Archive for category: Eye-on-Retail

Walmart Economic and Customer Trends Report – Q3 2012.  Highlights:

Tradeoff between diaper and baby cream sales signals we’re still in difficult economic times according to Walmart’s unconventional “Diaper Rash Indicator…

“Diaper Rash Indicator:  In at attempt to save money in down economic times, parents with children in diapers try to save costs by cutting back on diaper changings.  At the same time sales of baby cream, related to Junior’s increase in diaper rashes, builds.  Parents, in effect, are trading more expensive diapers for less expensive baby cream”

“Walmart’s internal analyses confirms that household discretionary spending has yet to return to pre-downturn levels.  A prolonged improvement in confidence is unlikely until income for disposable purchases improves considerably.”

“Walmart expects the full effect of the 2012 drought and its impact on consumer packaged and processed foods will not be felt until 2013.  Consequently, the USDA has forecast 2013 food inflation to be 3%-4%, which is significantly higher than the historical average.  More food pricing pain is on the horizon.”

https://news.walmart.com/walmart-facts/walmart-economic-customer-insights-report-q3-2012 

“Dollar Store, Inc.: The Booming Business of Being Cheap” by Ryan Owens and Jake Whitman at ABC News (Video featuring Family Dollar and Text).  “The three top players, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree and Dollar General, have quietly become a $56 billion industry and they are opening new locations faster than Starbucks. By one estimate, there are more dollar stores in the United States than drug stores.  “Believe it or not, we can still open a lot of stores,” said Family Dollar CEO Howard Levine. “Particularly in California where we just opened a store a year ago… this is probably a 1,000-store state.”  https://abcnews.go.com/Business/dollar-store-booming-business-cheap/story?id=17934578#.UMf5AoPAfzk

“Target: Going Deep on Engagement” in McKinsey &  Company.  Jeff Jones (@jjones), Target’s Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, explains what it takes to build deep relationships with their guests, how to build a multichannel organization, and how to balance analytics with creativity…”The most important marketing change we’ve made is to collaborate in a more strategic way at the beginning of the process, not tactically after the work is done. It used to be that we’d develop the business objective, then define the marketing strategy, work on the creative, buy media, then inform PR, etc. Now we bring together those paid, owned, earned and shared teams as a strategic input into what we’re trying to accomplish at the beginning of the process. This is an important philosophical shift.”  https://cmsoforum.mckinsey.com/article/target-going-deep-on-engagement

” Amazon’s latest experiment: Installing your TV and other household items” by Taylor Soper at Geek Wire.  “In another example of Amazon expanding its footprint in new ways, the online retail giant is now contracting with a Seattle area company to install TV mounts right in your home.  Currently in beta mode and available only in the Seattle area, Amazon’s new TV mount service is priced at $275. It includes the mount itself and the labor costs for installation. All a customer needs is a flatscreen TV, and Amazon’s partner does the rest.”  https://www.geekwire.com/2012/amazon-inhome-tv-mounting-installation/

“Sears Canada Mines 60-Year-Old Database for Turnaround” by Ari Altstedter at Bloomberg News.  “Sears Canada Inc. is betting on using its 60-year-old credit card database, the largest in the country, to create advertising for targeted customers and help return the retailer to profitability by 2014.  “We recognize it as a huge opportunity, it’s been under- leveraged,” Chief Executive Officer Calvin McDonald, 41, said in an interview at the company’s Toronto headquarters last week. “We’re on it.”  Sears Canada, which has reported 12 straight quarters of sales declines, delved into its database for the relaunch of its Jessica women’s brand in September, analyzing customers’ past purchases to determine who it should choose for exclusive discounts by direct mail and e-mail.”  https://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-12-11/sears-canada-mines-60-year-old-database-for-turnaround 

“Wal-Mart CEO says ‘fiscal cliff’ affects U.S. shoppers” by Martinne Geller in The Chicago Tribune.  “In the week before last month’s U.S. presidential election, only 25 percent of its core U.S. shoppers knew what the term “fiscal cliff” meant, CEO Mike Duke told a gathering on Tuesday in New York.  “One week after the election it was up to 75 percent,” said Duke, adding that 15 percent of those customers said the debate in Washington would affect what they spend for Christmas.  Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the United States and the world, polls its shoppers regularly.  The latest poll could bode poorly for retailers like Wal-Mart, which rely on the year-end holiday shopping season for an outsized portion of their annual revenue.”  https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-walmart-dukebre8bb075-20121211,0,5602674.story

