Walmart’s Duncan Mac Naughton Next Out the Door? by Kim Souza at The City Wire. “Some close watchers of the Wal-Mart corporate world say Mac Naughton may follow Bill Simon, former Walmart U.S. CEO, out the door. Simon was not picked to be Wal-Mart CEO, and Mac Naughton was considered a candidate for the Wal-Mart U.S. CEO job to which Foran was promoted.” Read more

 

“Costco leases 177,000-square-foot building for growing HQ staff” at Seattle Times. “Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti said the lease gives Costco more room for part of its information technology staff and other operations. “We’re continuing to grow and trying to keep most of the administrative operations nearby,” he said. “IT is certainly a much bigger operation” for the company than it used to be, and the international staff is also growing, he said.” Read more

 

…taking over one of the buildings that Microsoft is abandoning by Becky Monk at Puget Sound Bus. Journal. “Microsoft still occupies the other two buildings in the three-building office campus.” See the pic / Read more

 

“Amazon’s tax maneuvers stir up storm in U.K.” by Jay Greene at Seattle Times. “As political theater, it would be hard to find anything better, unless, of course, you’re Cecil or Amazon. A corporate titan, hauled before the sharp-tongued inquisitors of British Parliament, unable to reply in kind because it would only make matters worse. So for more than 40 minutes, Cecil sits and takes a lashing. What’s caused the politicians’ ire? Amazon’s decision to place its European headquarters about 300 miles to the southeast, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.” Read more

 

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“Best Buy US Comp Sales Down 2%” at CNBC. “Like other retailers and as reflected in this quarter’s performance, we continued to see a shift in consumer behavior: consumers are increasingly researching and buying online,” Hubert Joly, Best Buy president and CEO, said in a statement.” Read more

 

“Whole Foods is latest retailer to reject checks” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “As of Sept. 1, Whole Foods stores in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma will no longer take personal checks. Whole Foods has stopped taking checks in other markets in recent years. “Most of our regions no longer accept personal checks, but the Southwest is not the last one to make the transition,” said Lindsay Robison, a Whole Foods spokeswoman based in Austin.” Read more

 

“Sam’s Club Meets with Hundreds of Small Businesses to Find New Products for Members” “Sam’s Club is participating in the event to engage new suppliers, strengthen relationships with local suppliers, and identify new food and beverage products relevant to Sam’s Club members in the Southwest and Western regions…The San Diego supplier event takes place at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, August 26-27, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.” Read the release

 

“Fresh Market Named Exclusive Retailer for Coca-Cola Life” by Jacques Couret at Atlanta Bus. Chronicle. “Coke Life, first introduced in 2013 in Argentina and Chile, is now available in 65 The Fresh Market store shelves in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.” Read more

 

“GMA Recognizes Retired Walmart CEO Mike Duke with Hall of Achievement Award” at Grocery Headquarters. “The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) presented retired Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke with its 2014 Hall of Achievement Award before more than 400 industry leaders at the GMA Leadership Forum at The Broadmoor. The Hall of Achievement Award represents the highest honor given by the more than 100 year-old association.” Read more

 

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