"Home Depot's Breakfast with Analysts" by Andria Cheng at Market Watch.  "The company sees its 180-store Canada business only has 2 to 3 incremental stores while its 101-store Mexican business is “growing nicely” and on the way to 125 locations...The company has shut its seven larger format China stores after disclosing the plan last year. However, it told analysts it has a small team staying behind and has five small stores selling its Behr paint that “is doing very well,” signaling Home Depot may open small stores to sell U.S.-branded products in China, Schick said."  Read more:  https://blogs.marketwatch.com/behindthestorefront/2013/06/10/home-depots-meeting-with-analysts-strikes-a-confident-tone/   [...]

  "Walmart Canada & P&G Launch QR Code Campaign at Bus Stops"  by Jennifer Kwan at Yahoo.  "Here's the idea: customers can use their mobile devices to scan posters with QR-codes at certain bus shelters to buy select items including Pantene shampoo, Pampers diapers and Tide detergent and have the goods delivered to their homes for free. The campaign will last four weeks."  Read more:  https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/wal-mart-invade-toronto-bus-stops-190600620.html   "Home Depot testing video conferencing with on-line shoppers to sell custom kitchens" at MarketWatch.  "At a Goldman Sachs conference on Thursday, Kevin Hofmann, president of Home Depot’s online sales, said the company sees [...]

  "Wal-Mart has no U.S. grocery delivery expansion plans for now" at Reuters.  "For now, it is holding off based on a lack of demand.  "We are not making any announcements about other markets for grocery delivery in the U.S. right now," Neil Ashe, the president and chief executive officer of Walmart Global eCommerce, told reporters on Thursday afternoon, a day before the company's annual shareholder meeting.  While the test in San Jose and San Francisco has proven that the company "can serve a market effectively from our existing supercenters ... we'll have to wait and see whether the customer [...]

  "Home Depot No. 5 on J.D. Power Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction rankings" by Jacques Couret at Atlanta Business Journal.  "The Home Depot Inc. ranked fifth place on the J.D. Power 2013 Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study.  The Atlanta-based home improvement giant scored 747 (out of 1,000) in the study, which was below the industry average of 758.  Ace Hardware topped the list, followed by Menard’s, Lowe’s and True Value."  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2013/06/05/home-depot-no-5-on-jd-power-home.html   "Costco Same-Store Sales +5% in May " (Co. Press Release).  "For the thirty-nine weeks ended June 2, 2013, the Company reported net sales of $77.13 billion, [...]

  "Amazon Plans Major Move Into Grocery Business" at Reuters via CNBC.  "Amazon.com is planning a major roll-out of an online grocery business that it has been developing for years, targeting one of the largest retail sectors yet to be upended by e-commerce, according to two people familiar with the situation...Amazon now plans to expand the business outside Seattle, starting with Los Angeles as early as this week and the San Francisco Bay Area later this year...If the new locations go well, the company may launch AmazonFresh in 20 other urban areas in 2014, including some outside the U.S., said [...]

  "Walmart offers fresh produce guarantee to shoppers"  "Walmart is able to cut the time it takes to get produce into stores by buying directly from growers and relying on its own distribution centers and trucking systems. It has produce experts working with farmers in key growing regions and aims to double its sales of locally grown produce by December 2015."  Read more:  https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/03/us-walmart-grocery-produce-idUSBRE9520OM20130603   "Costco's Growth Engine Keeps Purring Fueled By New Memberships" at Forbes.  "While the retailer added 2.3 million members in 2009, more than 4 million customers signed up in 2011. Over 1.6 million new members joined [...]

   "Home Depot makes a one-time exception so it can get in on the oil boom" by Sam Black at Minn./St. Paul Bus. Journal.  "How urgently does The Home Depot want to get into the oil-boom area in western North Dakota?  Consider that for the first time in the company's history, Home Depot is converting an existing building into a retail store."  Read more:  https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/blog/opportunity_north_dakota/2013/05/home-depot-headed-to-williston-nd.html   "New Reward Program Habits May Cost Consumers Money" by Kelli Grant at CNBC.  "But consumers aren't quite as loyal — they're active in just 44 percent of those programs, a drop of 4.3 percent [...]

  "The Home Depot to hold more than 700 hurricane workshops in stores from Texas to Maine"  "Hurricane Preparedness Workshops are free and will be held on Saturday, July 27 from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. local time. Participating stores and registration information is located at workshops.homedepot.com, where customers can find information on all other Home Depot workshops year-round."  Read more:  https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-home-depot-to-hold-more-than-700-hurricane-workshops-in-stores-from-texas-to-maine-209481321.html   "Costco Wholesale CEO Discusses F3Q 2013 Results - Earnings Call Transcript" at Seeking Alpha.  Read at:  https://seekingalpha.com/article/1471251-costco-wholesale-ceo-discusses-f3q-2013-results-earnings-call-transcript?source=email_rt_article_title   "Target beauty consultant service to debut at 36 Twin Cities-area stores" by Martin Moylan at MN Public Radio.  "Target [...]