Monday Tipsheet: Dems push Wmart | Target blogger threatened by criminals

 

“Cybercriminals don’t like Blogger who exposed Target data breach;  Have sent heroin, fecal matter and SWAT team to his home”   by Nicole Perlroth at NY Times via Star-Tribune.  “In the last year, Eastern European cybercriminals have stolen Brian Krebs’ identity a half-dozen times, brought down his website, included his name and some unpleasant epithets in their malware code, sent fecal matter and heroin to his doorstep, and called a SWAT team to his home just as his mother was arriving for dinner.  “I can’t imagine what my neighbors think of me,” he said dryly…Krebs blogs with a 12-gauge shotgun by his side and is so entrenched in the digital underground that he is on a first-name basis with some of Russia’s major cybercriminals.”  Read more

 

“Dems push Walmart to give up cigarette sales” by Ian Swanson at The Hill.  “The letter’s signatories included Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the number two Democrat in the Senate…The letter was also signed by Sens. Tom Harkin (Iowa), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), John Rockefeller (W.Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.).”  Read more

 

“Wal-Mart Will Stop Selling Cigarettes — It’s Only a Matter of Time” by John Maxfield at Motley Fool.  “Before becoming CEO, Doug McMillon, then head of the chain’s Sam’s Club unit, told The Wall Street Journal that halting cigarette sales is something he has “thought about.” He nevertheless went on to note: “I don’t expect it to happen in the next year. It’s a big business, so it makes it harder to stop.”  Read more

 

“CNBC:  Home Depot Regional VP Chris Waits Discusses Southern Storms”. “If you were to try to forecast same-store sales for the month of january and february down in Atlanta, is it going to be a decline? ‘I really can’t comment on that. we’ll give updates on the storm and impacts in our earnings call during the next week or so here.’ See the interview / Read more

 

“Kroger to release weekly ads on Wednesday instead of Sunday” by Phil Hudson at Atlanta Bus. Chronicle.  “It will release its weekly ads and specially priced items online and in stores on Wednesdays instead of Sundays, effective March 5.  The new schedule will give customers more time to plan their weekend shopping trips.”  Read more

 

“Stanford Business Study: Why Do Consumers Ignore Personalized Offers?”  “Consumers are more likely to respond to what the researchers call “incidental” offers, or ones that consumers think just happen to fit their preferences by chance.  Price is the main reason consumers ignore personalized offers. An electronics aficionado, for instance, might be skeptical of an offer promoted as “just for you” because he assumes the seller has factored in his love of electronics and so thinks he’d be willing to pay a little extra for the latest gizmo.”  Read more

 

“Tractor Supply SVP to leave next month” at Nashville Post.  “The chief people officer at Tractor Supply — a company that has long emphasized the value of developing employees — is preparing to move on after 17 years at the company.”  Read more

 

“Weis Markets Announces Jonathan Weis As Its New President and Chief Executive Officer”  “Mr. Weis, who joined the company in 1989, is the son of Robert F. Weis, who remains Chairman of Weis Markets. During his 25 year career, he worked in positions throughout the company including produce merchandising, grocery procurement and store operations.”  Read the release

 

“Apple exploring cars, medical devices to reignite growth” by Thomas Lee & David Baker at SF Gate.  “Adrian Perica is a very busy man. Over the past 18 months, the mergers and acquisitions chief at Apple has been scouring the globe looking for deals…A source tells The Chronicle that Perica met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Cupertino last spring around the same time analysts suggested Apple acquire the electric car giant…The newspaper has also learned that Apple is heavily exploring medical devices, specifically sensor technology that can help predict heart attacks.”  Read more

 

“Bar fight: Kind sues Clif” by Caroline Fairchild at Fortune.  “(Kind) is suing Clif Bar in the southern district court of New York for alleged trademark infringements. Kind seeks to prohibit Clif from releasing its Clif Mojo snack bar with a transparent wrapper — a distinctive packaging that company founder Daniel Lubetzky said is integral to his product’s success.  “Everything you see in our product is about transparency,” Lubetzky said…”We were the first ones to [have a transparent wrapper] in our industry, and now we have a lot of people trying to copy our approach.”  Read more

 

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Friday Tipsheet: Bees Buzz at H.Depot | Cabela’s Comps -10.1% | F. Dollar 2.7% Less than Wmart

 

