Tipsheet: WSJ Cornell Iview | REI Workers Talk Union | Craigslist Sells Sports Auth. Stuff
Q&A: Target CEO Brian Cornell Says Tech is ‘Thread that Connects All Initiatives’ by Kim S. Nash at WSJ. “Are CIOs now CEO material? I don’t know if I’d be ready to make that jump, but they have to be thinking like strategic general managers, thinking at the enterprise level, across functions, about emerging consumer trends and how tech plays a role.” Read more (subscription)
…Target CIO Mr. McNamara: “Things important to me now are user experience, speed to market and putting technology in front of customers.” CEO involvement, he says, “is constant.” by Kim S. Nash at WSJ. Read more (subscription)
Forget Beanbag Chairs. Amazon Is Giving Its Workers Treehouses. by Nick Wingfield at NY Times. “Just off a remote stretch of road here, near wineries, horse stables and farms, Amazon is secretly growing something, but it’s not what Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, calls the “tiny seeds” that could become the company’s next big businesses…” Read more
Some REI workers plan forum to push for better hours, pay by Janet I. Tu at Seattle Times. “There’s even some talk of unionizing. A group of those workers, calling themselves REI Employees for Real Change, along with Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, have organized a forum at City Hall Monday at which several REI workers are expected to speak.” Read more
Wal-Mart offers ‘free shipping with no minimum’ to tackle Amazon’s Prime Day via Reuters. “…for five days starting on July 11. Read more
WORCESTER – Hundreds of shoppers wait for up to 14 hours in the rain for opening of new Aldi store by Euan McLelland at Daily Mail. See the pics / Read more
Sports Authority is selling everything — on Craigslist by Danika Worthington at Denver Post. “It’s not just computer monitors. An ice maker, laptops, office desk sets and a frosted glass conference table ($12,500) all are up for grabs. Other highlights include an extensive collection of sports memorabilia, a foosball table and an outdoor ping pong table.” Read more
Neiman Marcus closed its corporate offices and Dallas flagship store on July 8 following mass shooting via Luxury Daily. Read more
Best Buy reminds customers to recycle online shipping boxes by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Starting in November, when its online shipping orders surge amid the hustle of holiday shopping, Best Buy’s shipping packages will come emblazoned with the slogan: “I want to be a pizza box. Recycle me.” Read more
Is Barneys leaving Madison Avenue? by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “The West Coast flagship on Wilshire Boulevard and its New York counterpart, at 650 Madison Ave., account for two-thirds, or about $400 million, of the 25-store chain’s revenues. “This is a ticking time bomb for Barneys,” said a former senior store executive with direct knowledge of the company’s real estate.” Read more
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Meijer yanks application for first Minnesota store by Bob Shaw at Pioneer Press. “Handt said there was no indication from the company that it planned a store in another location in Lake Elmo or anywhere else. “We do not expect to see another application from them,” said Handt.” Read more
Sobeys parent Empire Co announces sudden departure of CEO Marc Poulin following huge losses by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. “Peter Sklar, analyst at BMO Capital Markets, believes it may take some time for Empire to find a permanent president and CEO, but he believes the most obvious candidate for turning around the business is Robert Sawyer, former CEO of Metro, and most recently president and CEO of Rona prior to its acquisition by Lowe’s.” Read more
Staples Names Steve Matyas, President North American Retail Read the release
Mall Owners Push Out Department Stores by Suzanne Kapner at WSJ. “Nordstrom was torn down and replaced with a Dick’s Sporting Goods store and a crayon-based family attraction called the Crayola Experience. The Saks Fifth Avenue was demolished, too, to make way for a dining pavilion with 23 restaurants. And Lord & Taylor was carved into space for American Girl, H&M, Forever 21 and Zara. Once the linchpin of American shopping malls, department stores are being displaced by newer types of retailers that do a better job of driving shoppers to the centers and lifting overall mall sales.” Read more (subscription)
Nordstrom takes stake in supply-chain tech company by Becky Monk at Puget Sound Business Journal. “Nordstrom took the stake in DS Co., a cloud-based service company that routes orders from retailer websites to manufacturers so that orders can be shipped directly to the customer.” Read more
Washington Post: Why the off-the-shoulder top is suddenly everywhere by Sarah Halzack. “To me, this is the best thing that’s happening right now in women’s apparel,” said Geoffrey Henning, a divisional vice president of design and fashion at J.C. Penney…Brooke Jaffe, fashion director at Bloomingdale’s for women’s ready-to-wear, works with her team to put together an extensive trend report at the beginning of each season to guide the upscale department store’s buyers. Off-the-shoulder pieces were in the No. 1 spot this season.” Read more
Pennsylvania community outraged after longtime special needs Walmart greeter gets fired by Laura Bult at NY Daily News. “This guy lives and breathes for his job and his store,” a former store manager Keith Sturges told the Pocono Record…A Walmart spokesman confirmed the 50-pound requirement and said they were able to find new positions for other greeters who lost their jobs.” Read more
Tipsheet Extra Stories
Lawn care CEO is investing ‘like, half a billion’ in the marijuana industry
Man arrested for stabbing worker at Home Depot
NY Post: Retailers offer huge discounts to make up for slow spring
Home improvement advertising: how to get through to DIY millennials
A shopper shocked to find a worm in her fish blasts Aldi for low compensation
Publix’s collaboration with Instacart is about way more than grocery delivery
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