Inside Target Corp., Days After 2013 Breach at KrebsOnSecurity. “In December 2013, just days after a data breach exposed 40 million customer debit and credit card accounts, Target Corp. hired security experts at Verizon to probe its networks for weaknesses. The results of that confidential investigation — until now never publicly revealed — confirm what pundits have long suspected: Once inside Target’s network, there was nothing to stop attackers from gaining direct and complete access to every single cash register in every Target store.” Read more

 

NY Times: Retailers’ Use of Their Fans’ Photos Draws Scrutiny by Sydney Ember & Rachel Abrams. “Shereen Way did not think twice about posting a photo on Instagram of her 4-year-old daughter wearing a green dress and pink Crocs sandals. Crocs…featured it in a gallery of user-generated photographs on its website. The company had not asked Ms. Way for permission…“No one reached out to me,” Ms. Way, 37, of Pearl River, N.Y., said in a phone interview. “I feel a little weirded out.” Read more

 

Wal-Mart test truck aims to slash fuel consumption on big rigs by Ronald D. White. “We are hoping to bring more attention to what we do with our main business,” Jamison said on a day when the truck was parked outside Capstone’s Chatsworth offices, drawing considerable attention from motorists, some of whom stopped to ask what it was. One guess: It was a prop for a new Transformers movie. “We are hoping it brings us some more clients.” Read more

 

KKR, Hellman & Friedman sniff out Petco for potential deal by Josh Kosman at NY Post. “Buyout shops KKR and Hellman & Friedman are sniffing around Petco, The Post has learned. The private-equity firms made preliminary offers for the pet-supply chain last week and, so far, are seen as the strongest bidders, according to sources close to the auction…“Buying Petco would create a yearlong antitrust fight,” one source said.” Read more

 

WSJ: Target CIO to Reduce Outsourcing, Hire 1,000 in IT by Kim S. Nash. “Keeping the intellectual property created by in-house software engineers preserves competitive advantage, Mr. McNamara told CIO Journal…Historically, Target has outsourced significant portions of application development and backend systems to India and U.S. firms, such as Infosys Ltd. and IBM Corp. “We’ve got to a stage where almost half the team is in third parties. It’s unhealthy,” he said.” Read more (Subscription)

 

Yum! Brands, Inc. Appoints Brian Cornell to Board  Read the release

 

Canadian retailers poised to raise prices amid slumping loonie by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail. “Dollarama CEO Larry Rossy recently signalled his company may need to raise its top prices to $4 from $3 next year if the loonie continues to slip….”this is really an exceptional time where the Canadian dollar has gone so poorly against the U.S. dollar and everything is bought in U.S. dollars,” Mr. Rossy said. “So to absorb 25 per cent to 35 per cent [currency shift] is almost impossible” without eventually having to raise prices.” Read more

 

Home Depot Opens Third and Largest Direct Fulfillment Center “To learn more about how the new DFCs will affect the future of interconnected retail at the company, we sat down with Mark Holifield, our EVP of supply chain and product development…” Read the Q&A

 

Made in America Store to triple in size by David Bertola at Buffalo Business First. “When founder and owner Mark Andol opened the store, he didn’t anticipate he’d draw people from all over the country. But a steady stream of bus tours make their way to Elma. This weekend, the 10-person staff is preparing to host three buses from Missouri and another from Chicago. Ten busloads of tourists are expected next week at the store, located off Route 400, south of Buffalo.” Read more

 

Female CEO at P&G? ‘Just a matter of time’ by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati Enquirer. “Women tend to be the buyers of beauty products and diapers,” (Lori) Hudson said. “Having top women as executives brings an important perspective, especially when you’re selling so much to women.” Read more

 

Hy-Vee Makes Twin Cities Debut Tuesday by Bob Shaw at Pioneer Press. “One’s first impression is size. The place is huge — about 50 percent larger than a typical Cub Foods. And then there is the variety. A line of kiosks, food stations and mini-stores ring the outside edge of the store. On a tour last week, Deering-Hansen walked past the Starbucks, the dry-cleaning stand and the flower shop…” Read more

 

Brawny Man Looms Large — But Faceless — In Iconic Makeover by Jack Neff at Ag Age. “The Brawny man is losing face but gaining considerable stature in a major makeover of the iconic brand breaking on national TV Monday…the brand, backed by Cutwater, San Francisco, is making him larger than life in a humorous new campaign with the tagline “Stay Giant!” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Fortune: Target wants to turn Minneapolis into a mini Silicon Valley

Thousands line up at new Cabela’s store in Oklahoma City

LA Times: With debt payment looming, American Apparel is running out of options

Get ready for Spam bits — Hormel is cooking up more products

Online’s share in our revenues is rising: Walmart India CEO Krish Iyer

SyFy’s ‘Bazillion Dollar Club’ Is a Reality TV Show About Startups That Doesn’t Suck

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s really happening in the world of retail. See our website at www.eyeonretail.net