Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 4/2/13: Target & Thrifty Canadians; What’s a gTLD?
“Target Sets Sights on Thrifty Canadians” by Mark Hamstra at Supermarket News. “In Canada, thrift is not a virtue that businesses may or may not choose to embrace — it is often ingrained as a core value. To be fair, Canada’s economy was weaker then than it is now, imposing a tight-fisted mentality upon both consumers and merchants. But I have since learned that value and thrift are still generally more important and pervasive qualities in Canada than they are in the U.S…Those will both be formidable obstacles for Minneapolis-based Target Corp. to overcome as it seeks to export its “cheap chic” ethos to the land of the loonie.” Read more: https://supermarketnews.com/blog/target-sets-sights-thrifty-canadians#ixzz2PJ3VSB6f
“Walmart Rings up the Savings with the Return of its Great Gas Rollback” “Beginning April 1, Walmart is easing pain at the pump with the return of its Great Gas Rollback program, helping customers save on their fuel purchases. Walmart customers using a Walmart gift card will receive a 10 cent per gallon discount; customers who use a Walmart MoneyCard® or Walmart Credit Card will save 15 cents per gallon on their fuel purchase. Gas will be discounted at more than 1,000 Murphy USA and Walmart gas stations located at Walmart stores in 21 participating states.” Read more: https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6573516&access=EH
“Work needed to educate online shoppers on the benefits of gTLDs: study” at Internet Retailing. “Generic Top-Level Domains (GTLDs) will start to be launched this year by companies such as Amazon, Nike and Google. But research from Afilias, which provides domain registry services around the world, has found that few consumers are aware of the change – and many would rather use traditional web addresses than the new formats. Thus, 73% of UK adults would rather visit a heritage address such as www.adidas.com/shop, rather than www.shop.adidas. In the US the figure is 61%.” Read more: https://etail.sharedby.co/share/MjPVXA
“Several major retailers grow online sales faster than Amazon in Q4” at Internet Retailer. “The Top 500 retailers that did the best job of growing their year-end sales generally were those that got their discount message—and strategy—out early and often, says Howard Davidowitz, chairman of retail consulting firm Davidowitz & Associates. For example, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (No. 4) announced in September it was giving its Facebook fans early access to layaway and in early October Sears Holdings Corp. (No.8), which operates Sears.com and Kmart.com, added a layaway delivery option.” Read more: https://www.internetretailer.com/2013/04/01/several-major-retailers-grow-online-sales-faster-amazon
“Publix breaks ground for first N.C. supermarket” at South Charlotte Weekly. “Todd Jones, the president of Publix, said company leaders chose Charlotte for their first location in the state because of the vibrant community and room to grow. There also will be another North Carolina location in the Dilworth area, but any future locations have not been selected as of now.” Read more: https://www.thecharlotteweekly.com/news/2013/04/publix-breaks-ground-for-first-n-c-supermarket/
“A Snapshot Of Wal-Mart’s International Business And How It Can Boost Growth” at Seeking Alpha. “As opposed to controlled expansion in Brazil, Mexico and China, Wal-Mart is aggressively expanding in Canada. For fiscal 2013, Wal-Mart had planned 73 store projects, which was largest annual expansion in Wal-Mart Canada’s history. In the current fiscal year, it plans to open about 37 more supercenters.” Read more: https://seekingalpha.com/article/1312511-a-snapshot-of-wal-mart-s-international-business-and-how-it-can-boost-growth?source=email_rt_article_title
“How Sears Got Into the Data-Services Game” by Kate Kaye at Ad Age. “So, why would a nearly 130-year-old company venture into an emerging data-services sector? It was a natural progression. Sears was “leading edge in terms of the use of these big-data tools,” said Mr. Shelley, who increasingly found himself sharing knowledge with other large companies seeking advice about how to modernize their data systems. “They asked how they could use some of the same techniques. I used to do that on a voluntary basis on a phone call,” he said. “We said, “This looks like a commercial opportunity here.'” Read more: https://adage.com/article/dataworks/sears-data-services-game/240635/
“Whole Foods to Build Rooftop Greenhouse Above Brooklyn Store” at Progressive Grocer. “Whole Foods Market and Gotham Greens are building what they say is the nation’s first commercial-scale greenhouse farm integrated within a retail grocery space. The 20,000-square-foot greenhouse, currently being constructed on the roof of the forthcoming Whole Foods Market store in the Gowanus neignborhood of Brooklyn, is scheduled to open later this fall.” Read more: https://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/fresh-food/id37722/whole-foods-to-build-rooftop-greenhouse-above-brooklyn-store/
“Tesco sticks its neck out” by Richard Cottrell at Retail-Focus. “News that Tesco has acquired the Giraffe restaurant chain in a bid to create ‘retail destinations’ is a bold move in the industry and shows a real willingness to diversify in order to win the battle for customers. Now, Tesco – and any other retailer looking to broaden its appeal to the high street (or out-of-town) shopper – may well have to incorporate new technologies or use existing devices in different ways.” Read more: https://www.retail-focus.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=863:opinion-tesco-sticks-its-neck-out&catid=37:latest-news&Itemid=67
“Retail fraud is more than just shoplifting — and now it’s a felony” by Bill Laitner at Detroit Free Press. “Law enforcement agents are seeing more sophisticated thefts that they are calling organized retail fraud. Aimed at this sophisticated style of shoplifting, a new state law goes into effect Sunday with stiffer penalties against organized retail crime.” Read more: https://www.freep.com/article/20130330/NEWS06/303300100/Retail-fraud-more-than-just-shoplifting-now-s-felony
“Facebook Phone Announcement: What to Expect” by Julie Boorstin at CNBC. “On Thursday, Facebook is hosting a big event to unveil its “new home on Android.” What does that mean? We expect to see a new Facebook operating system for Google’s Android phone, which the social network will showcase on an HTC handset. Sources said it will effectively give users the option of making Facebook your phone’s home screen of sorts.” Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/id/100606927
Thanks for reading…
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