Lowe’s Q4 comp sales +1.7% (vs. expected +2.1%) / US +2.4% Press release

 

…CNBC: Lowe’s shares dip as sales fall short of Wall Street expectations “We anticipate continued weakness in the Canadian housing market in the near-term, but remain confident in our market position in Canada and the long-term potential of that business,” Ellison said.” Read more

 

Best Buy Q4 comp sales +3.0% (vs. expected +2.03%) Press release

 

…Reuters: Best Buy holiday-quarter sales beat estimates; shares surge “The company said domestic online revenue rose 9.3 percent to $2.96 billion in the fourth quarter, primarily due to higher conversion rates and increased traffic.” Read more

 

TJX Q4 comp sales +6.0% Press release

 

Walmart asks suppliers to help reduce plastic waste in packaging by Kim Souza at Talk Business. “By 2025, Walmart said 100% of its private brand packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable.” Read more

 

Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs faces resistance to smart city project in Toronto by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire. “It’s only been a few weeks since Amazon canceled plans to build a New York headquarters amid growing opposition to the deal — and it looks like the project’s opponents have emboldened activists in other cities.” Read more

 

Office Depot Retail Division comp sales -5.0% Press release

 

Activist Investors, eBay Nearing Settlement by Cara Lombardo & Dana Cimilluca at Wall Street Journal. “The three parties are discussing a deal in which Elliott and Starboard would receive multiple board seats, according to people familiar with the matter. The company would also agree to perform an operational review focused on improving profitability and a full-company strategic review.” WSJ subs.

 

HELP WANTED – Walmart searching for new lead spokesman to replace Greg Hitt by Kim Souza at Talk Business. Read more

 

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ACSI Customer Satisfaction Report:

• Costco #1 Discount
• Kroger #1 Health & Personal Care
• Trader Joe’s #1 Supermarket
• Costco #1 Internet

Press release | Download free report

 

Alison Coville will step down as President of Hudson’s Bay and Home Outfitters, effective March 1st, 2019 Press release

 

Walmart Joins Amazon in Chase for Ad Dollars by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “Walmart hopes that if “I’m the CMO of a large branded manufacturer I now think about Walmart as a network I can go advertise on,” said Steve Bratspies, chief merchandising officer for Walmart U.S.” WSJ subs.

 

The 2019 World’s Most Ethical Companies (Kohl’s, Best Buy, H&M) by Ethisphere. List

 

The US Federal Trade Commission has successfully brought the first ever case against using fraudulent, paid Amazon reviews to falsely advertise an online product by Nick Statt at The Verge. ” The company in question…paid a third-party website to write five-star Amazon reviews for a weight-loss supplement called garcinia cambogia. The plant…is widely mischaracterized as contributing to weight loss, but is in fact known to cause acute liver failure.” Read more

 

Home Depot Q4 2018 Earnings Call Transcript at Seeking Alpha. Transcript

 

FedEx partners with Walmart, Pizza Hut to test last-mile delivery robot at Reuters. “FedEx is teaming up with DEKA Development & Research Corp, whose founder Dean Kamen invented the Segway stand-up scooter and iBot stair-climbing wheelchair, for its project. The delivery company said the robots could become part of its SameDay service that operates in 1,900 cities around the world.” Read more

 

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