“Dressing Up Like a Bee and Standing in Front of Home Depot & Lowe’s to Protest Pesticides” by Rebecca Harrington at Star-Tribune.  “Rupp…was one of about 30 adults and children handing out cookies and handmade valentines Wednesday to protest Home Depot’s sale of neonicotinoids, a group of pesticides…Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes said in a statement that the company makes alternative pesticides available to customers and is studying the connection between these pesticides and the plight of bees.”  Read more

 

“Walmart logistics exec talks leadership, lessons from Sam” by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  “Chris Sultemeier was the featured speaker for Cross Church’s weekly Summit Luncheon. He was called in to speak when following an unexpected death in the family of Walmart U.S. Chief Operating Officer Gisel Ruiz, who was the scheduled speaker.  Sultemeier outlined a few leadership rules during his speech, but was quick to point out that he in no way has yet perfected them all.  “It’s a journey for me,” he said.”  Read more

 

“Cabela’s Same-Store Sales Down 10.1% in Q4 (Down 3.5% Excluding Firearms & Ammo); Shares fall 8%”  “The two biggest short-term factors affecting results in the quarter were a much sharper than expected decline in ammunition sales as compared to last year’s surge and a softer than expected holiday season as evidenced elsewhere. On the other hand, comparable store sales excluding firearms and ammunition were down 3.5% with positive comparable store sales in hunting apparel, men’s casual apparel, footwear and non-shooting related hunting equipment in the quarter.”  Read the release

 

“Costco expands its organics selection, temporarily at least (in Minneapolis)” by John Ewoldt at Star-Tribune.  “With an organics promotion going on now through March 2, all the signs are easier to find because they’ve been replaced with an all green sign. It’s part of Costco’s push to save on organics with a coupon booklet available at the service desk…Maybe this will propel Sam’s Club to start offering more organics too. So far, the Arkansas-based wholesaler has been slow to add organic items.” Read more

 

“Retailer Jos. A. Bank to buy Eddie Bauer for $825 million” at Reuters via CNBC.  “Men’s clothing retailer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers said it would acquire the Eddie Bauer clothing brand from private equity firm Golden Gate Capital for an enterprise value of $825 million.”  Read more

 

“American invasion slams Canadian retailers” by Cecile Gutscher & Greg Quinn at Bloomberg via Star-Tribune.  “With an economy already two years away from full capacity, according to the Bank of Canada, the retail rivalry helped push inflation to 0.9 percent on average last year, the slowest since 2009 when Canada’s economy was emerging from a recession. Bargains for shoppers mean more pain for retailers, according to Peter Sklar, analyst at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto.”  Read more

 

“Target Canada an “Expensive Zellers”? “ by Kari Pedersen at Reflector.  “So why exactly does Target Canada not measure up in comparison to our southern neighbours? Namely, poor prices.  First-year computer science student, Andie Longhee, feels the company could improve their stores by not being an “expensive Zellers.”  Read more

 

“Study:  Family Dollar shoppers paid 2.7% less on purchases than Walmart shoppers in January” by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider.  “Wal-Mart has conceded the ‘price leader’ crown to Family Dollar,” analyst Charles Grom wrote in a research note.  That’s a reversal from May 2013, when “Wal-Mart was the clear pricing leader” with savings of nearly a nickel per dollar spent at the other discount retailers, he wrote.  “In the four subsequent price checks since that time, [Wal-Mart] has continued to lose ground,” Grom wrote.”  Read more

 

“Trending on the Web:  Walmart employee shoveling snow into a cart, real or fake? (Funny either way)” at WTAM 1100 – Cleveland.  See the 1 minute video

 

“Trader Joe’s Invades Denver / Boulder, Three Stores Open Today” by Alicia Wallace at Denver Post.  “Boulder and Colorado no longer will be landlocked from Trader Joe’s.  Come Friday, the nautical-themed specialty grocer known for its unique items and rabid following will have a store in Boulder — at the Twenty Ninth Street mall — and two locations in Denver.”  See the sneak peek video/pictures, Read more

 

“Target Debuts New Nascar Paint Scheme and Firesuit” at A Bullseye View.  “Check out the three newly designed firesuits that Kyle Larson and the No. 42 Target team will wear for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. For his inaugural race, the rookie racer will also sit behind the wheel of a refreshed Target Chevrolet SS, complete with two new paint schemes.”  See the Video & Pics / Read more

 