“Dollar General feels heat from competition, economy” by Jessica Wohl at Reuters.  “The discount chain posted a bigger-than-expected increase in quarterly profit and total sales in line with Wall Street expectations. But sales at stores open at least a year rose less than some analysts expected, and its profit forecast suggested this quarter’s profit will miss estimates.  But competitors including Walmart have stepped up their focus on items priced at $1 or less and have been advertising heavily, putting pressure on stores such as Dollar General that operate on much smaller ad budgets. Dollar General said it would start to lower some prices and use more advertising.”  https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-dollargeneral-resultsbre8ba0fo-20121211,0,2230535.story 

“With Home Depot Deal, Samsung Ties Up Quartet of North American Retailers” at Chosun Media.  “With this deal, Samsung now has partnerships with all four major distributors of home appliances in North America, following similar agreements with BestBuy in 2003, Lowe’s in 2005 and Sears in 2007.”  https://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/12/12/2012121200974.html

“Amazon wins its insane gadget-airbag patent” by Josh Lowensohn at CNET (Pictures from Patent and Text).  “Amazon has been granted a patent for protecting gadgets from accidents by using tiny airbags and even jets of air…At its core, the patent details a system that uses your gadget’s built-in gyroscope, accelerometers, camera, and other onboard sensors to figure out if the device has gone airborne. If so, a system can keep the device from getting too badly damaged by changing its fall, and even deploying airbags to lessen the damage.”  https://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57558622-38/amazon-wins-its-insane-gadget-airbag-patent/

“Forbes recognizes Wegmans as ‘customer service champion” by S.J. Velasquez at Buffalo.com.  “Rochester-based Wegmans is one of three companies recognized as “customer service champions” by Forbes.  The Western New York grocery chain is in good company, too. It’s honored in an article alongside recognizable brands such as Apple and the Ritz-Carlton for embracing a simple, underrated customer service practice: “empowerment.”“We empower our people to make decisions that improve their work and benefit our customers and our company,” Wegmans media relations director Jo Natale told Forbes contributor Carmine Gallo.”  https://www.buffalo.com/grub-pub/blog/forbes-recognizes-wegmans-as-customer-service-champion/

“Target CMO: Content and Mobile Matters More Than Campaigns” by Mark Miller in Brand Channel (Video and Text).  ““In the past, marketers would make campaigns, they would put them in the world, and they would wait to see what happened,” Jones said in a video released on the brand’s A Bullseye View website and YouTube channel. “In today’s world, it happens hourly. It happens daily. And this is a brand that has such enriched deep content that our guests want to hear from us on. So if we can create content and share content and allow our guests to speak on our behalf, that’s really beneficial for them to deepen their engagement and it helps us amplify our message as well.”  https://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2012/12/07/Target-CMO-Content-Mobile-Matters-120712.aspx

“Can Mexico Deliver Growth For Lowe’s and Home Depot?” at Trefis.  “So where do Lowe’s and Home Depot turn to for some top-line sizzle? Mexico. The country checks out on all mentioned parameters for housing growth. The country is South America’s second largest economy, and is expected to grow faster than  Brazil for the second consecutive year in 2012. Lending rates are at 10%, down from 13% three years ago. Home loans grew by more than 10% over September 2011- September 2012. The country is expected to add around 14.6 million homes over the period 2010-2040, leading to a real scramble between the nation’s leading lenders for a slice of this rather enticing pie. Home Depot has 100 stores in the country (its 100th was flagged off recently in November). This is up from around 60 in 2009. Lowe’s, meanwhile has a rather limited international presence at the moment, with only 2 stores in the country.  Going forward, we expect the two companies to continue investing heavily in the region. Lowe’s, which has a markedly lower footprint in Mexico than Home Depot, starts off with a distinct disadvantage.”  https://www.trefis.com/stock/low/articles/155162/can-mexico-deliver-growth-for-lowes-and-home-depot/2012-12-07

“Aldi supermarket billionaire heir dies at age 58” by Cara Waters in Smart Company.  “German billionaire Berthold Albrecht, who was heir to half of supermarket Aldi, has died at age 58…Aldi is now the world’s 10th biggest retailer and the privately owned discount supermarket has annual sales of $67.1 billion.  The whole family is notoriously reclusive, after Theo (father) was kidnapped for seven days in 1971.  Karl (Theo’s brother) bargained to reduce the multi-million ransom demanded by the kidnappers and the Aldi heirs’ frugal approach to life was highlighted when Theo famously tried to claim a tax rebate for the ransom payment.”  https://www.smartcompany.com.au/retail/053343-aldi-supermarket-billionaire-heir-dies-at-age-58.html

