Costco Q1 comp sales (ex. gas & f/x) +17.1% / US +17% / Canada +16.8% / Other Int'l +17.7% / Ecom +86.2% Press release   Lululemon earnings, sales top estimates on strong demand for workout gear at CNBC. "Lululemon on Thursday reported sales of $1.1 billion, up 22% from a year ago and beating analysts’ estimates...Same-store sales...were up 19%." Read more   Almost 40% of Americans plan to spend less this holiday season as the Covid pandemic lingers at CNBC. "Just 11% plan to spend more...The average American plans to spend just $886, down 10% from their planned spending [...]

  RH Q3 net revenue +25% Press release   CVS Health CEO says it has 10,000 staffers ready to vaccinate seniors at nursing homes at CNBC. "CVS Chief Executive Larry Merlo said the company is ready to administer “vaccines into the arms of some of our most vulnerable populations” within 24 to 48 hours upon receiving its share of Covid-19 vaccines." Video/Read more   Jeff Bezos’ Day 1 Families Fund awards $105.9M to 42 non-profits in third year of initiative Award list/Read more   Target employees claim the chain will wait to arrest shoplifters until thieves steal enough to get felony [...]

  Lowe’s expects sales to rise about 22% in fiscal 2020 as turnaround efforts gain traction at CNBC. "In the year ahead, (Ellison) said the company will have a “total home” strategy. It will expand its online only assortment from kitchen appliances to home decor. It will test ways to speed up and lower the cost of fulfilling online orders by freeing up more space in the back of its stores. And it will localize products on shelves in different markets, so it doesn’t have snow blowers at stores in warm climates or riding lawnmowers in big cities." Read more [...]

  Walmart and other retailers battle ‘bots’ snatching up PlayStation 5 at Reuters. "Scalper bots have become increasingly mainstream, easily found by entering phrases like “Nike bot” or “PS5 bot” into online search engines. People can buy limited-time access to them for as little as $10 to $20." Read more   The World's 100 Most Powerful Women (Tome #11, McKenna #17, Brewer #48) at Forbes. Top 100 list   Stitch Fix shares skyrocket more than 30% on Q1 earnings beat, upbeat outlook at CNBC. "...reported a surprise profit and revenue growth of 10% from a year ago...reported earnings of 9 [...]

  Walmart readies for $10 bn Flipkart IPO at Mint. "Work on the IPO (initial public offering) is on in full swing and the advent of the pandemic has only hastened the process, given the spectacular surge in demand on e-commerce platforms," said one of the two people cited above." Read more   J.C. Penney's retail and operating assets to exit Chapter 11 at Reuters. "We ... are very pleased to help preserve this iconic institution and save tens of thousands of jobs,” Simon Property Group Chief Executive David Simon said." Read more   Costco extends special senior shopping hours [...]

  Costco November comp sales (ex. fuel & f/x) +14.6% ...Costco US +14.2% / Canada +15.8% / Other Int'l +16% / Ecom +70.9% "...reported net sales of $15.67 billion for the retail month of November, the four weeks ended November 29, 2020, an increase of 15.1 percent from $13.62 billion last year." Press release   Kroger Q3 ID sales (ex. fuel) +10.9% / Digital +108% Press release   2020 Holiday Sales: How, Where and When Consumers Are Buying at Wall Street Journal. "On Black Friday, electronics stores saw almost four times as much revenue from online credit-card purchases as they [...]

  Walmart ditches online shipping minimum for Walmart+ members at AP. "Walmart+ members will receive free next-day and two-day shipping on non-perishable items shipped by Walmart, no matter the purchase amount...However, delivery directly from Walmart’s brick-and-mortar stores on basic items like fresh groceries will still carry a $35 minimum and can come as soon as the same day." Read more   Pier 1 owner buys bankrupt Stein Mart for $6 million, to relaunch brand online next year at CNBC. "Miami-based Retail Ecommerce Ventures has emerged as the winner of a bankruptcy court auction for the intellectual property of Stein Mart, [...]

  Online sales reach $10.8 billion on Cyber Monday, the biggest U.S. e-commerce day ever, Adobe says at CNBC. "Cyber Monday spending rose 15.1% year over year, according to Adobe, which analyzes website transactions from 80 of the top 100 U.S. online retailers. That came in short of Adobe’s original forecast of $12.7 billion. The firm had been revising the estimate downward in recent days." Read more   Sephora will open mini shops inside 850 Kohl’s stores by 2023 at CNBC. "Some 200 Sephora at Kohl’s locations will open by next fall, rising to at least 850 sites by 2023...Sephora [...]