“This Vending Machine Sells Organic Kale and Lemon Tofu” by Tyler Wells Lynch at Business Insider.  “So how does the food stay fresh? Items are prepared, delivered, and rotated on a daily basis, with leftover goods being donated to local food pantries. Given all those delivery costs and high-quality ingredients, you’d expect items to be pretty expensive, but the menu’s actually quite reasonable.”  See the video / Read more

 

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Thursday Tipsheet: Wmart’s Twitter Strategy | Lowe’s website “soft” | Bacon, Barbie & Spring

 

“Case Study: Walmart’s PR Team and How They Use Twitter; Interview with Walmart’s Sr. Director of Digital” by Arik Hanson at Business-2-Community.  “We manage approximately 60,000 mentions a day (these aren’t the mundane like “I’m at Walmart but are more specific to our reputation and major initiatives we have underway). That takes a lot of work, especially for a small team, so we’re constantly monitoring and analyzing where we can engage in the most meaningful way.”  Read more

 

“January Retail Sales Released at 8:30 am ET Today” by Patti Domm at CNBC.  “J.P. Morgan economist Daniel Silver expects to see a retail sales gain of 0.1 percent on the headline number, compared with last month’s 0.2 percent gain. “If we get that number, it’s going to be one of the softer figures we’ve seen in a while,” he said.”  Read more

 

“Target breach started as an e-mail phishing expedition” by Jennifer Bjorhus at Star-Tribune.  “Data security reporter Brian Krebs blogged Wednesday at KrebsonSecurity.com that Target’s breach started with a “malware-laced e-mail phishing attack” on employees of Sharpsburg, Pa.-based Fazio Mechanical Services Inc.  Krebs cited “multiple sources close to the investigation” and said the phishing e-mails were sent at least two months before thieves started hoovering up card data from cash registers.”  Read more

 

“Atlanta:  Home Depot Stores Busy Ahead of Winter Storm; People Waiting in their Pajamas” at ajc.com.  See the video

 

“Whole Foods vs. Sprouts:  Phoenix TV Reporter Compares Prices of Store Brands (“surprised” Whole Foods won)” by Daphne Munro at ABC 15.  “I compared a total of eight identical store brand products and in the end Whole Foods won overall. Although my sample is small, it does show that Whole Foods 365 brand is worth taking a look at and it won’t break the bank.  I was genuinely surprised and happy to see Whole Foods is more affordable on certain food items. Although the price difference was not huge, it was surprising to me that Whole Foods won.”  See the video / Read more

 

“Head of Lowe’s for Pros won’t be happy until Pros buy “only from Lowe’s”; calls their Website “Soft” “ by Craig Webb at Remodeling. “Horn called the current Lowesforpros.com “soft.” He said the company has been asking pros to name challenges they face so that Lowe’s can think of solutions. One that’s likely to be put on the upgraded website, he said, is a “punch-out process” in which items selected go straight into Lowe’s order management system.”  Read more

 

“Cabela’s Q4 2013 Earnings Call Today at 11:00 am ET”  Listen to the webcast

 

“From the Target Archives: Vintage Barbie Ads” at A Bullseye View.  “Target, a long-time supporter of the blonde’s signature style, will be the exclusive destination for Mattel’s Sports Illustrated Barbie Doll, beginning Feb. 10 available only on Target.com.”  See the Ads / Read more

 

“Walmart Balanced in Response to Mike Rowe’s Facebook Statement (But Smiling Inside)” by Jack Neff at Ad Age. “Walmart spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan noted that Mr. Rowe is speaking for himself on Facebook. “He is his own man,” she said. But she also said: “We’re a proud partner of Mike’s on multiple projects and this one in particular.”  The “importance of the working American and need to increase and help bring back American manufacturing” is has been an issue “on top of his mind for a while,” she said.”  Read more

 

“Whole Foods Plunges on Earnings Miss” by Laurie Kulikowski at Dallas Morning News.  “Whole Foods tightened its 2014 outlook. It now expects sales growth of 11% to 12% compared to 11% to 13% previously. The company is expecting comparable store sales growth of 5.5% to 6.2% compared to 5.5% to 7%, previously.”  Read more

 

“Meijer Gets Fancy: Aims to Challenge National Retailers in Fashion Space”  “Meijer will expand its focus on apparel this year with regional advertising in national fashion magazines, including Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, Cosmopolitan and Elle, as well as the distribution of another Look Book that will feature spring trends.”  Read the release

