Crozier Close-Up | Pepsi Hits Carrefour | Shein Taps Lobbyist

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CES 2024: Everything revealed so far, from Nvidia and AI to Samsung’s Ballie robot at TechCrunch. “French startup Neoplants is showing off its progress with its houseplants that work as air purifiers designed for the home. The bio-engineered plants can, according to the company, replace 20 “regular” houseplants, as measured by how many pollutants the plants can remove from the air.” Read more

 

…CES 2024: all the TVs, laptops, smart home gear, and more from the show floor at The Verge

 

PepsiCo, Carrefour Bicker Over Who Dumped Whom at WSJ. “Regrettably, Carrefour has mischaracterized the chain of events,” a PepsiCo spokesman said Monday. “Given the lack of agreement on a new contract, we stopped supplying to Carrefour at the end of the year, something they were aware could happen. We hope we can agree on terms soon so our products can be back on their shelves for consumers to enjoy.” In response, Carrefour said Monday: “We, at the Carrefour Group, have taken this decision.” WSJ subs.

 

Albertsons Companies Q3 identical sales +2.9% Press release

 

Shein’s revenue is ‘a lot more’ than $30 billion annually, key retail partner says at CNBC. “…do they do 40 billion? Do they do 35 billion? I’m not going to tell you exactly what they do, but I can tell you they do a lot more than $30 billion,” Salter continued in an apparent reference to Shein’s annual sales.” Read more.” Read more

 

Schnucks installs anti-theft liquor cabinets in at least 40 stores. They open by cellphone. at St. Louis Post Dispatch. “We would put this in the innovative category,” Hayes, of the Loss Prevention Research Council, said of the cabinets. “How can we leverage technology to maintain security and in-stock (merchandise) and good customer experience?” In addition to the Freedom Cases, Schnucks has expanded its shopping cart technology, Rocateq, to 76 stores. This technology enables grocery carts to leave the store only once they have passed through the checkout.” Read more

 

Shein hires Ex-Tractor Supply & Home Depot lobbyist at Politico. “Kent Knutson, the former longtime head of Home Depot’s D.C. office, is joining the retailer, which is now headquartered in Singapore, as its chief U.S. government affairs officer. Knutson was most recently vice president of government relations at Tractor Supply Co. Before that, he led Home Depot’s public policy team for more than 16 years…” Read more

 

The Home Depot is trying to make its own smart home ecosystem happen at The Verge. “An old-school hardware store has been quietly building out one of the most complete lines of smart home products on the market. At CES this week, it’s adding a smart thermostat, smart hose timer, smart bathroom fan, smart freezer, and smart security system to its more than 150 connected products. You probably know the brand (and maybe even shopped there before): The Home Depot.” Read more

 

Indigo workers at unionized stores facing increased battles with retailer, union says at Financial Post

 

Engineering internship led to retail career for Sam’s Club chief merchant Megan Crozier at Talk Business. “Crozier did not foresee her path to merchandising until she encountered a buyer who was making multimillion-dollar back-to-school decisions. “I walked up to ask him a question about something else, but then asked, ‘What are you doing?’ He was planning for back-to-school and which laptop he was going to buy,” she said. “He was looking at all the competitors from the previous year trying to pick which item he wanted to put in print in the circular for the back-to-school ad. And I was like, ‘They let you do that?’ He just laughed at me and said, ‘Of course they let me do that. That’s what my job is.’ “I remember going back to my desk and thinking, ‘Wow, they let people make really big decisions in this company, and I think I want to be a merchant one day.” Read more

 

German retail giant Galeria insolvent in wake of Signa collapse at Reuters

 

Sweethearts limited-edition ‘situationship’ candy boxes full of ‘blurry’ messages fly off shelves at Fox News. “The newly designed release showcases blurry and misprinted heartshaped candies that are intentionally difficult to read — just like some Gen-Z relationships.” Read more

 

Dollar General gets new executive vice president, store operations at Supermarket News

 

Millennials are moving to ‘the most boring places in the world’ at Business Insider/MSN. “John Natale, a real-estate agent based in Wall Township, New Jersey, calls this phenomenon “drive till you qualify.” He says it used to be that he could find his clients a home in their price range in whichever county they wanted to be in…Rafay Qamar, a real-estate agent in Chicago, says many of his millennial clients who left the city to buy homes in the suburbs in recent years are trying to come back.” Read more

