Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/13/13: Walmart’s CFO speaks; Target upsets Mr. Rogers fans

 

Walmart’s Charles Holley Jr., Executive VP & CFO, Presents at 2013 Consumer & Retail Conference (3/12/13).  Highlights from Bank of America / Merrill Lynch conference:

*  Believes delayed tax returns impacted Jan. sales slowdown much more than the new payroll tax.

*  Recent partnership with Nielsen allows Walmart to work more “surgically” with vendors to find market gaps and track market share.

*  Continued focus on “Back to Basics” — when Walmart gets away from it they lose their consumer.

*  Have brought back the skus needed to regain consumer trust.

*  Current macro economic headwinds that impact Walmart shoppers the most (in rank order):  1) Jobs, 2) Taxes (which was a recent surprise to Walmart), 3) Cost of food, 4) Gas prices.

*  Focused on creating a global e-commerce platform across all countries.

*  No major plans to reallocate real estate within the store.

*  No plans to launch a loyalty card (such as Target’s 5% off Red Card).  Walmart believes that “all” consumers deserve the lowest price.

*  Sam’s Club in Texas testing discounted memberships through LivingSocial.  Still in test mode  and no conclusions from test available yet.

*  New store growth not focused in one area or geography but will be spread across large and small towns, urban and rural.

*  Grocery and move to real and sustainable food:  Looking to offer more organic foods; not trying to tell consumers what to eat but to better educate where possible.

*  Asked about moving into the services space, Holley mentioned opportunities in Financial Services and Healthcare, on the latter saying they hadn’t “cracked” it yet, but they still see as an opportunity.

*  Dump Bins with $5 DVD’s sell surprisingly well.

*  Brazil — Focused on integrating their green field startup with their two acquisitions to gain greater efficiencies.

See the PowerPoint presentation:  https://az204679.vo.msecnd.net/media/documents/2013-boa-merrill-lynch-presentation-charles-holley_130075828371798236.pdf

Hear the webcast:  https://www.veracast.com/webcasts/baml/consumer2013/id36924630.cfm

 

“Wal-Mart’s Holley Says February Sales Returned to Normal”  by Renee Dudley at Bloomberg.  “Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Chief Financial Officer Charles Holley said sales returned to normal by the end of February after being hurt by delayed tax returns the previous month.  The slowing in sales in January wasn’t “disastrous,” Holley said today at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2013 Consumer & Retail Conference in New York.”  Read more:  https://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-03-12/wal-mart-s-holley-says-february-sales-returned-to-normal

 

“Target Canada Ads Upset Mr. Rogers Fans” at CBS Pittsburgh.  “Target stores in Canada started opening this month, but the ad campaign for the new chain stores has many upset.  The music in the ads is a cover version of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” the popular theme song from the children’s TV show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood…The Globe and Mail reports that the Target ad campaign is the first time that the Fred Rogers Company has licensed commercial use of the theme song.”  Read more:  https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/03/12/target-canada-ads-upset-mr-rogers-fans/

 

“Target reportedly signs on with rumored Google Shopping Express same-day delivery service” by Adi Robertson at The Verge.  “Google’s rumored same-day delivery service may already have one major partner on board. In an alleged internal letter printed by TechCrunch, Google says that it is “excited to open Google Shopping Express to every Googler in the Bay Area,” listing partnerships with “Target, Nob Hill Foods, Babies ‘R’ Us, and more.”  Read more:  https://www.theverge.com/2013/3/12/4093974/target-reportedly-signs-on-with-google-shopping-express

 

“The New Costco? Buying Meat Out of a Truck in a Church Parking Lot” by Brad Tuttle at Time.  “Many shoppers are doing just that with an emerging service from a Washington-based company called Zaycon Foods, even as the company requires customers to accept two unusual practices: buying in bulk (those chicken breasts come in 40-pound boxes) and (here’s the really weird part of this) buying out of the back of a truck rather than a typical store.  Zaycon’s drive-thru markets have been held in places such as Winston-Salem, N.C., the Tampa Bay region in Florida, and Fresno, Calif. Customers place their orders online, and pickups in area parking lots (outside churches, bowling alleys, roller rinks) are scheduled on specific days.”  Read more:  https://business.time.com/2013/03/12/the-new-costco-buying-meat-out-of-a-truck-in-a-church-parking-lot/

 

“MakerBot Founder: The Next Industrial Revolution Is Here (3D Printing) by Eric Markowitz at Inc. via CNBC.  “Bre Pettis believes we’re on the brink of the next industrial revolution. In this revolution, mass production is replaced with personalized production. Overseas supply chains are eradicated to favor local creations. Creativity doesn’t just inspire — it produces physical stuff…MakerBot recently opened a MakerBot store in New York City.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100546031

 

“Sears Hometown And Outlet Stores, Inc. Reports Preliminary Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2012 Results”  “Comparable store sales declined 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to the fourth quarter of 2011 with a 0.8% increase in Hometown and a 4.8% decrease in Outlet. Excluding consumer electronics, comparable stores sales increased by 1.1% overall and increased 2.6% in Hometown.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6459535&access=EH

 

“As e-commerce attacks traditional retail, Costco comes out on top” by Lily Kuo at Quartz.  “Aside from a weak economy that gives Costco a leg up, analysts say the shopping club also benefits from the fact (paywall) that most of its sales growth is in foodstuffs rather than durable goods. Since most people still don’t buy these online, that makes Costco less vulnerable than other brick-and-mortar stores to competition from the likes of Amazon.  But Costco’s advantage in this zero-sum retail game may not last long. Target is reportedly in talks with Google to begin pilot same-day delivery service in a handful of stores in California.”  Read more:  https://qz.com/61882/as-e-commerce-attacks-traditional-retail-costco-comes-out-on-top/ 

 

