Tipsheet: Italy Fake Amazon Reviews | Grocers Face $11B in Equal Pay | JCP CEO Search
Grocers Face $11 Billion in Equal Pay Claims After Asda Ruling at Bloomberg. “The U.K. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the salaries earned by women who work in grocery stores could be compared to men who predominantly work in warehouses. The case will return to an employment tribunal, where a judge will determine whether the roles are of equal value and the wage discrepancy was a result of discrimination.” Read more
…UK supermarket chain Asda loses ruling over equal pay claim at AP. ““Asda has wasted money on lawyers’ bills chasing a lost cause, losing appeal after appeal, while tens of thousands of retail workers remain out of pocket,” said Susan Harris, legal director at the GMB union. “We now call on Asda to sit down with us to reach agreement on the back pay owed to our members — which could run to hundreds of millions of pounds,” she added.” Read more
Italians stay afloat by faking it on Amazon at Reuters. “Tens of thousands of people have joined dedicated Amazon channels on the Telegram instant messaging site where anonymous intermediaries sign people up to write glowing five-star reviews for products in return for financial reward. “It might not be very ethical or legal, but it has allowed me to indulge in a few things … that I couldn’t otherwise afford,” said the mother in Rome…” Read more
JC Penney’s interim CEO sees green shoots emerging at CNBC. “Specifically, he cited growth in home goods and athletic apparel…According to Shashoua, the search for a permanent CEO is also ongoing and the prospects are plentiful. “We are taking our time,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot of interest from a lot of very high-quality, highly qualified people.” Read more
Amazon starts on-site COVID-19 vaccination for U.S. employees at Reuters. “(Amazon) said that on-site vaccination programs would first start in Missouri, Nevada, and Kansas and then expand across the country as more vaccines become available.” Read more
Rite Aid Forecasts Full-Year Loss, Lower Adjusted Ebitda at The Street. “The revised full-year estimates were prompted because a “soft” cough, cold and flu season hurt fourth-quarter results, President and Chief Executive Heyward Donigan said in a statement.” Read more
Foot Locker, Inc. appoints Andrew Page as EVP & CFO “Page joins Foot Locker from Advance Auto Parts, Inc. where he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller…” Press release
Walmart #1 in race for shoppers’ grocery dollars in Charlotte at Charlotte Business Journal. “Walmart Supercenter stores claimed a 21.3% market share in metro Charlotte in 2020, down slightly from 21.6%…Harris Teeter…captured a combined 17.8% market share in the Charlotte region last year.” Read more
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Amazon asks Indian government not to change e-commerce foreign investment rules until investigations into its business practices had been concluded at Yahoo. Read more
Gorillas, the Berlin-HQ’d startup that promises to let you order groceries and other “every day” items for delivery in as little as 10 minutes, has raised $290 million in Series B funding, at a valuation that surpasses $1 billion at TechCrunch. Read more
King Soopers chain to give $1M to Colorado Healing Fund following Boulder shooting at The Hill. Read more
What CVS and Walgreens stand to gain from the vaccine rollout at Fortune. “Retailers will ultimately administer half of the shots…That translates into CVS pharmacy, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid and other retailers giving about 150 million shots. And with dispensing fees of roughly $40 per shot paid by the government to the retailers, almost all profit since the chains don’t buy the vaccines, they will collect a nice little bonanza.” Read more
Amazon blasts Bernie Sanders as he heads to Alabama to support union drive at CNBC. “I welcome [Sanders] to Birmingham and appreciate his push for a progressive workplace,” (CEO of Amazon’s worldwide consumer business) Clark wrote in a tweet. “I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers, but that’s not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace.” Read more
Former Blue Apron CEO raises $25M for his new venture studio Material at TechCrunch. Read more
Amazon denies stories of workers peeing in bottles, receives a flood of evidence in return at The Verge. “…after Amazon sent out its ill-judged tweet, reporters who cover the company’s labor practices practically lined up to soak the firm with evidence. These included English journalist James Bloodworth, whose 2018 book Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain documented his experience of low-paid work for companies including Amazon.” Read more
Tipsheet Extra
Chipotle invests in driverless delivery startup Nuro
Williams Sonoma announces a new virtual event series in partnership with Nutella
Donald C. R. Sobey dies
Wegmans speaks out after being targeted by activists during Rochester protest
Kantar: Walmart holds its spot as largest global retailer
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