Tipsheet: Amazon HQ Full of Ex-Target People | Costco Kickback Probe | Peak Athleisure? | Easter Egg Rampage
AMAZON BIG WINNER FROM TARGET LAYOFFS – A year after Target’s layoffs, workers reinvent their futures by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “…the Star Tribune found that about 90 Target headquarters employees took jobs at Amazon last year…In 2014, about 70 people left Target for Amazon…So many former Target employees are now at Amazon that some do double-takes in the hallways. “It’s like, ‘Hey, I didn’t realize you were here. Welcome!’ ” said one Target-turned-Amazon employee who spoke on the condition his name not be used.” Read more
Costco probed in alleged drug kickback scheme by Jesse McLean at Toronto Star. “Costco is under investigation for an alleged kickback scheme where it demanded a drug company pay more than a million dollars to get its medications stocked…At the heart of the complaint is a secretly recorded phone conversation of a Costco director explaining to a drug company sales rep how much the drug company would have to pay to “greatly reduce the likelihood of somebody eating your business.” Read more
FTC accused of asking Amazon to lie in merger case by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “While the disclosure that the FTC asked Amazon to lie doesn’t sink its chances, it certainly doesn’t help…“The judge is focused more on Amazon than the FTC would like him to be,” said a source closely following the case.” Read more
Red Meat, It’s What’s for Dinner Again as Beef Prices Tumble by Leslie Patton at Bloomberg. “Suddenly there is this extra supply of meat,” Kalo said. “You’re going to have to somehow consume all of it.” Read more
Thrive Market wants to build an online Whole Foods for people who aren’t rich by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “The online grocer is on track to register sales of $10 million this month, a 500 percent increase from last March, co-founder and co-CEO Nick Green told Re/code in an interview last week.” Read more
Flirtey makes first urban drone delivery in FAA test, beating Amazon to the punch by Alan Boyle at GeekWire. See the pics / Read more
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68% of teens say they prefer brands to reach them via email by Zak Stambor at Internet Retailer. “While that’s a slightly lower percentage than millennials (73%) and baby boomers (75%), email far outpaces every other channel.” Read more
Analyst: Macy’s stock will soar by summer, could face takeover by Andy Brownfield at Cincinnati Business Courier. Read more
PEAK ATHLEISURE – Products and Competition Stretch Market for ‘Athleisure’ Clothing by Hiroko Tabuchi at NY Times. “There’s a lot of wannabes out there creating noise,” said Matt Powell, a sports industry analyst at the NPD Group, a market research firm. “The shakedown’s started. A lot of these brands are going to go away.” Read more
Target joins Starbucks and 11 other businesses to achieve 80% voter turnout in the U.S. by the year 2020 via A Bullseye View. Read more
Ingles Markets Names New President by Mike Cronin at Citizen-Times. “Jim Lanning was promoted Friday to president and CEO of Ingles Markets Inc.” Read more
Boston: GE buys P&G property for new HQ via Cincinnati Business Courier. Read more
Marauding parents in Easter Egg hunt rampage: Out-of-control adults push children to the ground, steal their buckets and leave one four-year-old ‘bloody’ by Mia De Graaf at Daily Mail. “Children as young as four were trampled by adults in a rampage to steal buckets and grab as many of the 9,000 hidden eggs as possible from the third annual free event at the PEZ headquarters…’It was worse than being at Wal-Mart on Black Friday,’ parent Val McCormick wrote on the PEZ Facebook page on Saturday.” Read more / See the pics
Tipsheet Extra Stories
America’s Best Large Employers (Costco #3, Wegmans #4)
Cameron Diaz pampers her pooches with shopping spree to Petco
Home Depot CIO Matt Carey in Q&A with CIO Events Editor
Bloomberg: Cage-Free Eggs May Be Golden Goose for Retail Profits
Smart fridge may lead to the free fridge
GMO labeling: 5 questions with Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack
Massachusetts resident sues Target over Parmesan cheese