 

“The Home Depot Preps for Spring with 80,000 New Hires (Spring is Near!)”  “The Home Depot has begun filling more than 80,000 positions as it prepares for spring, the company’s busiest selling season.”  Read more

 

“At Bacon Week in Atlantic City, you can eat it, drink it — even brush your teeth with it” by Wayne Parry at AP via National Post.  “They’re all on the menu this week as one Atlantic City casino stretches the bounds of good taste and cardiovascular health with Bacon Week. The festival at the Tropicana Casino and Resort gives new meaning to the term “pigging out.”…“Bacon is like heaven,” said Nadina Fornia, of Egg Harbor Township. “If you’re going to die, die with bacon on your lips and a BLT in each hand.” Read more

 

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Wednesday Tipsheet: Consumer Reports Slams Target | Whole Foods Likes Square | Kroger Buys You

 

“Consumer Reports Slams Target:  Says Hacking Fix is “Second-Rate” “ by Martha White at Time.  “The publication looked at the offering and says Target “fumbled” when it offered what the publication calls “second-rate credit-monitoring services.”…Consumer Reports can recommend this deal in its present form only as being better than nothing, and only for consumers who understand its significant shortcomings,” the publication says.”  Read more

 

“Claim:  Crime Rates Dropped Quicker in Areas Without a Walmart” by Shaunacy Ferro at Fast Company.  “Overall, there was a sharp decline in crime in the U.S. in the 1990s. It also happened to be a period of growth for Walmart. Looking at more than 3,000 U.S. counties, the researchers, from the University of South Carolina and Sam Houston State University, found that where Walmart expanded, crime rates tended to stagnate, where they otherwise would have been expected to fall.”  Read more

 

“Private Label Continues to Notch Gains (But is Growth Plateauing at the Macro Level?)” by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  “IRI said a prime example of what can happen in the convenience store segment can be seen at Ahold’s Stop and Shop stores. The retailer began offering a broad selection of tiered private label products under the brands Stop & Shop (basic), Nature’s Promise (organic line), Simply Enjoy (snack foods) and Guaranteed Value, a less expensive tier. Private label now accounts for 40% of the products sold at Ahold’s Stop & Shop stores, IRI noted.”  Read more

 

Earnings Watch…

“Cabela’s Releases Earnings Tomorrow” at WKRB  Read more

“Home Depot Hosts Q4 Conference Call on 2/25/14”  Read the Release

 

“Supervalu’s first national sale expo could draw 3,000 to St. Paul, MN” by Nick Halter at Minn./St. Paul Bus. Journal.  “The Sales 4 All Seasons expo will run Aug. 12 through Aug. 14 at the RiverCentre, the Eden Prairie-based company said in a news release.  The event is taking the place of three smaller, regional shows it held across the country. It will give grocery retailers a sneak peek at new products, information about new trends and training.”  Read more

 

“Palo Alto Condo for Sale:  Live Next to Apple CEO Tim Cook for only $2,849,000” by Lauren Hepler at Silicon Valley Business Journal.  “Google Ventures Managing Partner Bill Maris is looking for a big return on the 2,065-square-foot Palo Alto condo that he purchased in 2010, according to a report by Trulia.  One selling point: The home is directly next door to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Palo Alto crib.”  Read more

 

“Kroger buys tech coupon company You” by Alexander Coolidge at Cincy Enquirer.  “Founded in 2008, YOU Tech has grown dramatically and now includes over 10,000 retail stores representing over $100 billion in retail sales and 100 million US households. The company currently serves approximately two dozen retailer clients operating 65 store banners.”  Read more

 

“Whole Foods to let customers pay using Square” by Mark Calvey at San Fran.  Business Times.  “San Francisco mobile payments company Square said Tuesday that it signed up Whole Foods as the second national retailer to use its service…”With Square reportedly eying an initial public offering sometime in 2014, this is a huge win for the company, even if it’s still a small sampling of what it could ultimately become,” reports Chris Ciaccia of TheStreet.com.”  Read more

 

“Forget Cigarettes. A Less-Common Cold Season Pinches CVS” by Kyle Stock at Businessweek.  “Why did the company post a slight decline in “front-of-store” purchases? Because the U.S. in the recent quarter didn’t see nearly the outbreak of colds as it did in the year-earlier period. The entire “cough and cold” business was down about 5 percent, and CVS reported taking a hit due to the flu season’s slow start.”  Read more

