Bezos attends Golden Globes – Fallon gives nod with joke by Alan Boyle at GeekWire. “He actually arrived yesterday, but there was no one around to sign for him,” said Fallon…Bezos, who was sitting at one of the head tables in the Beverly Hilton ballroom, laughed as loud as anyone.” Read more

 

Brewer to retire as Sam’s Club CEO, John Furner picked to lead the club division at The City Wire. “The retirement agreement shows that Brewer will remain a Wal-Mart employee through January 2019…She is also prevented from participating in a business that competes with the Company that exceeds certain revenue thresholds…Given that Brewer is not circulating back through Wal-Mart’s executive ranks likely indicates the retirement was not solely her idea, (Ellstrand) added.” Read more

 

Neiman Marcus withdraws IPO amid declining sales by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. Read more

 

Is There Time for QVC in the Age of Amazon? by Paul Ziobro at Wall Street Journal. “Anything and everything is already available online and there are all kinds of niche sites out there to help people discover new items,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, chief retail strategist for conference producer Shoptalk. “That’s something available in spades anywhere you turn online.” Read more (subscription)

 

Nordstrom brings visibility to South Korean products in temporary KPop-In shops at Luxury Daily. “KPop-In@Nordstrom will be found online at www.Nordstrom.com/POP and at Nordstrom’s Seattle, Bellevue, WA, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Vancouver and Toronto.” Read more

 

Walgreens quietly tests in-store eye exams in Chicago by Lisa Schencker at Chicago Tribune. “Walgreens is testing the idea with a clinic on the second floor of a flagship store in the Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue. The clinic, which opened last month, offers eye exams by licensed optometrists and opticians as well as contact lenses and glasses for purchase.” Read more

 

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank stresses innovation during CES keynote by Jeff Berman at Baltimore Business Journal. “Under Armour celebrated its 20th year in 2016 and “there’s no better place to turn 21 than Las Vegas,” he joked, drawing laughs from the audience.” Read more

 

Amazon to open second brick-and-mortar bookstore in Mass. by Janelle Nanos at Boston Globe. “We are excited for Amazon Books to come to MarketStreet Lynnfield in 2017. Stay tuned for additional details down the road,” said Nanci Horn, the shopping center’s general manager.” Read more

 

Tourneau store near Trump Tower loses $2 million in sales by Josh Kosman at NY Post. Read more

 

The USDA picks 7 retailers to test food stamp use online by James Melton at Internet Retailer. “Companies selected, and the states where they will accept SNAP payment are: Amazon.com in Maryland, New Jersey and New York. FreshDirect in New York. Safeway in Maryland, Oregon and Washington. ShopRite in  Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Hy-Vee in Iowa. Hart’s Local Grocers in New York. Dash’s Market in New York.” Read more

 

‘OZ’ – THE ONLY WAY YOU SEE EDDIE IS THROUGH A SCREEN – Inside Sears’ death spiral by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider. “One morning in late 2015, on Sears’ vast Illinois campus, more than a dozen employees huddled in a videoconference room on a floor dubbed “B6.” There two mid-level employees were preparing a presentation for the CEO, Eddie Lampert, when their boss rushed in with some last-minute advice. On a chart pad he wrote three words. “He looks at the presenters and says, ‘Do not say these words to that guy,'” according to a former Sears executive who described the meeting to Business Insider…One of the words on it was “consumer.” Read more

 

The Limited Is Closing All 250 of Its Stores by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “A message on The Limited’s web site said the retailer would continue to sell items online. But it’s not clear how much longer that will last.” Read more

 

As Sephora Adds Products, Rivalry Heats Up at Its Stores by Khadeeja Safdar & Sharon Terlep at Wall Street Journal. “To sell at Sephora, which has more than 2,300 stores around the world, brands can pay more than 60% from each sale, a higher rate than at most department stores and specialty retailers, according to people familiar with the matter.” Read more (subscription)

 

Walmart-Visa truce could mean higher fees: CFIB via Toronto Star. “Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the CFIB, says he suspects Walmart was able to negotiate a reduction in merchant fees — a move that could impact smaller merchants. “Typically whenever there is a special deal created for one large merchant, it happens at the expense of smaller merchants,” he said.” Read more

 

Davidoff Hutcher Sued For $1M By Sports Authority Creditor by Kali Hayes at Law 360. “…claims the firm improperly advised it as a creditor in the bankruptcy of Sports Authority, leading it to lose ownership of certain consigned inventory.” Read more (subscription)

 

Amazon’s store of the future has no cashiers, but humans are watching from behind the scenes by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “Recode has learned that Amazon has staff on call behind the scenes to assist the computer vision system that is supposed to detect which items a shopper pulls off a shelf and carries out of the store.” Read more

 

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