Amazon aims to expand advertising business by letting retailers use its ad tools on their stores at CNBC. “The service could provide Amazon with valuable data it can use to bolster its ad prediction and recommendation technology. The company said early customers include health and wellness retailer iHerb, Asian grocery startup Weee! and Oriental Trading Co., which sells toys, party and craft supplies.” Read more

 

Costco December comp sales (ex-fuel & f/x) +9.9%: US +9.8% / Canada +10.3% / Int’l +9.8% / Ecom +35.7% “E-commerce sales in December were positively impacted by an estimated 15 percentage points, due to Thanksgiving / Black Friday / Cyber Monday occurring a week later this year versus last year. Total and comparable sales were positively impacted by approximately one and one-half percent as a result of the shift in E-commerce sales.” Press release

 

REI to lay off over 400 employees in elimination of “Experiences” division at King 5. “The division includes adventure travel, day tours and classes…(CEO) Artz said the division costs “significantly” more to run than it makes, and REI is losing millions of dollars each year to operate Experiences.” Read more

 

Albertsons Companies, Inc. Q3 identical sales +2.0% Press release

 

dunnhumby RPI Ranks H-E-B as Top U.S. Grocer / Costco #3, Sam’s #8, Walmart #11 “The battle for first place that raged from 2017-2022, has now turned into a battle for second. In the last three years, H-E-B has separated itself from the rest of the top five…” Press release

 

Union dockworkers, port employers announce tentative deal at East Coast and Gulf ports at CNBC

 

Target Is Expanding Its Wellness Assortment with 2,000 New Items, More Than Half Under $10 Press release

 

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Ottawa targets raft of U.S. goods, including steel products and Florida orange juice, for tariffs at Globe & Mail

 

7-Eleven owner’s CFO says buyout proposals lack detail at Financial Post. “We are considering all options, and whether they are feasible,” Maruyama said after the Japanese operator of 7-Eleven stores reported quarterly results Thursday. “Both proposals have hurdles to make an acquisition possible. We haven’t received details of those solutions, so the ball is on the side of those proposing buyouts.” Read more

 

Shein aims for London IPO by mid-year, sources say at Reuters

 

Flipkart hires co-founder of Indian delivery startup Dunzo, as the Walmart-owned e-commerce group expands its quick-commerce business in India at TechCrunch

 

Barnes & Noble sells ‘a better book’ than Amazon: CEO credits bookstore experience at GeekWire. “In a new segment on “PBS News Hour”, James Daunt said the once-mighty Barnes & Noble has come “back from the brink”…With a renewed focus on selling books instead of lots of other stuff, and buoyed by an increase in readers during the pandemic, Barnes & Noble opened nearly 60 stores around the country last year and it has plans for 60 more in 2025.” Read more/Video

 

EBay shares soar after Meta allows listings on Facebook Marketplace in U.S., Europe at CNBC

 

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