 

Tropicana is one company that’s ditching AI at CNN. “Tropicana, the top-selling orange juice maker, is releasing limited-edition bottles that removes the letters “A” and “I” from its name (“Tropcn”) to bring attention to its natural ingredients.” Read more

 

***Advertising inquiries, new product searches, comments, questions, etc…contact Jason Long at jlong@eyeonretail.net

Pepsi Pulled @ Retailer | Target Cup Camping | Online +4.9%

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Target Shoppers Are ‘Getting Trampled’ for a Limited Edition Valentine’s Day Stanley Cup at People. “…released two Target-exclusive Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumblers. The tumblers come in Cosmo Pink and Target Red and are a part of the brand’s “Galentine’s Collection.”…Another video on TikTok filmed at a Target in Goodyear, Arizona explained that tumblers sold out in less than four minutes. The video showed people of all ages rushing to grab one from the store’s display stand.” Read more

 

Carrefour pulls PepsiCo products over price hikes at Reuters. “From Thursday, shelves for PepsiCo products at Carrefour stores in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium will carry signs saying the store will no longer be stocking the brands “due to unacceptable price increases”, a spokesperson for the French supermarket giant said.” Read more

 

Online holiday spending reaches record $222B, driven by BNPL at Fox. “The figure, up 4.9% year over year, marks a new record for online shopping throughout the holiday season…according to Adobe’s holiday spending report…(BNPL) accounted for $16.6 billion in online spending, up 14% on an annual basis, during the season.” Read more

 

Weekly US jobless claims at two-month low; labor market gradually easing at Reuters

 

Consumer Reports finds ‘widespread’ presence of plastics in food at Reuters. “Among tested supermarket foods, Annie’s Organic Cheesy Ravioli contained the most phthalates in nanograms per serving, 53,579, followed by Del Monte sliced peaches and Chicken of the Sea pink salmon.” Read more

 

Behind Cheap Stuff From Shein and Temu: A Hard Bargain With Suppliers at WSJ. “Some suppliers that spoke with The Wall Street Journal said they were grappling with razor-thin profit margins and intense pressure to cut prices. Others said they were drowning in unsold inventory and were questioning whether dealing with Shein and Temu would be sustainable in the long run.” WSJ subs.

 

Walgreens Q1 profits up on an adjusted basis, but slashes dividend at Yahoo. “…is cutting its dividend by 48% to $0.25 a share from $0.48 a share for the fiscal first quarter of 2024…first quarter sales for the period ending Nov. 30, 2023, rose 10% year over year totaling $36.7 billion, beating Wall Street expectations.” Read more | Press release

 

Jeff Bezos Bets on a Google Challenger Using AI to Try to Upend Internet Search at WSJ. “Started less than two years ago, Perplexity has fewer than 40 employees and is based out of a San Francisco co-working space. The company’s product, which it calls an answer engine, is used by about 10 million people monthly. Those ingredients were enough to persuade Institutional Venture Partners, Bezos and other tech executives to invest $74 million in the company, the largest sum raised by an internet search startup in recent years.” WSJ subs.

 

Why Costco’s response to the surprising Virginia union victory stands out at Fast Company. “Costco CEO Craig Jelinek and president Ron Vachris (emailed) employees a letter…“Last week, in a close vote, Costco employees in Norfolk voted in favor of representation by the Teamsters union,” it began. “To be honest, we’re disappointed by the result in Norfolk. We’re not disappointed in our employees; we’re disappointed in ourselves as managers and leaders. The fact that a majority of Norfolk employees felt that they wanted or needed a union constitutes a failure on our part.” Read more

 

The Buckle, Inc. December net sales decreased 5.8% Press release

 

TikTok Eyes $17.5 Billion Shopping Business on Amazon’s Turf at Bloomberg. “TikTok aims to grow the size of its US e-commerce business tenfold to as much as $17.5 billion this year, according to people familiar with the matter…The 2024 merchandise volume goal for the US version of TikTok Shop — which melds online entertainment with impulse buying — was discussed in internal meetings in recent weeks and may still change depending on how the business goes…” Bloomberg subs. required

 

Alimentation Couche-Tard completes acquisition of European assets from TotalEnergies at Financial Post

 

