"Wal-Mart closing three China stores" by Zhang Ye at Global Times.  "Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer by revenue, is planning to shut down three superstores in China in April, a move analysts said Wednesday is designed to cope with increasing labor costs and high rents in China.  The retailer has scheduled two store closings for April 8 in Shanghai and Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province and one on April 20 in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, said Wal-Mart China in a statement e-mailed to the Global Times Wednesday."  Read more:  https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/771253.shtml#.UVQ_s5M4SSo?source=email_rt_mc_body   "Prescription drugs cost least at [...]

  "Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages to online buyers" at Reuters.  "Wal-Mart Stores Inc is considering a radical plan to have store customers deliver packages to online buyers, a new twist on speedier delivery services that the company hopes will enable it to better compete with Amazon.com Inc.  Tapping customers to deliver goods would put the world's largest retailer squarely in middle of a new phenomenon sometimes known as "crowd-sourcing," or the "sharing economy."  Read more:  https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/28/us-retail-walmart-delivery-idUSBRE92R03820130328?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews   "Home Depot Lands Marketing Executive From Struggling JCPenney" by Michael Flannelly at Dividend Daily.  "It was reported on Tuesday that [...]

    "Wal-Mart tests in-store lockers for online orders" by Anne D'Innocenzio at AP via Seattle-Times.  "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will be testing this summer an option for consumers to be able to order product on its website and then have it kept in a physical locker at the store so they can pick it up without having to wait in line or talk to a store clerk.  The test, which will be conducted in about a dozen stories in an undisclosed market, is part of the world's largest retailer's overall strategy to offer increasingly demanding web-savvy shoppers the ability to [...]

  "Retail’s New Industrial Revolution" by Doug Stephens at Retail Prophet.  "Soon there won’t be any cashiers – and not just cashiers – greeters, merchandisers, inventory counters and store cleaners too. Technology is poised to replace all of them for two reasons. First, because it can. And second because it must. Digital, mobile, virtual and robotic technologies are quickly progressing to the point where they now pose a legitimate threat to anyone whose work is largely repetitive and non-dynamic in nature. And because retailers are increasingly challenged in growing top-line revenue, there’s little alternative but to substantially slash operating costs [...]

  "Lunch with Trish Mueller, CMO of Home Depot" at Marketing Technology Insights.  "One thing that Trish said that surprised a few marketers was that "[she didn't] believe in segmentation." She elaborates, "I don't think it's appropriate to slap labels on people. We look at the behavior. We look at what you did...Trish was also asked what advice she could give to female marketers and businesswomen. She says, "Screw 'leaning' in - step in."  Read more:  https://www.marketingtechnologyinsights.com/2013/03/lunch-with-trish-mueller-cmo-of-home.html   "Dollar General Profit Up on Food Sales" at CNBC.  "Dollar General said on Monday that its sales growth this year could surpass [...]

  "Five years in, Fresh & Easy markets are a flop" by Shan Li at LA Times.  "British supermarket giant Tesco thought it had the Yanks all figured out.  Determined to crack the U.S. market, it dispatched executives to live with American families, peek into their refrigerators and trail them on trips to the grocery store. It boasted of revolutionizing how Americans shopped.  But slightly more than five years after it opened its first Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market in California, Tesco is considering selling the money-losing chain and leaving the United States altogether."  Read more:  https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fresh-easy-woes-20130321,0,197757.story   "Target Taps [...]

  "Home Depot's Joe McFarland, President Western Division, presents at ISI Retail Summit"  Highlights: Pro *  Pro business continues to grow.  For the first time Pro business grew at same rate as consumer in Q4 '12 *  Home Depot to launch a Pro app in late Q2 *  Continued focus on growing the Pro business Path to 60/40 *  Goal is to delegate labor hours to 60% service / 40% tasks.  Plan to hit goal in '13. *  '08 -- 45/55;  '12 -- 57/43 Emotional Selling  *  We're not a product retailer, we're a project retailer *  We've asked associates to [...]

  "Interbrand Releases the 2013 Best Retail Brands Report"  "Walmart maintains its #1 position by a huge margin with a brand value over $141 billion, up 1% from last year. Target is in the #2 position with a value of $25 billion, up 7% from 2012. The Home Depot is solid at #3 with a brand value of nearly $23 billion. Amazon makes a big jump to #4 from last year's #9."  Read the full list of 50:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6502235&access=EH   "Sam's Club and Amazon Earn Top Honors in Retail Industry for Customer Experience, According to New Temkin Group Research"  "Based [...]