“Consumer Reports Index: Consumer Sentiment Improves”  But…the Consumer Reports Index’s Past 30-day retail measure continues to lag. It is now at 9.9, below both last month (10.5) and one year ago (11.5). The drivers of this decline were softness in both major home and personal electronics as well as small appliances. Planned consumer retail activity for March, as predicted in the Index’s next 30-day retail measure, shows year-over-year losses in the same categories.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6459766&access=EH

 

“Office Depot Receives Climate Leadership Award from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency”  “The Goal Achievement Award recognizes organizations that publicly report and verify Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventories and achieve aggressive reduction goals. In 2010, in collaboration with EPA’s former Climate Leaders program, Office Depot adopted a goal of reducing U.S. GHG emissions by 20 percent by 2012, with 2007 as a baseline year. By the end of 2011, Office Depot had achieved a 29 percent reduction in the U.S. versus its baseline year.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130312006082&div=-1245645151

 

“Lowe’s Rolls Out New Housing Campaign” at Fox Business (Video).  See the video:  https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/2221441819001/lowes-rolls-out-new-housing-market-campaign/

 

“Those Grammar Gaffes Will Get You” by Bryan Garner at Harvard Business Review.  “People see your language as a reflection of your competence. Make lots of mistakes in your e-mails, reports, and other documents, and you’ll come across as uneducated and uninformed. Others will hesitate to trust your recommendation to launch a resource-intensive project, for example, or to buy goods or services. They’ll think you don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Read more:  https://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/03/yes_you_should_nitpick_about_g.html?utm_campaign=Socialflow&utm_source=Socialflow&utm_medium=Tweet

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/12/13: Costco comps +5%; Walmart doubles-up in Sioux Falls

 

“NASCAR Sees Growth In Fan Involvement From Partnership With Walmart” by Alicia Jessop at Forbes.  “The birth of the Walmart partnership was predicated upon an internal business decision made by NASCAR. ”Before forming NASCAR Team Properties to consolidate a lot of the merchandising rights in the business, all of our rights from a retail standpoint for our teams were handled individually. If a company wanted to come in and make products with NASCAR and a driver, they would have to do individual deals with the teams and NASCAR. NASCAR Team Properties has allowed us to go to the retailers directly as one entity and deliver the sport to them,” Davidson explained.”  Read more:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2013/03/11/nascar-sees-growth-in-fan-involvement-from-partnership-with-walmart/

 

“Costco’s Net Soars as Sales Keep Growing” by Saabira Chaudhuri at Wall Street Journal.  “Ahead of the company’s earnings release, analysts at William Blair pointed to the company’s same-store sales gain for February, saying same-store traffic growth continues to be driven by growth in food and consumables. The firm said that unlike large-cap discount peers such as Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., who recently logged weaker sales in February, Costco continues to generate consistent, strong growth across all general merchandise categories, which William Blair said is a reflection of its low e-commerce risk profile.  Tuesday, Costco reported that total same-store sales were up 5% for the period, excluding currency fluctuations and inflation in gasoline price.”  Read more:  https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324735304578355833310183530.html?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

 

“Retailer Costco’s Profit Tops Expectations” at Reuters via CNBC.  “Retailer Costco Wholesale posted a 39 percent increase in quarterly profit, beating expectations, on increasing sales, membership fees and a tax benefit related to a special cash dividend.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100538980

 

“Amazon Preparing Bid For Barnes And Noble?” by Steven Rosenbaum at Forbes.  “There’s been a lot of buzz about who will make a bid for Barnes and Noble – with the current rumors including Walmart and Microsoft. Both companies had kicked the tires in the past, and so it seems reasonable to expect they’d look again.  But the real player in the space – and in some ways the most strategic buyer – would be Amazon.”  Read more:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenrosenbaum/2013/03/11/amazon-preparing-bid-for-barnes-and-noble/

 

“Target closes its ‘Shops at Target’ boutique-in-a-big-box concept” by Ed Stych at Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal.  “Target says it is done experimenting for now with its “Shops at Target” concept that featured a handful of select independent boutique retailers selling their wares in the big-box stores.  Target may bring the concept back at a later date, but it currently wants to focus on partnerships with designers such as Missoni and Prabal Gurung on at a time, the Star Tribune reports.”  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2013/03/09/shops-at-target-terminated.html

 

“Walmart to open two Supercenters at same time in Sioux Falls — first town in America to get two at once according to official”  by Angela Kennecke at Kelo Television (Video and Text).  “Monday’s announcement of two more Walmart stores for the city follows a number of big and small retail additions coming to Sioux Falls. There’s a reason why retailers are eyeing the city and the prediction for future growth in the coming year.”  Read more:  https://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/retail-roundup/?id=145057

 

“Publix Names New Executives in Purchasing and Manufacturing” by Kyle Kennedy at The Ledger.  “In corporate purchasing, Dave Bornmann will be promoted to senior vice president…With Bornmann’s promotion to senior vice president, Pete Mowitt will be promoted to vice president – grocery/non-foods.”  Read more:  https://www.theledger.com/article/20130311/NEWS/130319858/1178?Title=Publix-Names-New-Executives-in-Purchasing-and-Manufacturing

 

“Maker of 3-D Printed Guns Speaks Out at SXSW: They’re Real, and They’re Not Going Away” by Lauren Goode at All Things D.  “If you’ve been listening to all the press, you would think 3-D printing is just about making cupcakes, or lawn gnomes,” he said. “But if 3-D printing is going to be a meaningful technology, printing guns is going to be a part of that.”  Wilson went on to say that 3-D gun printing isn’t just about making hardware, but also the software. Defense Distributed has an online repository of around 100 3-D design files, he said, which have been downloaded more than 400,000 times since the end of December.”  Read more:  https://allthingsd.com/20130311/3-d-printed-gun-maker-speaks-out-at-sxsw-theyre-real-and-theyre-not-going-anywhere/

