Tipsheet: How Target Botched Bathroom Response | Wmart Cuts 300 (Sam’s Next) | Costco +6% |
How Target Botched Its Response to the North Carolina Bathroom Law by Khadeeja Safdar at Wall Street Journal. “Mr. Cornell, 58 years old, expressed frustration about how the bathroom policy was publicized, and told colleagues he wouldn’t have approved the decision to flaunt it, these people said. Target didn’t adequately assess the risk, and the ensuing backlash was self-inflicted, he told staff. Now, it was too late to reverse course. “You can’t take it back,” said one of these people, adding that Mr. Cornell “felt very stuck.” Read more (subs.)
Costco March Comp Sales +6% “Costco reported net sales of $11.64 billion for the month of March, the five weeks ended April 2, 2017, an increase of nine percent from $10.71 billion during the similar period last year.” Press release
Walmart to cut 300 positions in information systems division by Robbie Neiswanger at Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “Wal-Mart would not confirm the number of layoffs or the affected departments. The latest cuts are in addition to ones earlier this year that affected about 1,000 workers across multiple divisions.” Read more
…Impacted employees said they received an email to report to a training room on Tuesday (April 4) where they were told their jobs were being eliminated.
…Sam’s Club is also streamlining its home office personnel with meetings being held Wednesday (April 5) and Thursday. Sam’s also eliminated all of its club auditors this week. Kim Souza at Talk Business. Read more
Investors breathe life into Walgreen-Rite Aid merger by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “More than one prominent investor has recently approached Fred’s Inc. about investing money in the regional drugstore chain — a cash infusion that would help it digest the 865 Rite Aid stores being spun off so the mega-merger clears an antitrust review…Without the cash, Fred’s will not be able to compete against the combined company. “Fred’s does not make any money,” a source close to the situation said.” Read more
Nordstrom’s e-commerce investment is on the verge of paying off, analysts say by Coral Garnick at Puget Sound Business Journal. “…online sales have grown from 8 percent of the business in 2010 to nearly 25 percent of the business last quarter.” Read more
Bed Bath & Beyond Q4 Comp Sales +0.4% “Comparable sales from customer-facing digital channels grew in excess of 20% while comparable sales from stores declined in the low single-digit percentage range.” Press release
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Why Costco Loves Store Sales: You Try Shipping a Tub of Mayo by Sarah Nassauer & Laura Stevens at Wall Street Journal. “The investment is worth it, said Jamie Iannone, chief executive of SamsClub.com, because shoppers who buy both online and in stores spend more and renew their membership more often.” Read more (subs.)
7-Eleven operator to buy 1,100 US stores from Sunoco for $3.3 billion at CNBC. Read more
Lane Bryant CMO blasts the ‘Girls’ Lounge’ at conference – CEO pounces by Douglas Quenqua at Campaign US. “When Beitler walked off stage, Zalis was waiting for him, and an animated conversation ensued. The two descended the escalator together—debating all the way—and entered the Lounge. Soon, Beitler was seated on the lounge’s (much smaller) stage, a last-minute addition to a panel discussion titled “The Girl Gaze is More than a Perspective.” Read more
Jeff Bezos sells $1B of Amazon stock a year to fund space company Blue Origin by Alan Boyle at GeekWire. “Bezos threw out the figure half-jokingly, after noting that he typically doesn’t reveal how much he’s spending. But he made clear that his in-house space effort takes a noticeable chunk out of his estimated $78 billion fortune.” Read more
Top 200 Philanthropists & Social Entrepreneurs at Richtopia. List
Gordmans going-out-of-business sales will likely start Friday by Russell Hubbard at Omaha World-Herald. “A key part of the liquidation sales scheduled to begin Friday are the DSW shoes that Gordmans sells. DSW supplies shoes to Gordmans on a consignment basis, and had said in court papers filed earlier that it owned the merchandise and fixtures, not Gordmans, and that the court should allow it all to be repossessed. But it won’t come to that. Gordmans, the liquidation firms and DSW came to an agreement.” Read more
Amazon acquires stake in hydrogen fuel cell maker Plug Power, plans to spend $600M on batteries by Nat Levy at GeekWire. Read more
Tipsheet Extra Stories
Why ‘Grocerants’ are the new trend, taking bite out of restaurants
Ex-Best Buy marketing exec joins St. Paul-based Augeo
EBay Billionaire-Backed Startup Tries to Unravel Rickshaw Routes
What’s the Maker of Post-it Notes Doing in the Ankle Monitor Business? Struggling
Amazon Is Worth More Than Walmart, Costco, and Target Combined
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