"Parents outraged as U.S. Toys ‘R’ Us sells 'crystal meth' Breaking Bad dolls" by Rosa Prince at The Telegraph via Vancouver Sun. "Parents took to the toy giant's Facebook page to say that they did not want their teenagers to be exposed to drug dealing even at the age of 15. One wrote: "Nothing says toys for kids like an action figure with a bag of crystal meth. I can't wait for my 15 year to grow up like that." Another added: "A new low . . . Breaking Bad toys? Come on! Pull them and be done with [...]

  Jeff Jones: "Target’s Target No Longer Just The “White Suburban Mom” by Suzanne Vranica at WSJ. "During a 45-minute presentation to hundreds of marketers attending the “Masters of Marketing” conference taking place in Orlando, Target CMO Jeff Jones gave a honest assessment of Target’s recent woes." Read more (Subscription)   "How Target Used Data Breach to Shake Up Its Brand" by Natalie Zmuda at Ad Age. "Don't let a crisis force you to take stock of your brand assets," Jeff Jones said. "Don't get caught navel gazing like we did. … If you just respond, you will be too [...]

  "Former Walgreen CFO sues company for defamation over forecast error" at Chicago Tribune. "Former Walgreen Co. Chief Financial Officer Wade Miquelon sued the drugstore operator on Thursday, alleging company executives defamed him in news reports that blamed him for errors in its earnings forecast. Miquelon sued Walgreen in a state court in Chicago claiming that Chief Executive Officer Gregory Wasson and director Stefano Pessina, the company's biggest shareholder, had made "false and disparaging" comments about him in a report by the Wall Street Journal, court documents showed." Read more   "Traffic Stop Near Houston May be Break in Home Depot Data [...]

  "Wal-Mart to add two online fulfillment centers, build fewer supercenters" by Kim Souza at The City Wire. "The new centers will be located in Bethlehem, Penn., and Atlanta, and each will be approximately 1.2 million square feet...Spending on traditional brick and mortar stores has been trimmed by nearly $500 million this year to $11.5 billion. Next year Wal-Mart said it plans to spend between $10.4 billion and $11.4 billion, a reduction of another $600 million." Read more   "Walmart U.S. CEO: "We have cut muscle instead of fat." by Kim Souza at The City Wire. "I have gotten some [...]

  "Amazon Will Open Two Pop-Up Stores in CA Next Week" by Alice Truong at Fast Company. "Amazon confirmed Tuesday that it is opening up pop-up stores in San Francisco and Sacramento, California, next week for the holiday shopping season. The pop-up stores will carry Amazon-branded e-readers, tablets, smartphones, andstreaming media players. "While customers can already see our products online and at retailers like Best Buy and Staples, we wanted to provide another option to try out our full lineup leading into the holidays," a representative told Fast Company." Read more   Kantar:  And the Retailer with the Lowest Prices is...by Courtney Reagan at CNBC. [...]

  Home Depot's Marvin Ellison Leaves for J.C. Penney:   “I couldn’t pass it up" by Maria Halkias at Dallas Star. "Ellison, 49, will start Nov. 1 but doesn’t become CEO until August. At that point, Ullman, 68, will stay on as executive chairman for a full year. In an interview Monday, Ellison called Penney an iconic brand and said he grew up shopping at the chain. “I couldn’t pass it up,” he said of the Penney job. “I have a lot of respect for what Mike has been able to do the last 18 months, and it shows the [...]

  "Target tries new, bigger strategy for Boston store" by Taryn Luna at Boston Globe. "Target is coming to the Fenway area next year with its own urban-concept store called “CityTarget,” the retailer’s first on the East Coast. But this location will actually be bigger...The CityTarget that will occupy four floors in a building under construction at the intersection of Boylston and Kilmarnock streets won’t just be bigger than the company’s other urban stores. It will be even bigger than an average full-size Target store (and) will cover a whopping 160,000 square feet." Read more / See the location pictures [...]

  "Family Dollar net income plummets 66% in Q4" by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Bus. Journal. "From a financial standpoint, fiscal 2014 was one of the most difficult years in our company’s history," Family Dollar Chairman and CEO Howard Levine said during a conference call on the retailer's earnings late Thursday afternoon." Read more   "Family Dollar Q4 Comp Sales +.3%" "Total net sales for the fourth quarter ended August 30, 2014, increased 4.5% to $2.61 billion from $2.50 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 ended August 31, 2013." Read the release   "Step inside Tractor Supply Co.'s [...]