 

“U.S. Expansion Remains a Top Growth Strategy for Retailers”  “Despite recent headlines trumpeting retailers’ entry into Canadian and overseas markets, U.S. expansion remains a key growth strategy. According to a new survey of 100 retail chief financial officers by BDO USA, LLP, 30 percent of CFOs say U.S. expansion will be their priority growth tactic in 2013. Expanding retailers like Apple and H&M will continue to look for Class-A store locations in high-traffic spots to afford better access and convenience for customers. In addition to store expansion, CFOs also say improving merchandise assortment (24 percent) and e-commerce and mobile commerce (22 percent) will be top growth tactics this year.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130312005502/en/U.S.-Expansion-Remains-Top-Growth-Strategy-Retailers?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

“Target and FEED Partner on Exclusive Collection to Fight Hunger in the U.S.”  “Target today announced a partnership with FEED Projects, a social business founded by Lauren Bush Lauren, to create the FEED USA + Target collection. The limited-time-only collection will include more than 50 stylish products and benefit Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. The products will be available beginning June 30 at Target stores and on Target.com.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130311005680&div=-1245645151

 

Thanks for reading…

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/11/13: Target’s Geek Squad test; Menards invades St. Louis

 

“Target Letting Its Geek Flag Fly” by Rick Moss at Forbes.  “Target’s test partnership offering Geek Squad services to its customers began last year in Denver. Given that both companies agreed to extend the trial to more markets is an early indication that the arrangement is working out.  On Target’s fourth quarter earnings call, company chairman, chief executive and president Gregg Steinhafel said that the retailer had received “positive feedback from our guests” in Denver. The retailer rolled out the service to 20 stores in Kansas City beginning on Feb.17. If the next phase goes well, it is assumed, Target and Best Buy will expand further.”  Read more:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/retailwire/2013/03/08/target-letting-its-geek-flag-fly/

 

“Cisco’s Chief Futurist Shares Top 5 Predictions for 2013” and Beyond via @RetailProphet

*  People will live to be 300 years old

*  Retailers will gain unprecedented knowledge about shoppers

*  By 2030, there will be more robots on earth than humans

*  3-D printing will disrupt many industries

*  Education will become democratized

Read full article at:  https://blogs.cisco.com/news/ciscos-chief-futurist-shares-top-5-predictions-for-2013-and-beyond-ioe/

 

“Menards bringing its super-sized stores to St. Louis” by Kavita Kumar at St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  “These initial two stores in St. Peters and O’Fallon, Ill. were to be the first of at least six, but Menards recently slowed its aggressive expansion push here and elsewhere amid the uncertain economy.  Saying that “the great people of the St. Louis area desperately need a better choice for home improvement products,” Menards promises to bring the “lowest prices in the region” on name-brand products.”  Read more:  https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/menards-bringing-its-super-sized-stores-to-st-louis/article_3d84915e-2c73-513a-a603-2274ce4de8ce.html

 

“Walmart and Annie’s keep score of supplier sustainability” by Aaron Tilley at Green Biz.  “Retail buyers play a key role in helping big companies like Walmart make their supply chains more sustainable. Bringing them onboard, however, wasn’t easy, so the world’s largest retailer gave buyers scorecards to assess supplier sustainability. Now 5 percent of buyers’ performance objectives must come from sustainable suppliers.  A couple of tangible tools and metrics have entirely shifted the momentum,” said Brittni Furrow, Walmart’s director of sustainability for food and consumables.”  Read more:  https://www.greenbiz.com/news/2013/03/08/walmart-annies-supplier-sustainability

 

“Cape Cod anti-Lowe’s group launches notolowes.com website”  “While Lowe’s may be acceptable in other regions, it is a threat to Cape Cod’s cultural legacy and economic diversity.”  See the site at:  https://notolowes.com/

 

“Whole Foods to Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content” by Stephanie Strom at NY Times.  “A. C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods, said the new labeling requirement, to be in place within five years, came in response to consumer demand. “We’ve seen how our customers have responded to the products we do have labeled,” Mr. Gallo said. “Some of our manufacturers say they’ve seen a 15 percent increase in sales of products they have labeled.”  Read more:  https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/business/grocery-chain-to-require-labels-for-genetically-modified-food.html?_r=0

 

“Simple Truth brands ‘a huge home run’ for Kroger” at Business Courier – Cincinnati.  “(Rodney) McMullen (CEO) said Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic products, among 588 new private label grocery items it introduced last fall, generated sales that exceeded Kroger’s internal goal by 33 percent.  Products sold under the two labels don’t contain 101 ingredients that some customers have said they don’t want in their food.”  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2013/03/simple-truth-brands-a-huge-home-run.html

 

“Dick’s Sporting Goods Misses 4Q Earnings” at Fox Business News.  “Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter results after misjudging demand for cold weather merchandise due to mild temperatures early in the season…Comparable store sales fell 2.2% in the quarter ended Feb. 2. Net income rose to $129.7 million, or $1.03 per share, from $111.1 million, or 88 cents per share, a year earlier.  Read more: https://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2013/03/11/dick-sporting-goods-misses-4q-earnings/#ixzz2NEjwkbPt

 

“J.C. Penney Desperately Needs a Strategy” by Roger Martin at Harvard Business Review.  “The problem with J.C. Penney is that it serves no compelling customer purpose — and neither did Borders. It doesn’t have an aspiration for winning — just for improving from the current pathetic state. It hasn’t made a choice to pursue a distinctive where to play and how to win that makes it a must-have destination for some set of shoppers for some set of goods. This is the heart of strategy: a set of choices that aspires to win against all comers in a certain place by delivering a particular winning proposition.”  Read more:  https://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/03/jc_penney_desperately_needs_a.html?utm_source=Socialflow&utm_medium=Tweet&utm_campaign=Socialflow

