Thursday Tipsheet: Aldi +45 in SoCal | Kroger Rolls Online Shop | Wgreen Pushes Virtual Docs
As Not Seen on TV: Wal-Mart Dials Back on Ads in Low-Price Push by Renee Dudley at Bloomberg. “In Sunday newspapers…the frequency of Wal-Mart circulars that advertise specials is down by about half from a year ago. “We are getting back to a place where we are playing offense with price to best serve our customers,” said Deisha Barnett, a spokeswoman for Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart. “We believe that our suppliers’ best investment for our customers is an investment in price, not an investment in co-op advertising or a temporary discount.” Read more
US retail sales jump in May at CNBC. “The Commerce Department said on Thursday retail sales increased 1.2 percent last month after an upwardly revised 0.2 percent gain in April.” Read more
Aldi to open 45 stores in SoCal by Shan Li at LA Times. “The company is building a regional headquarters and distribution center in Moreno Valley to support further expansion in coming years, said Jason Hart, Aldi’s chief executive for U.S. operations. “There is no other place with the same density of people that exists in Southern California,” Hart said in an interview. “It’s an important market with really big potential for us.” Read more
Jeff Bezos Gives the Floor to Rev. Jackson by Jay Greene at Seattle Times. “I very much appreciate your coming to the meeting,” Bezos said…“Amazon is delivering packages from drones in the sky,” Jackson told shareholders. “If you put your mind to it, you can certainly build a pipeline to engage African Americans, Latinos and women to change the face of technology.”…“We can no doubt use our ingenuity here,” Bezos said.” Read more
Kroger rolling out online shopping by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati.com. “Kroger plans to unveil the long-awaited expansion of its ‘click and collect’ online shopping option to the general public for its Liberty Township store…(Kroger) has been testing the service on a limited basis since last year and plans to introduce it Thursday during a press event.” Read more
Walgreens Pushes Expansion of Virtual Doctor Visits by Tom Murphy at AP via Yahoo. “Walgreens said Wednesday that it will offer a smartphone application that links doctor and patients virtually in 25 states by the end of the year.” Read more
Walmart’s U.S. Manufacturing Summit in July will have a ‘Better Filter’ by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Michelle Gloeckler said in years past they met with people who had product ideas, but this year they will focus on meeting with people and companies who “have a manufacturing plan” and can begin almost immediately to put products on shelves. The 2015 Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Summit is themed “Investing in American Jobs,” and is set for July 7-8.” Read more
3D Printing Is Not A Fad — Lowe’s Companies Creates New Customer Experience by TJ McCue at Forbes. “Kyle Nel for Lowe’s Innovation Labs told me the customer response has been amazing. “We’ve seen artists bring in their artwork to scan and print before sending the original off to a gallery, software developers bring in prototype monsters to create in 3D to help with animation development, a collector bring in a fragile puzzle to be scanned and printed so that kids could play without fear of damage, and a bicyclist bring in a broken clip from an antique French bicycle that had gone unrepaired for years due to out of production parts.” Read more
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Fortune: Why won’t J.C. Penney close more stores? E-commerce by Phil Wahba. “Until we can get this omni-channel fully rolled out, we have to guard against making the assumption that we have a correct or incorrect number of stores,” Marvin Ellison said.” Read more
Wayfair Names Liz Graham VP of Sales and Service Read the release
Rosalind Brewer on Forbes’s Women’s Summit Panel by Michela Tindera at Forbes. “Brewer explained how her club managers get involved with small business owners in their local communities. “We lend services and there’s no price tag on that,” she said. “We’ll go to their offices and actually work with them to build business plans.” Read more
Amazon launching daily live show to drive product sales, says deleted job posting by James Risley at Geekwire. Read more
Hudson’s Bay benefits from Target exit at Toronto Sun. “Home Outfitters and Hudson’s Bay are both reaping the rewards, or taking advantage, of the exit of Target and the continued erosion that you’re seeing at Sears,” Chairman Richard Baker said in an interview.” Read more
Federal judge: Wal-Mart violated state minimum wage laws via Chicago Tribune. “Wal-Mart could be on the hook for more than $100 million in back pay after a federal judge ruled the company failed to pay California minimum wage to truck drivers for activities that included inspecting and washing their trucks, an attorney said Wednesday.” Read more
Tipsheet Extra
Ex-Trader Joe’s president reveals how the most popular grocery store items have changed
J. Crew to lay off 10% of headquarters after horrific sales decline
Loblaw Companies Ltd removing micro beads, Triclosan, phthalates from beauty products by 2018
Walmart brawl in shampoo aisle upsets mayor
Today: Ribbon Cutting for Meijer’s 2nd Store in Detroit
The $5 Bil Battle for the American Dinner Plate
Amazon has three great businesses, and Jeff Bezos is hunting for a fourth
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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 really happening in the world of retail. See our website at www.eyeonretail.net