Walmart Takes On Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods With New Premium Brand at WSJ. "...introducing a line of premium food called Bettergoods this year, aiming to attract new, often higher income shoppers more frequently...The new brand took years to develop and will include foods such as cardamom rose raspberry jam for $5.24 and curry chicken empanadas. Walmart plans to add more than 300 Bettergoods items to shelves this year—many of which will cost $5 or less." WSJ subs.   ...products will fit within one of three major areas...items with more of a culinary flair...items that are plant-based...or items that [...]

  Tractor Supply Q1 comp sales +1.1% Press release   Amazon aggregator Thrasio loses CEO, other top execs as company works through bankruptcy at CNBC   Home Depot and Walmart US CEOs say 'employers should value skills above degrees' in WSJ op-ed at Fox Business. "The American dream isn’t dead, but the path to reach it might look different for job seekers today than it did for their parents," Decker and Furner wrote. "While a college degree is a worthwhile path to prosperity, it isn’t the only one." Read more   ...WSJ op-ed Subs.   ...President and CEO of Walmart US, [...]

  Amazon launches low-cost grocery delivery subscription plan in US at Reuters. "...unlimited grocery delivery at $9.99 per month on orders over $35 from Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh, and other local grocery and specialty retailers on the platform, including Save Mart, Bartell Drugs, Rite Aid and Pet Food Express...available in over 3,500 cities...SNAP (individuals) would...pay a reduced $4.99 fee per month for the same perks and do not require a Prime membership..." Read more   Walmart-backed fintech One introduces buy now, pay later as it prepares bigger push into lending at CNBC. "Walmart’s majority-owned fintech startup One has begun [...]

  Inside Amazon’s Secret Operation to Gather Intel on Rivals at WSJ. "For nearly a decade, workers in a warehouse in Seattle’s Denny Triangle neighborhood have shipped boxes of shoes, beach chairs, Marvel T-shirts and other items to online retail customers across the U.S. The operation, called Big River Services International...is an arm of Amazon that surreptitiously gathers intelligence on the tech giant’s competitors...Big River uses its sales across multiple countries to obtain pricing data, logistics information and other details about rival e-commerce marketplaces, logistics operations and payments services, according to people familiar with Big River..." WSJ subs.   Amazon exec [...]

  Look inside Amazon’s gigantic new Oregon warehouse, its biggest in the Northwest at The Oregonian. "Five stories tall, 105 feet high, it’s the company’s largest fulfillment center in the Northwest and one of its largest anywhere in the world...Amazon expects to employ around 1,500 at the Woodburn site when it opens late this year or early in 2025. As operations ramp up, the company expects it could have 2,800 working on site before long, and as many as 3,500 Woodburn employees during busy periods. Some neighbors in the small community eye the 3.8 million-square-foot facility with apprehension..." Read more/Pics [...]

  Costco March comp sales +7.7%: U.S. +7.3% / Canada +8.9% / Other Int'l +8.6% Press release   How Walmart’s privileged documents led to $101 million jury verdict for ex-supplier at Reuters. "... jury that found Walmart breached its agreement to buy millions of boxes of nitrile gloves in the first 18 months of the COVID pandemic...The jury awarded Walmart $350,000 in damages based on evidence that London Luxury’s CEO was plotting to open their own nitrile glove factory in Florida." Read more   Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in shareholder letter says he’s committed to cost cutting while investing in [...]

  Two years after its historic win, a divided Amazon Labor Union lurches toward a leadership election at AP. "Two years after clinching a historic victory at a warehouse in New York City, the first labor union for Amazon workers in the United States is divided, running out of money and fighting over an election that could determine who will lead the group in the near future. Despite campaigns at several facilities in the past few years, the warehouse on Staten Island still is the only site in the U.S. where the retail giant’s workers have voted in favor of union [...]

  Amazon Sellers Plagued by Surge in Scam Returns at WSJ. "Amazon shoppers regularly switched Coach wallets for no-name dupes and Nike football cleats for flip-flops. She tried to get Amazon’s help, but filing complaints became a hit-or-miss process. She eventually changed her inventory and now sells consumable products like pet supplies, which has significantly reduced theft." WSJ subs.   Nearly half of Levi’s sales are happening online and in its shops, a shift as department stores fade at CNBC. "In the three months ended Feb. 25, direct-to-consumer sales made up a record 48% of overall sales at Levi’s, up [...]