Amazon makes grocery delivery free with Prime by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “…no longer charging an extra $15 per month, or $180 per year, for Amazon Fresh delivery on top of the $119 annual Prime fee. (Amazon) is also expanding and further integrating Whole Foods Market into its grocery delivery and pickup service.” Read more

 

Walgreens lays off employees at Deerfield HQ, scraps annual bonuses and boosts cost-cutting goal to $1.8 billion by Lisa Schencker at Chicago Tribune. “More than 100 employees in the Deerfield office lost their jobs, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Walgreens spokesman Jim Cohn declined to comment on how many employees were laid off…” Tiered subs.

 

…Walgreens to shutter 40% of in-store clinics at AP. “The company said Monday that it will close 150 Walgreens-run clinics by the end of the year, but it will keep open more than 200 that are run in partnership with health care providers.” Read more

 

…Walgreens to open 100 Jenny Craig sites “…will offer…private one-on-one consultations, a customized menu plan and meal delivery…marks the first time Jenny Craig will offer its services at a national drugstore chain in the U.S.” Press release

 

Nordstrom family won’t raise its stake in department store chain; shares fall at CNBC. “Nordstrom also said Monday that its board has had talks with co-presidents Pete and Erik Nordstrom around succession planning…Nordstrom has recently added two new positions to the management team — Teri Bariquit as chief merchandising officer, and Ken Worzel as chief operating officer.” Read more

 

Digital spending during November and December is expected to reach $143.7 billion, up 14.1% from a year ago, according to a study by Adobe Analytics at CNBC. Read more

 

Saudi perfume retailer teams up to buy Barneys by Lisa Fickenscher at NY Post. “David Jackson, a former owner of the luxury department store, plans to stride into a final sales hearing on Thursday with a last-minute bid to buy the 96-year-old department store chain, he told The Post.” Read more

 

Marathon Petroleum Plans to Spin Off Gas Stations, May Shake Up Leaders by Rebecca Elliot & Corrie Driebusch at Wall Street Journal. “As part of a truce with Elliott, Marathon’s board is discussing changes, including a spinoff of its sprawling gas-station operation and potentially replacing Chairman and CEO Gary Heminger and other executives, the people said…Marathon owns and operates roughly 4,000 convenience stores in the U.S., largely under the Speedway brand.” WSJ subs.

 

Tesco will next week become the first major British supermarket group to offer a subscription customer loyalty scheme at Reuters. Read more

 

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Amazon poised to escalate Pentagon ‘war cloud’ fight at The Hill. “Last week, a speechwriter for former Defense Secretary James Mattis alleged just that, claiming in an excerpt of his upcoming book that Trump wanted to “screw” Amazon by giving the contract to another company.” Read more

 

Sally Beauty hires Ex-Victoria’s Secret exec as Group Vice President, Stores for Beauty Systems Group Press release

 

Why Department Stores Are Becoming…Restaurants by Jacob Gallagher at Wall Street Journal. “Marc Metrick, the president of Saks Fifth Avenue, noted that about 50% of L’Avenue’s patrons arrive through the restaurant’s dedicated entrance—but no matter. Even if the diners fail to combine aubergine grillée burrata with sweater-browsing that day, the hope is that they’ll remember Saks next time they do need a knit.” WSJ subs.

 

Raley’s Closes 27 Pharmacy Locations Press release

 

Walmart Sparks Panic and Confusion in the Dish-Soap Aisle by Sharon Terlep & Sarah Nassauer at Wall Street Journal. “Proctor & Gamble  didn’t make enough dish soap, and Walmart is letting all its customers know about it.Adding to the confusion, some rival retailers said they had plenty of soap. P&G wasn’t pleased, as some at the company worried the warnings could exacerbate the problem by causing a run on the product, according to people familiar with the matter.” WSJ subs.

 

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