“Costco:  Peanut Butter from Bankrupt Vendor “not merchantable”, 950,000 Jars sent to Landfill” by Jeri Clausing at ABC News.  “After extensive testing, Costco agreed to a court order authorizing the trustee to sell it the peanut butter. But after getting eight loads, Costco rejected it as “not merchantable” because of leaky peanut oil…instead of selling or donating the peanut butter, with a value estimated at $2.6 million, the estate is paying about $60,000 to haul the 950,000 jars of nut butter — or about 25 tons — to the Curry County landfill in Clovis, where public works director Clint Bunch says it “will go in with our regular waste and covered with dirt.”  Read more

 

“Four New Fresh Grocery Concepts Invade St. Louis” by Kavita Kumar at St. Louis Post Dispatch.  “At least four such companies plan to set up shop — if they haven’t already — in the region…Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, Lucky’s Market, the Fresh Market and Fields Foods…“Our center store is fresh,” said Chris Sherrell, president of CEO of Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, which is planning to open 10 to 12 stores in this region. “Their center store is Coke and Doritos.”  Read more

 

Comp Sales:

Fred’s: +.1% Q4, +.6% FY ’13  Read the release

Restoration Hardware:  +17% Q4, +27% FY ’13  Read the release

Gamestop:  +7.8% Q4, +3.8% FY ’13  Read the release

 

“Wal-Mart Sues Visa for $5 Billion Over ‘Swipe Fees’ “ by Shelly Banjo at WSJ.  “Smaller retailers settled over the issue in July 2012, but dozens of large merchants including Wal-Mart, Target Corp. and Macy’s Inc. opted out so they could pursue suits of their own—hence the suit filed this week.”  Read more

 

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“Neiman Eyes First NYC Store” by James Covert at NY Post.  “The Dallas-based upscale department store is nearing a deal to open a flagship store at Hudson Yards, the mega-development under construction on Manhattan’s West Side, The Post has learned.” Read more

 

“Lowe’s: Great Horned Owl Sets up Shop in Omaha Store” at KETV 7 Omaha.  “Store employees preparing the garden center at a northwest Omaha Lowe’s made an unusual discovery.  They found a baby Great Horned Owl that had likely been there for several weeks.”  See the video / Read more

 

“Selling Your Product to Walmart…or Not” by Rakesh Sharma at Forbes.  “When megastore Walmart.com approached Peak Design, a San Francisco-based outfit, to sell their products on the retailer’s site, they were in for a surprise: the startup declined their offer.  “They (major retailers) take their pound of flesh,” says Peter Dering, founder of the startup that makes camera accessories. He is referring to Walmart’s product margins and high turnover.”  Read more

 

“Random:  Russia dairy plant closed after workers’ milk bath” by Sergei L. Loikoi at LA Times.  “A Siberian dairy products plant was temporarily closed Friday after its workers had been found bathing in milk…In the photographs and video clips posted on New Year’s Eve by the dairy worker Artyom Romanov, a group of undressed employes relaxes in a container of milk as part of their New Year celebration. While still partly undressed, they then demonstrated cheese making in a clownish manner.” Read more

 

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