New CEO at Bed Bath & Beyond shakes up chain of command by Michelle Chapman at AP. “The departures announced Tuesday include the company’s chief merchandising officer, marketing officer, digital officer, it’s general counsel and its chief administrative officer. The company’s chief brand officer resigned last week. “Balancing our existing expertise with fresh perspectives from new, innovative leaders of change, will help us to better anticipate and support our customers,” said CEO Mark Tritton in a prepared statement Tuesday.” Read more

 

Imitating Amazon: E-Commerce Battle Bolstered by Companies Mimicking the Market Leader by Jennifer Smith at Wall Street Journal. “Before 2005, when Amazon’s Prime program launched, online fulfillment involved two basic choices: “Fast and expensive or slow and inexpensive,” said Jim Tompkins, chief executive of supply-chain consultancy Tompkins International. Now, “it’s a whole new game,” he said.” WSJ subs.

 

Hong Kong’s “yellow” stores support protests at AP. “Nicknamed “yellow shops,” they make their politics plain and are winning customers in protest-hit Hong Kong because of it…They say they’re hoping to create a “yellow economy” — a network of stores that will help fund and support the protest movement for a long-haul struggle with the Hong Kong government.” Read more/Pics

 

The Man Who Built Amazon’s Delivery Machine by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “Shortly after being named Amazon.com Inc.’s global logistics chief in 2013, Dave Clark held a conference call with his new reports…Clark described his early-career habit of lurking in the shadows of Amazon warehouses and scoping out slackers he could fire, which earned him the nickname The Sniper. Clark speaks in a monotone and is hard to read, but the message was clear enough: The new boss wanted his underlings to know that he will let little stand in the way of ensuring that customers get their orders on time.” Tiered subs.

 

Congress poised to ban tobacco sales to anyone under 21 at The Hill. Read more

 

Cramer: Costco has a China problem — and it’s not tariffs at CNBC. “The problem is Shanghai, a city of nearly 25 million people, has only one Costco store, the “Mad Money” host said. Pair it with Costco’s ability to deftly handle tariffs in the U.S.-China trade war, and it “sounds to me like a terrific investment thesis for owning Costco’s stock for years and years to come,” Cramer said.” Read more

 

Amazon bars Marketplace sellers from using FedEx shipping over ‘delivery performance’ at The Verge. Read more

 

**A message from Sweets & Snacks Expo. Save the date: May 19-21, 2020 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Your year starts here. Website/Register

 

Walmart Calls in SWAT Teams to Handle 500 Store Remodels a Year by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “American retailers remodel thousands of stores each year, but the process is rarely smooth. Now imagine the headaches for Walmart Inc., which overhauls 500 locations annually on its own. “Things always come up that you can’t plan for,” according to Tara Barnes, a store manager in Allen, Texas, whose location went through a refurbishment this summer.” Tiered subs.

 

Hibbett Names Michael Longo as President and CEO “Mr. Longo served as Chief Executive Officer for Memphis-based City Gear…Prior to City Gear, he worked in positions of increasing leadership roles with AutoZone.” Press release

 

Apple’s AirPods Pro are sold out online ahead of the holidays at CNBC. Read more

 

Costco in Caracas: how Florida goods flood Venezuelan stores at Reuters. “Venezuelan businessmen have taken advantage of his government’s quiet abandonment of price, currency and import controls to buy direct from U.S. wholesalers including Costco and Walmart. The goods are delivered to Florida-based door-to-door services run by Venezuelans, according to 11 interviews with customs agents, operators and businessmen.” Read more

 

Target says you can drive up, drop by and get delivery on Christmas Eve by Charisse Jones at USA Today. Read more | Press release

 

Amazon delivery hardware takes on a new look in truck and plane photos by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. “The dark blue box trucks have Amazon’s signature smile logo and “Prime” across the side, and on the back is a slogan that Amazon has been using on big rigs, which we’ve seen more of on the highway recently. “There’s more to Prime. A truckload more,” the rear-door wording reads.” Read more

 

Van crashes into crowded Ross store near Seattle, injuring 11 at AP. “The driver of the van tried to take off at high speed after a woman, who had apparently shoplifted inside the Ross Dress for Less story in the suburb of Burien, got into it Monday night, said Sgt. Ryan Abbott of the King County Sheriff’s Office.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Eataly to open its second West Coast location

Wegmans bans man for life after shoplifting incident

Man arrested at Home Depot after he blockaded the door with his pickup

American Girl is in free fall

Clashes erupt in Indian capital over citizenship law

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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