Most West Coast ports in full swing to make up for lost time at Seattle Times. “Three terminals at the Port of Seattle were full Sunday, with five vessels waiting to be unloaded as most West Coast seaports were back at full operation after a deal was reached Friday with dockworkers…Dockworkers in Los Angeles worked an overnight shift for the first time in weeks Saturday night…It will take six to eight weeks for West Coast ports to recover from the cargo backlog, according to the Port of Oakland and the National Retail Federation.” Read more

 

…“Just based on the mathematics, it will be about three months before we return to a sense of normalcy” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. by Laura Stevens at WSJ. Read more (Subscription)

 

Sports Authority said to be at ‘high’ risk of default at CNN Money. “At these operating levels, Sports Authority’s capital structure is unsustainable over the longer term, and the risk of a default … is high,” wrote analyst Michael Zuccaro in the note.” Read more

 

Target doubling initiative on organics, naturals at AP via Anne d’Innocenzio at AP. “Company officials believe sales for the brands included in the program could hit $1 billion this year, and if this initiative were a stand-alone brand, it would already be one of the company’s 10 largest labels, according to Kathee Tesija, executive vice president and chief merchandising and supply chain officer.” Read more

 

Retailer claims Big Tobacco is aiding smugglers, ‘robbing’ New York by Richard Morgan at NY Post. “Philip Morris and Reynolds American allocate “massive amounts of boxed cigarettes to stores in their home states (soft-pack markets), knowing that most of this product will become contraband as it is bootlegged into New York,” the group, the New York State Association of Wholesale Marketers and Distributors, wrote in a letter this month to state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.” Read more

 

Mall of America shoppers take terror alert in stride by Paul Walsh at Star-Tribune. “The cautionary message came from Jeh Johnson, U.S. secretary of Homeland Security, after the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabab released a video calling for attacks on Western malls. The video specifically mentioned the Mall of America.” Read more

 

Protest closes Home Depot store in Northern CA by Wendy Lee at SF Gate. “An anti-police protest drawing more than 100 people shut down a Home Depot store in Emeryville Saturday…Stephen Holmes, a spokesman for Home Depot, said the store’s standard practice is to allow police to release information related to an investigation. “We understand the concern when something as serious as this happens in a community, but it would be inappropriate for us to independently release information while an ongoing investigation is going on,” Holmes said.” Read more

 

Canada: Sears, Hudson’s Bay mattress discounts under investigation by Marina Strauss & Jeff Gray at Globe & Mail. “The federal Competition Bureau is investigating whether Canada’s two major department-store retailers have touted bogus discounts of their mattresses…the bureau stepped up its inquiry into Sears Canada Inc. and Hudson’s Bay Co. sale pricing and the Federal Court has agreed to order the merchants to produce records about their price strategies within 75 days.” Read more

 

Mother of Amazon founder to address Women’s Day event at Yakima Herald. “Bezos will speak at Heritage during International Women’s Day, to be celebrated March 7. It will run from 10 a.m. to noon; doors open at 9 a.m.” Read more

 

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