Walmart to invest $1.2 billion in China to upgrade logistics at Reuters. “Walmart plans to invest 8 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) in China over the next 10 years to upgrade logistics, the U.S. retail giant said on its social media account Monday.” Read more

 

PRWeek ranks the most powerful communicators in the industry (Carney/Amazon #4, Bartlett/Walmart #16, Metcalfe/CVS #17) Top 50 list/Tiered subs.

 

Walmart Turns to VR to Pick Middle Managers by Sarah Nassauer & Chip Cutter at Wall Street Journal. “(Walmart) is using a VR skills assessment as part of the selection process to find new middle managers, watching how workers respond in virtual reality to an angry shopper, a messy aisle or an underperforming worker.” WSJ subs.

 

One-third of Americans have cut their spending this year at CNBC. “African-American respondents were far likelier to say they’d cut spending, at 43%. Only one other group, divorced men, came close at 39%.” Read more

 

Costco quietly becomes a destination for clothes at Washington Post. Tiered subs.

 

Secondhand luxury retailer The RealReal jumps almost 50% after IPO at CNBC. “The RealReal is a primarily online marketplace for authenticated luxury goods, selling high-end brands such as Gucci and Cartier. The company employs more than 100 experts to make sure that the luxury goods it puts up are the real deal and not counterfeits.” Read more

 

…’Big Little Lies’ Costume Designer Sources Luxury Consignment From The RealReal at Cathy Whitlock at The Hollywood Reporter. “The RealReal is great for sustainability,” says Friedberg. “I love that the clothes can be a few seasons old; therefore, they have a bit of history and the closets don’t feel like every item is brand new. I shop for all the ladies on the site.” Read more

 

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Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus plans to give his billions away by Matt Kempner at The Atlanta Journal Constitution. “The trigger for his organized philanthropic giving (was) when he led a California-based home improvement chain. A distraught employee planned to quit after doctors discovered he had cancer and told him he wouldn’t live long. Marcus said he asked a nonprofit medical and research center to help the employee. The man survived.” Read more

 

Grubhub made over 30K websites disguised as restaurant homepages by Kevin Dugan & Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “For example, all of the signature salads on Chicago Salad House’s Web site, www.chicagosaladhouse.com, cost $10. But on Grubhub’s dummy site, www.saladhousechicago.com, many of the same salads cost $11 or $11.25.” Read more

 

Walmart to eliminate up to 40% of its senior pharmacists by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “(Walmart’s) new health and wellness chief, Sean Slovenski, is a veteran of insurer Humana, which has partnered with the retailer since 2010…But he’s said nothing publicly since coming on board last August, leaving investors in the dark about his priorities.” Tiered subs.

 

Food Makers Crowd Snack Aisle Despite Uneven Growth by Micah Maidenberg at Wall Street Journal. “Snack sales by units in the U.S. grew at the same 0.4% rate as the broader food-and-beverage industry last year, according to IRI…Americans ate some 366 servings of health-oriented snacks like protein bars, fruit cups or single-serve cottage-cheese cups during the year that ended in March, according to NPD . That was down 3% from the prior year. WSJ subs.

 

Tipsheet Extra Stories

Walmart Mailroom Staffer Suspected Of Stealing More Than $100K

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Jony Ive ‘dispirited’ by Tim Cook’s lack of interest in product design

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Telemedicine apps are thriving because working moms love the convenience

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