"Walmart ranks dead last in customer satisfaction in Discount stores and Supermarkets according to ACSI's National Customer Satisfaction Benchmark"   See the rankings at:  https://www.theacsi.org/acsi-results/acsi-benchmarks-february   "Target Earnings Top Forecasts, Despite Holiday Weakness" at CNBC.  "After the earnings announcement, the company's shares initially rose in pre-market trading, but shares have since given up their gains on investor concern over Target's ability to reach its forecast, given its large-scale expansion plans in Canada.  The discount retailer plans to open its first store in Canada this year, and eventually expand to 124 stores."  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100497566   "Survey: Showrooming a threat [...]

    "Strong sales help Home Depot outshine Lowe's" at Reuters.  "For the 15th straight quarter, Home Depot also bested its rival, Lowe's Cos Inc, in sales performance at established stores, pointing to an ongoing dominance that analysts say Lowe's is far from overcoming.  "They are getting the assortment right," said Robin Diedrich, analyst at Edward Jones, referring to merchandise in stores. "This quarter is a kind of perfect example of that where they really seemed to have gone after the holiday market, in a much bigger way than Lowe's did."  She added: "Just really executing on the right product [...]

  "Home Depot's 4th-Quarter Net Jumps 32% on Extra Week's Results" by Dow Jones Business News via Nasdaq.com. "Home Depot Inc.'s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings jumped 32% as the home-improvement-products retailer was helped by a comparison with a year-ago quarter that included one fewer week, pushing results above Street estimates..."We ended the year with a strong performance as our business benefited from a continued recovery in the housing market coupled with sales related to repairs in the areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy," Chief Executive Frank Blake said on Tuesday."  Read more:  https://www.nasdaq.com/article/home-depots-4th-quarter-net-jumps-32-on-extra-weeks-results-20130226-00215#.USykAzCG3X4   "The Home Depot Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal [...]

  "Why Brands Are Already Looking at Google Glass, and Why Apple Should Be Worried --  Experts say product could kill smartphones, alter marketing landscape for years to come" by Christopher Heine & Sam Thielman at AdWeek (Text & "How if Feels" Video).  "Will Google Glass kill the smartphone? Reinvent gaming? Steal the second screen from tablets? Alter the marketing and shopping landscape entirely? Probably not completely, and not all at once (since the device won't be commercially available until next year). But experts predict that the new product could be a game-changer along the lines of the iPhone—one that [...]

  "The 'Silent Killer' In Wal-Mart's Business" by Ashley Lutz at Business Insider.  "There's a "silent killer" that became evident in Wal-Mart's earnings announcement today.  "The results announced today are flat-out bad, and its time for shareholders to take management to task for this," said Brian Sozzi, chief equities analyst at NBG Research.  The biggest problem, according to Sozzi?  Sam's Club."  Read more:  https://www.businessinsider.com/the-silent-killer-at-walmart-2013-2#ixzz2Lczl5sBJ    "(Louise) Wendling (Costco Canada) to push for lower tariffs, regulatory harmonization" by Peter Kovessy at Ottawa Business Journal.  "As Ms. Wendling prepares to entire retirement – which was supposed to happen in December, but she [...]

  "Wal-Mart Tops Estimates, but Guidance Is Weak" at CNBC. "Wal-Mart Stores reported quarterly earnings Thursday that topped analysts' expectations, but its guidance for the first quarter was short of consensus estimates. After the earnings announcement, the company's shares rose slightly in pre-market trading. The company posted fourth-quarter earnings excluding items of 1.67 per share, up from $1.44 a share in the year-earlier period." Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/id/100475797   "February Shows Advertisers Still Love Broadcast Channels" by Steve Hasker and Eddie Yoon at HBR.  "The Showtime program "Homeland" has generated great buzz over the last year, but people without Showtime can't [...]

  "Amazon should just buy RadioShack" by Gina Chon at Quartz.  "The scenario of Amazon acquiring an ailing brick-and-mortar retailer like RadioShack, Sears or Best Buy (the latter two of which have market caps in the $5 billion range), has been talked about in the tech and dealmaker community. Such a move could give Amazon regional warehouses, a place for customers to pick up deliveries, and a storefront for popular items.  These locations could help Amazon as it expands into areas such as groceries that could benefit from same-day delivery or pickup. They might even become virtual showrooms where shoppers [...]

  "Google Works on Launching Retail Stores" at Fox Business.  "Google Inc. has been developing plans to launch retail stores in the U.S., said people familiar with the matter, in another sign the company is studying Apple Inc.'s playbook for building a consumer-electronics brand...Such a move may represent a change of heart in the two years since Google co-founder Larry Page became the company's chief executive. Following Google's short-lived attempt in 2010 to bypass brick-and-mortar stores to sell the Nexus One smartphone via its website, Mr. Page didn't express much interest in opening retail stores whenever the possibility was discussed, [...]