Sam’s Club restructures merchant team by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “A spokeswoman said the warehouse club retailer will consolidate what had been six buying roles into three: merchant, senior merchant and divisional merchandise manager. The reshuffle, effective Feb. 3, will not result in a loss of jobs. The idea is to give experienced employees a chance to select the most successful products, said spokeswoman Carrie McKnight.” Read more

 

Target Launches Same-Day Delivery in Florida “Beginning on February 1, 2018, Shipt will deliver from Target stores in Tampa and South Florida. On February 8, delivery from Target will be available in Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Gulf Shores, Jacksonville, Naples Sarasota, Orlando, Space Coast, St.Augustine, Tallahassee and Treasure Coast.” Press release

 

…Guests in Alabama and Florida will be Among the First to Shop Target with Same-Day Delivery at A Bullseye View. “John Mulligan, COO, Target. “And we’re not stopping there—we’ll keep expanding, with plans to offer Shipt’s services at nearly half our stores by the end of first quarter, and the majority of stores by the 2018 holiday season, making Target the first retailer to be able to offer same-day delivery in all major markets across the country.” Read more

 

More Wal-Mart job cuts announced with store, logistics changes; corporate layoffs in the works by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “Wal-Mart said reports of 3,500 positions being eliminated are not correct. The company is considering reducing co-manager positions per store based on sales revenue…Wal-Mart also is shuttering two of its Regional Operation Centers…Two centers in South Carolina and Utah will close this summer with operations consolidating to the remaining ROC locations in Grove, City, Ohio, and Bentonville.” Read more

 

Kroger & Alibaba had early business development talks including a meeting in which U.S. executives traveled to China at Reuters. Read more

 

Ulta Beauty accused of repackaging and reselling used makeup at Fox Business. “The beauty store released a statement to TODAY regarding the allegations, saying that used products are supposed to be thrown out. “We do not allow the resale of used or damaged products,” an Ulta Beauty spokesperson told TODAY.” Pics/Tweets/Read more

 

Albertsons is going to help companies test just how effective their digital ads are at CNBC. “…launching a new initiative with Quotient Technology to provide feedback on the impact of brands’ digital ads on sales in Albertsons stores. The platform, Albertsons Performance Media, will use shopping data to help brands better target their ads.” Read more

 

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Nine West Plans a Bankruptcy Filing With Asset Sales by Emma Orr & Lauren Coleman-Lochner at Bloomberg. “The goal is to file before a March 15 interest payment, they said. First-lien lenders would likely be repaid in full, with second-lien lenders getting the majority of the equity in the reorganized company, according to one of the people.” Read more

 

In call with Newark, Amazon reportedly says it wants to keep next phase of HQ2 contest out of public eye by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “Amazon told Newark that the company “wanted the public discourse to stop,” a person familiar with the meeting told ROI-NJ.” Read more

 

Retailers Are So Wary of Fraud They’re Rejecting Real Customers by Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. “Sixty-seven percent of retailers have online security measures that are quick to cancel any transaction that raises suspicion, according to a survey by Experian.” Read more

 

Grainger Q4 Sales +7.0%; 2017 Sales +3.0% Press release

 

Rite Aid To Pay $4M Over Improper Meth Ingredient Sales by Dani Kass at Law 360. “The pharmacy has already admitted to the improper sales and has instituted a series of steps to curtail future abuse, including only selling tamper-resistant single-ingredient PSE in West Virginia and training employees to recognize those buying PSE to make meth.” Read more (subs.)

 

The Retail Industry Has Come To Its Senses On Technology by Andria Cheng at Forbes. “What I’m not seeing this year is a lot of gimmicks” like virtual fitting rooms, said Stacey Shulman, an industry veteran named last year to Intel retail solutions unit’s newly created chief innovation officer position.” Read more

 

Golfsmith Ch. 11 Dismissal Gets Judge OK After Asset Sales by Ryan Boysen at Law 360. “U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein agreed to dismiss the case at the behest of Golfsmith and its creditors, approving a settlement that wrapped up the last few outstanding issues in the case.” Read more (subs.)

 

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WaPo Staffers Told to Sit Down, Shut Up, and Be Grateful for Jeff Bezos

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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