TARGET PRESSURE – Retail janitors in the Twin Cities unionize, after pressure from retailers on contractors by Adam Belz at Star Tribune. “…the first major metropolitan area in the U.S. where retail janitors are unionized…“When Target took that leadership step, the rest of the industry followed,” Mendez Moore said.” Read more

 

WIKILEAKS ON WALMART by Simon Dumenco at Ad Age. “Former Walmart exec Leslie Dach chimed in, suggesting that the letter from Nader et al might not merit a response — and that perhaps it wasn’t wise for Hillary Clinton to remind people of her past Walmart ties. ‘I think this particular letter can be ignored unless it comes back in a meaningful way. His ongoing attacks on HRC delegitimize his voice, and it’s already pretty marginalized. If you eventually need to answer u could simply say that your position on raising the minimum wage is clear to all businesses. You don’t want to be tied or held responsible for any specific business, walmart for sure included.'” Read more

 

Retailers will have a tough time getting shoppers to pay full price by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “In a survey of 1,500 shoppers, 42 percent said they rarely or never expect to pay full price for an item. Additionally, nearly three-quarters said they’d shop with a retailer they haven’t visited in the last year if they receive an enticing promotion.” Read more

 

Former Publix CEO speaks at Leadership Lakeland luncheon by John Ceballos at The Ledger. “(Ed) Crenshaw’s belief that anyone who comes to work at Publix and lasts for one year will remain with the company for three years. And anyone who sticks with the company for three years will stay with Publix for five years. “If they stay at Publix five years, then we’ve got them,” he said. “They’re going to be at Publix a long, long time.” Read more

 

Costco’s Jim Sinegal Sells $2,997,388.28 of Stock at BBNS. Read more

 

Top 10 luxury brand mobile marketers of Q3 by Jen King at Luxury Daily. Top 10 list

 

PetSmart Canada cashes in on the ‘premiumization of pets’ by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “Bruce Winder: ‘PetSmart has grown because it has remained relatively uncontested in its retail niche; rival PetValu promotes local convenience, with 500 small stores in different retail formats, while big players such as Walmart carry a narrow selection of pet products for more value-conscious customers’…’PetSmart is focusing on the middle- to upper-income pet customer, someone who is less price-sensitive and that insulates it a bit from economic swings.'” Read more

 

Orchard Supply Hardware’s first East Coast store set to open Oct. 25th Press release

 

**A message from Alma Italy – Enjoy the innovative, yet simple elegance of Alma Cookware. Alma Cookware produces non-stick aluminum cookware products and delivers healthy and tasty foods with the security of a professional product. Featuring La Sughiera – the thick-tempered glass lid with upper hole allows for spice-adding and stirring without removing the lid. Featuring Egizia – this warm color pottery connects modern technology with a traditional rural aesthetic. Made in Italy | Website | Italy-America new product inquiries | Retailers request samples at info@shiftmarketinggroup.net

 

PEAK CRAFT BEER? – Layoffs hit Stone Brewing by Peter Rowe at San Diego Union-Tribune. “In a sign of the growing pressures on craft beer, Escondido’s Stone announced Thursday it has cut “approximately 5 percent” — about 60 — of its 1,200 employees.” Read more

 

CST sets Nov. 16th date to vote on merger with Circle K parent company by Katie Burke at San Antonio Business Journal. Read more

 

ZIKA – Miami neighborhood declared a new Zika zone with five cases reported by Daniel Chang & David Smiley at Miami Herald. “We were all blindsided by this bit of information,” (Chairman Hardemon) said, “and that’s why it was always important for us to protect ourselves from the Zika virus the best we can without considering it’s just within one area.” Read more

 

Ex-Wells CEO still getting paid by Target, Chevron to the tune of $648,258 by Matt Krantz at USA Today. Read more

 

‘Nuclear’ Verdicts Have Insurers Running From Trucks by Brian Baskin at Wall Street Journal. “The 2014 accident involving a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. truck that injured several people, including comedian Tracy Morgan , and killed another is widely seen as a watershed…Unwilling to bear the risk of large settlements and verdicts, Zurich Insurance Group AG and American International Group Inc.dropped coverage of most for-hire fleets earlier this year.” Read more (subscription)

 

A peek inside Apple’s new Regent Street flagship store in London by Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch. See the pics / Read more

 

Teen shoppers say denim is cool again, as fashion athletic loses steam by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “In Piper Jaffray’s latest survey, denim rose to 19.5 percent of overall mindshare among this group — members of households with an average annual income of $109,000. That compares with 14.1 percent in the spring, and 13.8 percent one year ago. It’s also the highest in six years.” Read more

 

Here’s why Amazon is building brick and mortar grocery stores by Nat Levy at GeekWire. “An article originally written by Brittain Ladd in 2013 and available online and on LinkedIn lays out the case for Amazon’s grocery arm, AmazonFresh, to invest in brick and mortar…Though many details of Amazon’s Seattle grocery stores remain unknown, the concepts look eerily similar to those laid out by Ladd years ago. Ladd, who was with management consulting firm Deloitte when he published the article, went to work for Amazon after he was recruited last year.” Read more

 

Walmart: ‘All Lives Matter’ bumper sticker is offensive by Todd Starnes at Fox News. “A spokesperson from Walmart responded Thursday: “The item you’re asking about was incorrectly removed due to a system error earlier this week and was quickly re-published to our site, which you can see here.” Later that evening Agron was stunned to receive the following message from Walmart: “’All Lives Matter’ has been deemed an offensive term. These types of items are not appropriate for the Walmart Marketplace.” Read more

 

Sam’s Club Greeter and WWII veteran reunited with letter to 1st love after 70 years by Steve Eighinger at The Quincy Herald-Whig. “McCabe, a 90-year-old World War II Navy veteran, was given a letter Wednesday that he had written to the girl who was waiting for him to return home from the South Pacific more than 70 years ago. The letter, which had somehow either never reached her or never was opened, was dated April 1946.” Read more

 

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