Lowe’s poaches J.C Penney CEO Marvin Ellison at CNBC. “Lowe’s announced Tuesday it is naming Ellison president and CEO, effective July 2. Ellison will take over for Robert A. Niblock, who previously announced his intention to retire.” Read more

 

Kohl’s Q1 Comp Sales +3.6% (vs. 2.7% expected) at Fox Business. “Revenue rose 3.5 percent to $4.21 billion and exceeded expectations of $3.95 billion.” Read more

 

TJX Q1 Comp Sales +3.0% Press release

 

Advance Auto Parts Q1 Comp Sales -0.8% Press release

 

AutoZone Q3 Comp Sales +0.6% Press release

 

Banned From Amazon: The Shoppers Who Make Too Many Returns by Khadeeja Safdar & Laura Stevens at Wall Street Journal. “You don’t realize how intertwined a company is with your daily routine, until it’s shut off.” He finally got back on the site after receiving credits that he asked Amazon how to redeem. “Most people think Amazon is so extraordinarily generous, but that’s until you realize you have crossed the line.” Read more (subs.)

 

Fortune 500 2018 (Walmart #1, CVS #7, Amazon #8, Costco #15, Kroger #17, Walgreens #18) List

 

**A message from 2018 Sweets & Snacks Expo – The fun starts today! The single largest gathering of confectionery & snack companies under one roof! Chicago, May 22-24. Website | Exhibitors

 

Best Buy expands Geek Squad’s role with nationwide rollout of ‘Total Tech Support’ by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “The service, which costs $200 a year, gives customers unlimited phone, online and in-store support on certain services…began piloting the service in the U.S. about a year ago in about 60 stores. In September, it expanded it to about 200 stores…In the last year, about 230,000 people have signed up for the service and have used it more than 400,000 times, the company says.” Read more (Tiered subs.)

 

Ex-Academy & Meijer President J.K. Symancyk Named PetSmart CEO Press release

 

Dollar General launches exclusive products for summer “Hershey’s Military Collection…Steven Tyler Out on a Limb DVD…Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Chocolate with Marshmallows…Crisp Apple and Tangerine Clementine ChapStick…” Press release

 

Kroger CEO: Company pursuing ‘aggressive plays’ by Steve Watkins at Cincinnati Business Courier. “Kroger is right in the middle of such a reinvention,” McMullen said in the shareholder letter. “We are proactively addressing customer changes and we’re making strategic investments to create the future of retail…” Read more

 

Pilot J denies it stopped flying U.S. flag because it offended foreigners by Noah Feit at The State. Read more

 

Shoplifters meet their match as retailers deploy facial recognition cameras by Tim Johnson at McClatchy. “We can match a face against the database of 25 million people in just under a second. Two or three years ago, that was just unheard of,” said Peter Trepp, chief executive of FaceFirst, an Encino, California, firm that is a leader in retail surveillance tools.” Read more

 

Saks Offers Facial Workouts, Threaded Brows in Cosmetics Redo by Sandrine Rastello at Bloomberg. Read more (Tiered subs.)

 

Mexican truckers travel in fear as highway robberies bleed economy at Reuters. “On the most dangerous roads, like those connecting Mexico City with major ports on the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific, it is almost certain that one in every two truckers will be held up, a study by U.S.-based security firm Sensitech showed.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Grocery Chain Removes ‘Best Before’ Stickers to Reduce Food Waste

Nordstrom Hosts ‘The Boys in the Band’

People are selling their royal wedding gift bags on eBay

Retail-ready packaging on trend & required by Walmart

Amazon’s India business alone is likely worth more than all of Macy’s

Walmart quietly launches a ‘members-only’ personal shopping service for affluent city moms

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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