 

“Big Lots Moms Breakdance for Twinkies and Sno Balls” by Lewis Lazare at Chicago Business Journal.  See the TV Ad / Read more

 

“Wayfair names COO” by Kyle Alspach at Boston Business Journal.  “Boston-based Wayfair.com has promoted executive James Savarese to be chief operating officer.  Savarese had previously been serving as senior vice president of operations for Wayfair, an online retailer of home furnishings and décor.”  Read more

 

“Random:  Here’s The MVP Guest List For Tonight’s White House State Dinner” by Brett LoGiurato at Business Insider via SF Gate.  “The White House has released the guest list for Wednesday night’s State Dinner in honor of French President Francois Hollande.Per usual, the guest list has some big names. Here are some of the more notebale names on the list…”  See the list

 

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Tuesday Tipsheet: Mike Rowe’s Fiery Defense of Walmart | CVS & Dick’s Up

 

 

“Mike Rowe Defends Walmart Ad in Fiery 2,648-Word Facebook Response:  ‘Who Gives a Crap About Your Feelings Towards Walmart?’ “ by Jonathon Seidl at The Blaze.  “Honestly Kevin, who gives a crap about your feelings toward Walmart?” Rowe asked one man who questioned Rowe’s decision to partner with Walmart, often a major target of those who like to demonize business…“Isn’t this the kind of initiative we can all get behind?” he concluded.”  Read more quotes/comments

 

“Breaking:  CVS Q4 Revenue Up 4.6%, Pharmacy Same-Store Sales Up 4%”  Read the release

 

“The World’s Most Innovative Companies 2014 (Amazon #18…)” by Robert Safian at Fast Company.  “Our staff has spent more than six months gathering and analyzing data. To generate our list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies–and the accompanying top 10 companies in various sectors–we assessed thousands of enterprises. From all that work, I’ve pulled out 12 rising trends. Risk of failure and collapse are always with us. But the culture of innovation across the globe is more robust than ever.” See the Top 50 list

 

“Group Runs Full-Page Ads in Denver & Boulder Pressuring  Trader Joe’s to ‘Get your meat off antibiotics’ “ by Steve Raabe at Denver Post.  “The consumer group said it is asking all retailers to change but is targeting Trader Joe’s because the grocer’s emphasis on private-label products “means it has more control over its suppliers and can use that leverage to increase supply and keep prices competitive.” Read more

 

“Walmart’s eCommerce CEO:  ‘We’re sick’ of talking about Big Data” by Peter Krasilovsky at Local Onliner.  “Six-to-nine months ago, we all sat down and said ‘we’re sick’ of talking” about Big Data. We need to turn Big Data from a noun to a verb, and make it actionable,” said Ashe. “We need it to help us help customers to find one more item; for merchants to sell one more item; to help our fulfillment centers do their job,” Ashe added. “That’s when data becomes actionable.”  Read more

 

“Home Depot opens the first of three e-commerce fulfillment centers, will stock about 100,000 products” by Thad Rueter at Internet Retailer.  “The Home Depot Inc. has opened the first of three expected e-commerce warehouses, this one in Locust Grove, GA, a suburb of Atlanta…The chain also plans to open warehouses in California and Ohio over the next two years.”  Read more

 

“Dick’s Sporting Goods Same-Store Sales Jump 7% in Q4” by Matt Egan at Fox Business.  “We enter 2014 with a robust and growing omni-channel network and exciting merchandising opportunities, which we believe will translate into double-digit earnings growth,” Stack said.”  Read more

 

“Target breach could mean ‘no-growth’ year for clinics” by Katharine Grayson at Minn./St. Paul Bus. Journal.  “Target is experiencing a major distraction with its credit card security breach,” Tom Charland, CEO of Shoreview-based Merchant Medicine, wrote in a report released Friday. “Since retail clinics require significant capital investment and negative cash flow for a time, we may see a no-growth scenario for Target Clinic in 2014.”  Read more

 

“Walmart Will Hold Annual Shareholders Meeting June 6”  “Wal-Mart Stores today announced that the company’s 2014 Annual Shareholders Meeting will be held on Fri., June 6, 2014, at 7 a.m. CDT in Bud Walton Arena at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.”  Read the release

 

