CAME TOGETHER QUICK - Amazon Met Whole Foods Just Six Weeks Ago—But It’s No ‘Tinder Relationship’ by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. "It’s been a whirlwind courtship,” Mackey said. “Little over six weeks after we met on this blind date, we’re officially engaged, as of today. But like an old traditional marriage, where there are all kinds of rules and chaperones, we can’t consummate the marriage, until we’re actually officially hooked up. … This is not a Tinder relationship.” Read more | Meeting transcript   ...Whole Foods CEO Hints at Launching Another Brand Under Amazon via Fortune. "Amazon plans to keep [...]

  Amazon Said to Plan Cuts to Shed Whole Foods' Pricey Image by Spencer Soper & Craig Giammona at Bloomberg. "Amazon expects to reduce headcount and change inventory to lower prices...according to a person with knowledge of the company’s grocery plans. That included potentially using technology to eliminate cashiers. An Amazon spokesman denied any job cuts were planned." Read more   Here’s Who Helped Amazon Clinch Blockbuster Whole Foods Deal via Fortune. "Goldman had laid the ground for this moment. Last year, it dispatched senior bankers to several North American cities where big companies are based, including Atlanta, Toronto and [...]

  Kroger Q1 comp sales (ex-fuel) -0.2% Press release   ...Kroger Shares Slide as Grocer Is Battered by Price Fight by Austen Huffard at Wall Street Journal. "Shares of the company, which had fallen 12% so far this year through Wednesday’s close, dropped another 13% in premarket trading as the grocer also cut its forecast. Kroger had posted a 13-year streak of growing quarterly sales before the trend downward began." Read more (subs.)   Whole Foods CEO John Mackey calls activist investor Jana 'greedy bastards' by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. "They're putting a bunch of propaganda out there, trying to [...]

  Target's chief spokesperson is leaving the company by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. "Dustee Jenkins, senior vice president and chief communications officer, is leaving next week. Her last day is June 23. The company did not disclose a reason for her departure, and she did not respond to requests for comment." Read more   U.S. retail sales post biggest drop in 16 months at Reuters. "The Commerce Department said on Wednesday retail sales fell 0.3 percent last month after an unrevised 0.4 percent increase in April. May's decline was the largest since January 2016 and confounded economists' expectation for [...]

  Jet.com Will Phase Out Costco Products After Wal-Mart Acquisition by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. "A recent search for “Kirkland Signature” on Jet’s site yielded 229 results, ranging from 40-ounce jars of Kirkland cashews for $20.99 to 40-packs of organic roasted seaweed for $67.63. That’s about to change." Read more   Mills Fleet Farm names new CEO by David Schuyler at Milwaukee Business Journal. "Derick Prelle has been appointed president and CEO of the Midwest retailer, succeeding Wayne Sales...Prelle joins Mills Fleet Farm from KKR Capstone." Read more   Neiman Marcus Group Q3 Comp Sales -4.9% Press release   Gymboree [...]

  Aldi to Invest $3.4 Billion to Expand U.S. Stores via Fortune. "Aldi said on Sunday it would invest $3.4 billion to expand its U.S. store base to 2,500 by 2022, raising the stakes for rivals caught in a price war. Aldi operates 1,600 U.S. stores and earlier this year said it would add another 400 by the end of 2018 and spend $1.6 billion to remodel 1,300 of them." Read more   ...The expansion, over the next five years, puts the German grocer on track to becoming the third-largest food retailer in the U.S. by store count, behind Wal-Mart [...]

  Target’s former e-commerce chief is now the new CEO of the online jeweler Blue Nile by Jason Del Rey at Recode. "Blue Nile...has hired former Target executive Jason Goldberger as its new CEO...Goldberger also spent time at Gilt Groupe, Hayneedle and Amazon for many years." Read more   Owner of Saks, Lord & Taylor set to slash 2,000 jobs by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. "The layoffs began on Thursday as roughly 600 employees, including some senior staffers across Hudson’s Bay Co.’s various brands — including Gilt Groupe, Saks and L&T — got pink-slipped." Read more   ...Hudson's Bay Q1 [...]

  Lowe’s lays off over 120 tech workers in Mooresville, will send jobs to India by Katherine Peralta at Charlotte Observer. "The home-improvement retailer informed affected employees Wednesday morning through early afternoon, according to people familiar with the matter. Many of the affected information technology job functions are being sent to Bangalore, India, where Lowe’s employs approximately 1,000 people in information and technology and analytics." Read more   Nordstrom shares spike after company announces exploration of going private by Lauren Thomas at CNBC. "The retailer explained that Co-Presidents Blake Nordstrom, Peter Nordstrom and Erik Nordstrom, along with President of Stores [...]