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/8/13: Kroger’s Robust Sales; Walgreen’s First Net Zero Energy Store

 

“Walmart Launches Online Site That Connects Shoppers with Products Supporting Small Women-Owned Businesses Around the World”  “As merchants, we’re always looking for new products to share with our customers that are quality, on-trend and priced right,” said Kelly Thompson, senior vice president of merchandising, Walmart.com. “The products from the Empowering Women Together collection deliver all of that while also giving our customers the chance to do good with their dollars – it’s a positive and powerful proposition for everyone.”  Empowering Women Together will be part of Store for Good, a developing Walmart.com program dedicated to connecting consumers with products that do good for other people, for themselves, or for our environment. The initiative will grow and potentially include eco-friendly products and healthier food options.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6434856&access=EH

 

“Kroger Reports 4Q Profit on Robust Sales” by Jennifer Booton at Fox Business.  “Excluding one-time items, Kroger said it earned 77 cents, topping average analyst estimates of 70 cents in a Thomson Reuters poll.  Revenue for the three months ended Feb. 2 climbed 12.8% to $24.15 billion from $21.4 billion a year ago, narrowly beating the Street’s view of $24 billion. Same-store sales, a key measurement of sales at stores open longer than a year, increased 3.5%.,,The nation’s largest supermarket operator anticipates same-store sales growth of 2.5% to 3.5% in 2013.”  Read more: https://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2013/03/07/kroger-reports-4q-profit-on-robust-sales/#ixzz2MwxUUUjN

 

“Walgreens Sets Goal to Build Nation’s First Net Zero Energy Retail Store in Evanston, Ill”  “Walgreens plans to generate electricity and reduce its usage by more than 40 percent through several technologies in the store including: more than 800 roof-top solar panels,  two wind turbines, geothermal energy obtained by drilling 550-feet into the ground below the store, where temperatures are more constant and can be tapped to heat or cool the store in winter and summer, LED lighting and daylight harvesting, carbon dioxide refrigerant for heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment, and energy efficient building materials.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130307005094&div=-1245645151

 

“Walmart Moves Consumer PR Duties To GolinHarris” at The Holmes Report.  “Walmart has reshaped its multimillion dollar consumer PR mandate in favour of GolinHarris following a review that sees key incumbent Cohn & Wolfe lose its grip on the company’s US business.  The Holmes Report understands that the consolidation of one of the world’s largest consumer PR mandates began at the start of this year. It sees the retail giant dispense with the roster approach that it established in 2009, when it named three PR firms to oversee consumer PR: GolinHarris, Cohn & Wolfe and Porter-Novelli.”  Read more:  https://www.holmesreport.com/news-info/13114/Walmart-Moves-Consumer-PR-Duties-To-GolinHarris.aspx

 

“JC Penney Puts Martha Stewart Goods on Hold” at CNBC.  “J.C. Penney agreed on Thursday not to sell products designed by Martha Stewart in categories deemed exclusive to Macy’s before a court date in April.  The agreement came as a New York judge adjourned a trial over whether Martha Stewart Living Omnimediabreached its contract with Macy’s when it entered into a deal with J.C. Penney.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100534875

 

“José Luis Pier Joins Lowe’s as President/General Director of Lowe’s Mexico”  “Lowe’s entered the home improvement business in Mexico when it opened stores in Monterrey in 2010. Today, the company has five stores located in Monterrey, Saltillo, Hermosillo and Culiacan.”  Read more:  https://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/03/07/2541214/jose-luis-pier-joins-lowes-as.html

 

“Retail Sales Growth Challenges Ahead: Analyst” by Katie Little at CNBC.  “Despite poor weather and some consumer spending headwinds, retail same-store sales gained momentum as February progressed. Still, one analyst has misgivings about the near future.  “The next three to six months, the first half of 2013, is challenging for same-store sales gains — low single-digits at best is going to be what it’s all about,” said Dana Telsey, chief executive of Telsey Advisory Group.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100533272

 

“Whole Foods to Test Lower Margins at Some Stores” by Elliot Zwiebach at Supermarket News. “Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas, plans to experiment with lower margins in some urban markets, though it does not plan any major changes in its pricing approach chainwide, Walter E. Robb. co-chief executive officer, told an investor conference here Tuesday.  “If we start getting into places where we’re just about price, we’d be getting away from our mission as a company and what we know how to do really well,” Robb said. “However, we have modeled some stores that are lower margin to put in certain urban markets, and I think there is some potential there, and you will see us do some experiments around that, just to see what that looks like.”  Read More: https://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/whole-foods-test-lower-margins-some-stores#ixzz2Mx3PaWh1

 

“Key Rite Aid revenue metric falls in February” at Bloomberg.  “The Camp Hill, Pa., company said Thursday that pharmacy revenue from stores open at least a year fell 4.7 percent in the five-week period that ended March 2. Revenue from the front end, or rest of the store, dropped 1.3 percent.”  Read more:  https://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-03-07/key-rite-aid-revenue-metric-falls-in-february

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/7/13: “Big box is so last decade”; Target’s SXSW contest

 

“Why Walmart Is Betting Big On Small Stores” by Lydia Dishman at Forbes.  “Big box is so last decade. That’s why Walmart is upping the ante on its expansion efforts with smaller stores. According to Bill Simon, head of Walmart’s U.S. division who spoke on an industry conference call yesterday, “They compete really well against multiple channels,” including competitors such as Dollar General, Walgreens and supermarkets.  Simon said the company plans to add 115 new outlets that have less than 60,000-square-feet of selling space this year. Walmart’s not abandoning the big box yet. Simon says to expect 125 Supercenters to open this year, too.”  Read more:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/lydiadishman/2013/03/06/why-walmart-is-betting-big-on-small-stores/

 

“Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports February, Second Quarter and Year-to-Date Sales Results”  “Costco Wholesale Corporation today reported net sales of $7.58 billion for the month of February, the four weeks ended March 3, 2013, an increase of eight percent from $7.01 billion during the similar period last year.  For the twenty-six weeks ended March 3, 2013, the Company reported net sales of $51.35 billion, an increase of nine percent from $47.22 billion during the similar period last year.”  Read more:  https://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=83830&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1793422&highlight=

 

“Target Looks For Help From Mobile Developers With Newly Announced “Retail Accelerator”” by Sarah Perez at Tech Crunch.  “Retail giant Target’s newly announced ”Target Retail Accelerator” isn’t really an accelerator – it’s more a sponsored contest taking place at SXSW in Austin. Developers who participate in the event will have a chance to create retail-focused mobile apps or mobile websites, with seven finalists receiving $10,000 for their ideas, and one grand-prize winner scoring a larger prize of $75,000. But most importantly comes the promise that the winner will “get to work with Target” to bring their project to life, the retailer says.”  Read more:  https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/06/target-looks-for-help-from-mobile-developers-with-newly-announced-retail-accelerator-which-is-actually-just-a-contest/

 

“Whole Foods Market® named to 2013 ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies’ list”  “For the fifth time, Whole Foods Market is named to the Ethisphere Institute’s “World’s Most Ethical Companies” list. Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, the institute reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6427682&access=EH

 

“2012 World’s Most Ethical Companies”  See the full list including retailers:  https://www.ethisphere.com/wme/

 

“Costco CEO: Raise The Minimum Wage To More Than $10 Per Hour” by Bonnie Kavoussi at HuffPo.  “President Barack Obama wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 per hour. And the CEO of one of America’s largest retailers says such a move would be good for workers and businesses alike. In fact, he says raise it even more.  On Tuesday, Costco CEO and President Craig Jelinek came out in support of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which aims to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, then adjust it after that for inflation.”  Read more:  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/costco-ceo-minimum-wage-craig-jelinek_n_2818060.html?utm_hp_ref=business

 

“Of Course Costco Supports A Higher Minimum Wage: It Already Pays Above It” by Tim Worstall at Forbes.  “This isn’t the most remarkable business statement ever. In fact, Costco coming out in support of a higher minimum wage is one of the more unsurprising ones. For Costco already pays well above minimum wage anyway. The only people who could be hurt by the rise are Costco’s competitors.”  Read more:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/03/06/of-course-costco-supports-a-higher-minimum-wage-it-already-pays-above-it/

 

“Walmart Beats Emissions Goal a Year Early” at Environmental Leader.  “Walmart has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from a 2005 baseline, meeting its target one year ahead of schedule. The metric applies to all facilities built before the baseline.  The announcement represents something of a turnaround for the company. At Walmart’s 2009 Sustainability Milestones Meeting, CEO Mike Duke announced that the retailer was on track to meet 36 of its 37 sustainability goals.”  Read more:  https://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/03/06/walmart-beats-emissions-goal-a-year-early/

 

“PayOne files lawsuit against Home Depot” at Businessweek.  “PayOne Corp. has filed a lawsuit against Home Depot that claims the biggest U.S. home improvement company use of PayPal’s in-store checkout infringes on some of its patents.  The privately held company, formerly called PaymentOne Corp., is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and an injunction against future infringement by Home Depot Inc.”  Read more:  https://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-03-06/payone-files-lawsuit-against-home-depot

 

“World’s #2 Retailer Ups Spending After Loss”  at CNBC.  “Carrefour, Europe’s biggest retailer,said it would boost capital spending this year to revive its struggling hypermarkets after 2012 profits fell 2.6 percent, depressed by falling demand in recession-hit Spain and Italy.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100530644

 

“Wal-Mart passed on Barnes & Noble before, but maybe it should look again” by Gina Chon at Quartz.  “Wal-Mart had studied a Barnes & Noble deal in 2010 when the bookseller explored a possible sale. The logic was that Wal-Mart could use Barnes & Noble’s web site to help it better compete with Amazon, people familiar with the matter said. Despite Wal-Mart’s size, it’s still behind Barnes & Noble when it comes to certain aspects of online sales, including third-party merchant products.”  Read more:  https://qz.com/59515/wal-mart-passed-on-barnes-noble-before-but-maybe-it-should-look-again/

 

“National Retail Federation Backs Legislation to Repeal Health Care Employer Mandate”  The National Retail Federation this week welcomed introduction of House and Senate legislation that would repeal the employer mandate provision of the health care reform law scheduled to take effect next year.  “One of every four jobs in the American economy is supported by retail, which would be jeopardized by the mandate effective in 2014. The employer mandate is already deterring job growth today at the expense of tomorrow’s economy.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130306005987&div=-1245645151

 

“Lowe’s to Webcast Presentation from the UBS Global Consumer Conference (on 3/13)”  “Lowe’s Companies, Inc. announces that Robert A. Niblock, chairman, president and chief executive officer, and Robert F. Hull, Jr., chief financial officer, will present at the UBS Global Consumer Conference in Boston, MA.

