Introducing the 2017 Fortune 500 List (Walmart #1, CVS #7, Costco #16, Kroger #18, Home Depot #23) Full list | Biggest Jumps | Most Profitable

 

At Home Q1 Comp Sales +5.8% Press release

 

Tops Q1 Comp Sales -3.4% Press release

 

Duluth Trading Co. Q1 Net Sales +21.9% Press release

 

Claire’s Q1 Comp Sales +4.4% / North America +0.3% Press release

 

United Natural Foods Q3 Net Sales +11.1% Press release

 

Walmart built a giant vending machine that retrieves groceries by Hayley Peterson at Business Insider. “(Walmart) is testing a giant self-service kiosk in the parking lot of a supercenter in Warr Acres, Oklahoma, where customers can pick up online grocery orders without interacting with employees.” Pics/Read more

 

Kohl’s kicks off summer internship program by Melanie Lawder at Milwaukee Business Journal. “Over the next few months, the 170 interns placed at (HQ) will be immersed in Kohl’s culture, mentored by employees, tasked with real work assignments and come in contact with the organization’s leaders…” Pics/Read more

 

Macy’s considering turning Big Apple store roof into public park by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “Macy’s brass are considering plans to develop the rooftop of its massive 2.2 million-square-foot 34th Street store, adding restaurants and open green space, including trees and benches, it said Tuesday.” Read more

 

…Macy’s has identified at least 50 of its 841 stores that are ripe for a parking lot makeover — or other type of real estate repurposing. “We don’t need the massive parking lots that we had in the 1970s,” Doug Sessler, the head of Macy’s real estate division, told analysts during the company’s investor day on Tuesday.” Read more

 

Dallas Is The Home Of The World’s First Energy-Positive Big Box Store by Dan Solomon at Texas Monthly. “The (TreeHouse) store is the first big-box (27,000 square foot) retailer in the world that’s not just carbon-neutral, but which is actually “energy positive”—that is, which generates more electricity than it uses, feeding the excess back into the grid with the help of Tesla Powerpack batteries.” Read more

 

**A Message from Headache Hat – Wearable Ice Pack = The Original Hands-Free Migraine Fighter! High-tech stretch material is form fitting, soft and stylish. Contains 24 real ice cubes coated in thin plastic. Wrap around your head and enjoy 2 hours of cold ice. Cubes individually moveable to target pain points. No more lukewarm gel packs! Hundreds of rave reviews & named a top product by The Migraine World Summit. See it here now. Request sample @ info@eyeonretail.net

 

KROGER – For the first time in more than four decades, downtown Cincinnati will have a grocery store by Chris Wetterich at Cincinnati Business Courier. Pics/Read more

 

…CEO Rodney McMullen: Kroger has been working with city officials on a downtown Cincinnati store for about a decade by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Business Courier. Read more

 

Dollar Tree countersues Dollar Express, alleges funds siphoned via Business Insider. “Dollar Tree accused Sycamore of siphoning tens of millions of dollars from Dollar Express, failing to pay for at least $50 million in goods and services provided to Dollar Express during a transition period and failing to rebrand Family Dollar stores as Dollar Express.” Read more

 

Love’s Travel Stops names new vice president, director at FleetOwner. “Gary Price has been promoted to vice president of operations, and Tony Cribb has been promoted to division director.” Read more

 

Home Depot Runs 100,000 Radio Commercials — In One Week at Radio Ink. “That’s more than double the number two advertiser GEICO (42,250)….Lowe’s fell completely out of the Media Monitors top ten to 11th…AutoZone was 4th (26,030).” Read more

 

Sears is closing 66 more stores by Kevin McCoy at USA Today. “The closing will include 49 Kmart stores and 17 Sears stores, with most closing by September.” Read more

 

Ikea Canada on target to double its footprint by 2025, says new president by Linda Nguyen at Canadian Press via Vancouver Sun. “Its plan is to have 24 locations by 2025, with one store slated for opening in Halifax in the fall and another in Quebec City by the summer of 2018.” Read more

 

The U.S. government’s patent chief has just unexpectedly resigned by Tony Romm at Recode. Read more

 

Sears resolves its spat with Craftsman power-tool vendor One World by Michael Sheetz at CNBC. Read more

 

…Sears sues second Craftsman vendor to maintain tool supply by Becky Yerak at Chicago Tribune. “Ideal, under a “transition” period in the contract, however, is supposed to continue to supply products for six months, through the end of October, but Ideal did so for only one month, Sears alleges.” Read more

 

CHARLOTTE – Harris Teeter Goes Retro in Publix Battle by Katherine Peralta at Charlotte Observer. “Publix may have opened in South End two years ago, but the retro logo adorning the new Harris Teeter on South Boulevard, just half a mile away from its rival, sends a clear message: “We were this neighborhood’s original grocery store.” Read more

 

bebe stores, inc. Announces Completion of Reorganization Press release

 

Relax, it’s just close friends Bill Gates and Warren Buffett testing mattresses at Nebraska Furniture Mart by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire. “Gates shared a new blog post and video about his trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart, a megastore owned by Buffett’s company. As if it was cut from Hollywood’s latest buddy comedy, the video showcases why Gates and Buffett have remained close for more than 25 years.” Pic/Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Mom arrested for yanking son’s teeth out with pliers at Walmart bathroom

Man set fires at Home Depot, townhouse complex after he was turned down for job

Tracy Morgan refuses to testify under oath in Walmart insurance dispute

Macy’s warning crashes stock, sinks shares of rival retailers

Jack Trout, Co-Author of ‘Positioning,’ Dies at 82

Colombian grocery delivery app Mercadoni raises $6.2M

Etsy really wants to keep Etsy sellers away from Shopify

Netflix, ABC Hacker Promises More Leaks: “Hollywood Is Under Attack”

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

**

Eye on Retail Tipsheet is must-read material for 20,000+ retail execs every weekday morning. Tipsheet stories are carefully curated bright and early every morning to ensure fresh and unique content.

 

Subscribe to Eye on Retail Tipsheet here

 

Contact us: Send story tips, press releases and advertising inquiries to info@eyeonretail.net

 

Website: www.eyeonretail.net