“Menards shelves plans for store in O’Fallon (Missouri), blames Obama” by Brian Flinchpaugh at stltoday.com.  President Barack Obama is being blamed for a decision to take plans for a Menards home improvement store in O’Fallon off the table.  O’Fallon officials canceled a Dec. 6 public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission after the company withdrew its requests for rezoning and a conditional-use permit.  A statement emailed to the Journal Friday by Menards spokesman Jeff Abbott reads: “I’m very sorry, but we are a family owned business and with the Obama Administration scaring the dickens out of all small businesses in the USA at present, we have decided not to risk expansion until things are more settled.”  https://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/stcharles/news/menards-shelves-plans-for-store-in-o-fallon-blames-obama/article_ac330273-c8ba-5f9c-92eb-33eaca281cc4.html

“Canadian retailers brace for Target’s cheap chic” by Allison Martell at Reuters.  “Edward Jones’ Fehr thinks Canadian Tire Corp Ltd which sells a combination of auto parts, housewares, apparel and sporting goods across several banners, is particularly vulnerable, but Paul Taylor, chief investment officer of fundamental equities at BMO Asset Management Inc, says it is insulated by its auto parts and sporting goods segments.”  https://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCABRE8B80BP20121209?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0 

“CVS/pharmacy updates its m-commerce site and mobile app” by Bill Siwicki.  “Both the CVS mobile site and app enable customers to shop the full CVS.com product catalog. Shoppers can use both the site and app to access Deal of the Day flash sales featuring a new deal every day online and in-store on popular household essentials and gifts.”  https://www.internetretailer.com/2012/12/06/cvspharmacy-updates-its-m-commerce-site-and-mobile-app

“CVS rounds out mobile strategy with QR-code enabled gift card exchange” by Chantal Tode.  ““Whether a consumer is exchanging a restaurant gift card, a competing retailer’s gift card or a gas station gift card, they are taking the unused portion of a gift card in a consumer’s wallet and we are giving them a CVS gift card,” said Dan Rogers, chief financial officer at Plastic Jungle, San Mateo, CA.”  https://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/cvs-rounds-out-mobile-strategy-with-qr-code-enabled-gift-card-exchange

“Walmart Canada stores to open around the clock until Christmas Eve” at Herald Online.  “Walmart Canada…announced that it will operate 200 of its 373 stores nationwide around the clock in December. More than half of the country’s Walmart stores will open their doors on December 7 and leave them open until closing time on Christmas Eve.”   https://www.heraldonline.com/2012/12/07/4468351/walmart-canada-stores-to-open.html#storylink=cpy

“Walmart Canada unveils 200th Supercentre” at The Sacramento Bee.  “Walmart Canada opened the doors of its 200th supercentre located in Edmonton, Alberta. Today’s grand opening marks a major milestone for Walmart Canada. The company opened its first supercentres in Ontario in 2006. Today, Walmart Canada has supercentres in six provinces and 373 stores nationwide serving more than eight million customers each week.  “Our 200th supercentre and 73 projects to be completed this year will make 2012 a major milestone in Walmart Canada’s history,” said Jim Thompson, Walmart Canada’s chief operations officer. “Walmart Canada is a strong business getting even stronger. We are Canada’s fastest growing retailer. The demand for everyday low prices and one-stop shopping remains high and we are responding with our biggest year ever of grand openings.” https://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/07/5038561/walmart-canada-unveils-200th-supercentre.html#storylink=cpy

“Food Lion’s parent company taps new president for grocery store chain that started in NC” at The Washington Post.  “The grocery store chain Food Lion has a new president. Beth Newlands Campbell is replacing Cathy Green Burns, who became a familiar face on Food Lion’s television commercials…In January, the company announced plans to close 113 underperforming Food Lion stores in the U.S.”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/food-lions-parent-company-taps-new-president-for-grocery-store-chain-that-started-in-nc/2012/12/08/a543ade4-4191-11e2-8a5c-473797be602c_story.html

Oddball retail story of the day… 

“In Roswell, N.M., slab of ribs was packing heat — with ammo (at Albertson’s)” by John Glionna at LA Times.  “New Mexico authorities have heard all the horror stories about unhealthy food additives, but they admit they’ve never seen anything as bizarre as this.  A worker unwrapping a case of frozen meat at an Albertsons grocery store in the town of Roswell this week discovered a handgun and ammunition packed alongside a slab of ribs.”  https://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-new-mexico-ribs-gun-ammo-20121207,0,2146491.story

“Lowe’s still yearns for larger market share in Canada” by Ken Elkins in Charlotte Business Journal.  “On Wednesday, Robert Niblock, Lowe’s chief executive, told analyst and investors he would like to have at least 100 Lowe’s stores in Canada.  “There are other ways to attain scale in Canada,” he says. The company dropped its $1.8 billion offer for Rona when Rona’s board of directors rebuffed the proposal.”  https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/outside_the_loop/2012/12/lowes-still-yearns-for-larger-market.html