What:  Presentation by Robert Niblock and Bob Hull at the UBS Global Consumer Conference in Boston, MA

When: 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Where: Visit Lowe’s Investor Relations website at https://www.lowes.com/investor

Read more:   https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130306005214&div=-1245645151

 

Thanks for reading…

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/6/13: Google’s Rumored Alliance with Walmart & Target

 

“Google’s Rumored Target and Walmart Alliance Could Scare the Prime Out of Amazon” by Louis Bedigian at Benzinga.  “Google is reportedly working on a new shopping service to take on Amazon Prime.  According to TechCrunch, the new service (which is being referred to as “Google Shopping Express”) will retail at $64 or $69 a year, making it considerably cheaper than Amazon Prime, which sells for $79.99 a year. It will also provide subscribers with expedited delivery options from Target , Walmart,  Walgreens and Safeway.   Read more: https://www.benzinga.com/news/13/03/3391587/googles-rumored-target-and-walmart-alliance-could-scare-the-prime-out-of-amazon#ixzz2MlkrSH61

 

Walmart U.S. CEO, Bill Simon, Speaks at Raymond James Investor Conference:  “Some Shoppers Shun Online Credit Card Use: Wal-Mart” by Mark Hamstra at Supermarket News.  “He also said the company has had success with its Site to Store delivery, through which products are ordered online and picked up at the store. He cited a Neighborhood Market location in downtown Chicago that generates “up to 20% to 25% of its sales” through Walmart.com and Site to Store. “In fact, so much volume is done there that we had to rent more space from the landlord, just to be able to store the products that were shipped to the store through Walmart.com,” Simon said.  He also detailed the company’s small-format rollouts, describing a “density test” with its small-format Walmart Exporess stores in the Raleigh-Durham market in North Carolina, where Wal-Mart is seeking to learn “what happens when you put a lot of these in close proximity.”  Read more:  https://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/some-shoppers-shun-online-credit-card-use-wal-mart

 

“Target is here … now what?” at Maclean’s (Text and Video of store opening).  “They showed up at 5:30 a.m. and were first in line. Their goal was to find printer ink cartridges at a cheaper price than the competitors.  Behind them was Rhonda Weatherall, a local resident who remembers when Walmart launched its first store in Guelph several years ago.  “I was the first one in,” she said. “So I kind of wanted to come and compare.”  But after a walk through the aisles of the Target store she “wasn’t overly impressed.”  “There wasn’t a lot of great deals that I saw,” she said.”  Read and see more:  https://www2.macleans.ca/2013/03/05/target-is-here-now-what/

 

“Amazon Launching First TV Effort For Fashion Unit” by Sarah Mahoney at Media Post.  “Would the kind of woman who would rock a $24,000 bridesmaid gown shop in the same store that sells $5 mini-dresses?  Well, if the store is Amazon, she just might. Or at least that’s what the e-commerce giant is hoping –reportedly rolling out its first-ever TV campaign for Amazon Fashion, an effort to let fashionistas know that the world’s biggest online retailer has plenty of runway swagger.  Women’s Wear Daily reports that the company is launching a 30-second TV spot, directed by director/photographer Peggy Sirota, said to be airing in prime-time programming in select markets.”  Read more: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/194850/amazon-launching-first-tv-campaign-for-fashion-uni.html#ixzz2Mlo6S2Yx

 

“Martha Stewart Denies Wrongdoing With JC Penney Deal” at CNBC.  “Stewart said it’s Macy’s that didn’t uphold its end of the agreement to try to maximize the potential of her business. She said her brand, which is about a $300 million business at Macy’s, has grown “static” at the department-store chain. She said she was hoping the business would exceed well over $400 million.  “We were disappointed,” Stewart, wearing a sleeveless jacket and mini skirt, testified. “We did have hopes that the business would be much bigger … We got to a certain dollar amount and struggled and never got any further.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100524473

 

“Home Depot quietly ends light-bulb-recycling program (in Canada)” at CBC News-Ottawa.  “A large home improvement retailer has decided to quietly pull the plug on its compact fluorescent light-bulb-recycling program nationwide, upsetting an environmental non-profit that has handed out hundreds of thousands of the energy-efficient bulbs in Canada.”  Read more:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/03/06/ottawa-home-depot-cfl-recycling-bulbs-program-stopped-end-finish.html

 

“Walgreens February Sales Decrease 2.2 Percent”  “Walgreens had February sales of $5.75 billion, a decrease of 2.2 percent from $5.88 billion for the same month in fiscal 2012. Last year’s total February sales benefited from one extra day because of the leap year. Excluding last February’s leap day, this year’s February sales increased 1.5 percent. Total front-end sales decreased 3.1 percent compared with the same month in fiscal 2012.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130305005381&div=-1245645151

 

“Lowe’s Earns Fourth Consecutive ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award”  “Lowe’s is the only company to win multiple Sustained Excellence Awards in the product retailer category since the award’s inception in 2004. The company is being honored for outstanding achievements year after year in customer outreach, employee training and product selection. Lowe’s has won 11 consecutive ENERGY STAR awards (2003-2013) for product retailing, more than any other retailer.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130305006538&div=-1245645151

 

“Hostess sues Kroger for unpaid invoices” at Business Courier-Cincinnati.  “The company filed a lawsuit against The Kroger Co. demanding about $2.84 million in overdue invoices on Friday, according to Reuters. The baker and bread maker alleges that Kroger and its subsidiaries haven’t made payments since July.  The maker of Wonder Bread and Twinkies is also asking a bankruptcy judge to disallow at least two legal claims that Kroger has made against it until the payments are made.”  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2013/03/hostess-sues-kroger-for-unpaid-invoices.html

 

“Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. to present at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2013 Consumer & Retail Conference”  “Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.  will participate in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2013 Consumer & Retail Conference on Tuesday, March 12. Chief Financial Officer Charles Holley will provide an update on the company’s financial priorities as the keynote speaker at the conference at approximately 12:30 p.m. EDT.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130305005986&div=-1245645151

 

Thanks for reading…

 

Follow on Twitter @retaileyeretail

 

Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/5/13: Highlights – H.Depot’s Raymond James Conf.; Safeway Overcharges

 

Home Depot Presents at Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference (3/4/13)

Presented by Home Depot’s Kevin Hoffman — President, Online

Highlights:

*  50% of Home Depot sales involve online properties in some shape or form

*  Aim to have endless aisles

*  600,000 skus online vs. 35,000 in typical store

*  One in four hit website before entering store

*  2% of sales come from online

*  12 million visits to Home Depot website per week

*  9 new Home Depot stores planned for 2013, 7 of those in Mexico

*  When asked “Where are you taking market share?” responded “paint, carpet, tools and outdoor power”.

