Sam’s +6.8% | WM US +4.6% | Patel +Shein | Wayfair +1.1%
Walmart U.S. Q4 comp sales (ex-fuel) +4.6% / Walmart Int’l Q4 net sales growth +5.7% Press release
…Walmart shares drop as retailer says profit growth will slow at CNBC. “In an interview with CNBC, CFO John David Rainey described consumer spending patterns as “steady” and said “there’s not any sharp changes that we’ve seen.”…About two-thirds of what Walmart sells is made, grown or assembled in the U.S. Yet if tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada take effect, he said Walmart is “not going to be completely immune.” Read more
Sam’s Club Q4 comp sales (ex-fuel) +6.8% Press release
Amazon’s big bet on warehouse robots is already getting a boost from generative AI at Fortune/Yahoo. “A few examples of generative AI at work include trajectory planning for robotic arms to better understand the degrees of movement and what sequence is most optimal to grab items. There’s also the use of generative AI to create visual packages and conceptualize how robotics can pick up atypical package sizes.” Read more
Trump’s FBI Pick Stands to Make Millions From Shein at WSJ. “Patel consulted for Shein’s parent company, Elite Depot, for nine months last year and was compensated with stock valued at between $1 million and $5 million…Patel has agreed to sell the shares he owns in public companies such as Meta Platforms and Apple if the Senate confirms him as FBI director…But Patel plans to retain his shares in Elite Depot, and the FBI allowed him to do so.” WSJ subs.
Wayfair Q4 US revenue +1.1% Press release
Alibaba shares pop after cloud unit, e-commerce growth push up quarterly profit at CNBC. “Alibaba’s key business units, Taobao and Tmall Group, posted an annual 5% uptick in revenue to 136.091 billion yuan in the December quarter, while the International Digital Commerce Group — which oversees ecommerce businesses such as Lazard and AliExpress — added 32% year-on-year to 37.756 billion in revenues…” Read more
Amazon kills ‘Inspire,’ its TikTok-style feed for discovering products at TechCrunch
**A message from Su Salsa – Put the flavor in the dip, not the chip. Su Salsa Mild has a hint of lime and cilantro with a kick of jalapeno at the end. Shake up your salsa set with the label that pops on shelf. Learn more | Sample: info@eyeonretail.net
How Temu got sucked into Trump’s trade war at Bloomberg. “Temu’s success isn’t an existential threat to Amazon. The pain has fallen most sharply on hobby shops, arts and craft stores and discounters such as Dollar General and Dollar Tree, according to research firm Earnest Analytics. Other US companies are looking to emulate some of Temu’s innovations, in particular by opening warehouses in China or Mexico to pack orders and send them individually into the US duty-free, says Derek Lossing, founder of the logistics consulting firm Cirrus Global Advisors.” Bloomberg subs.
Loblaw to open 80 new stores in 2025 at Financial Post. “…about 50 of which will be discount grocers…new locations are part of an approximately $10 billion investment over the next five years…The plans for 2025 include renovating more than 300 grocery and pharmacy locations.” Read more
Daughters of Target’s late cofounder raise concern over company’s pullback on DEI efforts at AP
Walmart sees growth in optical, pharmacy businesses at Talk Business. “Walmart operates around 3,000 optical centers in its U.S. stores…David Reitnauer, vice president of health and wellness and optical at Walmart, said in a Jan. 30 interview, that 70% of the vision center remodels are complete to start the new year.” Read more
Sabrina Simmons, former CFO at Gap, Inc., has been named Petco CFO Press release
**Advertise your product, service or event in Eye on Retail Tipsheet to get in front of the most powerful retail decision-makers in the world. Contact: info@eyeonretail.net