Tipsheet: Wmart to Cut 1K/CIO Out | Retailer Buys S.Bowl Spot | Svalu-5.7% | Target’s Gen Z Line
Walmart Cutting Hundreds of Jobs In Latest Round of Layoffs by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “Walmart is about to eliminate hundreds more jobs at headquarters and in regional offices…will cut most of those of jobs before January 31.” Read more
…Wall Street Journal: Wal-Mart is preparing to cut nearly 1,000 corporate jobs before the end of the month, according to an executive familiar with the situation by Sarah Nassauer. “The cuts will fall broadly but are expected to focus on Wal-Mart’s U.S. operations, including the human resources department, as well as the technology and e-commerce divisions.” Read more (subscription)
…City Wire: Job placement firm Cameron Smith & Associates has been getting phone calls from within Wal-Mart for a few weeks regarding upcoming layoffs by Kim Souza. “Another sign that a layoff is coming is when our Linkedin requests jump substantially from professionals inside Wal-Mart corporate ranks and that is also been happening again,” Smith told Talk Business & Politics.” Read more
…Karenann Terrell To Leave as CIO of Wal-Mart by Kim S. Nash at Wall Street Journal. “The company did not say where Ms. Terrell is headed but she plans to stay with Wal-Mart until Feb. 24, said Doug McMillon, president and chief executive, in an internal memo. The company expects to announce new leadership in technology “shortly,” a spokesman said.” Read more (subscription)
Supervalu Q3 retail identical store sales -5.7% Press release
Walgreens-Rite Aid merger expected any day now by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “Federal regulators are scrambling to complete their review of the $9.4 billion Walgreens-Rite Aid mergerbefore President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, The Post has learned…“It’s very clear to everyone that [soon-to-be interim FTC Commissioner] Maureen Ohlhausen is not going to block a deal” the source noted.” Read more
Target turns to Gen Z kids to create new fashion line by Charisse Jones at USA Today. “Target worked with kids between the ages of 7 and 14 to help shape the first Art Class collection, getting their input on details ranging from fabrics to buttons. The young design partners include a 12-year-old chef who owns his own cookie business, an 8-year old surfing prodigy, and an 11-year-old dance star whose videos have gone viral.” Read more
Walgreens To Offer FedEx Dropoff And Pickup At Walgreens Locations Nationwide by Ciara Linnane at Fox Business. “The companies will begin with a small-scale rollout this spring, and aim to have the service available at nearly 8,000 Walgreens outlets by the fall of 2018.” Read more
Greenpeace USA slams Amazon for their renewable-energy use by Dan Richman at GeekWire. “Amazon continues to talk a good game on renewables but is keeping its customers in the dark on its energy decisions,” said Greenpeace USA senior IT analyst Gary Cook in a release.” Read more
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84 Lumber Is Buying a Pricey 90-Second Spot for Its Super Bowl Debut by Patrick Coffee at Adweek. “…the building materials company will almost certainly pay more than $10 million for the national placement even after any discounts it may receive from Fox. This news marks a major pivot for 84 Lumber, which spent only $736,000 on domestic marketing in all of 2015 according to Kantar Media.” Read more
Amazon to Launch Credit Card for Prime Members Press release
Wal-Mart owes pharmacist $16.08 million for gender bias, sum may drop by Jonathan Stempel at Reuters. “She said Wal-Mart actually fired her in retaliation for her raising concerns about whether prescriptions were being filled properly. McPadden also said her gender played a role, saying a male pharmacist who later lost his key was not fired.” Read more
Retail CEO’s from Walmart, Macy’s and more to speak at NRF’s Big Show Press release
Wayfair shares rise after CEO affirms strong holiday season by Kelly J. O’Brien at Boston Business Journal. “The overall holiday season was quite strong,” (CEO) Shah said at an annual conference put on by strategic communications firm ICR.” Read more
Alibaba is buying Chinese mall operator Intime for $2.6B to modernize offline retail by Jon Russell at TechCrunch. “Intime operates 29 department stores and 17 shopping malls across urban China which could give Alibaba a strong foothold.” Read more
Facebook targets Google’s key strength: shopper intent by Zak Stambor at Internet Retailer. “Facebook today expanded the scope of its dynamic ads to shift them from a remarketing tool to one that retailers can use to find new customers.” Read more
Residents put up a fight, but Fremont OKs incentives for Costco plant by Barbara Soderlin at Omaha World-Herald. “Opponents of a $275 million chicken processing plant in Fremont made another unsuccessful effort to derail the project Tuesday night…The 7-0 vote followed another contentious public discussion of the plant, with more than an hour of comments from people mostly opposed to the project and the incentives.” Read more
7th Circ. Skeptical Of Home Depot Over Employee’s Murder by Jessica Corso at Law 360. “An attorney for Home Depot was hit Tuesday with a flurry of disbelief by Seventh Circuit judges skeptical of the retailer’s position that it shouldn’t be dragged back into a lawsuit accusing it of failing to prevent the murder of a pregnant employee at the hands of her supervisor.” Read more (subscription)
Smucker hikes prices of Folgers, Dunkin’ Donuts packaged coffee via CNBC. Read more
Costco Dodges Pay-Stub Class Action At 9th Circ. by Melissa Daniels at Law 360. “Plaintiff Loretta Apodaca alleged Costco failed to provide statements that listed her total hours worked and hourly pay rates. After a lower court tossed the claims, Apodaca appealed, but a Ninth Circuit panel said Monday that the lower court had made the right call.” Read more (subscription)
Bringing Online-Style Shopper Tracking to Stores? It May Be Closer Than You Think by Jack Neff at Ad Age. “So far two major mass retailers the company declined to name have been testing the technology, and Zebra hopes to enlist more interest as it unveils its system at the National Retail Federation “Big” show next week in New York.” Read more
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