This Morning:  Walmart’s Doug McMillon Appears on CNBC by Matthew Belvedere at CNBC. “This 2 percent to 3 percent growth range number just feels like it’s kind of perpetual,” he said on “Squawk Box” from the Business Roundtable meeting in Washington, D.C. “We’re kind of like we were last year year. And as I look ahead to next year, it feels like more of the same.” See the video / Read more

 

“Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Has Chosen an Heir Apparent” by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “There is a succession plan,” Bezos said in an onstage interview on Tuesday with Henry Blodget, CEO of Business Insider, in which Bezos is an investor. “There is someone who would take over.” Blodget, of course, asked Bezos to divulge who it is. Bezos didn’t budge, calling it a “secret,” before releasing his trademark bellowing laugh.” Read more

 

Target CMO Jeff Jones On Crisis As Catalyst (And The Real Story Behind ‘Alex From Target’) by Jennifer Rooney at Forbes.” See the video / Read more

 

“Home Depot to acquire HD Supply’s Hardware Solutions unit” at Atlanta Bus. Chronicle. “The Home Depot Inc. will buy HD Supply’s Hardware Solutions unit, formerly known as Crown Bolt, for an undisclosed amount…The deal is expected to close by the end of 2014.” Read more

 

“Walgreen index identifies states with largest number of flu cases” by Ellen Jean Hirst at Chicago Tribune. “Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of retail and pharmacy operations: “With the ability to generate hyperlocal data that’s as specific as a single ZIP code, the Walgreens Flu Index can become a platform to improve preventive health measures throughout the season, including immunization rates.” Read more

 

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“Wal-Mart’s South Africa Growth Slowed by Mall Food Fight” by Janice Kew at Bloomberg. “Game, a chain owned by Wal-Mart that’s known for household goods ranging from soap to electronics, is encountering opposition as it adds fresh produce to the mix. Rivals with stores in South African shopping centers that have Game outlets have sued to enforce lease clauses barring new food retailers.” Read more

 

“Kroger in middle of Texas turkey fight” by Steve Watkins at Cincy Bus. Courier. “Dallas City Council wound up passing an ordinance earlier this year that levied a 5-cent fee for any bag that a retailer uses. The retailers didn’t like that. Whether coincidental or not, Kroger opted not to donate turkeys this year to a program called Baskets of Hope, which hands out turkeys to needy people just before Thanksgiving. Kroger has donated for years. It just so happens that Dallas City Council member Dwaine Caraway runs Baskets of Hope and was one of the more vocal proponents of the bag tax.” Read more

 

“Target Loses Bid To KO Banks’ Data Breach Litigation” by Jonathan Randles at Law 360. “A Minnesota federal judge left intact most of a consolidated class action against Target Corp. over losses payment card-issuing banks suffered as a result of the retailer’s massive data breach, ruling Tuesday that Target owed banks a duty to protect customer credit and debit card information from hackers.” Read more (Subscription)

 

UK: More than half of Christmas shoppers plan to ‘Showroom’ on mobile this year by Paul Skeldon at Internet Retailing. “Under 35s are the most ‘handy’ shoppers, with 67% finding the best deal on a handheld device while out shopping.” Read more

 

“The Fresh Market opens its first store in Dallas” by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “The Fresh Market will become the latest grocer to enter the competitive Dallas-Fort Worth market Wednesday when it opens the first of its four local stores in the works.” Read more

 

HuffPo: “Walmart Denies Stalling In Tracy Morgan Lawsuit” “Plaintiffs’ accusation that Wal-Mart is somehow behind Mr. Roper’s motion in an attempt to delay discovery is simply false,” the company’s attorneys wrote.” Read more

 

“Woman Stumps Orchard Road’s OSHbot with “I’m Looking for a Boyfriend” by Jonathan Bloom at ABC 7 News. “What we actually do is use a process called science fiction prototyping, where we give all our marketing research and trend data to professional published science fiction writers,” said Lowes Innovation Labs Director Kyle Nel.” See the video / Read more