Tipsheet: Costco’s New Burger | Kohl’s New CFO | Publix #17 w/Gen Y
YES OR NO? – Skepticism persists around Walgreen-Rite Aid deal by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “Despite recent optimism, multiple sources close to Walgreen remain skeptical about the odds for the drug chain’s $9.7 billion deal to buy Rite Aid. The Federal Trade Commission is expected to vote Thursday.” Read more
Lidl announces $100M investment in Georgia by Eric Mandel at Atlanta Business Chronicle. “…will create 250 jobs and invest $100 million over the next five years in a new regional headquarters and distribution center in Cartersville.” Read more
Kohl’s Announces Bruce Besanko as CFO “Most recently, Besanko spent four years with Supervalu in financial leadership roles, including chief operating officer and chief financial officer, as well as five years as chief financial officer and chief administrative officer for OfficeMax.” Press release
Deadline for FTC review of Cabela’s sale extended by Paige Yowell at Omaha World-Herald. “Cabela’s said Monday that it has agreed to extend the Federal Trade Commission’s review of its deal with Bass Pro Shops until July 5. The deadline was originally set for Wednesday.” Read more
100 Best Workplaces for Millennials (Publix #17, QuikTrip #22, REI #54, Sheetz #92) at Fortune. List
Costco is testing a new burger in Seattle, and it might remind you of Shake Shack by Tan Vinh at Seattle Times. “The website Foodbeast, which broke the story of the test burger, appears to have intel from a Costco insider, reporting that the secret sauce is a smoked Thousand Island dressing and that the organic beef patty is served on a challah bun (with romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar).” Read more
Instacart CMO Cheryl Law is no longer at the company by Matthew Lynley at TechCrunch. Read more
Here Comes Uber Inspired Surge Pricing in Supermarkets by Lisa Botter at The Street. “We are always looking at ways to improve the shopping experience for our customers and are currently trialling electronic shelf edge labels in one of our stores. We’re still at the early stages of this trial and will review feedback from customers and colleagues before deciding next steps,” a Tesco spokesperson said.” Read more
Lowe’s completes $512M Maintenance Supply purchase by Jenna Martin at Charlotte Business Journal. Read more
Layoff-tracking website littered with comments from Advance Auto Parts workers by Amanda Hoyle at Triangle Business Journal. “Posters to TheLayoff.com estimate that nearly 900 employees mostly in middle-management positions –and some who have been with the company for 20 years or more – have been affected.” Read more
Supervalu’s No. 2 executive, Bruce Besanko, will leave next month by Mark Reilly at Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal. “Rob Woseth, Supervalu’s chief strategy officer, will take over as interim CFO, while Controller David Johnson will become interim chief accounting officer.” Read more
**A Message from The Original Headache Hat – Don’t Suffer in Silence. Over 36M people suffer from migraines in the U.S. and 1B worldwide. 33% of attacks hit both sides of the head – 25% of U.S. households has a migraine sufferer. Yet no viable solution exists in the market today. Gel packs only stay cold for minutes and don’t cover the head. The Headache Hat is a hands-free, wearable ice pack for migraines, headaches & cooling therapy and has received rave reviews from both consumers and The Migraine World Summit. See it here now. Retailers request sample: info@shiftmarketinggroup.net
84 Lumber ad picks up Bronze Lion at Cannes by Patty Tascarella at Pittsburgh Business Times. Read more
NRF Chooses Stephanie Martz as General Counsel “Previously, Martz served as chief counsel to Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.” Press release
Office Depot Launches “Taking Care of Business” Ad Campaign Press release
Amazon’s Prime a more ‘pressing threat’ for Canadian retailers than its Whole Foods acquisition: BMO by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post via Vancouver Sun. “There is a sizable gap in Canadian e-commerce sales between (Amazon) and all the other retailers,” BMO retail analyst Peter Sklar wrote in the report.” Read more
Tesco launches one-hour grocery deliveries in London by Natasha Lomas at TechCrunch. Read more
Appearances aside, Amazon’s Echo Show and its 7″ touchscreen looks like a hit by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “Reviewers didn’t give Amazon a ton of points on the design, with TechCrunch’s Brian Heater writing that the device looks like it “fell off the back of a RadioShack truck in the late-80s.” That said, Heater predicts the new device will be a boon for Amazon.” Read more
PICKING PRODUCE IN-STORE – Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store by Steve O’Hear at TechCrunch. “…what potentially sets Infarm apart…is the modular approach and go-to-market strategy it is taking…seeing Infarm place farms not in offsite warehouses but in customer-facing city locations, such as grocery stores, restaurants, shopping malls, and schools, enabling the end-customer to actually pick the produce themselves.” Read more
MASSACHUSETTS – Pharmacy exec gets nine years in prison for outbreak that killed 76 and made 778 people sick at Daily Mail. “Prosecutors had asked US District Judge Richard Stearns to sentence Cadden to at least 35 years in prison.” Read more
Charles Holley, Ex-Walmart CFO: What CEOs Want—and Need—From Their CFOs at Wall Street Journal. Read more (subs.)
Houzz, an online marketplace for home furnishings, has raised $400 million by Matt Linder at Internet Retailer. “Houzz, which says it has “over nine million products available for purchase from more than 20,000 sellers” on its online marketplace, is targeting an international audience with its latest round of funding.” Read more
Tipsheet Extra Stories
At least 17 registered sex offenders list Walmart store as home address
Ex- CEO of Natural Markets Food Group joins Albertsons as group VP of merchandising
Asda is named worst supermarket in treatment of suppliers
Bass Pro names new president for boat division
Why Walmart Is Being Sued by the Family of a Slain Uber Driver
Eddie Bauer to explore options including sale
Oscar Mayer adds the first hot-dog delivering drone to its Wienermobile fleet
How Baking Soda Could Help Fight Deadly Superbugs
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