Ex-Home Depot CEO reveals why more retail stores will be locking up their items at Fox. “I was blessed at Home Depot, we got shrink under control, we installed cameras in every store. We had a dark room where our security team was monitoring high-shrink stores. But back then, it was not legal to steal $1,000 to get a paint sprayer or a nail gun or something and just walk out with it,” (Nardelli) said.” Read more

 

***Advertising inquiries, new product searches, comments, questions, hellos…contact Jason Long at jlong@eyeonretail.net

Furner’s People | Red Sea Decision Today | Shipt Pause Seattle

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Maersk to decide on Red Sea route today after weekend attack at Reuters. “The container shipping giant on Sunday paused all Red Sea sailings for 48 hours following attempts by Yemen-based Houthi militants to board the Maersk Hangzhou. U.S. military helicopters repelled the assault and killed 10 of the attackers.” Read more

 

…Iranian warship enters Red Sea after U.S. destroys Houthi boats at CNBC

 

Where the CEO of Walmart U.S. Seeks Advice at WSJ. “Furner turns to (Univ. of Arkansas professor) Johnson for advice on management challenges …sometimes the two ride bikes together and chat, said Johnson. “I think he thinks of me more as a mentor than I think of myself as a mentor to him,” …(Former Home Depot CEO) Blake…said that if a leader doesn’t directly share thoughts with rank-and-file workers, workers “fill in the void and you won’t like what they fill it in with.” WSJ subs. 

 

Shipt to pause Seattle operations, blaming recently passed labor laws at GeekWire. “The ordinances aimed at app-based delivery platforms include a 10-cent per-order fee for online deliveries in Seattle starting in 2025, approved by the Council in November. The revenue generated by the fee will help pay for the implementation and enforcement of the City’s “PayUp” gig worker protection laws in Seattle.” Read more

 

Covid Slashed Consumer Choices. This Is Why They Aren’t Coming Back. at WSJ. “I don’t think any consumer would have noticed we went from 200 to 150” types of Yankee Candle, said Chris Peterson, chief executive of Newell Brands…Coca-Cola over the past few years reduced its brands to 200 from 400, cutting slow-growing as well as declining products…” WSJ subs.

 

Chinese factory activity slows in December in a third straight month of contraction at AP News

 

Millennials have found a way to buy houses: Living with mom and dad at Washington Post via MSN. “In 2022, the share of first-time buyers who moved directly from a friend’s or family member’s home and into their own hit 27 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors. That’s the highest share since the group started keeping track in 1989.” Read more

 

Amazon plans to make its own hydrogen to power vehicles at The Verge. “The electrolyzer will make fuel for around 225 fork lift trucks at the site, although Plug says it has the capacity to fuel up to 400 hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts. This is the first time Amazon has tried to make its own hydrogen on site, and it’s not likely to be the last.” Read more

 

China removes official after video games rules spark turmoil at Reuters. “Beijing cracked down heavily on its video gaming sector in 2021, setting strict playtime limits for under 18s and suspending approvals of new video games for about eight months, citing gaming addiction concerns.” Read more

 

Clocked-out trade talks will curdle supply of British cheese on Canadian shelves at Financial Post. “Dec. 31 will mark the end of a temporary arrangement in which Ottawa offered London a special quota of cheese that could be imported under low tariffs. While Canadians will still be able to buy Wensleydale, Stilton and Red Leicester, most of it will likely be taxed at a much higher rate.” Read more

 

Millions of Americans could lose internet aid months before the 2024 election at Politico. “The 56-year-old resident of mountainous Brevard, N.C., started receiving federal aid that helps low-income people pay for broadband internet while she was studying for her bachelor’s degree during the coronavirus pandemic. The criminal justice degree helped her get a job at a local courthouse — and she still receives the aid, which has effectively reduced her broadband bill to $0.” Read more

 

Academy Sports employees terminated after chasing thief who stole firearm: report at Fox News. “Because we did run out of the building, even though I and the other associate did stay on the sidewalk, it fell under [that] we left the front porch, as they call it,” Sutton explained.” Read more

 

***Advertising inquiries, new product searches, comments, questions, hellos…contact Jason Long at jlong@eyeonretail.net

Holiday Sales +3.1% | #1 Rent: 5th Ave | Return It: PA

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US retail sales grow 3.1% during holiday season – Mastercard report at Reuters. “The increase is lower than the 3.7% growth Mastercard forecast in September, and has slumped from last year’s 7.6% as higher interest rates and inflation pressured consumer spending…Ecommerce sales grew at a slower pace of 6.3% from last year’s 10.6%…apparel and restaurant categories rose 2.4% and 7.8%, respectively…while sales of electronics fell 0.4%.” Read more