“Rogers and Wal-Mart to launch magazine (in Canada)” by Susan Krashinksy in The Globe and Mail.  “In April, Rogers will launch Walmart Live Better, a new 100-page glossy magazine that will be published six times a year, in collaboration with Wal-Mart Canada Corp.  The magazine will have a circulation of one million copies, distributed in Wal-Mart’s Supercentres across English Canada (French-language distribution is planned within the year.)”  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/rogers-and-wal-mart-to-launch-magazine/article6012912/?cmpid=rss1

“Big Lots CEO to Leave Amid Report of Stock Sale SEC Probe” by Matt Townend and Lauren Coleman-Lochner in Business Week.  “Sales at U.S. stores open at least 15 months fell 4.6 percent in the quarter ended Oct. 27, the company said. Big Lots reported a third-quarter loss of $6 million, or 10 cents a share, from continuing operations, compared with a profit of $4.2 million, or 6 cents, a year ago.  The company operated more than 1,482 U.S. stores at the end of the period.”  https://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-12-05/big-lots-ceo-to-leave-amid-report-of-stock-sale-sec-probe

“Amazon launches its Kindle Store in Brazil, announces $150 Kindle will be available in the “coming weeks”” by Anna Heim at The Next Web.  “In this context, it will now be interesting whether (and when) Amazon will start selling more than book-related items in Brazil, amid rumors that it is considering acquiring local e-commerce companies to enter the online retail space with a bang. All we know for sure is that its first non-digital product to go on sale will be the Kindle. As you can see below, Brazilian users can already register their email to get notified when it becomes available.”  https://thenextweb.com/media/2012/12/06/amazon-has-quietly-launched-in-brazil-now-selling-e-books-and-announces-a-150-kindle/

“Dick’s Sporting Goods makes a move on Central Florida” by Sandra Pedicini at The Orlando Sentinel.  “Already the nation’s largest sporting goods retailing company — with more than $5 billion in annual sales and 500 stores — Dick’s eventually plans to have 900 outlets throughout the United States. In Central Florida, Dick’s opened two more stores last month, in Sanford and Waterford Lakes. They had already been operating a store near Mall at Millenia.”  https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-dicks-sporting-goods-orlando-20121205,0,2129494.story 

“Walgreens November Sales Decrease 3.9%” by Paul Quintaro at Benzinga.  “Total front-end sales decreased 0.3 percent compared with the same month in fiscal 2012, while comparable store front-end sales decreased 1.7 percent. Customer traffic in comparable stores decreased 4.9 percent while basket size increased 3.2 percent.”  https://www.benzinga.com/news/12/12/3146720/walgreens-november-sales-decrease-3-9

“Whole Foods, whole business: Walter Robb (co-CEO) talks conscious capitalism” by Robert Grattan in Austin Business Journal.  “In addition to groceries, the company is pioneering a $30 million venture capital fund. Much of the money is available, Robb said, and Whole Foods is looking for companies with similar goals or products it may be interested in buying later.” https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2012/12/06/whole-foods-whole-business-walter.html

“Staples and LinkedIn Launch New Small Business Group on the LinkedIn Platform” at Market Watch.  “In SUCCEED, Staples and LinkedIn are creating an online community that enables small businesses to connect and collaborate. The group gives small business professionals the opportunity to network and discuss important issues, as well as share success stories and professional hurdles in an online forum created especially for them.”  https://www.marketwatch.com/story/staples-and-linkedin-launch-new-small-business-group-on-the-linkedin-platform-2012-12-04

“Supervalu stock surges on reports of talks with Cerberus” by Emily Bryson Your at The Chicago Tribune.  “Should Supervalu sell Albertsons and Save A Lot to Cerberus Capital Management, a private investment firm, it would be losing a traditional grocery chain that has been the source of layoffs and store closures, as well as its primary growth vehicle.  Save A Lot, a hard discounter, has more than 1,300 locations nationwide. The chain’s franchised business model and small footprint has allowed for rapid growth while low prices have been particularly attractive in food deserts.”  https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-cerberus-reportedly-in-talks-for-2-supervalu-chains-20121205,0,5515593.story

“Ahold USA names new vice president of produce and floral”  in The Produce News.  “In his new role, Mr. (David) Lessard, who will be based in Carlisle, PA, where Ahold USA is headquartered, will be responsible for strategically leading, directing, designing and approving category-management business plans and portfolio plans for the produce and floral teams.”  https://www.producenews.com/index.php/people/9222-ahold-usa-names-new-vice-president-of-produce-and-floral

