“Curbside Powers Same-Day Pickup at Target, Raises $8 Million” by Liz Gannes at Recode. “That’s the premise of Curbside, a startup that’s officially launching today with significant funding and a beta test with 10 San Francisco Bay Area Target stores…Under Curbside’s current business model, retailers pay Curbside a customer acquisition fee. Customers pay neither a pickup fee nor a markup on their items.” Read more

 

“Target launches two new apps, updates others” by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune. “The changes include revamped iPhone and iPad apps that have been rebuilt from top to bottom..In total, Target is updating or launching eight new products. “Virtually all of our mobile experiences will be entirely new,” said Jason Goldberger, senior vice president of Target.com and mobile…Target has been criticized for being a bit behind the digital curve with a website that sometimes has hiccups and being slower to roll out new initiatives such as buy online, pick up in store capabilities than some of its biggest competitors.” Read more

 

“Shop.org Forecasts Online Sales to Grow Between 8 – 11% This Holiday Season” at NRF. “The National Retail Federation announced today it expects sales in November and December (excluding autos, gas and restaurant sales) to increase a healthy 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion, higher than 2013’s actual 3.1 percent increase.” Read the release

 

“iPAD is the #1 Brand Among Kids 6-12 (Candy & Snacks are #2-7)” See the Top 25 list

 

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“Critics evaluate Wal-Mart’s focus on sustainable food systems” by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “At Monday’s meeting Wal-Mart recognized a partnership agreement with six large suppliers: General Mills, Kellogg, Pepsi, Monsanto, Cargill, and Coca Cola. Together this group pledged to reduce 8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases by employing more sustainable practices on 8 million acres farmed over the next three years.” Read more

 

…Adding more information to Sam’s Club bar codes by Stephanie Strom at NY Times. “To reduce food waste, Walmart says it has begun developing more ways to use a “whole crop” in its private-label food production and to reduce spoilage. It is also adding more information to bar codes in its Sam’s Club stores. “We want to reduce the confusion that’s out there about what consumers should be eating in terms of their own health and what they should be buying in terms of what’s good for the planet,” Ms. McLaughlin said.” Read more

 

“The iron grip of Wayfair’s founders” by Steven Syre at Boston Globe. “But here’s where the story of Wayfair and its founders really becomes something rare: They’ve managed to retain absolute control over a venture now valued at more than $3 billion. Founders of tech businesses usually see their ownership diluted over time by venture capital firms and public stockholders who provide the money necessary to build a big company.” Read more

 

“The Container Store Shares Tumble To Record Low As Same Store Sales Slide” by Samantha Sharf at Forbes. “Same store sales, however, were down 0.4%. At same time that current stores are undergoing a slowdown the company is touting new stores. In a statement CEO Kip Tindell ignored the same store sales decline but said, “We are very excited about our new store growth, with three more openings ahead of us this year.” Read more

 

JC Penney to Close 62+ Stores? by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “Sozzi said he predicts Penney’s will use the event to announce “mass store closures,” which would ultimately bring its store count from 1,062 as of August, to under 1,000. But with sales and earnings moving in the right direction, he said, the closings won’t be seen as a sign of weakness.” Read more

 

“Amazon Expands Seller Holiday Deals Program Worldwide” “The seller holiday deals program, introduced for the first time last year, is now expanding to be available worldwide on local Amazon sites in the U.S., the EU, China, Japan, India and Canada.” Read the release

 

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