Wal-Mart takes weekly circular digital with new ‘Live Better’ focus by Kim Souza at The City Wire. "The normal tab we send out every weekend, we are changing how we do that. For one thing we will be doing it less frequently,” (Steve) Bratspies said...“It is going to be integrated in the technological world. Everything is going to be connected with digital partnerships and digital content so that you make the connection of product to the online world and back and forth much more seamlessly than you have been able to do in the past,” he said."  Read more   [...]

  Costco comparable sales fall 1 percent, miss Street forecasts at Reuters. "Excluding the impact of fuel prices and currency, comparable sales rose 6 percent, still missing analysts' estimates of 6.20 percent growth." Read more   ...Costco Q3 Earnings Release  Read here   Peeking inside new Costco in Rochester, NY - opens June 5th by Pat Taney at WHEC 10 NBC. "It's now in Rochester thanks to about $3.5 million in tax breaks. It will pay just $118,000 in taxes its first year. In return, the city is getting more than 150 new jobs that pay on average around $42,000 a [...]

  Lilly Pulitzer called out for fat-shaming by Mara Siegler at NY Post. "Along with shots of Lilly products and staff, the site showed a wall decorated with a drawing of a woman with sagging fat in a bikini that says, “Put it down carb face.” The other says, “Just another day of fat, white and hideous. You should probably just kill yourself.” Read more   ...See the pics here.   BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Brands 2015 (Amazon #14, Walmart #26, Home Depot #31...)  See the top 100 list   Leaked Site Reveals More Info On “ShippingPass” - Walmart’s [...]

  Lilly Pulitzer called out for fat-shaming by Mara Siegler at NY Post. "Along with shots of Lilly products and staff, the site showed a wall decorated with a drawing of a woman with sagging fat in a bikini that says, “Put it down carb face.” The other says, “Just another day of fat, white and hideous. You should probably just kill yourself.” Read more   ...See the pics here.   BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Brands 2015 (Amazon #14, Walmart #26, Home Depot #31...)  See the top 100 list   Leaked Site Reveals More Info On “ShippingPass” - Walmart’s [...]

  Amazon to stop funneling European sales through low-tax haven by Mark Scott at NY Times via Seattle Times. "The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is also investigating whether Apple and Amazon receive unfair state support through low-tax agreements in Ireland and Luxembourg, respectively, where the companies run their European operations." Read more   Sneak Preview: What it’s like to shop on Jet.com, the startup that’s gunning for Amazon by Tricia Duryee at Geek Wire. "Selection, in general, is probably the biggest ding on Jet’s shopping experience. Then again, some people might find Amazon’s thousands of [...]

  Lowe's Q1 US Comp Sales +5.3% "Lowe's today reported net earnings of $673 million for the quarter ended May 1, 2015, a 7.8 percent increase over the same period a year ago." Read the release   Lowe's Earnings & Revenues Miss Estimates by Katie Little at CNBC. "Total same-store sales rose 5.2 percent. Analysts on average had estimated a 6.1 percent rise, according to Consensus Metrix." Read more   Target to Webcast 1st Quarter Earnings Call Today at 9:30 am CST  Read more   Dick's Sporting Goods connecting adjoining Field & Stream stores by Tim Schooley at Pittsburgh Business [...]

  Home Depot Q1 US Comp Sales +7.1% "Comparable store sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2015 were positive 6.1 percent...the Company raised its fiscal 2015 sales guidance and now expects sales will be up approximately 4.2 percent to 4.8 percent and comp sales will be up approximately 4.0 percent to 4.6 percent." Read the release   Home Depot sales and earnings beat thanks to the 'continued recovery of the US housing market' at Reuters. "Revenue rose 6 percent to $20.89 billion. Excluding items, the company earned $1.16 per share. Analysts on average had expected a profit of $1.15 [...]

  Target Puts Some Food Suppliers on the Back Burner by Paul Ziobro at WSJ. "In grocery, the company has a clear idea of what will fit in “signature” and “perform,” but is still working out what will qualify for the middle category. The difference is crucial. Brands that fall into the bottom “perform” category will remain on the shelves but won’t get featured as frequently in circulars or in stores. They will also likely face more competition from Target’s private-label brands, which the chain plans to push heavily." Read more (Subscription)   Under Armour apologizes for ‘Band of Ballers’ [...]