*  Contractor represents 35% of sales

Hear and see presentation (registration required):  https://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c=63646&eventID=4917131

 

“Target Announces Opening of Three Pilot Stores in Ontario”  “Target today announced that it is opening three pilot stores in Ontario on March 5 at Stone Road in Guelph, Milton Mall Shopping Centre in Milton and Gates of Fergus in Fergus. The three pilot stores are the first Target locations to open in Canada, and the first of 124 Target stores that will open across the country throughout 2013. This marks the final phase in a testing process, which was designed to prepare systems, train team members and determine operational readiness as the first wave of 24 stores soft open across Ontario later in March.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6414216&access=EH

 

“Leadership shake-up at Save-A-Lot and Shop ‘n Save” by Kavita Kumar at St. Louis Post Dispatch.  “Just a month into his tenure, the new chief executive of Supervalu is shaking up top management at the company…But analysts said Supervalu needs to do a lot more than just change leaders to improve its fortunes.  “They’re probably trying to look for some turnaround specialists to make things better,” said David Livingston, a Wisconsin-based supermarket consultant. “But they have a massive amount of debt. And they have some retail concepts that don’t seem to be resonating with the consumer. So just having some new people in there isn’t going to change that fact.”  Read more:  https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/leadership-shake-up-at-save-a-lot-and-shop-n/article_b6796859-84bf-5c64-8d56-244877100674.html

 

“Hy-Vee makes creative displays” by Kevin Coss at Albert Lea Tribune.  “The snowmobile was one such display, which had to be tethered to support beams in the ceiling to give it the illusion it was floating over the orange stand.  “It seemed to grab a bit of attention,” Shahan said.  Produce Manager Todd Brouwers said the idea for the project came when they realized Arctic Cat offered a snowmobile the same color as January’s yearly theme of orange. He joked the store was feeling pressure to one-up itself on future displays.  “Maybe we’ll hang a four-wheeler from the ceiling,” Brouwers said.”  Read more:  https://www.albertleatribune.com/2013/03/04/hy-vee-makes-creative-displays/

 

“Bill Gates, Amazon’s Bezos among tech’s top billionaires” by Bret Molina at USA Today via Forbes.  “Several notable tech leaders appeared on the Forbes’ billionaires list. Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos finished at 19th on the list with $25.2 billion, followed by Google co-founders Larry Page ($23 billion) and Sergey Brin ($22.8 billion) at 20th and 21st, respectively.”  Read more:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/03/04/forbes-billionaires-microsoft-google-facebook/1961879/

 

“Study: Wal-Mart most popular place to find love at first sight” at WGHP 8.  “Romance isn’t dead. It’s just hiding at your local Wal-Mart.  A study of “missed connection” posts on Craigslist, where love-struck hopefuls try to track down and win over a stranger who caught their eye, found that Wal-Mart is the most popular place for people to find love at first sight, according to Psychology Today magazine.”  Read more:  https://myfox8.com/2013/03/04/study-wal-mart-most-popular-place-to-find-love-at-first-sight/

 

“Office Depot is stronger brand than OfficeMax, survey says” by Marcia Heroux Pounds.  “When the No. 2 and No. 3 office supply retailers merge, the combined companies would do well to use the Office Depot name, a branding expert says.  The Office Depot name is a stronger brand in the eyes of consumers than OfficeMax, according to YouGov BrandIndex, a consumer perception research service in New York City and Palo Alto, Calif.”  Read more:  https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-office-depot-brand-20130305,0,1543048.story

 

“Costco dodges economic bullet” at MSN Money.  “Costco Wholesale’s annual sales run above $100 billion, more than twice J.C. Penney’s  and Macy’s combined, and nearly 40% of those of mega-retailer Target.  Yet, Costco’s sales have not been dented by the current downturn or slowdown in sales that most of the nation’s largest retailers have felt.  Costco may not have the perfect model for retail success, but it is close.”  https://money.msn.com/top-stocks/post.aspx?post=472d3829-6700-456b-9932-d659654f66c8

 

“Analysts: Kroger Co. poised for acquisitions” at WCPO Cincinnati.  “The Kroger Co has the financial capacity to pull off an acquisition worth more than $2 billion, but company officials and industry observers are hinting that smaller bites are more likely.  Kroger is likely to be asked about potential acquisitions in its March 7 conference call to discuss fourth quarter earnings.  Read more: https://www.wcpo.com/dpp/money/business_news/kroger-poised-for-acquistion#ixzz2MfW9lSUE

 

“Monster hits back at lawsuit over teenager’s death” at Seattle Times via AP.  “In an interview with the Associated Press, Monster’s lawyer Daniel Callahan said the company hired a team of physicians to review the medical records in the Anais Fournier case and found that she likely died of natural causes brought on by her pre-existing heart conditions. The team found no medical evidence to show caffeine was a factor, he said.”  Read more:  https://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020483944_apusmonsterenergylawsuit.html

 

“Safeway Prices Too High, According To Investigation” at WUSA 9 (Text and Video). “An investigation by KPIX-TV in San Francisco found that Safeway overcharges more often than other stores surveyed in California. The station reviewed 1,800 scanner inspections over the last five years in California and 11 other states. They found Safeway, and its affiliated stores (Vons, Pavilions, Carrs-Safeway, Dominick’s Finer Foods, Randall’s and Tom Thumb) overcharged in more than 30% of the inspections. Safeway has grocery stores in Maryland, DC and Virginia.”   Read and see more: https://www.wusa9.com/(X(1)A(4C27-hC5zAEkAAAAYzA5YjQ2YzktOTk1Zi00MzVhLTgwMmMtMWUyMTdlZDlkNWY0Q9A_ppj6SQLTPxGfD-rRYaxNP5k1))/news/article/246742/37/Safeway-Prices-Too-High-According-To-Investigation

