Eye-on-Retail 2/22/13: Walmart’s “silent killer”; Walgreens University
“The ‘Silent Killer’ In Wal-Mart’s Business” by Ashley Lutz at Business Insider. “There’s a “silent killer” that became evident in Wal-Mart’s earnings announcement today. “The results announced today are flat-out bad, and its time for shareholders to take management to task for this,” said Brian Sozzi, chief equities analyst at NBG Research. The biggest problem, according to Sozzi? Sam’s Club.” Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-silent-killer-at-walmart-2013-2#ixzz2Lczl5sBJ
“(Louise) Wendling (Costco Canada) to push for lower tariffs, regulatory harmonization” by Peter Kovessy at Ottawa Business Journal. “As Ms. Wendling prepares to entire retirement – which was supposed to happen in December, but she joked she’s only had 10 days off so far in 2013 – she said she wants to make politicians aware of the costs retailers face and show them the benefits of harmonizing regulations where possible. “Sometimes when they pass a law, they don’t realize the implications,” Ms. Wendling said in an interview following her talk at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer Alumni Breakfast Speaker Series. She said she’d also like to see the price gap between Canadian and U.S. retail prices narrowed, starting with a review of import tariffs.” Read more: https://www.obj.ca/Local/Retail/2013-02-15/article-3178246/Wendling-to-push-for-lower-tariffs-regulatory-harmonization/1
“A Titan’s (Facebook’s Sandberg) How-To on Breaking the Glass Ceiling” by Jodi Kantor at NY Times via CNBC. “When her book is published on March 11, accompanied by a carefully orchestrated media campaign, she hopes to create her own version of the consciousness-raising groups of yore: “Lean In Circles,” as she calls them, in which women can share experiences and follow a Sandberg-crafted curriculum for career success. (First assignment: a video on how to command more authority at work by changing how they speak and even sit.) “I always thought I would run a social movement,” Ms. Sandberg, 43, said in an interview for “Makers,” a new documentary on feminist history.” Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/id/100483841
“Canadian Tire Announces Positive Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2012 Results” “Consolidated retail sales in the fourth quarter increased 1.4% and consolidated revenue increased 1.0% to $3.2 billion for the period…”Canadian Tire Retail also had a solid year,” he said. “In 2012, we focused on improving our margins, introduced new products, executed successfully in key heritage categories, retrofitted over 70 more Smart store formats and have strengthened our position as Canada’s Store.” Read more: https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6347135&access=EH
“Walgreens University Opens Doors to Opportunity on Friday” “Walgreens University is not solely a building, but a national program with national access and offerings for team members at every level of the company,” Wilson-Thompson said. “We hope every one of our 240,000 team members will find ways to grow their careers and improve themselves through the educational opportunities that Walgreens University will expand or introduce…More than 100 courses will be available through one of the few corporate training programs to offer college credit for certain classes, including pharmacy technician training and management and retail fundamentals. Read more: https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130221006234&div=-1245645151
“ASDA (UK’s Walmart) CEO Andy Clarke reveals 19% increase in online sales over fourth quarter of 2012” by Stephen Lepitak at The Drum. “ASDA CEO Andy Clarke has revealed that the supermarket giant’s growing e-commerce platform saw an increase in sales by 18.8 per cent over the fourth quarter, as its parent company Walmart announced an international net sales growth of 7.4 percent to $135.2 billion.” Read more: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/02/21/asda-ceo-doug-mcmillon-reveals-19-increase-online-sales-over-fourth-quarter-2012
“Whole Foods meant ‘no disrespect’ by using Obama to sell chicken” by David Edwards at The Raw Story. “A spokesperson for Whole Foods says that a store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side has taken down an advertisement that featured Barack Obama’s likeness, but insisted the company meant “no disrespect” by using the nation’s first African-American president to sell chicken.” Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/21/whole-foods-meant-no-disrespect-by-using-obama-to-sell-chicken/
“Small-Format Stores’ Profitability Boosts Cabela’s Q4 Sales 15.2%” by Adam Blair at RIS. “Sales and profit per square foot at Cabela’s smaller-format stores that were 40% higher than at its legacy stores helped give the retailer a record 12% increase in comp store sales and a 15.2% increase in revenues for the fourth quarter of 2012. The retailer’s direct business also grew 1.7%, the first such increase in 11 quarters. Cabela’s, best known for stores large enough to house attractions such as indoor waterfalls, has shifted some of its brick-and-mortar focus to smaller next-generation stores and its 40,000-square-foot Outpost stores.” Read more: https://risnews.edgl.com/retail-best-practices/Small-Format-Stores–Profitability-Boosts-Cabela-s-Q4-Sales-15-2-84778
“Apple granted 36 patents, including for proximity detection” by Shara Tibken at CNET. “Apple was granted 36 patents today, including one for a proximity sensor for the iPhone and iPad and another for haptic feedback to create a sort of virtual keyboard. The patents, approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, cover a wide range of technologies, as earlier reported by Patently Apple. The proximity sensor patent, first filed in 2005, covers technology related to detecting one or more touches and differentiating whether the touches are light or hard, among other capabilities.” Read more: https://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57570064-37/apple-granted-36-patents-including-for-proximity-detection/
“UL (Underwriters Laboratories) Addresses Gap Between Demand and Consumption of Green Products” “Two recent studies in North America and Europe have shown that: 36% of US consumers claim to regularly buy green products. 43% EU consumers strongly agree that companies should be mindful of the environmental impact of their products and processes. There is a significant gap between the projected demand and current sales of green products. The conference discussed approaches to bridge the gap and instil trust in consumers on the environmental benefits of a product.” Read more: https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6346315&access=EH
“Nordstrom 4Q Sales, Outlook Disappoint; Shares Slump” by Jennifer Booton at Fox Business. “Nordstrom (JWN) revealed a stronger-than-expected 20% increase in fourth-quarter earnings Thursday. However, its shares slid 3% after hours on disappointing sales and a lackluster outlook…Meanwhile, Nordstrom Rack, the retailer’s discount chain that opened 12 new stores in calendar 2012, saw its sales grow 23%.” Read more: https://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2013/02/21/nordstrom-4q-sales-outlook-disappoint-shares-slump/#ixzz2Ld7uuq84
Thanks for reading…
Follow on Twitter @retaileyeretail