Whole Foods employees work late on eve of Amazon takeover, prepping to lower prices by Taylor Soper at GeekWire. “Workers gathered in big groups and moved around the Whole Foods store in Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood Sunday evening, assessing items across different aisles. One employee told the group, “it’s going to be a long night. ”There were also non-Whole Foods employees with the group wearing “visitor” stickers — perhaps Amazon employees helping manage the transition.” Read more

 

…Senator questions quick approval of Amazon’s Whole Foods purchase via CNBC. “Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said in a statement on Friday that she was concerned about the FTC’s decision to “not fully review” the deal, which was announced on June 16.” Read more

 

Shopify’s E-Commerce Empire is Growing in Amazon’s Shadow by Gerrit De Vynck at Bloomberg. “Over the years, an entire ecosystem has grown up around Shopify, much like the one enveloping Amazon. Groups and forums on Facebook and Reddit are dedicated to the arcana of search engine optimization and conversion rates. Developers around the world have built hundreds of applications that merchants can add to their stores, from shoe size converters to supply-chain management tools.” Read more

 

How Barneys Is Navigating Luxury’s Slowdown by Phil Wahba at Fortune. “It’s a really hard thing to fight,” says Daniella Vitale, a former chief merchant and operations chief before becoming CEO earlier this year of the retail industry’s addiction to markdowns. As for being both high-end and low-end, she says “you cannot do it well and it is absolutely not sustainable.” Read more

 

Why Amazon Isn’t Ready for Prime Time in China by Liza Lin & Laura Stevens at Wall Street Journal. “Retail analysts say it is largely Chinese competition, and not the ground rules of doing business, that has challenged Amazon’s efforts here. Membership programs aren’t popular in China, and consultants say Amazon’s app for mobile phones—the shopping cart of choice in China—lags behind its competitors in ease of use and appeal.” Read more (subs.)

 

Taylor Swift teams up with Target to launch glossy Reputation album magazines by Rebecca Stuart at The Drum. “…taking shape in the form of a 72-page collectable magazine, which will only be availbale for purchase through the retailer. There are two volumes of the glossy, which will feature personal poetry, photos and artwork by the Swift, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the making of her music videos.” Read more

 

**A message from the Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show – get ready for the nation’s largest souvenir show! Browse 1,300+ booths filled with the latest introductions from every major souvenir and resort supplier. New for 2017, the show welcomes even more made in America products, a new Boardwalk section and a special spotlight on Gourmet gifts. September 13-16, 2017. Register Now | Exhibitor List

 

How Hollister Came Back From The Dead by Kim Bhasin & Lindsey Rupp at Bloomberg. “The brand is emphasizing fashion over billboarding, but de-emphasizing the logo brings risks—it’s already impossible to tell if some shirts or dresses came from H&M , Zara, or Forever 21.” Read more

 

Inside Amazon’s new downtown Portland offices by Malia Spencer at Portland Business Journal. 21 pics

 

Here’s why there might be a back-to-school retail slump by Ed Zwirn at NY Post. “School is going to start this year, but where’s the big rush?” says Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief retail analyst. “It hasn’t come yet.” In all, Cohen says he expects the money spent on getting students ready for school to grow by 2.5 percent to 3 percent when the dust settles on the season, which he defines as lasting through the end of September.” Read more

 

Unilever samples a new type of pop-up shop by Angelica LaVito at CNBC.”St. Ives has sold more than 10,000 lotions and scrubs at the mixing bar, Palentchar said. The store has been so successful that Unilever decided to keep it open for longer than initially planned. The store opened June 16 and was supposed to close at the end of July. It will now be open until Sept. 30.” Read more

 

Home Depot CEO Craig Menear delivers lunch to a senior veteran Read more/Video

 

Amazon exec investigated over alleged sexual remarks at NY Post. “Roy Price, the head of Amazon’s TV and film studio, was the subject of a company investigation after a complaint was made that he made unwanted sexual remarks to the producer of “The Man in the High Castle”.” Read more

 

Hudson’s Bay will review its options after activist pressure, sources say via CNBC. “The review will consider all available options, from the possibility of the company going private to potential sales of retail assets and real estate, the sources said, cautioning that no transaction is certain.” Read more

 

U.S. Box Office Had its Worst Weekend in More Than 15 Years via Fortune. “Another factor under inspection is Saturday evening’s UFC match which saw Floyd Mayweather beat Conor McGregor with a 10th-round TKO.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

UPS adding Taylor Swift art to the side of its delivery vans

Target May Have Just Leaked The Existence Of Bethesda’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Video Game

Sears pulls funding from student drama festival

Austin visit ‘inspires’ Tim Cook – 4 entrepreneurs get to show off their apps to Apple CEO

Christian Group Sues SPLC and Amazon Over ‘Hate Group’ Designation

Majority of U.S. consumers still download zero apps per month

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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