“Homeless Camp Near Costco store Gets the Boot” by Sandy Mazza at Daily Breeze.  “The city decided to clear the camps after complaints from Costco management and concerns with overgrown trees and bushes…“It smells horrible,” Cognac said. “You can’t amass 10 dump trucks worth of stuff in the parking lot of Costco. They were given the option of taking what they wanted. If they had just taken out their trash and put it in a receptacle, it wouldn’t have been a problem.”  Read more

 

“Sears Launches ‘In-Vehicle’ Pickup, Order Ready in 5 Minutes or Less”  “To take advantage of the new convenience, Shop Your Way members shop online, completing their purchase via computer or tablet. At check-out, they choose In-Vehicle Pickup and input details of the vehicle they’ll arrive in…In five minutes or less an associate will bring the purchase to the car and verify the purchase using the payment method used online.”  Read the release

 

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Monday Tipsheet: Wmart’s ‘Work is Beautiful’ Ad | Can. Tire Beats Back Target | Costco Miffs Seniors

 

‘Work is a Beautiful Thing’:  Mike Rowe Narrates a Powerful new Walmart Ad you Won’t Want to Miss” by Oliver Darcy at The Blaze.  “Former “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe narrates a powerful new commercial released Thursday and it contains one powerful message: “Work is a beautiful thing.”  Who’s it for? Walmart.”  See the ad / Read more

 

“Interview: Canadian Tire’s CEO on Beating Back Target in Canada” by Chris Sorensen at Maclean’s.  “Q: There were concerns that retailers such as Canadian Tire were going to get creamed by U.S. competition, particularly Target. But the opposite seems to be happening. How did you manage that?  A:…So, as long as we understand who we are and what we have to do— in our main categories of living, playing, fixing and automotive—and stay focused on it, I can’t see how anybody is going to beat us.”  Read more

 

“More Than 100 Line Up to See Aerosmith Drummer at Costco” by Dean Balsamini & Frank Donnelly at Staten Island Advance.  “Garbed in a black collarless long-sleeve shirt, black jeans, black boots and a black vest with a white pattern, Kramer seemed in his element, shaking hands, signing everything from coffee packages to cymbals and patiently posing for photos.  “He’s a helluva nice guy,” said Lenny Rotkowitz, 39, a bass player from New Springville. “It was nice to meet someone that I’ve looked up to over the years.”  See the pics / Read more

 

“Walmart Buys 126 Acres Of Bentonville Land For $4 Million” by Shain Bergan at 5 News.  “Giles said the new acquisition could be among the first of several at the location, which could turn into a hub for businesses in the near future after the planned Interstate 49 corridor is built and runs through the area.  Giles could not release what kind of Walmart facility would be built on the land.” Read more

 

“How My Company Blinds.com Got Acquired by Home Depot” by Jay Steinfeld at Inc.  “The experience has been the stuff entrepreneurial dreams are made of–from the early days of working in my garage at night to the exciting welcome of Home Depot’s CEO into a 150+ person crowd of safety orange-wearing Blinds.com employees.  While it’s hard to fully explain the hours of hard work (although I bet you know all about that already), the failures and the happy moments along the way since 1996, here are some takeaways that helped us get where we are today…”  Read more

 

“Former Wal-Mart CEO David Glass receives Sam Walton Award” by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  “Glass said they snuck the award in when he wasn’t looking, but he was deeply honored by the gesture.  Earlier in the evening, Glass took the stage as the keynote speaker. He said the last time he spoke at the same function, he joined then Gov. Bill Clinton and Sam Walton who each shared the podium that evening.  “It went on and on and by the time we finished, the place was nearly empty,” Glass recalled. “That won’t be the case tonight.”  Read more

 

“Costco Takes Heat from Seniors; Center Could be Bulldozed in California to Make Way for New Store” by Richard Chang at Merced Sun-Star.  “A proposed Costco that would occupy 16 acres of the Placer County Government Administrative Center in north Auburn has riled some community members, who are upset that a World War II-era theater and a longstanding senior center could be bulldozed to make way for the warehouse retailer.”  Read more

 

“RadioShack can succeed, but not because of its Super Bowl ad” by John Jannarone at CNBC.  “Slimming down on stocked items has multiple benefits. Less clutter in the stores should help customers find products they need, just as Apple has done with its wildly successful store layouts. RadioShack can also focus on higher-margin merchandise that resonates with customers.”  Read more

