s executive committee after Thurow’s retirement.” Read more

Lowe’s Q2 comp sales down 5.1% “…driven by continued pressure in DIY bigger ticket discretionary spending and unfavorable weather adversely impacting sales in seasonal and other outdoor categories, partially offset by positive comparable sales in Pro and online.” Read more

…Lowe’s cuts full-year outlook as it expects home improvement sales to weaken at CNBC. “The company said it now projects total sales of between $82.7 billion and $83.2 billion for the full year, compared with the $84 billion to $85 billion that it previously expected. It said it expects comparable sales to fall by 3.5% to 4%, compared with its prior forecast of a decline of 2% to 3%.” Read more

‘The Stress Is Palpable.’ The Frenzy Over Target’s $5 Birds. at WSJ. “It was 6 a.m. and Theresa Hoffman had overslept by three hours. She meant to wake up before sunrise on July 14 to buy Target’s latest $5 decorative birds…Luck and fast fingers meant Hoffman, a 24-year-old assistant math professor in Cicero, N.Y., managed to buy seven of the eight birds. They went out of stock later that day—and have remained that way, until they arrive in stores later this month.” WSJ subs.

7-Eleven targeted by Circle K owner for huge convenience store tie-up at CNN. “Couche-Tard confirmed what it called a “friendly” proposal to acquire Seven & I, but said “there can be no certainty” that a deal will be struck. “The company is focused on reaching a mutually agreeable transaction,” it added in a statement.” Read more

Kroger sues US FTC over unconstitutional in-house tribunal at Yahoo Finance. “Kroger argues that the FTC’s attempt to adjudicate the company’s private contract rights through the executive branch instead of the independent judicial branch violates Article III. It also contends that the FTC’s strategy of splitting its challenge to the merger across two separate tribunals is an improper attempt to litigate the same issues multiple times.” Read more

The 50-Year-Old Technology That Brands and Retailers Are Trying to Quit at WSJ. “Scanning barcodes at checkout could be a thing of the past as early as 2027, brands and retailers say, as they work to replace the decades-old technology with newer, more capable QR codes…The transition won’t be easy…It also won’t be cheap…” WSJ subs.

Seattle startup Replenium accuses Albertsons of stealing trade secrets under guise of partnership at GeekWire. “Replenium alleges in the suit that the promise of expanding its technology to Kroger, after the completion of the merger, was one of the ways that Albertsons executives induced the startup to continue working together.” Read more

Amazon’s delivery drones become the scourge of Texas town: ‘It sounds like a giant hive of bees’ at NY Post. “The mayor of College Station…fired off a letter to the (FAA) last month to protest the drones…Amazon (is)  seeking permission to expand its pilot program to 469 delivery flights per day — up from its current level of 200 a day. Amazon wants to make drone deliveries from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. — beyond the current limit of daytime hours…wants to increase the delivery area to a radius of 174 square miles from its drone port — up from its current operating range of 44 miles.” Read more

Newsom signs laws expanding California’s crackdown on retail crime at Fox 2 KTVU. “… allowing officers to arrest someone for shoplifting with probable cause, even if the officer didn’t actually see the person steal. Prosecutors are also able to add up the value of property stolen from different victims and locations so that the total reaches the felony grand theft threshold of $950…One law ends a loophole where district attorneys had to prove the owner of a car locked it in order to convict someone for auto burglary.” Read more

Nordstrom closing corporate offices in Los Angeles and Chicago at GeekWire. “Most employees based in those cities will transition to full-time remote roles while others will be required to relocate to Seattle…Nordstrom will maintain its office in New York City.” Read more

Food Industry Pushes Back Against Kamala Harris’s ‘Price Gouging’ Plan at WSJ. “We understand why there is this sticker shock and why it’s upsetting,” said Andy Harig, a vice president at FMI, a trade group representing food retailers and suppliers. “But to automatically just say there’s got to be something nefarious, I think to us that is oversimplified.” WSJ subs.

Walmart continues efforts to boost U.S. manufacturing jobs at Talk Business. “A report from Reshoring Initiative indicates the effort to return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. created 819 reported cases of reshoring in 2023…” Read more

Amazon considers moving Amazon Pay into a standalone app in India at TechCrunch

Not just for kids anymore: Adults turn to lemonade stands as side hustles at The Washington Post. “The 23-year-old runs her business April through August and sets up at events across Kentucky and parts of Tennessee and Indiana. Last year she made $80,000 in sales, she said. She said she makes anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 per event. She hires six to eight employees, mostly students, to help her at events. She’s been able to pay off a small student loan and uses the income she makes during the summer months to cover her living expenses during the school year, she said.” Read more

Alimentation Couche-Tard to acquire GetGo Café +Markets from Giant Eagle “…employs approximately 3,500 employees and operates approximately 270 convenience retail and fueling locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.” Press release