U.S. retail sales in June +7.5% vs. expected +5% at Reuters. Read more   Neiman Marcus Bankruptcy Watchdog Says Company Must Justify Bonuses at Wall Street Journal. "Under U.S. bankruptcy law, Neiman isn’t allowed to give “pay-to-stay” bonuses simply to incentivize executives to remain with the company through its bankruptcy, Henry Hobbs, the Justice Department lawyer monitoring Neiman’s bankruptcy, wrote in court papers filed Tuesday." WSJ subs.   Back-to-school spending could hit a record as parents buy costly technology for kids at home at CNBC. "Parents of kids in elementary through high school plan to spend an average $789.49 [...]

  Walmart and Sam’s Club Require Shoppers to Wear Face Coverings "The ambassadors, identifiable by their black polo shirts, will work with customers who show up at a store without a face covering to try and find a solution. We are currently considering different solutions for customers when this requirement takes effect on July 20." Press release   Best Buy will require customers to wear masks in its stores at CNN. "Best Buy's new policy goes into effect Wednesday and applies to all of the company's approximately 1,000 stores across the country. It will provide face coverings for customers who [...]

  Amazon’s new smart shopping cart lets you check out without a cashier at The Verge. "When you’re done shopping, you’re allowed to take the cart through a special lane that checks you out digitally without requiring a human cashier to ring you up...The Dash Cart is coming first to Amazon’s grocery store in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles." Read more   BigCommerce files to go public at TechCrunch. "BigCommerce, similar to public market darling Shopify, provides e-commerce services to merchants. Given how enamored public investors are with its Canadian rival, the timing of BigCommerce’s debut is utterly [...]

  New York & Co. owner RTW Retailwinds files for bankrtupcy, to close hundreds of stores at CNBC. "RTW Retailwinds operates 378 retail and outlet stores in 32 states, according to its website. In addition to New York & Co., some of its other brands include Fashion to Figure and Happy x Nature." Read more   Walmart plans for 50% capacity at Bentonville headquarters Aug. 17 at Talk Business. "When you return to the office, you’ll notice many of our office spaces have been redesigned based on social distancing guidance,” (Donna) Morris wrote in the memo. “While all of our [...]

  Walmart’s New Challenge to Amazon Prime Has Deep, Hidden Roots at Bloomberg. "While details of the program, dubbed Walmart+, are still hazy, the service is rooted in three experiments the world’s biggest retailer has conducted in recent years to gauge the willingness of its shoppers to deepen their allegiance. The trials span the globe and include mobile checkout, unlimited grocery delivery and a social media-based mini-app in China." Read more   U.S. wholesale prices fell 0.2% in June as food costs dropped sharply at AP. Read more   WaWa, Giant begin asking for 'exact change' as coronavirus leads to [...]

  Costco June comp sales (ex. fuel & f/x) +14.4% (US +13.6%, Canada +12.2%, Other Int'l +18%) Press release   Walgreens Q3 sales +0.1% / Retail Pharmacy USA comp sales growth +3.0% Press release   ...Fox Business: Walgreens loses $1.7B as coronavirus snarls overseas sales "...U.K. comparable retail sales slumped 48 percent. Overall, international sales dropped 32 percent year-over-year to $1.9 billion. Still, revenue in the company's U.S. retail business jumped 3.2 percent to $27.4 billion amid a 3 percent rise in comparable sales." Read more   Bed Bath & Beyond to close 200 stores over 2 years at CNBC. [...]

  Walmart’s Amazon Prime competitor will launch in July at Recode. "Walmart plans to launch a new subscription service later this month called Walmart+ that will cost $98 a year. It will include perks like same-day delivery of groceries and general merchandise, discounts on fuel at Walmart gas stations, and early access to product deals, multiple sources told Recode." Read more   Brooks Brothers files for bankruptcy as it seeks a buyer and closes dozens of stores at CNBC. "The retailer, which generated more than $991 million in sales last year, has more than 200 stores in North America and [...]

  Brooks Brothers nears bankruptcy as talks heat up with potential buyer at Fox Business. "Private equity firm Solitaire Partners is in talks with the haberdasher to make a bid once a possible Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing has been made, according to people close to the matter." Read more   U.S. government's boxed food aid promise falls short at Reuters. "We’re getting about 60% of what we were told we would get,” said Brian Greene, CEO of the Houston Food Bank, in an email. “Some of it was vendors couldn’t do what they said they would do.” Read more   [...]