 

Maersk to resume Red Sea voyages with Operation Prosperity Guardian in place at Fox News. “More details were expected to be released in the coming days, according to Maersk, adding it could very well revert to sending ships on other routes if conditions deteriorate.” Read more

 

…Hapag-Lloyd to decide on Wednesday about Red Sea routes at CNBC

 

Retailers Are Bracing for Their Postholiday Returns Hangover at WSJ. “Inmar Intelligence and its 300,000-square-foot warehouse is on the front lines of the business known as reverse logistics…Workers at the site, which sits in an Eastern Pennsylvania region filled with distribution centers that serve stores on the Eastern Seaboard, sift through as many as 950,000 goods a week from companies including fashion retailers, home-goods merchants, department-store chains and retail pharmacies.” WSJ subs.

 

U.S. home prices hit an all-time high in October, Case-Shiller says at MarketWatch. “The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city house price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in October compared to the previous month. Home prices in the 20 major U.S. metro markets were up 4.9% in the last 12 months ending in October.” Read more

 

The Title of ‘World’s Priciest Retail Rent’ Resides in America at WSJ. “Rents averaged $2,000 a square foot on upper Fifth Avenue over the past year, according to real-estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. That was about 13% higher than the world’s next-most-expensive shopping destination, Via Montenapoleone in Milan. New York City displaced Hong Kong last year to top the chart for the first time since 2017. Fifth Avenue’s rent prices are still below prepandemic levels, but store availability has fallen as retailers ranging from Abercrombie & Fitch to Citizen Watch have opened new locations.” WSJ subs.

 

Zulily transfers assets to professional liquidator as failed retailer unable to issue refunds at GeekWire

 

Amazon sellers say misleading AI product reviews threaten sales at Bloomberg via Seattle Times. “A summary of Penn tennis balls says some reviewers were disappointed with the product’s smell. The $4 three-ball sleeve has a 4.7-star rating based on more than 4,300 ratings but only seven reviews mention an odor…An eight-pack of Mason jars had 4.5 stars based on more than 3,000 ratings. The AI-generated summary says: “However, some customers have reported issues with rusting lids.” Shoppers must click deeper into the product to see that just 16 customers complained about rust.” Read more

 

Canadian month-on-month retail sales grew by 0.7% in October but most likely were flat in November at Reuters

 

How a 40-ounce cup turned Stanley into a $750 million a year business at CNBC. “I felt like I was signing a mortgage,” (Influencer) LeSueur tells CNBC Make It of her purchase order for 5,000 Quenchers…Those Quenchers, however, sold out within days. When (new CEO) Reilly took charge, he embraced The Buy Guide as partners…“My experience at Crocs told me that that kind of influencer opportunity was just the magic that Stanley might need,” he says. “And we were right.” Read more

 

Amazon’s new Echo Frames can’t touch the Ray-Ban Meta at TechCrunch

 

Subscription-based care moves beyond peddling birth control and helping with hair loss at AP. “This Netflix-like approach promises help for two common difficulties in the U.S.: access to health care and prescription refills. But it also stirs concern about care quality…Hims has topped 1.4 million subscribers this year. It expects to pull in at least $1.2 billion in annual sales by 2025.” Read more

 

Newegg Q3 net sales down 16% Press release

 

Costco rumored to be discontinuing sweet treat from food court at Fox News. “My brother (Costco employee) just told me they were getting rid of the churros at the food court and replacing them with cookies,” a user near the Goleta, Calif. warehouse said…”It is true. They have found a company to make the cookies, agreements are finalized. They will be showing up in early 2024, along with chocolate ice cream which will appear before summer,” (another) user wrote.” Read more

 

***Advertising inquiries, new product searches, comments, questions, hellos…contact Jason Long at jlong@eyeonretail.net

Country Polices ‘Shrinkflation’ | Wgreen IT Shake-Up | Bread Battle

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South Korea will Police ‘Shrinkflation’ at the Supermarket at WSJ. “Starting next year, the country will require companies to disclose on their packages and websites when grocery items drop in volume, but not price. To ensure firms comply, South Korea is establishing a dedicated price-investigation team to monitor any fluctuations. Officials are considering levying fines, too.” WSJ subs.

