Rioters Loot and Burn Ferguson, Missouri Retailers:   "Rioters Burn C-Store to the Ground in Ferguson, Missouri" at Before Its News. "What began as another peaceful vigil this evening in a suburb of St. Louis where Ferguson police shot and killed an unarmed youth Saturday, turned into a scene out of the 60′s Civil Rights era...Quick Trip in Ferguson has just been burned to the ground." See the pic / Read more   "Ferguson QuickTrip looted, set on fire" at KMOV-St. Louis.  See the video   Tweet via @kodacohen "SWAT troopers raise their weapons as they prepare to enter [...]

  "More Kroger Marketplaces Replace Furniture with Clothing" by Alexander Coolidge at Cincinnati.com.  "Our Marketplace store is an evolving format – customers have told us that they prefer an expansive apparel offering to furniture,” said Kroger spokesman Keith Dailey...By the end of 2014, 59 Marketplace stores will have a full clothing section with fewer furniture offerings...Kroger is tight-lipped about how many they ultimately plan to build, but the company will have more than 110 by the end of this year. Analysts predict Kroger could build another 200 or more within the next few years." Read more   NY Times:  "In [...]

  "Costco July Comp Sales +5%" "Costco reported net sales of $8.55 billion for the month of July, the four weeks ended August 3, 2014, an increase of nine percent from $7.87 billion during the similar four-week period last year." Read the release   "Home Depot's Craig Menear Appears on CNBC" "KELLY EVANS: Have you been involved in succession talks? CRAIG MENEAR: You know, at this point, that is all up to the board and to Frank. I have been given the opportunity to be the president of U.S. Retail and that's an enormous opportunity and responsibility. And that's really what I'm focused on right [...]

  "WSJ Interview with Walmart CEO Int'l - David Cheesewright" by Shelly Banjo.  "With 80% of retail industry growth that is going to happen over the next 10 years coming from outside of the U.S., I have to be the growth engine for our business. We are disappointed with the growth levels from last year, so that's going to have to be the priority." Read more   "Dollar General Said to Explore Family Dollar Bid" by David Welch/Matthew Campbell/Matt Townsend at Bloomberg.  "While Dollar General had earlier passed on the chance to bid for Family Dollar, the company is re-evaluating [...]

  "Target opens office in heart of Silicon Valley" by Kavita Kumar at Star-Tribune.  "The 7,000-square-foot Sunnyvale office will initially have about 15 employees, but could one day have upward of 70, Baeb said. The new space, which held a small open house on Monday night, will also provide a home base for Target executives from Minneapolis when they fly out to California to meet with technology partners." Read more   "Walgreen CFO replaced by Kraft Foods Exec" at Chicago Bus. Journal.  "Walgreen Co. CFO Wade Miquelon is no longer in that post after serving in that role since 2008. The [...]

  "Target Beat Out J.C. Penney in Landing Brian Cornell" by Joann S. Lublin at WSJ.  "The battered department store chain pursued Mr. Cornell about succeeding CEO Mike Ullman. Penney, which has been seeking Mr. Ullman’s successor for a year, contacted Mr. Cornell earlier this year." Read more   "Wal-Mart's website to personalize shopping" by Anne D'Innocenzio at AP via SF Gate.  "Other retailers, including home-improvement chain Home Depot and office-supplies retailer Staples, have been ahead of Wal-Mart in the race to personalize the online shopping experience. In fact, a quarter of customers who visit Home Depot's home page see [...]

  Thoughts on New Target CEO...   Where's the Digital Experience? by Nick Halter at Minn./St. Paul Bus. Journal "He doesn't really have that true ominchannel retail experience," said Edward Jones analyst Brian Yarbrough. "He doesn't have that experience of shopping on cell phones and tablets. All this has become so popular in the last two years, when he hasn't really been involved in retail." Read more   Polaris CEO on Cornell: "A real high-energy guy" "Wish I could buy stock in Target" by Sam Black at Minn./St. Paul Bus. Journal.  "Brian Cornell is "one of those rare examples of somebody who can [...]

  "Target Picks Pepsi Veteran as New CEO (starts Aug. 12th / at HQ today)" by Paul Ziobro & Joann S. Lublin at WSJ. "Target Corp. is bringing in PepsiCo Inc. executive Brian Cornell as its new chief executive, turning to an outsider for the first time in its history to repair a battered corporate culture and navigate a sea change in Americans' shopping habits...Mr. Cornell, who has long sought to run a public company, begins his new job Aug. 12. He first started talking with Target several weeks ago after people in the Minneapolis business community mentioned him as [...]