Inside Target’s Tech Funhouse and Search for Its Next Billion-Dollar Business by Jason Del Rey & Liz Gannes at Recode. "This is the house of the future, but it’s existence shows that it’s also possible in the present. The acrylic abode, dubbed Open House, opens on Friday on the street level below the Metreon City Target store, and it’s the first major manifestation of a big entrepreneurial bet by Target CEO Brian Cornell to re-energize the retailer’s brand and create a new billion-dollar business outside of its comfort zone." Read more   Costco June Comp -1% "Costco reported net [...]

  'Shark Tank,' Wal-Mart style by Courtney Reagan at CNBC. "I wish I knew right now how it is going to be in that room," said George Peters, KettlePizza co-founder and vice president. His board touts the advantages of using the product to create a picturesque pizza experience." Read more   Wal-Mart's 'Open Call' Draws Governors, Prospective Vendors by Marty Cook at Arkansas Business. "There's nothing more that I like doing than getting out there and finding new items that we can sell to our customers," (Greg) Foran said. "I love getting my hands on new items." Read more   [...]

  Home Depot Has Better Cyber Security Than 25 US Defense Contractors by Aliya Sternstein at Defense One. "When measured in aggregate, network controls at breached J.P. Morgan Chase and Home Depot, combined with the rest of the retail and financial sectors, rated higher than the top companies supporting the U.S. military." Read more   Amazon patents tech to help you cheat at video games by Emily Parkhurst at Puget Sound Business Journal. "Basically, if you can't figure out how to beat the level, you can have someone else do it from their own device. Some might call that cheating. [...]

  Amazon is kicking off a huge Black Friday-like sales event called ‘Prime Day’ for its 20th anniversary by Tricia Duryee at GeekWire. "The 24-hour sale called Prime Day officially kicks off on July 15, the eve of its anniversary. The discounts will start at 12:01 a.m. and last until the end of the day. To participate, shoppers must be an Amazon Prime member or sign-up for a free 30-day trial." Read more   Family Dollar Sale to Dollar Tree Closes Today by Katherine Peralta at Charlotte Observer. "Dollar Tree has said it plans to trim annual expenses by $300 [...]

  How Lowe's Brought Social Savvy and a Sense of Humor to Home Improvement by Jeff Beer at Fast Company. "The advertising in our category tends to be pretty earnest," (CMO Tom Lamb)says. "I mean, home is important, but our work takes a more wink-and-a-nod approach to home improvement which also helps get back to the idea that home improvement is an approachable proposition and we’re an approachable brand." Read more / See the Vines   Family Dollar earnings dip to $79.9M in Q3 by Jennifer Thomas at Charlotte Business Journal. "That’s down roughly 1.5 percent from the same period a [...]

Sneak Peek Inside the first CityTarget on the East Coast by Eden Shulman at The Boston Globe. "We’re tailoring the store to Fenway Park,” said Don Aldridge, the store’s general manager. As such, several original Fenway Park seats, dating back to the 1950s, are installed in the ground floor entryway." See the pics / Read more ...13 more pics via Boston Business Journal.  See the pics   Lowe's to build its first store in Winnipeg at Winnipeg Free Press. "The document estimates the cost of constructing the building at between $15 million and $20 million. It says construction work is to get [...]