Costco April Comp Flat / +3.0% ex-gas & F/X “Costco reported net sales of $8.98 billion for the month of April, the four weeks ended May 1, 2016, an increase of three percent from $8.74 billion during the similar period last year.” Read the release

 

Whole Foods Q2 Comp Sales -3.0% via CNBC. “Whole Foods Market reported an earnings beat and a slight miss on revenue after the closing bell Wednesday…Analysts had expected same-store sales to fall 2 percent, according to a consensus estimate from FactSet.” Read more | Read the company press release

 

WALMART’S NEW RECEIPT CHECKERS – Walmart Brings Back Greeters to Improve Service and Fight Theft by Shannon Pettypiece at Bloomberg. “At two-thirds of locations, a standard greeter will be stationed at the entrance…The remaining stores, which the company has identified as having more theft, will get an employee focused on preventing shoplifting who will periodically check receipts.” Read more

 

TEXAS AG PENS LETTER TO TARGET CEO – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s letter raps Target bathroom policy by Chuck Lindell at Statesman. “The Texas Legislature may at some point in the future address the issue,” Paxton wrote. “Regardless of whether Texas legislates on this topic, it is possible that allowing men in women’s restrooms could lead to criminal and otherwise unwanted activity.” Read more

 

Home Depot asked to pull seeds with LSD-like effects off shelves by via WCVB 5 ABC Boston. “These seeds could be responsible for disrupting a junior prom for a handful of students from Fall River’s Durfee High School. The owner of the venue said about half-a-dozen kids got sick and when police investigated, they said students admitted to eating seeds. Police even found one seed packet.” See the video / Read more

 

R.V. Retailer Camping World Said to Be Readying I.P.O by Leslie Picker at NY Times. “Marcus Lemonis is well known for writing checks to fund small businesses as the star of CNBC’s “The Profit.” His company may soon receive a large cash infusion of its own…The company, which sells recreational vehicles and other products for camping, is aiming to generate $350 million in proceeds, said these people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.” Read more

 

Washington Post: Why a big clothing retailer is trying an Amazon Prime-like subscription by Sarah Halzack. “With the Circle Membership, Lands’ End seems to be trying to make shoppers come to Canvas as if on autopilot…Many women are hesitant to shop online because it’s too much of a gamble when you don’t know if the pieces are going to fit and you might have to spend money to send them back.” Read more

 

** Trade show spotlight – 2016 National Stationery Show – The ONLY stationery market in North America!

“I want to keep hearing customers say “you have the best cards in the city”, and the Stationery show is a very efficient way for me to assure that.” Retail chain owner. On May 15-18 at Javits Center, NYC join 10,000 attendees and 800 exhibitors from around the globe for the only stationery show in North America. Last year’s photo gallery | Show categories | Upcoming trends you’ll see | Register

 

New U.S. Rules Make Foreign Goods Better Deal for Online Shoppers by Laura Stevens at WSJ. “Since about a month ago, the government has allowed Americans to import up to $800 at a time of most foreign goods without having to pay import duties or tax. That’s quadruple the previous exemption of $200.” Read more (subscription)

 

Best Buy’s Hubert Joly made $23.3 million in last fiscal year by Patrick Kennedy at Star Tribune. Read more

 

CHOP 70 MORE? – Macy’s needs to cut another 70 stores beyond the 40 closing this year by Andy Brownfield at Cincinnati Business Journal. “Green Street Advisors said Macy’s needs to cut another 70 stores, or 9 percent of existing stores, to achieve the same sales per square foot as it had in 2006.” Read more

 

L.A. votes to resurrect partially built Hollywood Target by David Zahniser at LA Times. “On a 13-0 vote, the council revised the planning and zoning rules that govern the Sunset Boulevard site, ensuring that Target’s 74-foot-tall retail center would be permitted on the property.” Read more

 

Loblaws sharpens pencil, posts profit jump as grocery price war heats up by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “At a time when cauliflower prices spiked to $8 just before Christmas, Loblaw Cos Ltd. “began to notice consumer resistance” to soaring food prices in the fourth quarter, president Galen Weston told analysts on a first-quarter conference call Wednesday.” Read more

 

The Trials Of Packaging A Product For The Apple Store by Mark Wilson at Fast Company. “It’s a pain in the ass,” Marc Barros says with a laugh…”We were lucky, they reached out to us.” Read more

 

NLRB COMPLAINT – Wal-Mart’s closed-door meetings with workers unlawful by Daniel Wiessner at Reuters. “A new NLRB complaint says Wal-Mart Stores Inc violated federal law by barring employees who went on strike from having coworkers present at disciplinary meetings, potentially paving the way for a decision expanding the rights of nonunion workers.” Read more

 

Jacksonville: Winn-Dixie turned into a Harveys Supermarket by Derek Gilliam at Jacksonville Business Journal. “It became clear that this neighborhood was in need of a new and different offering from us,” said Southeastern Grocers CEO Ian McLeod.” Read more

 

Boston: With 330 local job openings, Wayfair is on the hunt for more space by Sarah Castellanos & Catherine Carlock at Boston Business Journal. “…381,000 square feet just isn’t enough. (Wayfair) is quickly outgrowing its Back Bay headquarters and is now on the hunt for some 100,000 square feet, according to sources in Boston’s real estate brokerage community.” Read more

 

REI CEO PUT ON SPOT AT COMPANY MEETING – It would cost REI $30M to raise all employees’ wages to $15 an hour by Coral Garnick at Puget Sound Business Journal. “Can we get fairly compensated?” the employee asked. “Can we get the signal that we matter, too?” Stritzke (said) that the company made $30 million last year, which would have put the company in the red if that amount was put toward adjusting salaries. “We can’t put the viability of this 77-year-old co-op at risk,” he said. “I believe we can get there. I think it means we become even better operators than we are today.” Read more

 

Amazon makes room for rare University plants by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “Yes, Amazon has its own greenhouse…the company’s horticulturist, Ron Gagliardo, is preparing for the opening next year of the company’s biospheres…Amazon says the donation of greenhouse space represents an in-kind contribution of more than $200,000.” Read more

 

Incredible aerial shots show the sheer scale of Alberta wildfire set to become costliest Canadian natural disaster ever by Khaleda Rahman for Daily Mail. “The unchecked fire, which entered its fourth day on Wednesday, has prompted the full evacuation of Fort McMurray’s 88,000 residents…’You could hear the pop, pop, pop because of the propane tanks…’There was a Shell gas station that blew up and a Denny’s next door. There was nothing but the foundation and it was still smoldering in flames,’ he said.” See the pics / Read more

 

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