Checking out Target’s healthier checkout lanes by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. “Katie Boylan, a Target spokeswoman, said last week that consumers have been “responding well” to the new options. The beef jerky and natural fruit snacks have been selling particularly well, she said….“The frame of mind is really not about new products,” said Boylan. “Check lanes are places where they gravitate toward brands they know well.” Read more

 

Three Injured in Shelving Collapse at Party City by Charles Keegan at WPTV. “He says the first shelf to fall hit him on his back, but broke apart, so he wasn’t trapped. “I just popped out like a cork, and everything else started coming down.” He started screaming to warn the few other people inside the store what was happening.” See the video / Read more

 

DICK’S Sporting Goods Announces Launch Of Team Sports HQ “The premium league management software will both facilitate and simplify the registration, scheduling and communication processes for league organizers and coaches. League administrators will also be able to use the online tools through DICK’S Team Sports HQ to design gear specific to their league.” Read the release

 

Fred Meyer President Steps Down by Erin Caproni at Cincinnati Business Courier. “Lynn Gust, the current president of Fred Meyer, will retire on Jan. 31 after 45 years at Kroger.” Read more

 

**More Candy & Snacks Than Any Other Event – 2016 Sweets & Snacks Expo: Discover what products are trending and guaranteed to fly off your shelves! Items selected during the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Most Innovative New Product Awards go on to enjoy sweet success – see the 2015 winners here. By attending the Expo, you get the first glimpse on the newest items and receive a sneak peek at those products predicted by industry experts to become best-sellers. Register now to join us at Chicago’s McCormick Place from May 24-26, be a part of the event with more candy, gum, snack and specialty product companies! Learn More on Our Website

 

Brazil November Retail Sales Unexpectedly Surge Most in One Year by David Biller at Bloomberg. “Sales of furniture and appliances increased 6.9 percent in November, offsetting a 1.5 percent decline in food, beverages and tobacco products at hypermarkets and supermarkets.” Read more

 

Michelle Obama’s “Marigold” State of the Union Dress Sells Out at Neiman Marcus by  Hilary Weaver at at NY Mag. “At first sight of the First Lady’s bright frock, Twitter freaked out…And in the perfect online shopping move, MObama’s dress was on sale at Neiman Marcus but is now totally sold out. Way to multitask live-streaming and online purchasing, America.” Read more

 

Save-A-Lot Sales Dip “Save-A-Lot network identical store sales were negative 3.4 percent. Identical store sales for corporate stores within the Save-A-Lot network were negative 0.4 percent.” Read more

 

Seattle requires Amazon to allow free speech in future courtyard by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “The Seattle City Council imposed those additional conditions on Monday as part of its 8-1 approval of Amazon’s request to take over an existing alley when it builds two office towers.” Read more

 

PENN – Amazon to Open Pickup Location at First Ivy-League University “It will be the first Amazon pickup location to feature communal work spaces with interactive media pods where students can connect their laptops and mobile devices to TV monitors for presentations, brainstorming, studying, and collaborating.” Read the release

 

Big Beer’s Plan to Sell to Consumers Who Hate Them by Jennifer Kaplan at Bloomberg. “I know that they’re panicking about that loss of market share,” said John Verive, founder of the Beer of Tomorrow blog in Los Angeles. “So they’re going after whatever fragment of a market they can. They’re just going in every different direction.” Read more

 

UK: Aldi tops YouGov BrandIndex for second consecutive year by Natalie Mortimer at The Drum. “The top five brands are: Aldi, Lidl, BBC iPlayer, John Lewis and Dyson.” Read more

 

Tipsheet Extra

Forbes: These Five Store Chains Face An Uphill Battle In 2016

Horrifying moment restaurant workers thought they had won the $949million Powerball… only to realize they bought their tickets with the right numbers for the WRONG day

Inc.: Top 15 Companies to Watch in 2016

Visa Checkout Announces Walmart As Merchant Partner

Atlanta: Kroger’s planned $29 million Cumberland Mall store cancelled\

Read Tipsheet Extra Stories

 

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