Walgreens Boots Alliance Reports FY 2024 Earnings “Fourth quarter sales increased 6.0 percent year-over-year…Fourth quarter operating loss was $978 million…comparable pharmacy sales increased 11.7 percent in the fourth quarter…comparable retail sales decreased 1.7 percent.” Press release

 

…Walgreens to close 1,200 US stores over the next three years at AP. “… about 500 store closures will come in the current fiscal year…Walgreens operates about 8,500 stores in the United States and a few thousand overseas. All of the stores that will be closed are in the United States.” Read more

 

True Value declares bankruptcy and sells itself to Do It Best at CNN. “True Value said it will continue day-to-day operations of selling hardware and other homeware tools to its 4,500 independently operated locations during the Chapter 11 process, which includes a $153 million stalking horse bid from rival company Do it Best. True Value said its stores will remain open, because they are not part of the bankruptcy proceedings.” Read more | Press release

 

Newsweek: America’s Best Online Shops 2025 (Home Depot #2 – Garden & Craft / Wayfair #1 – Home Living / BJ’s #2 – General) Full list

 

’Ugly’ fruit company owners get Walmart’s attention at Talk Business. “I was hauling away so much ugly fruit that was perfectly fine to eat at the time, load after load going to compost. I was eating it, and then I remembered my grandmother, who was Swedish, used to take the over-ripen fruit, slice it up and dry it on the roof for our snacks. That got me thinking that might be a business for me,” he said.” Read more

 

Bath & Body Works pulls candle packaging that some said evoked Ku Klux Klan at AP

 

Walmart names Seth Dallaire as new growth officer, adds other duties at Talk Business. “Since joining Walmart in 2021, Dallaire has led Walmart Connect, Walmart Data Ventures and Walmart+ teams and his expanded management duties now include marketing, design and product oversight.” Read more

 

***A message from Sensi Smart Thermostats. The smart thermostat category has moved into the mainstream. Mainstream consumers want a product they know and trust. Sensi is made by Copeland, a trusted company with over 100 years of HVAC experience. Sensi features a beautiful design, a top-rated app, data privacy and easy DIY install. Website | Details: info@eyeonretail.net

 

We checked out all 15 ‘Just Walk Out’ cashierless food and apparel shops at Lumen Field in Seattle at GeekWire

 

Amazon is using tech from a Khosla Ventures-backed startup to run robot warehouses at Whole Foods at CNBC. “The facility relies on warehouse automation technology from Fulfil, a San Francisco-based startup that develops robotic systems for grocers and other retailers, according to a person familiar with the matter and other corroborating information.” Read more

 

Target Announces Exclusive Official ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Book’ Available on Black Friday Press release

 

US calorie intake may reduce by trillions by 2030, grocery sales report says at USA Today

 

Americans love TJ Maxx. Here’s why big brands do, too at CNBC. “For this to benefit the brands, selling to off-price stores must be done discreetly. One way that T.J. Maxx accomplishes this is by making designer brands unsearchable on its website. Siegel says that if a company sells its inventory to T.J. Maxx, there is less brand dilution than if it were advertising clearance sales in its own stores.” Read more/Video

 

SpartanNash Acquiring Fresh Encounter Inc., a 49-store supermarket chain serving Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky Press release

 

Costco Members Are Buying Platinum. Should You? at WSJ. “Physical platinum bars being snapped up—just like gold and silver—can be trickier to sell than ETFs. Investors can easily lose 10% of the metal’s value by selling to a dealer…That is because the dealer takes on a lot of risk by buying from retail investors.” WSJ subs.

 

Tesla Optimus bots were controlled by humans during the ‘We, Robot’ event at TechCrunch