“Wal-Mart Vs. Amazon: World’s Biggest E-Commerce Battle Could Boil Down To Vegetables” by Clare O’Connor at Forbes.  “What else can Wal-Mart possibly do to win the web? Nielsen’s Todd Hale has one answer. “E-commerce is growing at 11% a year, but sales for consumer packaged goods online — food, groceries, everyday items — are more like high double digits, almost 20%,” said Hale, SVP of consumer and shopping insights. “This is the space Wal-Mart has to go after: perishable items. That’s where they need the infrastructure.”  Read more:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2013/04/23/wal-mart-vs-amazon-worlds-biggest-e-commerce-battle-could-boil-down-to-vegetables/

 

“A free lunch at Costco?” by Donna Freedman at MSN Money.  “A reader of the Free Money Finance blog says she and her boyfriend eat free-sample meals up to five times a week at a Costco near their workplace and at neighborhood supermarkets on the weekends.  Her estimated savings: $140 to $220 per month. “It is not the most healthful meal but our financial situation is not very healthy, either,” the reader writes. “You do what you got to do.”  Read more:  https://money.msn.com/saving-money-tips/post.aspx?post=9bd235ea-6fe7-4486-89bf-30e6ce887e7d

 

“Walmart Gives Superman Fans Exclusive Access to the First Screening of “Man of Steel””  “Walmart announced today that it has partnered with Warner Bros. to give its customers exclusive access to see Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Man of Steel” in theaters nationwide before the film’s official release. This program marks the first time in entertainment history that a studio has partnered with a retailer to provide such an opportunity for fans.”  Read more:  https://news.walmart.com/news-archive/2013/04/24/walmart-gives-superman-fans-exclusive-access-to-the-first-screening-of-man-of-steel

 

“Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything” by Steve Blank at Harvard Business Review.  “But recently an important countervailing force has emerged, one that can make the process of starting a company less risky. It’s a methodology called the “lean start-up,” and it favors experimentation over elaborate planning, customer feedback over intuition, and iterative design over traditional “big design up front” development. Although the methodology is just a few years old, its concepts—such as “minimum viable product” and “pivoting”—have quickly taken root in the start-up world, and business schools have already begun adapting their curricula to teach them.”  Read more:  https://hbr.org/2013/05/why-the-lean-start-up-changes-everything/ar/1

 

“Retailers are dressing up their iPad cash registers” by Nick Wingfield at NY Times via Star-Tribune.  “Retailers from doughnut shops to department stores are putting in tablet-based cash registers that hang on the wall or can swivel around like desk lamps to face customers. At Coco Donuts in downtown Portland, Ore., iPad registers hang on a track on the wall, and employees slide them over to customers at the counters, who can sign for their bill, barely missing a bite.”  Read more:  https://www.startribune.com/business/204353151.html

 

“Kroger To Participate In The Barclays Retail and Consumer Discretionary Conference”  “The Kroger Co. will participate in the Barclays Retail and Consumer Discretionary Conference on Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Mike Schlotman, Kroger senior vice president and chief financial officer, will address investors.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6709654&access=EH

 

“10 Secrets to Eye-Popping Package Designs” by E.J. Schultz at Ad Age.  “The average number of items sold at a supermarket has ballooned to more than 38,000 from 10,425 in 1977, according to the Food Marketing Institute.  So how do you make your package stand out? To find out, Ad Age recently caught up with Omnicom Group’s Hornall Anderson, a Seattle-based design shop that works for big marketers like Starbucks, PepsiCo, Microsoft and Unilever.”  See the Top 10 trends:  https://adage.com/article/news/10-secrets-eye-popping-package-designs/241044/

 

“ShopSmart Uncovers the Best Places to Find Coupons”  “The May 2013 issue of ShopSmart, from Consumer Reports, highlights ten new sites and apps that make the hunt for savings fast and fun, plus some cool features on old standbys.”  See the list:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6707962&access=EH

 

“Independent Grocers Generate $129B in Sales” at Progressive Grocer.  “Independent grocers are key contributors to the nation’s economy and workforce, according to a recent study released by the National Grocers Association (NGA), which provides a clear picture of the role independent grocers play at the national, state and congressional district level.  The research, which can be viewed via a new website, was conducted by John Dunham and Associates.”  Read more:  https://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/independent-grocers/id38913/independents-generate-129b-in-sales/?icid=homepage

 

“Shapeways Raises $30 Million to Bring 3-D Printing Mainstream” by Jenna Wortham at NY Times.  “Shapeways has a community of 300,000 members and three million products in its online catalog. “We also have 10,000 shops selling designs and items,” said Mr. Weijmarshausen. Each month, the company receives, prints and ships 60,000 orders to customers all over the world.  Mr. Weijmarshausen said that he planned to use the new money to expand the team and increase production at the factory.”  Read more:  https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/shapeways-raises-30-million-to-bring-3-d-printing-mainstream/?src=twr&smid=tw-nytimes

 

“Sam’s Club Opens its Doors to the Public for a Weekend of Savings and Samples”  “Sam’s Club welcomes the public to a three-day spring Open House to show more than 600 U.S. communities why life is better in the Club. From Friday, April 26 to Sunday, April 28, members and non-members can access extraordinary savings on the newest items for spring and summer entertaining.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6710946&access=EH

 

“Latest Loss Raises Hurdles for RadioShack” at WSJ.  “Revenue fell 7% to $849 million, well below analysts’ $961 million target, while sales at stores open at least a year fell 5.7%…Mr. Magnacca said the retailer is planning a new marketing campaign, with the slogan “Let’s Play,” that will emphasize its 5,000 stores across the U.S. “With our vast store base,” he said on a conference call with investors, “we want to become the neighborhood technology playground.”  Read more:  https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324874204578440363579665432.html

 

Thanks for reading…

 

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