 

“A Mysterious New Coffee Shop Called ‘Dumb Starbucks’ Is Baffling Los Angeles” by Ashley Lutz at Business Insider via SF Gate.  “A parody coffee shop mocking Starbucks opened this weekend in Los Angeles and is quickly becoming a sensation on social media.  The shop, “Dumb Starbucks,” looks nearly identical to the real Starbucks—with the exception of the word “dumb” being prefixed to the title and menu items.  A Starbucks spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that the company has nothing to do with the new shop, but is looking into it.”  See the pics / Read more

 

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Friday Tipsheet: Costco: Aerosmith in / Insecticide out | Power: Sam’s CEO #39 | Walbucks/Targetcoin

 

“Walmart’s VP of Mobile/Digital:  “We’re not just going after the shiny object” by Donna Tam at CNET.  “We need to make sure we’re not just going after the shiny object,” Walmart Vice President of Mobile and Digital Wendy Bergh said when asked on Thursday about Amazon’s recently added image-recognition search feature. The feature, which Amazon added to its main shopping app, lets users search for products by taking a photo of the item.”  Read more 

 

“The 50 Most Powerful Women in Business: Global Ranking (Sam’s Rosalind Brewer #39…)” at Fortune.  “By pushing into new territories and inspiring women in their home countries, these globetrotters are, quite literally, taking on the world.”  See the Full List

 

“Meet Aerosmith Drummer Joey Kramer this Saturday at Staten Island Costco” by Dean Balsamini at Staten Island Advance.  “And you thought Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. was a wild combination.  How about Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer and Costco?  It’s true.  Kramer will promote his Rockin’ & Roastin’ organic coffee line at the Costco in New Springville Saturday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.”  Read more

 

“Costco to Pay $60,000 Fine for Selling Insect Killer in Long Island” by Gary Dymski at Newsday.  “The agency said it received a tip from a shopper in March of last year that Costco’s Holbrook store was selling Bayer Advanced Lawn Complete Insect Killer, despite a label that said it is “not for sale, sale into, distribution and or use in Nassau, Suffolk, Kings and Queens counties of New York.”  Read more

 

“Debit card users beware: Report your loss within two days or else” by Danielle Douglas at Washington Post via Star-Tribune.  “You are not liable for any charges if you report the loss or theft of your debit card to your bank immediately and the card has not been used. If you notify the bank within two business days, you are liable for up to $50. On day three, your liability jumps to $500. If 60 days pass and you say nothing, well, kiss all that money goodbye.”  Read more

 

“Loblaw shelves health store concept Nutshell that was set to take on Whole Foods” by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post.  “Potential conflicts with any future small-store concepts the grocery giant may be planning with its new subsidiary Shoppers Drug Mart were responsible for putting Nutshell on hold, according to sources familiar with the situation.”  Read more

 

“How To Use Color Psychology To Give Your Business An Edge” by Amy Morin at Forbes.  “People associate the color orange with a good value. The orange color in the Home Depot logo for example, helps customers view them as a low cost provider of valuable goods. Some high-end retailers have been able to overcome this association with orange and they’ve successfully incorporated orange into their brand.”  Read more

 

“NRF Forecasts 4.1% Increase in Retail Sales for 2014”  “NRF also announced today it expects online sales in 2014 to grow between 9 and 12 percent.”  Read the release

 

“Ray Nagin Takes Stand in Corruption Trial” by Mark Waller at NOLA.  “On another allegation involving Stone Age, that Nagin pressured Home Depot to accept the granite company as a vendor in exchange for helping the retailer avoid a neighborhood agreement requiring it to offer jobs and higher compensation to nearby residents, Nagin said that instead of trying to give concessions to Home Depot.”  Read more

 

“How Walmart/Target can offer a $10.50 Min Wage…use Walbucks/Targetcoin” by Edward Harrison at Seeking Alpha.  “Wal-Mart gives each employee Walbucks – credit to be used only at Wal-Mart stores or Wal-Mart’s website – in an amount equivalent to the difference between the worker’s average hourly wage and $10.50.  Walbucks (or Targetcoin) are simply a specific form of digital money, credit usable only in the Wal-Mart universe. And because they are secured with a Bitcoin type of algorithm, Walbucks are freely and securely transferable to anyone outside of the Wal-Mart employee universe.”  Read more

 

“Fred’s Comp Sales Up .6% in Fiscal 2013”  “Fred’s added a net total of 25 new locations, consisting of 11 new stores and 14 new Xpress pharmacies, which was offset by the closing of 25 store locations and eight Xpress pharmacies. The Company also opened 26 new pharmacies in 2013 and closed 17…Fred’s operates 704 discount general merchandise stores, including 21 franchised Fred’s stores, in the southeastern United States.”  Read more

 

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Have a great weekend!

