“Kroger rolls out three new store brands” by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Bus. Courier.  “Customers are seeing the brands – Psst, Check This Out and Heritage Farm – on hundreds of Kroger’s private-label products.  “These brands all are designed to reflect the good quality and excellent value customers expect from Kroger,” McMullen told the audience. He told me after the meeting that the new brands cover the lower price point of Kroger’s private-label brands.” Read more

 

“Target Announces LEED Certification for all 124 Canada Store Locations” at Nassau News Live.  “Previously, Target announced certification of the first 68 stores and with today’s announcement the remaining 56 stores that opened in 2013 are now LEED certified.” Read the release

 

“Costco opens 150,000 sq. ft. store  in Long Island (Permit issued day before opening)” at Riverhead Local.  “It’s been a bumpy road to opening day…The Town of Riverhead didn’t issue a certificate of occupancy for the new store until yesterday…The store’s gasoline facility was not operational pending clearance from the Riverhead fire marshal’s office…Riverhead Councilman John Dunleavy was the only town official on hand for today’s 7:45 a.m. ribbon cutting. ” Read more

 

“Former Walmart China Employees Prepare to File Suit” by John Ruwitch at Reuters.  “Labour activists, scholars and lawyers have closely followed the case because the store’s branch of the state-run All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) has taken the unusual step of leading the protest. Critics say the ACFTU – the only legal union in China – has long prioritised stability over worker’s rights and interests, and has a history of sitting out disputes or siding with management.” Read more

 

“Michaels IPO Prices at Low End, but Bain & Blackstone Get Big Payday” by Phil Wahba & Dan Primack at Fortune.  “Michaels priced shares in its initial public offering for $17 on Thursday, according to a report by CNBC. While the pricing is at the low end of the $17-$19 range Michaels had estimated last week, the deal values Michaels at $3.45 billion.” Read more

 

LA Times Hits CVS: “At CVS, only the very rich get much richer” by David Lazarus.  “The top workers at CVS stores — those earning the highest hourly wage for their job classification — are “red lined” by the company and receive no raises at all.I can say that because I have my hands on an internal CVS document — the company’s 2014 Wage Management Guidelines — spelling out the pay ranges for different positions and caps on raises.” Read more

 

“Wal-Mart works to reduce higher inventory levels” by Kim Souza at The City Wire.  “A veteran Walmart employee who manages the back room of a Walmart Supercenter told the City Wire recently during Wal-Mart shareholder week that consumables rarely stack up, but apparel, home and seasonal merchandise are often carried over from year to year. “My store is sitting on three years of school supplies.” Read more

 

“Seattle: First ‘marijuana-infused-food truck’ hits the streets” by Ashley Stewart at Puget Sound Bus. Journal.  “It will be a while before recreational marijuana retailers can sell edibles, state leaders announced this week. But those rules don’t apply to medical marijuana dispensers, and a Seattle-based company called Magic Butter Studios is taking advantage of that.” Read more

 

“Walmart Cuts iPhone Prices” by Katie Lobosco at CNN Money.  “Walmart said it is cutting the price for both the iPhone 5s and 5c beginning 9 a.m. Friday.  With a two-year contract, a 16-gigabyte iPhone 5S will cost $99, coming down from $149. The 16-gigabyte iPhone 5c will be $29, down from $49.  The deal is only for purchases made at Walmart stores, not online.” Read more

 

“Report: Amazon to launch new local takeout service” at CNBC.  “Amazon is rolling out a new takeout food service to rival industry leaders GrubHub, Seamless and DeliveryHero, TechCrunch reported Thursday…The delivery service was quietly launched on Tuesday in Seattle, Washington, via Apple’s iOS, but was taken down. It’s expected to go live again soon.” Read more

 

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