Lowe’s to eliminate pesticides that hurt crop pollinating honeybees at Reuters. “Lowe’s said it will phase out neonics in shelf products and plants by the spring of 2019, as suitable alternatives become available…Last year, BJ’s Wholesale Club said it was asking all of its vendors to provide plants free of neonics by the end of 2014 or to label such products.” Read more

 

J.C. Penney’s Marvin Ellison Said to Plan to Give Managers More Leeway by Matt Townsend at Bloomberg. “To reinforce the managers’ expanded role, the company announced at the meeting that their titles would be changed from store leader, a term coined during the Johnson era, to general manager…With his performance so far, which has included a nationwide tour visiting stores, Ellison has won over J.C. Penney’s rank and file, one of the people said.” Read more

 

Bed Bath & …. beer? Miami-area store goes beyond homegoods by Kathleen Devaney at Miami Herald. “Bed Bath & Beyond is..adding a small grocery section stocked with beer and wine to the center of the store. It will be the chain’s first Florida location to offer groceries…Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman joked during the meeting, asking if the frequent “20% Off” mailer coupons can be used when purchasing beer and wine. (No, according to the store manager.) Quipped Commissioner Howard Weinberg, “That would have been the beyond.” Read more

 

Denise Bidot is a plus-size powerhouse and face of Lilly Pulitzer for Target by Zayda Rivera at NY Daily News. “After a huge year that included walking in New York Fashion Week’s Chromat and Serena Williams’ runway shows, the half-Puerto Rican, half-Kuwaiti bombshell known for her killer curves is showing the fashion industry what confident beauty looks like in a size 14.” Read the Q&A

 

Retail’s plus-size problem: Designing for larger sizes by Courtney Reagan at CNBC. “Mariah Chase, CEO of plus-size retailer Eloquii, said she estimates that 65 percent of American woman are considered plus size, but the category represents only about 17 percent to 18 percent of apparel sales.” Lane Bryant CEO video / Read more

 

Walgreens closing 200 stores — but opening 200 others by Ellen Jean Hirst at Chicago Tribune. “A spokesman told the Tribune on Thursday that the stores will close during the next three years, with the last closing no later than the end of 2017. The list of stores slated to close is still being finalized.” Read more

 

…Rite-Aid Deal Could be Less Likely by Cynthia Koons at Bloomberg via Chicago Tribune. “(Acting CEO Stefano Pessina’s) comments may indicate Walgreens is leaning more toward a deal in the industry of buying and distributing drugs than toward a merger with a direct competitor like Rite Aid, which has been the subject of speculation in recent weeks. Walgreens said Thursday it will close 200 U.S. stores this year to cut costs, throwing cold water on the idea that Pessina is eager to gain more locations.” Read more

 

Retailers Urged to Ditch Millennials in Favor of Older Shoppers by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “There’s this obsession with millennials,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, the analyst who wrote the report. “The truth is millennials aren’t spending any money with anybody because they don’t have any.” Read more

 

Target’s end in Canada to be marked with a funeral by one of its first customers by Sadiya Ansari at The Hamilton Spectator. “(Harrison) Jordan…expects 20 or so people to turn up for the ceremony. Black attire will be expected and a bagpiper will play. He started shopping at Target on family trips south of the border and will never forget his first time.” Read more

 

Trying out Amazon Prime’s new one-hour delivery service by Addie Broyles at Austin 360. “My order arrived 35 minutes after I placed it on the app, and three employees, wearing Amazon Prime shirts, arrived to give it to me. (Two of them were in training, Luis said.) I was surprised the order got here so quickly, considering 35 minutes is about how long it takes to drive from the Amazon fulfillment warehouse.” Read more

 

PayPal Allowed To Work With Amazon Following eBay Split by Ryan Mac at Forbes. Read more

 

Fast-Growing Topgolf Expects to More Than Quadruple Visits in Just Three Years by Ashley Rodriguez at Ad Age. “The company’s Austin, Texas, facility spans 65,000 square feet and three stories — and young men and women are flocking to it. It’s just one of 24 U.S. locations in states including Texas, Virginia and Illinois that blend a staid sport and a raucous sports bar…Ten new Topgolf locations are slated to open this year. A Las Vegas outpost set to open next year will include a swimming pool, rooftop bar, concert venue and cabanas.” Read more

 

All 38 Apple Watch models and their prices on one page by Emil Protalinski at VentureBeat. See the list

 

‘Share a Coke’ to Return, But Bigger by E.J. Schultz at Ad Age. “This summer, the brand will extend the program to include more names and to cover more package sizes and formats, according to a person close to the company familiar with the matter.” Read more

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net.