"Dollar General Beats Walmart for 'Cheapest Basket' " at Kantar Retail "Dollar General’s total basket was the least expensive among retailers surveyed, edging out Walmart Supercenter’s basket by just $0.12.  This represents a substantial closing of the gap in the survey conducted last year, when Dollar General’s basket of OPP items was 18% cheaper than Walmart’s. The edible grocery and HBA sub-baskets drove Dollar General’s basket lead over Walmart."  See the list   "Costco Has Room For Growth In Mexico" at Seeking Alpha.  "Costco started its operations in Mexico through a 50% owned joint venture, and its store count [...]

  "Amazon Revenue Jumps 24%" by Greg Bensinger & Michael Calia at WSJ.  "In its core North American market, Amazon sales climbed 30% to $9.5 billion.  For the third quarter, Amazon narrowed its loss to $41 million, or 9 cents per share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $274 million, or 60 cents per share, a year earlier."  Read more   "Walmart CEO Mike Duke's Exclusive Interview with BizAsia" at China.org.  "The retail giant's CEO Mike Duke told BizAsia exclusively that this plan represents the company's fresh efforts in exploring new business opportunities in China's urbanization plan."  See the video [...]

  "Wal-Mart to open up to 110 new China stores by 2016" by Matthew Miller at Reuters.  "Wal-Mart will open up to 110 facilities in China between 2014 and 2016, in addition to the 30 it has already opened this year, it said at a press event in Beijing on Thursday.  Wal-Mart has closed 11 stores and is looking to close 15-30 others over the next 18 months, said Greg Foran, chief executive of Wal-Mart China, in what he called part of a rationalization process."  Read more   "Target's 'Buy Online - Pick-up in Store' Expands to all Stores" at [...]

  "Walmart Pursues Three Year Exclusivity Agreements with Vendors" by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  "Wal-Mart is working with key suppliers providing three-year contracts, over the typical one-year deals.  “Suppliers know they can get $300 million annually / for three years when they give us better costs and access to better exclusive product,” Duncan Mac Naughton (Chief Merchandising Officer) said in a breakfast meeting with analysts Oct. 15."  Read more   "Amazon hikes minimum order for free shipping to $35" by Jay Greene at Seattle Times.  "Amazon hiked the minimum order price to get free shipping Tuesday by $10, [...]

  "Wal-Mart studies HEB for lesson in ‘fresh’ " by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  "Jack Sinclair (EVP Grocery) last week told a group of analysts attending the retailer’s annual investor meeting that “HEB is the best food retailer in the world, particularly on fresh.”  He said Wal-Mart opened an office in San Antonio to work with HEB vendors to learn how to do fresh better, specifically meat and produce. At the time, he said “people still want to feel their apples before buying them,” which is why he believes mainstream grocery delivery in the U.S. in still years away." [...]

  "To Catch Up, Walmart Moves to Amazon Turf" by Claire Cain Miller & Stephanie Clifford at NY Times.  "Walmart  is trying hard to prove it is one of the cool kids.  For example, at press events in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart’s headquarters, the menu tends to be ham sandwiches, chips and iced tea. At a recent event in San Bruno, Ca. it was white asparagus panna cotta with house-smoked salmon tartar, morel mushroom macaroons and charcuterie from a whole pig. Borrowing a page from Google and Twitter, the company offers hack days when engineers can work on whatever they want."  Read [...]

  "Kroger names next president and COO" by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati Enquirer.  " Michael L. Ellis will become president and chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1 – replacing Rodney McMullen who is set to become chief executive on the same day...Ellis, 55, has been senior vice president of retail divisions since 2012, where he leads five retail supermarket divisions, plus Kroger’s jewelry and convenience store businesses. He previously served as president of Portland-based Fred Meyer."  Read more   "Walmart to Close 25 Stores in China" by Laurie Burkitt & Shelly Banjo at WSJ.  "Based on its current expansion plans, China [...]

  "Target tests new Apple-like format in its electronics department" by John Ewoldt at Star-Tribune.  "The discount retailer recently remodeled the departments in several of its stores with waist-height, bright white tables and displays. The move fits a design trend seen in recent years at stores run by Apple Inc. and Best Buy Co. that gives shoppers more hands-on experience with the goods."  Read more   "Warren Buffett pulled plug on paint line going into Home Depot/Lowe's" at CNBC.  Buffet quotes: "I made a promise to our Dealers that we would stick with them." "One and a half or two [...]