“Walmart Testing New Ad Match Program Called ‘Savings Catcher’ ” from ISI Retail Summit.  How it works:  Consumer buys products, enters receipt code online, Walmart looks at ad prices in the area, if there is a lower price Walmart gives a credit to consumer on a Walmart gift card.  Currently being tested in seven cities: Charlotte, Lexington, Atlanta, Minneapolis, San Diego, Dallas, Huntsville.

Walmart’s Duncan Mac Naughton,  Highlights from Summit:

* Walmart has a 41% – 42% share of Bud Light’s two new Lime-A-Rita brands (Mango & Rasberry).  A $100 Mil Business across all four sku’s.

*  Launching an OPP brand, 55 sku’s, in 400 stores + 240 more coming called Fit for Purpose.

*  Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit Mix (“crazy how well it sells”) – Exclusive to Walmart until June.

*  On tobacco: “As long as it’s legal we’ll keep selling it legally.”

*  Sell marijuana in Denver stores?:  “No sir, we’ll follow the Federal rule”

Listen to Webcast

 

First ‘Walmart to Go’ Officially Opens in Bentonville (3 Blocks from HQ):

The City Wire:  “Walmart to Go sells convenience, prices remain consistent” by Kim Souza.  “The items were consistently priced at all three formats (Walmart to Go, Neighborhood Market & Supercenter) — 14 items were priced exactly the same, the bottled water at the supercenter did not have a price listed on the shelf, but it was $3.48 at the other two stores. Total spend, excluding the water was $47.60 at all three formats.  The retailer looks to be selling convenience in this new hybrid format. The real savings came in time, something there never seems to be enough of for most consumers today.”  See the in-store video / Read more

 

NWA:  “First ‘Walmart to Go’ Opens in Bentonville” by Rebecca Jeffrey & Rebeckah Garrett.  “Customers are saying they are so excited and surprised that this is a smaller size box that offers convenience options but at the Walmart price,” Layton said.  So far, Bentonville is the only city slated to have a “Walmart To Go.”  See the in-store video / Read more

 

“Tomorrow:  Walmart Kicks Off Spring ‘Black Friday’ Event” at CNBC.  “Wal-Mart is slashing prices and debuting deeper offerings in its outdoor living and lawn and garden segments. The move puts pressure on home improvement leaders Home Depot and Lowe’s, which consider the critical spring selling season their version of Christmas.”  Read more

 

“Wal-Mart’s New Ad Is A Carbon Copy Of Duracell’s Ad With Derrick Coleman” by Aaron Taube at Business Insider.  “Duracell’s commercial starring Seattle Seahawks running back Derrick Coleman is easily one of the best ads of 2014.  If you don’t remember it, the ad features a moving voiceover in which Coleman tells the story of how he reached the NFL despite being deaf…It seems Walmart might have liked it even better than we did.  That’s because the retail giant’s newest commercial, which tells the story of a factory worker with physical and mental disabilities, is extremely similar to the Duracell ad. It was made by the same ad agency, Saatchi & Saatchi New York.”  Read more

 

“Consumer Reports:  5 Things to Buy at Walmart and 5 Things to Avoid”  “Walmart is known for value, but there are also plenty of top-performing products on its sprawling shelves. Then again, you could easily end up with a low-priced dud—which is no bargain in the long run.”  See the list

 

“Home Depot’s CEO Frank Blake Speaks at ISI Retail Summit.”  Highlights:

What are you spending your time on?  “Interconnected retail and organizational”

On management transition: 

* “I’m turning 65 this summer.  I’m shockingly not going to live forever.”

* “Craig (Menear) has done a phenomenal job with everything I’ve given to him.”

On “Tribes” within Home Depot:

“Operations and Merchandising are our major tribes.”

“Interconnected retail is not a new tribe – the customer won’t think of it that way.”

On Tech Talent:

“We have our own building called the Tree House where our more creative online people are.”

“I’d like to play ping pong in the afternoon too…”

Square Footage:

In five years will you have the same square footage?  “Give or take”

Lengthy discussion on vendor relations and Amazon…

Listen to 30 minute Webcast

 

“Random:  Disney reveals film plans at annual shareholder meeting” by Daniel Miller at LA Times.  “Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios plans to make a sequel to the 2004 hit “The Incredibles” and a third film in the popular “Cars” franchise.  Iger also discussed Disney’s upcoming “Star Wars” film, which is slated for released Dec. 18, 2015. He said the movie, “Star Wars: Episode VII,” would take place 30 years after “Return of the Jedi” and feature “some very familiar faces along with a trio of new young leads.”  Read more

 

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