 

Thanks for reading…

 

Follow on Twitter @retaileyeretail

 

 

Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/4/13: Amazon’s “#1 weapon”; Marching to Publix

 

“Wal-Mart Anxious to Combat Amazon’s Lead in Web Vendors” by Renee Dudley at Bloomberg.  “Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is “anxious” to take on Amazon.com Inc.’s Marketplace, where independent merchants sell millions of products.  According to minutes from a Feb. 1 officers meeting led by U.S. Chief Executive Officer Bill Simon, Wal-Mart considers Marketplace Amazon’s “number one weapon…Four years after starting its own version of Marketplace — called Marketplace — Wal-Mart has signed up six outside merchants, including one that sells sports memorabilia. Amazon has 2 million that sell everything from clothing to mobile phone cases.”  Read more:  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-04/wal-mart-anxious-to-combat-amazon-s-lead-in-web-vendors.html

 

“First Lady Michelle Obama Visits A Walmart In Springfield, MO” by Chase Snyder at KTTS.  “Michelle Obama:  “As Leslie mentioned, in just two years, Walmart saved customers $2.3 billion on fresh fruits and vegetables across the nation. And I’m going to repeat these accomplishments because they’re worth saying over and over again, because Walmart is still making money. You reduced the amount of sugar in products across the store by 10 percent. You’ve cut price premiums for healthy items, making the healthier item more affordable or just as affordable as the alternative.  You have opened 86 new stores — one of the most important calls, most important work to eliminating food deserts, because you’ve opened these stores, including this one, in underserved communities. And now you’ve launched your “Great for You” seal that I got to see firsthand — that helps customers immediately spot healthy items on the shelf.”  Read and see complete speech:  https://www.ktts.com/news/194088161.html

 

“Albertsons Gets Executive Ducks in Two Rows” by Kimerly Eisham at Path to Purchase.  “The new company, which will encompass the existing Albertsons LLC operation and consist of two segments:

Albertsons LLC, to operate all of the roughly 600 Albertsons stores. The unit will add a Northwest division covering Northern Idaho, Oregon and Washington to complement the four divisions already in place at the separate Albertsons chains, according to a media release.

New Albertsons Inc. (NAI), which will manage the 375 stores in the Acme, Jewel-Osco and Shaw’s/Star Market chains along with all pharmacy operations (including Albertsons).

Read more:  https://p2pi.org/node/120057

 

“Buffett Still Buying Stocks, Sees ‘Good Value, isn’t too worried about Sequester'” at CNBC this morning.  “Buffett isn’t too worried that the automatic government spending cuts known as the sequester will slow down the U.S. economy too much.  Buffett said that while the sequester will reduce the government’s stimulus of the economy by cutting back on the deficit the remaining spending is still providing the economy a lot of “juice.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100515743

 

“Why SolarCity teamed up with Home Depot” at CNN Money.  “CEO Lyndon Rive discusses how SolarCity is looking to expand its footprint via partnerships with Home Depot and Honda.”  See the video:  https://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/03/01/t-solarcity-home-depot-honda.fortune/index.html?iid=SF_F_River

 

“What Amazon dilemma? It’s helping (yes, that’s right) smaller retailers” by Teresa Novellino at Upstart Business Journal.  “But what you may not know are some of the figures that Tom Taylor, vice president of Fulfillment by Amazon and the Amazon Webstore, shared with Upstart Business Journal at eTail West, which wrapped up in Palm Springs Thursday: Amazon has more than 2 million third-party sellers worldwide, and they represent 39 percent of the units sold on Amazon in the fourth quarter of 2012. Sellers who are selling via Amazon, as a group, sold 40 percent more units year over year during the 2012 holiday season versus 2011.”  Read more:  https://upstart.bizjournals.com/companies/rebel-brands/2013/03/01/amazon-and-its-third-party-retailers.html

 

“Obama to nominate Walmart’s Burwell as White House budget chief – sources” at Reuters.  “President Barack Obama plans to nominate Walmart Foundation head Sylvia Mathews Burwell to head the White House Office of Management and Budget on Monday, sources said on Sunday.  Burwell is a veteran of Bill Clinton’s White House and has helped steer philanthropic efforts while at Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas. The sources, who asked to remain unidentified, said plans were for Burwell to be nominated on Monday.”  https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/03/usa-obama-budget-idUSL1N0BV23I20130303

 

“Amazon Patents Gravity-Based Links to Pull You In” by Roberto Baldwin at Wired.  “Amazon has patented a system that pulls the pointer toward a link or button, just the thing to help you click links — and buy products associated with those links.  If you’ve ever hit the wrong button or link on a touchscreen, you know the frustration of tapping repeatedly and still missing the link or button. Amazon’s Gravity-Based Link Assist patent fixes that by creating a gravitational field of sorts around linkable objects that pull the pointer toward tiny links and buttons.”  Read more:  https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/03/amazon-patents-gravity-based-links/

 

“Coalition of Immokalee Workers launching march to Publix headquarters” at Naples News.  “The 200-mile trek to Central Florida, called “March for Rights, Respect, and Fair Food,” is promoted by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and ends up at the corporate headquarters for Publix supermarkets…“We are going to take our case directly to the consumers through our presence in the streets, through nightly meetings with supporters in churches, schools and community halls along the way, and through our voices in the media,” Coalition representative Oscar Otzoy said in a statement. “We will not rest until Publix realizes that the 21st century supermarket cannot afford to turn its back on human rights.”  Read more:  https://www.naplesnews.com/news/2013/mar/03/coalition-immokalee-workers-launching-march-publix/

 

Thanks for reading…

 

Follow on Twitter @retaileyeretail