Tipsheet: Amazon Starts HQ Tours | Retailer Tells Suppliers to Cut Cost 1.45% | Wgreen +2.4% | Barney’s Stake for Sale
Walgreens Q3 Net Sales +2.4% “Walgreens Boots Alliance’s proposed acquisition of Rite Aid Corporation, which was announced 27 October 2015, is progressing as planned.” Read the release
Minority stake in Barneys up for sale amid sagging sales, profits by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “(Richard) Perry has hired Goldman Sachs to scout out a buyer, the source said. “The existing owners don’t want to put more money into Barneys,” said the source.” Read more
Supervalu Snags Marsh Supermarkets by Mike Hughlett at Star Tribune. “In addition to distributing branded foods, Supervalu will sell its private label products to Marsh. Supervalu will also provide Marsh with some professional services — back-office work — and merchandising support…Marsh’s primary grocery wholesaler has been C & S.” Read more
Fortune: Walmart plans to add 1 million online items per month for the foreseeable future by Phil Wahba. Read more
Notoriously secretive Amazon starts offering public tours of Seattle HQ by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “The free tours, which require pre-registration, will be available every Wednesday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and they will typically last about an hour, the company says. “We will do our best to answer your group’s questions,” reads the confirmation message, “but please understand that we may not be able to go into specifics on certain topics.” Read more | Tour registration
Five days of Etsy payment processing outages have merchants flipping by John Mannes at TechCrunch. “Over the last five days, a large number of Etsy transactions have been disrupted by “third party” payment processing outages. As of 6pm PST July 5th, over 4,000 messages of frustration have been posted in the company’s Bugs Community Forum.” Read more
Canada: Walmart still on track to refuse Visa unless compromise reached at CBC via MSN. “Lee thinks Walmart’s goal is to reach a compromise with Visa before it gets to the point where it drops Visa from a large number of its stores — especially high-volume urban locations. So if the Thunder Bay move doesn’t force Visa to make concessions on transaction fees, Lee predicts Walmart will simply move to round two. And that could involve additional lower-volume locations.” Read more
Ex-Walmart executive Leslie Dach has been involved in Hillary Clinton outreach efforts to business leaders by MJ Lee at CNN. Read more
Amazon bookstore coming to Manhattan by Jennifer Gould Kell at NY Post. “Amazon Books is slated to open in Hudson Yards, the massive retail, commercial and residential space developed by Related Cos. and Oxford Properties Group, sources tell The Post.” Read more
Winn-Dixie donated all 4th of July profits to veterans by Leada Gore at AL. “More than 700 Winn Dixie grocery stores across the Southeast (participated) in the second annual event. Last year, the day generated more than $3 million for veterans.” Read more
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Canada: Loblaw sends strongly worded letter to major suppliers, asks group to lower costs by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “In a strongly worded letter to its large suppliers this week, Loblaw is asking the group to cut costs by 1.45 per cent for shipments received by the country’s largest grocery chain on or after Sept. 4.” Read more
Fairway exits bankruptcy by Aaron Elstein at Crain’s New York. “The company succeeded in persuading lenders to cut Fairway’s borrowings in half in exchange for all the equity. The reorganized company also has a new board of directors that includes a former senior Whole Foods executive and the president of Rite Aid.” Read more
Michael Strahan won’t be pitching products anymore (except for J.C.Penney!) by Ian Mohr at NY Post. “An ABC spokesperson told us of the move: “Michael’s endorsements are set to expire in the next few months and won’t be renewed. His clothing line [with J.C. Penney] will continue.” Read more
CNBC talks up Kroger’s ‘patriotic’ post-Brexit prospects by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Business Courier. “These guys are 100 percent U.S,” said Seymour, a New York-based hedge fund manager…“These guys were the hot stock last year. Down 18 percent year to date. Growing 7-8 percent. You can buy all that food, beer, mustard, hot dogs, whatever a guy is looking for.” Read more
Target India launches initiative to help women rejoin the workforce by Brinda Dasgupta at The Economic Times. Read more
Social Media is Doug McMillon’s Yellow Notepad via Walmart Today. Read more
Back-to-School Shopping Kicks Off by Adrianne Pasquarelli at Ad Age. “According to Kantar Retail…roughly three out of 10 consumers plan to spend more money on back-to-school this year, while half plan to spend about the same amount.” Read more
Canada Post parcel deliveries may stop Friday by Allison Enright at Internet Retailer. “Canada Post Corp. today served 72-hours’ notice to the union representing more than 50,000 mail carriers that it may lock out workers starting Friday.” Read more
Brawl at Walmart involved 30 people – people used baseball bats and canned food to try to protect themselves at WHEC NBC 10. “Police Chief James VanBrederode says, “It was in total chaos when officers got there, it’s just disgusting to see that kind of behavior happening right here.”..”The adults jumped right in with the kids and this is what it turned into.” Read more / See the video
Tipsheet Extra Stories
Rosalind Brewer Sells $773K in Stock
“Murder Kroger” won’t be around much longer
NY Times: Amazon Is Quietly Eliminating List Prices
Walmart employee & amputee who lost his leg to cancer finds cruel note on his car reprimanding him for parking in a disabled spot
Yeti Coolers files paperwork for huge public stock offering
Theranos faces congressional inquiry over faulty blood tests
Adidas Is About to Make Kanye West More Than Famous
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