"Walmart Launches Online Reality Series" at Seeking Alpha.  "The five weekly "webisodes," which go live on Tuesdays beginning at 12:01 a.m. ET from Sept. 24 through Oct. 22, feature a group of finalists under the same theme, such as Kid Stuff or Great Gadgets. The webisodes give viewers a chance to learn more about the entrepreneurs behind the inventions and watch as they pitch their product to a panel of Walmart.com judges."  Read more   "Sears Canada CEO Departs" by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail.  "The departure was sparked over differing views with parent Sears Holdings Corp., whose [...]

  "Kroger CEO to retire at start of 2014, COO to replace him" at Reuters.  "Kroger said on Friday that David Dillon, the grocery store's chief executive officer for a decade, plans to step down from that job in January and that President and Chief Operating Officer Rodney McMullen will replace him as CEO."  Read more   "Q&A: W. Rodney McMullen, next Kroger CEO" by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati Enquirer.  "On Kroger’s strategy: McMullen said he’s not planning any major changes in strategy. He noted the company has prospered in the past decade with its Customer 1st strategy that emphasizes [...]

  "Why Target’s New Digital Video Service Could Face Complications" by Todd Spangler at Variety.  "But on the eve of Target’s big digital video launch, the company faces a potential wrinkle: The core system it is using just changed ownership.  On Sept. 1, entertainment technology firm Rovi completed the sale of its money-losing Rovi Entertainment Store, a one-stop shop for video e-commerce that powers Target Ticket, to an entity called Reliance Majestic Holdings — a Beverly Hills startup that is staying silent as to its plans."  Read more   "Rite-Aid Swings to Unexpected Quarterly Profit" at WSJ.  "For the period [...]

  "Walmart Loses Share to Dollar General" by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  "Kantar found Dollar General had the least expensive total basket by far; driven by lower opening price points in its edible and non-edible baskets...Long said Dollar General is blanketing the country with rural stores, while Wal-Mart is still in the first inning of its Walmart Express format, which began in rural areas but more recently has been gravitating toward denser populated regions...“A trip to a Walmart Supercenter is a commitment, but a Dollar Store trip is quick and easy with a little bit of a treasure [...]

  "Rona CEO Warns of Retail "Bloodbath" in Canada" by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail.  "“In Ontario, it’s a bloodbath for every retailer,” Robert Sawyer, chief executive officer of home-improvement retailer Rona Inc., said at a conference Tuesday in Toronto, organized by Bank of Nova Scotia. “It’s difficult, not only for the hardware business.”  The added stress is felt acutely in Canada’s grocery industry, which is the victim of an essentially “zero-sum game,” Perry Caicco, retail analyst at CIBC World Markets, said in a recent report." Read more   "Target's CMO Places His Bet on Earned Media" by Lindsay [...]

  "Walmart's Cheap Beer Barely Covers Cost" by Minsi Chung and Renee Dudley at Businessweek.  "The markup on a 36-pack of Coors Light cans at a Los-Angeles-area store was 0.6 percent, compared with 16.2 percent for a package of Flaming Hot Cheetos, according to internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg. Companies typically don’t release information about markups so the March data provide a rare glimpse of Wal-Mart’s alcohol pricing strategy.  Wal-Mart’s push into beer is part of a plan to double alcohol sales by 2016 and seize a larger slice of a U.S. beer market worth about $45 billion."  Read more   [...]

  "At Target, shoppers scramble for 3.1 Phillip Lim bags" by Tiffany Hsu at LA Times.  "Shoppers quickly swooped in to a tight circle around the pile, hovering, agitated, as workers loaded the purses on the display and barked at those who got too close.  As soon as the OK was given, fashionistas by the fistful swarmed toward the bags, creating a 30-second scramble of shouting and flailing arms before the crowd picked the rack clean.  “It was out of control,” (a shopper) said of the throng. “This was painful. It was crazy.”  Read more / See the video   [...]

  "Breaking:  Retail sales fall short, up 0.2 percent in August" at CNBC."  "U.S. retail sales rose less than expected in August even as demand increased for automobiles and other big-ticket items, the latest sign that economic growth slowed in the third quarter.  The Commerce Department said on Friday retail sales increased 0.2 percent last month as Americans bought automobiles, furniture and electronics and appliances.  However, they cut back on clothing, building materials and sporting goods."  Read more   "Kroger Q2 Comps Up 3.3%" at Supermarket News.  "Net income for the quarter was up 13.6%, to $317 million, and sales [...]