Tipsheet: D.C. Hits Amazon | CVS Eyes Dialysis | McMillon Iview
EU says it will investigate Amazon over possible anti-competitive business practices at CNBC. “Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the EU opened a formal investigation to determine how Amazon uses data from independent retailers who sell on the company’s marketplace. The investigation centers on Amazon’s “dual role” as both a retailer and a marketplace, Vestager said.” Read more
Walmart CEO McMillon says the retailer has been playing ‘catch up’ in e-commerce at MarketWatch. “We’re not proud, we’re not egotistical,” McMillon said. “If somebody’s doing something better than we are, let’s copy and paste what we should. In the case of Amazon and others, clearly customers are responding to convenience.” Read more | 22:09 video
Yesterday: CBS interviews Jeff Bezos and Caroline Kennedy “The Trump administration’s official policy is committed to a return to the moon in the next five years. But the relationship between Mr. Trump and Bezos, at times, can seem light years apart. “To go back to the moon and the time frame that the administration wants to do, we absolutely need the support of the government to do that,” Bezos said.” Video/Read more
CVS Pushing Into Kidney Dialysis With Segway Inventor’s Help by Robert Langreth at Bloomberg. “CVS Health Corp. is beginning human trials of a new home dialysis machine that could shake up the $35 billion market for end-stage kidney care and create a new business for the drugstore chain.” Tiered subs.
True Value Retools Hardware Supply Chain by Jennifer Smith at Wall Street Journal. “Instead of having everything everywhere, we have all the things we need, in the right place,” True Value Chief Executive John Hartmann said in an interview. The company’s two-day window for fulfilling orders hasn’t changed, but “having larger quantities of the faster-moving items allows us to have higher fill rates on the products that are most important to our customers.” WSJ subs.
Union reaches tentative agreement with Safeway and Vons in Northern and Central California Press release
Lawmakers focus on Amazon during antitrust hearing by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “Congress asked four of the top tech companies in the world to testify on antitrust issues Tuesday — but once questioning got underway, it was clear that many of them only had eyes on Amazon. The Seattle tech giant fielded the several pointed questions from the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust division.” Read more
...On Tuesday, Sen. Sanders, Rep. Ilhan Omar and 11 other House Democrats signed a letter to the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, asking the government to investigate Amazon warehouses. by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. Read more
**A message from BK Resources – The Best Kept secret for commercial and food service kitchen equipment. Stainless steel: commercial faucets, sinks, work tables, bar equipment, ice bins & more. Catalog | Website | Contact
Rothy’s Makes This Year’s ‘It’ Shoe. But Can It Keep Growing Amid A Flood Of Copy Cats? by Amy Feldman at Forbes. “Obsessive Rothy’s customers wait in line outside the company’s miniature Fillmore Street store and join a private Facebook group for self-described Rothy’s addicts with nearly 14,000 members. “We’re creating a product that women love,” says (cofounder) Martin, 46.” Read more
Giant Food Stores second Giant Heirloom Market will open in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia on Friday at Progressive Grocer. Read more
Large retailers saw 64% increase in sales on Monday, thanks to Amazon Prime Day by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “That’s up quite a bit from the 54% increase seen by these large retailers (those with over a billion in annual revenue) last year, the report notes…retailers with less than $5 million in annual revenue saw a 30% increase in their online sales on Monday.” Read more
Claire’s announces that ex-Party City president Ryan Vero has been appointed CEO Press release
Jeff Bezos closes out Prime Day by standing on top of Amazon’s massive glass spheres by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. “I love my job and tap dance into work every day, but not usually on top of The Spheres,” Bezos wrote in his Instagram caption.” Pic/Read more
After years of both opposition and support, a small-scale Target store will open Wednesday in San Diego’s free-spirited, laid-back Ocean Beach community at NBC 7 San Diego. “The plans had been in the works since August 2017, when just the idea of putting a Target store in the beachside community stirred controversy.” Read more/Video
Tipsheet Extra Stories
Forbes: Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2019
Do pets really love us – or do they just stick around for the food?
Nielsen: Candy and snack sales up in cannabis-legal states
CES will allow sex toys at next year’s show
What Kroger stands to gain from its new partnership with Myriad Genetics
**
Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.
Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here
Contact us: Put your product or service in front of the most powerful retail execs in the world, send advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net
Website: eyeonretail.net