Seattle council approves worker-scheduling law by Janet I. Tu at Seattle Times. “Councilmember M. Lorena González, one of the council members who spearheaded the effort, said: “We are shifting the power to workers.” Cheers erupted after the vote tally, with many in the audience waving “Our Time Counts” signs.” Read more / See the pics

 

GAS SHORTAGE – Pipeline Break Lights a Fire Under Gasoline Prices Across Southeast by Nicole Friedman & Alison Sider at Wall Street Journal. “Some areas are experiencing gasoline shortages. In Atlanta, Dean’s Midtown sold out of regular gasoline on Sunday; it ran out of premium unleaded the next day…Shawn McClary, a facilities manager at Georgia Public Broadcasting, said Dean’s, a Shell station, was the fifth gas station he used to gas up his fleet of nine vans after four other gas stations had run out.” Read more (subscription)

 

Retailers push coats, scarves amid humid weather by Krystina Gustafson at CNBC. “…with the forecast calling for a hotter end to September than last year, some retailers were already showcasing their outerwear. On a store tour over the weekend, Jefferies analyst Randal Konik said the assortment at Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap skewed heavily toward cold-weather apparel. That included puffer jackets at Abercrombie, and outwear and scarves at Gap.” Read more

 

Virginia Beach has a problem with the way Wal-Mart stores are stashing goods for the holidays by Stacy Parker at Virginian-Pilot. “The City Council will vote today to allow a limited number of containers at Wal-Mart Supercenters on Nimmo Parkway, Lynnhaven Parkway and Phoenix Drive. Wal-Mart has two years to use them between Sept. 15 and Jan. 15 and must apply for additional permits after that. The city eventually wants Wal-Mart to get rid of them altogether.” Read more

 

Walmart will pay Jet.com’s Marc Lore more than $250 million in stock over five years by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Separate from these incentives, Lore will receive somewhere between $450 million and $750 million in cash from the deal.” Read more

 

This Woman Is Feeding Thousands In Need By Couponing Like A Boss by Elyse Wanshel at Huffington Post. “Puryear hopes to feed 30,000 people by her 30th birthday, on Sept. 14, 2017…“Some stores have limits on how much you can buy, so sometimes I have to get my friends to come with me to buy it and bring their cars so we can transport it,” she said.” Read more

 

**Shop Bold New Trends from 2,400+ Home, Handmade + Lifestyle Gift brands at NY NOW this Feb. NY NOW, the industry leader bringing innovation & design across Home, Lifestyle Gift + Handmade collections, will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC this February 4 – 8, 2017. Explore the widest breadth of product – hundreds of new brand introductions, emerging global trends and the unexpected new discoveries you’ll want to add to your 1st quarter product mix. 2016 show recap video. NY NOW is your source for volume buying & private label programs. Visit www.nynow.com for comprehensive market details. Registration opens mid-October.

 

Costco and Walmart Unleash New Office Supplies Delivery Services to Shake Up Staples, Office Depot by Brian Sozzi at The Street. ” On Monday, a Costco Business Center in San Diego will start offering a two-hour, same-day delivery service via a partnership with upstart delivery company Instacart. The service will launch with the capability to ship groceries to small businesses such as local restaurant owner.” Read more

 

Instacart doubles delivery zone in San Diego by Jennifer Van Grove at San Diego Union-Tribune. “Monday, the company is expanding its coverage area to include the city’s coastal towns, ranging from Point Loma and Ocean Beach all the way up to Torrey Pines…estimated reach of 800,000 people in the city.” Read more

 

These 150 stores are expected to avoid Macy’s chopping block by Andy Brownfield at Cincinnati Business Courier. See the list

 

Ex-Restoration Hardware CIO Joins Petco in Same Role “Petco today announced that it has hired John Zavada as senior vice president and CIO; and added William Engen to the company’s leadership team as senior vice president, retail market expansion.” Press release

 

Kmart to close 64 more stores across the U.S. by Charisse Jones at USA Today. “Liquidation sales will begin on Sept. 22, and the stores will close their doors in mid-December, according to the person,who did not want to be named.” Read more

 

Overstock hires a Wal-Mart vet to oversee its supply chain by Matt Linder at Denver Post. “Overstock hired Vidya Jwala to be its new senior vice president of demand fulfillment. The position is new to the retailer and is essentially a revamped version of the senior vice president of merchandising role.” Read more

 

Alden Global reports 9.5 percent stake in Pier 1 Imports via Denver Post. Read more

 

Amazon appears to be opening a brick-and-mortar bookstore in the Boston area by Curt Woodward at Boston Globe. “Job postings on its corporate website show that Amazon is hiring for nearly 20 positions at a new bookstore at the Legacy Place mall in Dedham. Those workers, Amazon notes, “are in the unique position of being face-to-face with our customers.” Read more

 

‘Dramatic’ fall in UK shop openings, a new report shows at BBC. “It found 20,804 shops opened in the UK between January and the end of June, down 15% on the second half of 2015.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Belk College Alumnus, Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock Honored by AACSB

Watch out, Amazon: Autonomous delivery robots may come to Seattle thanks to Skype co-founders

Wal-Mart, others alleged to have used copyrighted fabric design without authorization

LA Times: Which fast-food chains served the meat, held the antibiotics?

Study: 72% of millennials will shop online this year – 58% will make purchases via their mobile device

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

 

QUICK-SUBSCRIBE to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here