“Cybercriminals don’t like Blogger who exposed Target data breach;  Have sent heroin, fecal matter and SWAT team to his home”   by Nicole Perlroth at NY Times via Star-Tribune.  “In the last year, Eastern European cybercriminals have stolen Brian Krebs’ identity a half-dozen times, brought down his website, included his name and some unpleasant epithets in their malware code, sent fecal matter and heroin to his doorstep, and called a SWAT team to his home just as his mother was arriving for dinner.  “I can’t imagine what my neighbors think of me,” he said dryly…Krebs blogs with a 12-gauge shotgun by his side and is so entrenched in the digital underground that he is on a first-name basis with some of Russia’s major cybercriminals.”  Read more

 

“Dems push Walmart to give up cigarette sales” by Ian Swanson at The Hill.  “The letter’s signatories included Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the number two Democrat in the Senate…The letter was also signed by Sens. Tom Harkin (Iowa), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), John Rockefeller (W.Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.).”  Read more

 

“Wal-Mart Will Stop Selling Cigarettes — It’s Only a Matter of Time” by John Maxfield at Motley Fool.  “Before becoming CEO, Doug McMillon, then head of the chain’s Sam’s Club unit, told The Wall Street Journal that halting cigarette sales is something he has “thought about.” He nevertheless went on to note: “I don’t expect it to happen in the next year. It’s a big business, so it makes it harder to stop.”  Read more

 

“CNBC:  Home Depot Regional VP Chris Waits Discusses Southern Storms”. “If you were to try to forecast same-store sales for the month of january and february down in Atlanta, is it going to be a decline? ‘I really can’t comment on that. we’ll give updates on the storm and impacts in our earnings call during the next week or so here.’ See the interview / Read more

 

“Kroger to release weekly ads on Wednesday instead of Sunday” by Phil Hudson at Atlanta Bus. Chronicle.  “It will release its weekly ads and specially priced items online and in stores on Wednesdays instead of Sundays, effective March 5.  The new schedule will give customers more time to plan their weekend shopping trips.”  Read more

 

“Stanford Business Study: Why Do Consumers Ignore Personalized Offers?”  “Consumers are more likely to respond to what the researchers call “incidental” offers, or ones that consumers think just happen to fit their preferences by chance.  Price is the main reason consumers ignore personalized offers. An electronics aficionado, for instance, might be skeptical of an offer promoted as “just for you” because he assumes the seller has factored in his love of electronics and so thinks he’d be willing to pay a little extra for the latest gizmo.”  Read more

 

“Tractor Supply SVP to leave next month” at Nashville Post.  “The chief people officer at Tractor Supply — a company that has long emphasized the value of developing employees — is preparing to move on after 17 years at the company.”  Read more

 

“Weis Markets Announces Jonathan Weis As Its New President and Chief Executive Officer”  “Mr. Weis, who joined the company in 1989, is the son of Robert F. Weis, who remains Chairman of Weis Markets. During his 25 year career, he worked in positions throughout the company including produce merchandising, grocery procurement and store operations.”  Read the release

 

“Apple exploring cars, medical devices to reignite growth” by Thomas Lee & David Baker at SF Gate.  “Adrian Perica is a very busy man. Over the past 18 months, the mergers and acquisitions chief at Apple has been scouring the globe looking for deals…A source tells The Chronicle that Perica met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Cupertino last spring around the same time analysts suggested Apple acquire the electric car giant…The newspaper has also learned that Apple is heavily exploring medical devices, specifically sensor technology that can help predict heart attacks.”  Read more

 

“Bar fight: Kind sues Clif” by Caroline Fairchild at Fortune.  “(Kind) is suing Clif Bar in the southern district court of New York for alleged trademark infringements. Kind seeks to prohibit Clif from releasing its Clif Mojo snack bar with a transparent wrapper — a distinctive packaging that company founder Daniel Lubetzky said is integral to his product’s success.  “Everything you see in our product is about transparency,” Lubetzky said…”We were the first ones to [have a transparent wrapper] in our industry, and now we have a lot of people trying to copy our approach.”  Read more

 

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