Today’s Tipsheet: Microsoft Explored Amazon Rival | India Meets Retail Heads Thur | Kroger in 26 seconds

 

“Role reversal: Online retailers seek physical stores” by Thomas Lee at Star-Tribune via Charlotte Observer.  ““I feel that everything we’ve done with this company was backward,” joked Simone Xavier, who launched Sigma with her husband, Rene Xavier Filho. “But we wanted to put a face on the brand, and we wanted people to touch and feel the product.”  Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/06/22/4121627/role-reversal-online-retailers.html#storylink=cpy

 

“Microsoft Explored Plans to Build Amazon Rival” by Bensinger and Ovide at WSJ.  “The software giant held discussions with retailers and technology companies about a marketplace, proposing to equip it with an array of merchants, as well as a unified shopping cart and broad shipping options, according to these people. To lure shoppers, Microsoft was considering subsidizing the price of goods on its e-commerce service using a portion of advertising dollars merchants spend on Microsoft’s Bing Web-search engine or elsewhere, said the people.”  Read more:  https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323300004578555731878370640.html

 

“Home Depot apologizes for pricey water goof during Calgary flood” by Katie Schneider at Calgary Sun.  “Sparked by angry social media users accusing Home Depot of price gouging during Calgary’s flooding disaster, the hardware giant has apologized for what it called a mistake.  A photograph circulating on social media of a receipt from the 1818 16 Ave. N.W. Home Depot and dated June 21 shows the store charged $42 for 24 bottles of Dasani water.”  Read more:  https://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2013/06/22/20921221.html

 

“Coupons on Consumers’ Mobile Devices Increase Likelihood of In-Store Purchases”  “In the survey, conducted April 2013, nearly 8 in 10 consumers (78%) polled had used their mobile devices to do some sort of research online in the past month.  More than half (54%) of consumers polled bought something using their mobile device in the previous month.  More than half (51%) said they would be more likely to buy something in-store if they received a coupon on their mobile device for that store while nearby.”  Read more:  https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/retailmenot-shoppers-trend-report-coupons-on-consumers-mobile-devices-increase-likelihood-of-in-store-purchases-212458211.html

 

“Russia’s O’Key Would Be ‘Potentially Attractive’ to Wal-Mart: CEO” at Bloomberg.  “O’Key Group chief executive officer said the 85-store Russian hypermarket chain would make a good fit for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. should the world’s largest retailer revive its interest in the country. “We are a potentially attractive acquisition target for Wal-Mart,” CEO Patrick Longuet said in an interview in a Moscow hotel, while adding that O’Key’s controlling shareholders don’t plan to sell because the business has high growth potential.”  Read more:  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-20/o-key-would-be-potentially-attractive-to-wal-mart-ceo-says.html

 

“Dear Amazon Associate: You’re Fired” by Mark Reilly at MN/St. Paul Bus. Journal.  “A new Minnesota law requiring online retail sites like Amazon.com to collect state sales taxes is having unintended casualties. Thousands of bloggers and affiliate sites who get money for delivering customers to the e-tailer are being fired as Amazon and others try to avoid the law.”  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2013/06/dear-amazon-associate-youre-fired.html

 

“India Invites Leading US Retailers (Home Depot, Walmart, Costco, Kroger’s, Walgreens) to Open House this Thursday” at Business Standard.  “For a meeting called by Sharma to clarify issues related to the multi-brand retail policy, announced in September 2012, heads of 11 foreign chains and 10 Indian companies have been sent the invites.”  Read more:  https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/sharma-to-meet-heads-of-global-retail-chains-113062400091_1.html

 

“Walmart Canada Summer Research:  46% Are Planning Home Improvement Projects”  “According to Walmart Canada’s research, over 80% of Canadians intend to go shopping for their summer needs. On average, Canadians say they intend to spend almost $1,500 on the things they need to enjoy the summer season.  Canadians are ready to be outside, with three-quarters saying they plan to buy skincare products (75%) to get ready for summer.”  Read more:  https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/canadians-have-big-plans-for-summer-212453331.html

 

“Kroger says reduced wait times helped fuel earnings jump” at Louisville Morning Call.  “According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, customers now wait just 26 seconds to start in a checkout lane, down from four minutes a few years ago.”  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/blog/morning_call/2013/06/kroger-says-reduced-wait-times-helped.html

 

“After Safeway deal (in Canada), Sobeys’ results are in the spotlight” by Marina Strauss at The Globe & Mail.  “To make gains, Sobeys followed a similar path that leading U.S. grocer Kroger Co. took to battle the rise of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as a food powerhouse, stealing sales from specialty players. In Canada, Sobeys also takes on Wal-Mart, the emerging Target Corp. and other forces in its move toward becoming “a leaner, meaner machine,” Mr. Caicco said.”  Read more:  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/after-safeway-deal-sobeys-results-are-in-the-spotlight/article12765103/

 

Thanks for reading…

 

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