 

Ikea says products will be delayed due to Red Sea diversions at CNBC

 

Walgreens’s Ambitions Lean on Its Technology. First, It Has to Build Up Its IT Department. at WSJ. “Walgreens Boots Alliance is on its third chief information officer in a little over a year…an internal shake-up within the IT department, including contractor cuts, disruption in work processes, low morale among employees and the exit of key managers over the past year, poses a challenge to the department seen as central to the company’s strategy, according to interviews with current and former staff.” WSJ subs. 

 

Walgreens CMO Departs at Ad Age. “Walgreens has parted ways with its chief marketing officer just a year and a half after her high-profile hire in 2022. Linh Peters, who started as senior VP and CMO…in May of last year, is no longer with Walgreens, a spokesperson confirmed to Ad Age today. The role “was impacted as part of recent layoffs,” the spokesperson said.” Ad Age subs.

 

CANADA BREAD BATTLE: Metro accuses Loblaw of falsely implicating it in bread price-fixing scheme at Financial Post. “Metro has suffered, and continues to suffer, significant and unjustifiable damage to its reputation, having been falsely painted as involved in a criminal price-fixing conspiracy when it was not,” the retailer said…Loblaw spokeswoman Catherine Thomas said in an email that the allegations by Metro are “simply ridiculous and utterly untrue…” Read more

 

DALLAS: Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B holds groundbreaking for first store outside of Houston area “…an innovative price format that offers the highest quality, freshest products at the lowest prices in the marketplace.” Press release

 

AI is giving Santa a boost this holiday season at CNBC. “We are still in early days,” (Garf) said. “Retailers are testing and learning, and it’s only a leading indicator of what to come.” Even as companies hype AI’s potential and investors bet heavily on its future, its limits and risks have come to the forefront as more businesses adopt it.” Read more

 

Only 22% of Gen Z respondents find Jeff Bezos trustworthy at Business Insider/Yahoo

 

Is that Justin Trudeau buying batteries in Canadian Tire? at Toronto Star. “I love to go to Canadian Tire,” Trudeau told DiMonte. “I don’t go every Saturday morning, but I will go there, ball cap on, and I’ll just wander around.” In one of his recent trips, he said, he bought new winter sleds for his children and some double-A batteries.” Read more

 

Bezos taps Amazon vet to speed up space company Blue Origin at Reuters. “Top priorities for Dave Limp, who led Amazon’s lucrative devices unit, include accelerating development of Blue Origin’s long-delayed New Glenn rocket and production of its powerful BE-4 engine, according to two employees who attended the new CEO’s company-wide meeting this month.” Read more

 

Wendy Arlin (Ex-CFO Bath & Body Works) Appointed to Kohl’s Board of Directors Press release

 

The Lobbyists Scouring Small Towns to Help You Find the Perfect ‘Made in America’ Gift at WSJ. “The digital catalog now goes to 300,000 people, and the alliance staff hunts year-round for gifts from companies in all 50 U.S. states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico. A challenge is avoiding repeats from states with small populations or limited manufacturing. Brotherton-Bunch says Wyoming and the Dakotas are among the toughest.” WSJ subs.

 

KC: 20 USPS employees under investigation after Amazon packages missing at Fox 4 KC. “The source provided FOX4 with photos and video of dozen of empty Amazon boxes stashed in postal bins and garbage containers at the post office. According to our source, the empty boxes all contained items that were being returned to Amazon. Instead of returning them, our source said, postal employees are being investigated for taking the items and dumping the boxes.” Video/Read more

 

Local Home Depot employee spreads “good vibes” to customers at KOLO 8 ABC. “I have little kids that call me Uncle Jerry, and it’s just good man,” added Trotter. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just a good vibe all around and I’m so proud to be here and I’m happy.” Video/Read more

 

Advertising inquiries, product searches, comments, questions, hellos…contact Jason Long at jlong@eyeonretail.net

CNBC Doubts Target | 85% ‘Thrifting’ | Woody The Talking Christmas Tree

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Target blamed theft and violence for 9 store closures. Crime is higher at locations it kept open nearby at CNBC. “I don’t want to use the word ‘stunt,’ because I don’t know exactly what went on in Minneapolis [where Target is based], but to me, it read like a stunt, looking to divert attention from the company’s lack of performance overall,” said Mark Cohen, a professor and director of retail studies at Columbia Business School…”They implied that the only reason they were closing the stores was because of theft. That may or may not be true. My guess is: Not true.” Read more

