Sportsman’s Warehouse Names Ex-Walmart VP as President/COO “At Walmart, Jon Barker served in dual roles including President and CEO of Hayneedle.com as well as group leader for Home and Outdoor furnishings categories for U.S. ecommerce across Walmart.com, Jet.com and Hayneedle.com.” Press release

 

…Sportsman’s Warehouse Q4 Comp Sales -5.2% Press Release | Earnings Call Transcript

 

GameStop to shut at least 150 stores, shares sink by Maria Armental at MarketWatch. “The retailer didn’t immediately offer details on which stores would close, only adding that it planned to shave off 2% to 3% of the total.” Read more

 

Amazon Sellers Can Get Insured by Lloyd’s for Getting Kicked Off by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg. “Now the insurance industry has found a niche, thanks to an enterprising Amazon merchant from Kentucky who sells custom bedding. Her name is Lori Jurans, and she got the idea two years ago at an annual conference in Kentucky, where sellers like her share tips and secrets about selling goods on Amazon. During the gathering, Jurans heard one tale after another from merchants who’d been suspended…” Read more

 

Finish Line Q4 Comp Sales -4.5% Press release

 

…Fox Business: Finish Line’s Stock Plunges After Profit Falls Well Short Of Expectations “…we made the decision to get more aggressive on pricing to be competitive and clear slow moving product” said Chief Executive Sam Sato.” Read more

 

Amazon wins $1.5 billion tax battle with IRS by Angel Gonzalez at Seattle Times. “Judge Albert Lauber of the U.S. Tax Court ruled that the IRS’ determination of those assets’ worth was “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.” He also broadly sided with Amazon on the way the U.S. company calculates how it shares costs with its European subsidiary.” Read more

 

REI offers a first look at its future HQ campus in Bellevue by Marc Stiles at Puget Sound Business Journal. “Starting in 2020, some 1,400 REI employees will work at the new headquarters in the emerging Spring District near the southeast corner of the intersection of Interstate 405 and Highway 520.” Read more

 

Modcloth’s co-founders send email to a small group of people who hold employee stock entitled “The death of ModCloth’s common stock by Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “Employees and the co-founders won’t make any money from the sale, Mr. Kroger wrote in the email, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “It just is what it f—ing is.” Read more (subscription)

 

**A message from GlobalShop – Tuesday is show time! You impact the customer experience and GlobalShop is the driving force behind that experience. Through education, peer networking and interaction with retail suppliers, you’ll return with results to build your brand and create a more effective retail environment. From mannequins and lighting to flooring and signage, GlobalShop has it all. Register now to join us in Las Vegas March 28-30, 2017! Qualified attendees use code GS17EOR for free expo hall admission. Retailers attending | Website | Networking

 

Shoe Carnival Q4 Comp Sales -1.2% Press release

 

Facebook’s new shopping ads aim to let retailers tell ‘visual product stories’ by Zak Stambor at Internet Retailer. “The ad format, which Facebook calls Collections, lets retailers combine a video or image that, when clicked, presents mobile users with a full-screen display featuring up to 50 products.” Read more

 

PMA adds Wal-Mart exec to board by Ashley Nickle at The Packer. “Produce Marketing Association has named Shawn Baldwin, senior vice president of produce and global food sourcing for Wal-Mart, to its board of directors.” Read more

 

Philly soda tax brings in $6.4M in February, meeting city’s target by Julia Terruso at Philly Inquirer. Read more

 

Lowe’s Introduces In-Store Navigation Using Augmented Reality “Beginning in April, customers visiting stores in Sunnyvale, California and Lynwood, Washington can use Tango-enabled smartphones to easily search for products, add them to a shopping list and locate the product within the store using augmented reality.” Press release

 

Instacart will pay $4.6 million to settle a class action lawsuit with its workers by Jason Del Rey at Recode. Read more

 

Amazon’s Tepid Response to Counterfeiters Frustrates Sellers by Sonya Mann at Inc. “One person reported buying iPad Minis to use as contest giveaways only to receive plastic dummies designed to look like iPads. “We can no longer trust [F]ulfilled by Amazon which greatly reduces the value of their Prime membership and ‘free’ shipping,” the user wrote.” Read more

 

Ellen DeGeneres Launches Animated Show About Her Pets to Pitch Her Line of PetSmart Products by Todd Spangler at Variety. Read more

 

Office Depot Gets in on Slime Making Craze with In-Store Demonstrations Press release

 

Amazon Lending doubles small business loans to $661 million by Casey Coombs at Puget Sound Business Journal. “Amazon Lending’s outstanding loans nearly doubled to $661 million last year from $337 million in 2015, the company reported in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.” Read more

 

NRF Says Later Easter Expected to Bring Record Spending “Spending for Easter is expected to reach $18.4 billion, up 6 percent over last year’s record $17.3 billion and a new all-time high in the survey’s 14-year history.” Press release

 

What’s to Come for CST Under Couche-Tard Ownership? by Tammy Mastroberte at Convenience Store News. “We sold them a chain in Texas and some stayed and some were converted. There may be markets they convert to Circle K and some where they keep the Corner Store name, but generally they convert stores to their brand,” said Ruben.” Read more

 

Amazon and others bid to stream the NFL’s Thursday night games by Kurt Wagner at Recode. Read more

 

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