Target Announces Michael Fiddelke as Chief Operating Officer "Additionally, Target announced the upcoming retirement of chief legal and compliance officer Don Liu...Rick Gomez, currently Target's chief food & beverage officer, will oversee the retailer's frequency categories as chief food, essentials & beauty officer...Jill Sando, currently the retailer's chief merchandising officer, will oversee Target's discretionary categories as chief merchandising officer of apparel & accessories, home and hardlines." Press release   ...Five Questions with Michael Fiddelke "From a young age, my parents inspired both a strong work ethic and a taste for business. I grew up on a farm in Iowa. [...]

  Washington state sues to block proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons grocery chains at AP. "In a statement Monday, Kroger said it was pushing back its timeline for closing the deal due to ongoing dialogue with regulators, including state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission. It now anticipates the closure may occur in the first half of its fiscal year, which ends in mid-August." Read more   Canada's December inflation rose 3.4% - dashes hopes of early rate cut at Reuters   De Beers’ slashes diamond prices by as much as 25% at NY Post. "The hefty price [...]

  Inflation rose 0.3% in December from the previous month, more than expected at Fox Business   Shipment rates soar 4x after Red Sea attacks: CEO at Yahoo Finance   Neiman Marcus CEO says there’s ‘no need’ to sell the business as Saks takeover rumors swirl at CNBC. "Some people close to the companies have told CNBC a merger between the two is inevitable, and is a matter of when, not if. But Neiman’s CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck said there is currently “no process to sell the company.” Read more   H-E-B Holds Top Spot in dunnhumby's Annual Grocery Rankings [...]

  CES 2024: Everything revealed so far, from Nvidia and AI to Samsung’s Ballie robot at TechCrunch. "French startup Neoplants is showing off its progress with its houseplants that work as air purifiers designed for the home. The bio-engineered plants can, according to the company, replace 20 “regular” houseplants, as measured by how many pollutants the plants can remove from the air." Read more   ...CES 2024: all the TVs, laptops, smart home gear, and more from the show floor at The Verge   PepsiCo, Carrefour Bicker Over Who Dumped Whom at WSJ. "Regrettably, Carrefour has mischaracterized the chain of [...]

  Target Shoppers Are 'Getting Trampled' for a Limited Edition Valentine's Day Stanley Cup at People. "...released two Target-exclusive Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumblers. The tumblers come in Cosmo Pink and Target Red and are a part of the brand's "Galentine's Collection."...Another video on TikTok filmed at a Target in Goodyear, Arizona explained that tumblers sold out in less than four minutes. The video showed people of all ages rushing to grab one from the store's display stand." Read more   Carrefour pulls PepsiCo products over price hikes at Reuters. "From Thursday, shelves for PepsiCo products at Carrefour stores in France, [...]

  Maersk to decide on Red Sea route today after weekend attack at Reuters. "The container shipping giant on Sunday paused all Red Sea sailings for 48 hours following attempts by Yemen-based Houthi militants to board the Maersk Hangzhou. U.S. military helicopters repelled the assault and killed 10 of the attackers." Read more   ...Iranian warship enters Red Sea after U.S. destroys Houthi boats at CNBC   Where the CEO of Walmart U.S. Seeks Advice at WSJ. "Furner turns to (Univ. of Arkansas professor) Johnson for advice on management challenges ...sometimes the two ride bikes together and chat, said Johnson. [...]

  US retail sales grow 3.1% during holiday season - Mastercard report at Reuters. "The increase is lower than the 3.7% growth Mastercard forecast in September, and has slumped from last year's 7.6% as higher interest rates and inflation pressured consumer spending...Ecommerce sales grew at a slower pace of 6.3% from last year's 10.6%...apparel and restaurant categories rose 2.4% and 7.8%, respectively...while sales of electronics fell 0.4%." Read more   Maersk to resume Red Sea voyages with Operation Prosperity Guardian in place at Fox News. "More details were expected to be released in the coming days, according to Maersk, adding [...]

  South Korea will Police ‘Shrinkflation’ at the Supermarket at WSJ. "Starting next year, the country will require companies to disclose on their packages and websites when grocery items drop in volume, but not price. To ensure firms comply, South Korea is establishing a dedicated price-investigation team to monitor any fluctuations. Officials are considering levying fines, too." WSJ subs.   Ikea says products will be delayed due to Red Sea diversions at CNBC   Walgreens’s Ambitions Lean on Its Technology. First, It Has to Build Up Its IT Department. at WSJ. "Walgreens Boots Alliance is on its third chief information [...]