“Consumers open to putting mortgages from Wal-Mart on their shopping list” by Rick  Rouan at Columbus Business First via Reuters.  “Charlotte, N.C.-based Carlisle & Gallagher Consulting Group’s study of 618 U.S. consumers says that alternative financial services providers are threatening banks’ dominance in the lending market. The survey found that one in three consumers would get a mortgage from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and about half would be willing to finance their home purchase through eBay Inc.’s online payment subsidiary PayPal Inc.”  https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2012/12/03/consumers-open-to-putting-mortgages.html

“Staples Announces In-Store 3-D Printing Service” by Mike Senese at Wired.  “A new service called “Staples Easy 3D” will allow customers to upload their designs to Staples’ website, then pick up the printed objects at their local office supply megastore, or have them shipped to their home or business — not unlike the photo- and document-printing service the company already offers.  The Iris printers employ an innovative method to generate objects, using reams of paper that are cut and printed while being stacked and glued together. This technique allows for a high-resolution layer thickness of 100 microns, similar to that of the MakerBot Replicator 2, but not quite as fine as the 25-micron capability of the Form 1.”  https://www.wired.com/design/2012/11/staples-goes-3-d/

” Initial read on Neiman Marcus and Target holiday gift collection” by Maria Halkias at Dallas Morning News.  “Analysts this morning are starting to call the Neiman Marcus/Target holiday gift collection launch over the weekend a disappointment.  Citibank analyst Deborah Weinswig titled her report: “Don’t believe the hype: Target and Neiman Marcus Collection Disappoints.”  Here’s what Weinswig said: At the New York City Target location “we visited on December 1 for the official launch, we were disappointed by in-store execution. The collection was tucked in the back of the store, shelves were full and messy, and we saw little traffic,” Weinswig said. “We checked across the country with our network of trusted contacts and heard very similar accounts of in-store experiences.”  https://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2012/12/initial-read-on-neiman-marcus-and-target-holiday-gift-collection.html/

“Family Dollar names senior VP for food” by Jennifer Thomas in Charlotte Business Journal.  “Family Dollar Stores Inc. has promoted Tammy DeBoer to senior vice president for food…DeBoer joined Family Dollar in June as director of private brands. She previously was vice president and general manager for Salisbury-based Delhaize America Inc. at its grocery chain Bloom, which has been shuttered. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University.”  https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2012/12/03/family-dollar-names-senior-vp-for-food.html

“Wegmans (Northborough, MA location) Closing Facebook Page with Nearly 7,500 Followers” by Charlene Arsenault in Northborough Patch.  “What triggered the final decision was a posted comment that went unnoticed for too long,” she added. “The store felt terrible and decided that if they can’t do Facebook right, meeting the high standards we set for ourselves, they’d rather not do it all. And, we support that decision.  Natale said the disappointment was expected, and some advised that Wegmans shut down the Facebook page without an announcement.  “That’s just not our style,” she said.”  https://northborough.patch.com/articles/wegmans-gets-nearly-7-500-fb-fans-closing-fb-page

“Tesco lost grocery market share in past quarter” in Reuters.  “Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel said Tesco’s grocery market share (in Britain) edged down to 30.7 percent in the 12 weeks to Nov.25, having been 31.0 percent in the 12 weeks to Nov. 27 last year.  Wal-Mart Stores’ Asda, Britain’s No. 2 grocer, saw its market share edge down 0.1 percent to 17.3 percent.  The big winner was No. 3 grocer J Sainsbury. Its sales rose 4.7 percent and its share rose 0.2 percent to 16.9 percent. Last month Sainsbury’s posted a 5.4 percent increase in first-half profit.  https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/04/britain-grocers-idUSL5E8N488X20121204

Retailers Investing More in Digital Marketing for Holidays, BDO USA Survey Finds.  “With Google reporting that four out of five consumers plan to use their mobile devices to shop this year, it’s clear that mobile marketing is becoming increasingly important. Half of the CMOs surveyed say they have included mobile in their marketing strategy, up 39 percent from 2011, but still showing that many retailers are playing catch up with the platform’s exponential growth.”  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20121203006027&div=-1245645151

Happening Wednesday 12/5:  Lowe’s Analyst & Investor Conference Call at 10:00 am EST.  https://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=95223&p=irol-eventDetails&EventId=4857135

Happening Thursday 12/6:  Apple’s Tim Cook Interviewed By NBC’s Williams (on Rock Center).  https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/apples-tim-cook-interviewed-by-nbcs-williams-airs-thursday