“Target Hires New CIO (Who Used to be Home Depot’s CIO)” by Jennifer Bjorhus at Star-Tribune.  “Bob DeRodes, 63, held similar positions at Home Depot, Delta Air Lines, Citibank and First Data. He also founded DeRodes Enterprises LLC, a company that consults on information technology and business operations, including for several U.S. government agencies in Washington.”  Read more

 

“Yesterday:  Wal-Mart Convenes Key Partners to Talk Recycling, Sustainability” by Kim Souza at City Wire.  “Wal-Mart announced plans to create a sustainability store on Walmart.com – shopping portal, expected to launch by the of this year. This shop in a shop will allow customers to easily identify brands that are leading sustainability within a category via a special icon.” Read more

 

“Forgiveness Ratings”:  H.E.B most ‘Forgiven’ Company (Amazon/Costco/Kroger also Forgiven) by Tempkin Group.  “Forgiveness is an asset that companies earn from their customers,” states Bruce Temkin, managing partner of Temkin Group. “Every company makes mistakes, but the ones with high forgiveness ratings have customers who will work with them to more quickly and positively resolve the issues.”  Read the release  See the Top 23 Forgiven Companies

 

“Wal-Mart’s latest target: Auto insurance” by Courtney Reagan at CNBC.  “Through the site, drivers in eight states can now compare and purchase auto insurance policies offered by Progressive, Travelers, Esurance, 21st Century Insurance, The General Insurance and Safeco Insurance on AutoInsurance.com. In the coming months, drivers nationwide will be able to log on to compare rates.”  Read more

 

“True Value Q1 Same-Store Sales +7.3%”  “True Value reported gross billings of $460.1 million for the quarter ending March 29, 2014, up 3.6 percent or $15.9 million from $444.2 million for the same period a year ago. Revenue was $331.5 million, an increase of 6.0 percent or $18.9 million.”  Read the release

 

“Michaels Q4 Profit +36% on Rubber-Band Craft Craze” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “Michaels reported a profit of $143 million in the quarter that ended Feb. 1, up from $105 million in the same period last year. Total sales increased 2 percent, from $1.52 billion the prior year to $1.55 billion.  Same-store sales were up 4.6 percent, mostly from a rise in the chain’s average receipt.”  Read more

 

“Amazon creates section on its website for wearable device shopping” by Salvador Rodriguez at LA Times.  “The Amazon Wearable Technology store went live Tuesday, giving customers a one-stop shop to compare and learn about the various fitness trackers, wearable cameras and smartwatches that are available for purchase on Amazon.com.”  Read more

 

“Happening Today:  Walgreens (and other retailers) to Present at Barclays 2014 Retail & Consumer Conference” Read the release

 

“Lowe’s Brings Porch.com to Every Store in Nation”  “Every Lowe’s store in the country now features Porch as the in-store resource to help homeowners find the right home improvement professionals for nearly any project outside of Lowe’s current installation services. In addition, home improvement service professionals can sign up for a free Porch profile.”  Read the release

 

“Wal-Mart consolidating Dallas hiring & training at new Talent Center” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News.  “Every part of a Wal-Mart store that a new employee will encounter has been replicated, from the break room and cleaning closet to the loading dock. Aisle displays and fixtures used in the stores are set up for training. One room is equipped with 27 checkout stands.  There’s even a parking lot with a corral where employees will be trained to collect shopping carts.”  Read more

 

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