 

Holiday spending to be up big even as approval of Biden hits new low at CNBC. “Intended holiday spending per person jumped 31% to $1,300 this year, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey…Yet, 66% percent of Americans are negative about the current state of the economy and the outlook, a record for the 17 years of the survey.” Read more

 

Affirm to offer BNPL services at Walmart’s self-checkout kiosks at Reuters

 

Shippers mask positions, weigh options amid Red Sea attacks at Reuters. “A number of container ships are anchored in the Red Sea and others have turned off tracking systems as traders adjust routes…Major shippers including Hapag Lloyd, MSC and Maersk…have said they will be avoiding the Red Sea route and re-routing via southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.” Read more

 

…About 15% of world shipping traffic transits via the Suez Canal at Reuters. Read more

 

VF Corp says order fulfillment impacted by cybersecurity incident at Fox News. “The parent company behind popular brands like The North Face, Supreme and Vans said it experienced a cybersecurity incident that affected its online order fulfillment capabilities…Data was also taken, the clothing company said.” Read more

 

‘Thrifting’ Extends to Holiday Shopping Too at WSJ. “Roughly 17% of gifts this holiday season will be a resold item, according to software firm Salesforce…About 85% of American shoppers have bought or sold preowned items over the past year, nearly a third for the first time, according to online marketplace OfferUp’s Recommerce report. In apparel alone, some 10% of the global market will be secondhand by next year.” WSJ subs.

 

US single-family housing starts jump to more than 1-1/2-year high at Reuters. “Single-family housing starts…jumped 18.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.143 million units last month, the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said. That was the highest level since April 2022.” Read more

 

Retailers are improving their delivery speeds at AP. “Jason Goldberg, the chief commerce strategy officer at the advertising giant Publicis, noted that Amazon has far more warehouse space and trucks than Walmart and Target. He said even if both Target and Walmart were to dramatically add more delivery hubs, they still wouldn’t be able to catch up with Amazon.” Read more

 

First building on Walmart’s new Bentonville campus opens Jan. 12 at Talk Business. “The fitness center will be the first amenity building to open on Walmart’s new home office campus since the project’s initial announcement in September 2017. A layout center was the first building Walmart opened on campus in February 2022. The construction project is a massive campus build that encompasses roughly 9 city blocks, 12 office buildings and 10 community buildings with outdoor and indoor areas of recreation.” Read more

 

Target is requiring hybrid employees to come back to the office in 2024, but only for four weeks a year at Fox 9. Read more

 

Amazon in talks to invest in Diamond Sports at Reuters via WSJ. “If an agreement is reached, Amazon’s Prime Video platform would eventually become the streaming home for Diamond’s games…Diamond, which has the local rights to about half the teams in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association and about a third of the National Hockey League teams, would continue operating its cable networks through its existing partnerships, according to the report.” 

 

The CEO of Ahold Delhaize thinks self-checkout is worth it despite theft: ‘Savings on labor costs are higher than the potential downsides’ at Fortune (subs. required) 

 

Richfield school board grants Best Buy’s request to lower property taxes at Star Tribune. “The city, schools and county have all approved ending a minimum-valuation agreement one year early as Best Buy says the Richfield headquarters has plummeted in value…The school district negotiated with Best Buy to get a one-time payment of $150,000 to the district.” Read more

 

Walmart CEO talks company values on Simon Sinek podcast at Arkansas Money & Politics. Read more

 

Walgreens names Weber Shandwick US PR AOR at MM+M. “WPP formerly served as WBA’s global marketing and communications AOR, but PRWeek understands the business has been split up among WBA’s brands. Walgreens confirmed it has hired Weber but declined additional comment.” Read more

 

Albertsons Companies Appoints Sarah Mensah and Lisa Gray to Board of Directors Press release

 

Feeling Festive? Your Instacart Shopper Is Probably More ‘Bah Humbug.’ at WSJ. “She’s learned that holiday orders with hefty cases of water or soda are a hard no because maneuvering them on a flatbed in a crowded store is nearly impossible. Some shoppers reject all orders from Walmart during the holidays. “It’s like bumper cars for carriages in there,” says a New Jersey-based shopper who runs Kim’s Side Money Plans, a YouTube channel dedicated to gig work.” WSJ subs.

