“Costco Miss:  November Same-Store Sales Up 2% vs. expected 3.3%” at Reuters.  “Excluding the negative impact of foreign exchange and falling gasoline prices, same-store sales rose 4 percent.  For the twelve-week first quarter ended Nov. 24, the company reported net sales of $24.47 billion, an increase of five percent.”  Read more

 

“Costco’s Earnings Release”  Read here

 

“Dollar General Q3:  Same-Store Sales Up 4.4%”  “Net sales increased 10.5 percent to $4.38 billion in the 2013 third quarter compared to $3.96 billion in the 2012 third quarter. Same-store sales increased 4.4 percent, with increases in both customer traffic and average transaction value…with the most significant growth due to strong sales of tobacco products, perishables and candy and snacks.”  Read more

 

“Kroger expected to report $277M profit” by Alexander Coolidge at Cincy Enquirer.  “That would represent a 12.6 percent decline from the same period a year ago when the Cincinnati-based supermarket chain reported a $317 million profit.  Wall Street analysts also forecast Kroger will report sales rose 4.1 percent to $22.7 billion, up from $21.8 billion a year ago, according to Bloomberg.” Read more

 

“Kroger sees customers’ favorite charities as the key to loyalty” by Alexander Coolidge at Cincy Enquirer.  “In a new twist on giving, the nation’s largest supermarket chain also aims to bag more customers and bigger sales receipts. It’s rolling out a nationwide program that lets loyalty card holders select charities to which Kroger will donate, based on dollars they spend in stores.”  Read more

 

“Costco’s Website Loads the Quickest: 3 Times Faster than Walmart” by Jon Love at Internet Retailer.  “Apple Inc.’s e-commerce site posted the fastest Internet Explorer response time and Costco posted the fastest time in Firefox tests in November, says Compuware.”  Read more

 

“@WalmartNewsroom Has Fun with Amazon Drone Story” via Twitchy.   “Walmart’s tweet included a link to a fake news story titled ‘Walmart to Install Surface-to-Air Missiles on Store Rooftops to Shoot Down Amazon Drones’.  Read more / See the Tweet

 

“Target:  Shhh…We Finished our ‘Buy Online – Pick-Up in Store’ Roll Out (3 weeks early!)” by Thomas Lee at Star-Tribune.  “Target did not make a big splash, which makes it easier for them to first get the hang of it ,” Koo said. “It’s a real good thing to ease into it rather than make a big blowout statement.”  Even now, the service remains rather low key. Koo said a store she recently visited was only filling 10 to 15 orders a day.”  Read more

 

“Home Depot Stores Busy in Memphis: Ice Melt Sold Out as Customers Prepare for Ice Storm” by Jessica Gertler at WREG 3 Memphis.  “The icy threat has hundreds of people flocking to stores to stock up on supplies.  Some hardware stores have already sold out of salt to make ice melt.  The Home Depot in Midtown was packed Wednesday.  Make sure you have plenty of batteries and flashlights,” said customer Robert Brown at the check out line.”  See the Video / Read more

 

“Aldi Partners with Celebrity Chef to Open Pop-Up Restaurant – But it’s Only Open for One Day” at Retail Gazette.  “Aldi has partnered with celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli to open a pop-up restaurant in London for one day only…A four course meal will be created and cooked by Michelni starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli using Aldi food.”  Read more

 

 ” ‘Target Effect’ Causing Disinflation in Canada? by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail.  “The central bank left its key overnight interest unchanged at 1 per cent Wednesday, citing a heightened risk of even lower inflation. The bank blamed excess supply in the economy and heightened competition in the retail sector, which it said are proving to be “more persistent than anticipated.”  Read more

 

“San Francisco company serves as match marker for pop-ups & retailers” by Nellie Bowles at SF Gate.  “What is the main street for? It’s no longer the butcher, baker and candlestick maker – there’s a new set of shops, and what does that look like?” Keenan, 31, said recently in SoMa. “It looks like rotating pop-up shops.”  He argues that the way people think about retail space is antiquated. It takes a long time to fill vacancies, can require thousands of dollars in legal fees, and typical leases – 10 to 20 years – aren’t practical for a lot of retailers.”  Read more

 

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