Thursday Tipsheet: Costco Comps Up 4% | HVAC Problems @ Target | Nagin’s Memory Loss

 

“Costco January same-store sales beat Street, up 4% vs. 3.3% estimate” at Reuters.  “January net sales grew 6 percent to $7.99 billion.  Excluding the negative impact of foreign exchange and falling gasoline prices, same-store sales rose 6 percent.”  Read more

 

“Costco’s Net Sales Up $48 Billion in January” (Company Release). “Costco Wholesale Corporation today reported net sales of $7.99 billion for the month of January, the four weeks ended February 2, 2014, an increase of six percent from $7.51 billion during the similar four-week period last year.”  Read the release

 

“HVAC Firm at Center of Target Data Breach Also Counts Costco and Walmart as Customers” by Jason Mick at Daily Tech.  “They reportedly struck via first compromising servers at an air conditioning business in Sharpsburg, Penn, whom Target used as a contractor. The firm — Fazio Mechanical Service — has a flashy portfolio of high-profile clients which includes not only Target and all of the aforementioned retailers/grocers, but a number of other large firms that Mr. Krebs and other early reports have not mentioned.”  Read more / See the client list

 

“Walmart Opens New @WalmartLabs Office in Sunnyvale, CA” by Heather Somerville at San Jose Mercury News.  “Walmart has had a presence in Sunnyvale for more than a year, but Wednesday marked the official opening of the new office. About 500 people work there, and Walmart said it plans to double that, and is hiring engineers, computer scientists and e-commerce professionals. Walmart also has technology development hubs in Bangalore, San Diego and Portland, Ore.”  Read more

 

“Secret Service Investigates Security Breach at Home Depot; Three Internal Employees Blamed” at WTEV-47 New.  “According to the criminal complaint, Home Depot Corporate Security alerted the U.S. Secret Service to the crime after discovering that Claudette Grimes sent an email from her Home Depot account containing an attachment which contained more than 300 Home Depot employees’ identifying information, including Social Security numbers and birthdates.” Read more

 

“Walmart looks to urban cores in Canada for growth” by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post via Montreal Gazette.  “Target’s arrival “has made us a better Walmart,” Broader said. “This is an incredibly competitive market with world-class retailers. In order to compete, you have got to understand this consumer and understand the diverse and well-run competitors that already exist here.”  Read more

 

“Ray Nagin Experiences Memory Loss Related to Home Depot Shakedown” by Juliet Linderman at NOLA.  “When Evans asked Nagin if he’d ever “pitched” Home Depot for a contract — “Ask, propose, solicit,” Evans said — Nagin said, “Not that I recall.” Likewise, Nagin did “not recall” contacting Home Depot executives and helping scuttle the community benefits agreement. Read more

 

” ‘Walmart’s Worst Nightmare’ Is Expanding Massively” by Brad Tuttle at Time.  “How is WinCo able to grow so swiftly, to the point that it’s being viewed as a worthy competitor to Walmart and Costco? It just so happens that the company’s model shares some similarities with both of these retail giants.”  Read more

 

“WinCo Foods the newest combatant in Dallas-area grocery battle” by Maria Halkias at  Dallas News.  “WinCo Foods is opening stores Thursday in McKinney and Fort Worth that are about twice the size of a traditional supermarket. It will open three more in March — in Duncanville, Lewisville and North Richland Hills — and doesn’t plan to stop there…”  Read more

 

“Analyst:  Sam’s Club and its Competitive Advantages vs. Costco” by Trefis at Forbes.  “Costco operates 439 stores in 40 states of the U.S. and Puerto Rico, with high concentration around California. The retailer earns about 24% of its domestic revenues from the region. On the other hand, Sam’s club is evenly spread across the U.S. with 620 stores in 47 states and Puerto Rico. Additionally, Sam’s Club is the only warehouse club that offers Apple products, which gives it a slight edge over Costco.” Read more

 

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