 

Woody the talking Christmas tree delights and terrifies visitors at a Nova Scotia mall at Globe & Mail. Read more/Pics

Shein #4 Brand Growth | Circuit City ‘Comeback’ | Dollarama +11.1%

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Retail sales rose 0.3% in November vs. expectations for a decline at CNBC. “Excluding autos, sales rose 0.2%, also better than the forecast for no change. Stripping out autos and gas, sales rose 0.6%.” Read more

 

Temu files fresh lawsuit against Shein, accusing its rival of ‘mafia-style intimidation’ at CNBC. “They began to illegally detain merchants, forcibly asking for their phones, stealing our merchant accounts and passwords, stealing our business secrets, and simultaneously forcing merchants to leave our platform. Their actions are too exaggerated; we had no choice but to sue them.” Read more

 

Circuit City, angling for a comeback of sorts, hopes to raise $25M at TechCrunch. “So what does Circuit City plan to do with the cash if it’s successful in securing it? Not open brick-and-mortar stores, unfortunately. Instead, Shmoel plans to form “strategic alliances” with unnamed national companies (including possibly JCPenny) to launch a “Powered by Circuit City” co-branding program…” Read more

 

Costco’s new shopping carts have left customers deeply divided at Delish. “My store just got them. BJs has had them for a while. I find them a little harder to steer as they’re a bit blocky. Why don’t carts come with built in cupholders? We have the technology!” said one user.” Read more

 

Kroger: Over 5,800 regional office employees will be required to return to work in person at the grocer’s Cincinnati locations starting Feb. 5, 2024 at Cincinnati Enquirer

 

Costco’s $499 Kirkland Signature irons sold out in just hours at Golf. “With some rough math — calculated thanks in part to a leaked internal slide which showed that Costco had an initial buy of $2 million worth of iron sets, with the sets selling for $500 ($499 to be exact) — that means Costco likely sold around 4,000 sets in five hours. Not too shabby for clubs with no paid advertising or player endorsements.” Read more

 

Dollarama Q3 comp sales +11.1% Press release

 

New Walmart campus spurs plan to widen part of Highway 102 in Bentonville at Talk Business. “The new Walmart Home Office is being built south of Central Avenue, north of Highway 102 and east of J Street. It’s expected to open in 2025.” Read more

 

Amazon wins $270 million tax fight with EU at CNN

 

‘Just infuriating’: Online retailer Zulily flip-flops, now plans to lay off employees amid holidays at GeekWire. “Zulily employees received notice last week that they’d lose their jobs in February. But many of them were surprised Wednesday to get an email notifying them that today would be their last at the company. “Last week’s [decision] was already shocking. Today’s is just infuriating,” at GeekWire

 

Dollar General Withdraws Commitment to Cage-Free Eggs at Progressive Grocer

 

Amazon brings back ability to use Alexa to thank and tip delivery drivers during holiday rush at GeekWire. “The first two million thank yous will also send $5 to the driver, at no cost to the customer. Last year, Amazon said that the feature exceeded company expectations. Since then, customers have thanked their delivery drivers over 22 million times.” Read more

 

RaceTrac Completes Acquisition of Gulf Oil Press release

 

To Get Your Positive Review, Businesses Bully, Badger and Guilt-Trip at WSJ. “McKinsey & Co. found that products with three- or four-star ratings on a major online platform had sales that were three times higher than those with one-star ratings. An increase of a single star in an overall rating on review site Yelp .com boosts a restaurant’s revenue by 5% to 9%, according to research by Michael Luca, an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.” WSJ subs.

 

HEB releases latest commercials featuring San Antonio Spurs at KTSA

 

Man who joked about throwing a Walmart self-checkout party turns event into toy drive at NY Post. “He never thought he’d see 21,000 people mark that they were interested in the event, prompting him to turn it into something bigger — and more realistic: a toy drive. Since the change of plans, 37,000 Facebook users are now interested, with 6,500 saying they plan to attend the drive, according to the event page.” Read more

 

Fastest Growing Brands 2023 (Shein #4, Amazon Pharmacy #12) at Morning Consult. Top 20 list

 

 

Bernie Hits Kroger | McMillon @ UArk | W.Foods CEO Iview

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Lawmakers call on U.S. regulator to thwart Kroger-Albertsons deal at Reuters. “Senators Elizabeth Warren, Mazie Hirono, Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker and representatives Summer Lee and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in the letter that Kroger’s proposal to divest 413 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers would not address harms to consumers, workers, and the grocery industry if the merger is allowed.” Read more

