Tipsheet: Costco +5.4% | Heartless Prank @ WM | H.Dep New Comms Head
Costco April comp sales +5.4%: U.S. +7.7% / Canada -1.9% / Other Int’l +0.9% / Ecom +23.6% Press release
Hudson’s Bay to pay C$4.5 mln to settle with Canada’s competition watchdog at Reuters. “Hudson’s Bay offered sleep sets at “inflated regular prices” and then advertised deep discounts on these prices, suggesting significant savings to consumers, the bureau said.” Read more
Etsy Q1 gross merchandise sales growth +18.9% Press release
Amazon Hit by Extensive Fraud With Hackers Siphoning Merchant Funds by Jonathan Browning at Bloomberg. “Amazon believes it was the victim of a “serious” online attack by hackers who broke into about 100 seller accounts and funneled cash from loans or sales into their own bank accounts, according to a U.K. legal document. The hack took place between May 2018 and October 2018…” Tiered subs.
Vitamin Shoppe Q1 comp sales -3.5% Press release
Walmart managers take home an average of $175,000 a year by Kelly Tyko at USA Today. “55% of Walmart’s total U.S. workforce is female and 43% of management is female.” Read more
**A message from Real Coconut Water: Brazilian coconuts = Sweeter taste. 100% pure coconut water. PL or branded organic in Tetra Pak. Sell sheet | Website | Samples: info@eyeonretail.net
Camping World Q1 revenue +0.6% Press release
Non-compete limits, modified by Amazon, signed into law in Washington state at AP via Seattle Times. “The contracts, which bar a worker from joining a competitor after leaving a job, are set to be prohibited for workers making less than $100,000 annually.” Read more
Office Depot Q1 retail comp sales -4.0% Press release
Denver votes to become first city to decriminalize ‘magic mushrooms’ at NBC News. “It appeared late Tuesday night that the decriminalization would fail with 52 percent of voters rejecting it, but late final ballot counting inched it just above passing.” Read more
Shaving upstart Harry’s is selling for $1.37 billion to the company that owns Schick razors at CNBC. Read more
Home Depot promotes Stephen Holmes to comms head by Diane Bradley at PR Week. “One of the biggest comms efforts we have is around our $11.1 billion in investments over the next three to four years,” said Holmes, who oversees 100-plus staffers.” PR Week subs.
Sears unveils a new logo at CNBC. Pic/Read more
Amazon Slammed For Putting Kids At Risk With ‘Blatant Violation Of Privacy Laws’ by Zak Doffman at Forbes. “The most disturbing allegation is that “Amazon retains children’s data even after parents believe they have deleted it.”…”Parents,” CCFC states, “not Jeff Bezos, should be in charge of children’s data. The FTC must hold Amazon accountable for blatantly violating children’s privacy law and putting kids at risk.” Read more
Walmart, Sam’s Club raise age to buy tobacco to 21; won’t sell flavored nicotine to minors by Charisse Jones at USA Today. “The new age requirement will kick in on July 1…and will apply to the sale of e-cigarettes as well. But even adults will no longer be able to buy the electronic nicotine systems that taste like desserts or fruit, with Walmart saying it plans to phase out those products.” Read more
Amazon’s Blink unveils new security camera with ‘exclusive’ chip and two-year battery life by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. Read more
Cause Marketing Isn’t Working for Young People by Josh Sternberg at Adweek. ““We all want to save the planet so long as it’s utterly without any sacrifice,” Goodwin said. “The sad truth is most young people are too crippled by student debt, worried about the brain chemistry being affected by mobile phones, to have vital brain power taken up by whether this brand of bleach helps build schools in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Tiered subs.
‘You’re fired’: Heartless prank brings Walmart employee to tears at ABC 13. “Leones is still crying. The reason: her husband, Eduardo…Leones is the only one making money, and her husband relies on her health insurance. “I don’t think it’s good to play on someone else’s emotions,” Leones said.” Video/Read more
Tipsheet Extra Stories
Top 10 most successful new products in the c-store channel last year
Weight gain in rural areas is responsible for a lot of the global rise in obesity
Chef stopped at Los Angeles airport with 40 frozen piranhas
Facebook auto-generates videos celebrating extremist images
Why every US co. has a stake in Bed Bath & Beyond’s heated boardroom war
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