Nordstrom cutting 106 jobs by Janet I. Tu at Seattle Times. “The 106 positions being cut are all customer-care specialists, who answer customer questions via phone, online chat or email. In addition to the 30 people being laid off in Seattle, 18 people in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are affected, as are 58 people who work from homes across the country, according to a Nordstrom spokeswoman.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart Reorganizes Tech Group to Strengthen Mobile by Kim S. Nash at Wall Street Journal. “Jaya Kolhatkar, who joined Wal-Mart in 2013 through its acquisition of predictive analytics firm Inkiru Inc. in 2013, is now senior vice president of global data and analytics platform…Jae Evans was promoted to vice president of global technical engineering and operations.” Read more (subscription)

 

Lowe’s Efforts to Retool Its Stores May Backfire, Say Employees by Michelle Lewis at Fast Company. “Our department manager has now been put in charge of five departments; middle management is gone. Customers are saying to me, ‘I’m going to Home Depot because you don’t have the staff.” Read more

 

Ace Hardware, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and QVC Earn Top Customer Experience Ratings for Retailers “Five other retailers received scores that put them in the top 10% of companies for the entire Ratings: Sam’s Club, O’Reilly Auto Parts, True Value, Amazon.com, and Dollar Tree.” Ratings of all retailers | Temkin study link

 

Tesco Agrees to Pay $162 Million Fine Over Accounting Scandal via Fortune. Read more

 

Getting a deal on shoes at Gordmans fire sale may be slim: DSW wants its merchandise back by Russell Hubbard at Omaha World-Herald. “The shoe departments in the bankrupt Omaha-based retailer’s 100 or so stores are operated by an outside company — DSW…“Quite simply, the DSW merchandise and fixtures are not property of the bankruptcy estate,” the company wrote in court documents filed with U.S. Bankruptcy Court.” Read more

 

The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders (Epstein #1 (?!), Bezos #5) by Geoff Colvin at Fortune. Full list

 

**A message from Hot Shot – There’s no place like home. And when you rule the roost, you do it all… keep the peace, dry the tears, mop up the messes – even squash the spiders. When bugs cross your threshold, count on Hot Shot® brand for practical, easy-to-use, effective home insect solutions that take care of the creepy-crawlies for you – without breaking the bank. Save the Day. Facebook page

 

Study: 45% of American women need to see a markdown of 41% or more to even enter a store at Quartz. “Ultimately, brands and retailers need to get out of this discounting spiral,” Shea said. “I think that it’s a sort of drug that the consumers are becoming somewhat numb to, and the retailers are going to have to find other ways to get people to buy.” Read more

 

TOLD YA SO – Target’s Chief Information Officer Skeptical of Amazon Go by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “When I asked Target’s chief information and digital officer about Amazon’s new store of the future in January, he smiled. “I’m kind of skeptical,” the executive, Mike McNamara, said…But McNamara, who spent 17 years at the British grocer Tesco prior to Target, said the concept had been around for more than a decade. “It’s 14 years later,” he said, “and we’re still probably 14 years away.” Read more

 

Amazon confirms acquisition of Souq, marking its move into the Middle East by Ingred Lunden at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Orchard Supply Hardware sets sights on Tampa by Ashley Gurbal Kritzer at Tampa Bay Business Journal. “It is planning nine stores in Florida this year, reports the Orlando Business Journal, a sister news organization. Its search in the Tampa area has generated buzz in commercial real estate circles in recent weeks.” Read more

 

Macy’s and G-III Sign Exclusive Agreement for DKNY Women’s Apparel and Accessories Press release

 

Amazon keeps adding pop-up stores in malls across U.S. as it expands physical presence by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “The tech giant now has 29 “pop-up” kiosks in 15 states, which is up from 21 stores in September. The kiosks have a full complement of Amazon devices from the Alexa-powered Echo speaker, to Dash buttons, to various Kindle models.” Read more

 

Costco co-founder Sinegal still holds around $120 million in stock options after recent sale Read more

 

US Supreme Court rejects bid to revive $7.25 billion credit card settlement via CNBC. Read more | NRF response

 

Publix Names Vice President of Real Estate Strategy Press release

 

90% are willing to wait longer for delivery of an online order in exchange for free shipping at Internet Retailer. Acceptable wait time by category chart

 

Ikea is getting into home automation with a new smart hub by Chaim Hartenberg at The Verge. Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Fruit may have been the making of mankind

Opulent pot shop nicknamed “the Taj Mahal of THC”

Girl left with third-degree burns on her hands after making homemade ‘slime’ at sleepover

America’s Zika hotspot map revealed

Home Depot employee clings to hood of robbers car

Postmates hires Obama administration alum as it eyes the policy fights to come

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

**

Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 20,000+ 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: Send story tips, press releases and advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net