 

Inflation slowed to a 3.1% annual rate in November at CNBC. “Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core CPI increased 0.3% on the month and 4% from a year ago. Both numbers were in line with estimates and little changed from October.” Read more

 

Pharmacies share medical data with police without a warrant, inquiry finds at Washington Post. “…CVS Health, Kroger and Rite Aid, with a combined 60,000 locations nationwide — said they allow pharmacy staff members to hand over customers’ medical records in the store…Pharmacies’ records hold some of the most intimate details of their customers’ personal lives, including years-old medical conditions and the prescriptions they take for mental health and birth control.” Read more

 

CANADA – All grocers need to sign code of conduct if it is to succeed, Metro CEO tells MPs at Financial Post. “(Metro CEO) La Flèche told MPs at a House of Commons agriculture committee meeting on stabilizing food prices that Metro is willing to sign the code of conduct as it’s currently drafted. Last week, executives from Walmart Canada and Loblaw Cos. Ltd. told the committee that they can’t sign the code in its current form because they’re concerned the code will raise prices for consumers.” Read more

 

Dollar stores are killing some supermarkets. Could co-ops help cities fight back? at Fast Company. “The new store, called Goodness Gracious Grocery…is still in the early stages of launching: signing up members, fundraising, and creating a board…“It takes an average co-op about 6 to 10 years to come online,” Loftlin says. “When I found that out, I was crestfallen because we can’t wait. We cannot wait.” Read more

 

Casey’s Q2 inside same-store sales increased 2.9% Press release

 

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon speaks to University of Arkansas students at Talk Business. “There were 16 teams this semester in the McMillon Innovation Studio, which is outside of their classes…student teams worked on two projects for Sam’s Club and one for Walmart that focused on sustainability utilizing surplus cowhides…One of the Sam’s Club teams worked on an app to help the retailer reap the financial benefits from local events that bring outsiders to town.” Read more

 

‘I lost my money’ Scammers cashing in Meijer mPerks points at ABC 13 

 

Whole Foods CEO Interview at Progressive Grocer. “He just came right in, from the airport, I think, so casual,” the (Whole Foods) employee replied. “Just a down-to-earth, really good guy…Buechel’s leadership style — humble, open, leaning in — is part of what makes him the ideal person to take Whole Foods into its next evolution. He showcases the other facets of his authentic style…in an exclusive interview with PG…” Read more

 

Zulily holds ‘going-out-of-business sale’ at KIRO 7

 

…Zulily sues Amazon at GeekWire. “The suit…says Amazon’s specific campaign against Zulily began around 2019, when Zulily started displaying Amazon’s prices next to its own to show shoppers than its prices were lower. “But rather than compete on the merits, Amazon set out to ‘destroy’ Zulily instead, by coercing third-party retailers and wholesale suppliers to agree to ‘price parity,’ i.e., to artificially raise Zulily prices at or above Amazon’s, and to punish any sellers who cheated,” the Zulily suit says.” Read more

 

Hasbro laying off 1,100 employees at CNN

 

Macy’s Billion-Dollar Question: What’s More Valuable, Real Estate or the Business? at WSJ. “Neil Saunders, a managing director with research firm GlobalData, estimates that the real estate that Macy’s owns is worth about $6 billion, more than its market capitalization as of Friday of about $4.8 billion.” WSJ subs. 

 

Best Buy asks to lower HQ tax assessment by millions at KARE 11. “School District Superintendent Steven Unowski said…he would only sign off if he believed taxpayers were protected…He wants Best Buy to commit to a $150,000 payment to Richfield Schools to cover the burden.” Read more

 

A deadly delivery highlights ‘falsified’ heat records at USPS at Politico

 

The American Store Is Shrinking at WSJ. “Retailers signed leases averaging 3,200 square feet during the first three quarters of 2023, the smallest size since data firm CoStar Group began tracking this metric in 2006.” WSJ subs.

 

Fraudsters Bribed Amazon Employees in Refund Abuse Scheme at EcommerceBytes. “According to the complaint: “REKK uses sophisticated methods to obtain the refund, including socially engineering Amazon customer service, phishing Amazon employees, manipulating Amazon’s systems through unauthorized access, and bribing Amazon insiders to grant refunds.” Read more