Walmart signs deal to become Anthem’s preferred retailer for seniors to buy over-the-counter medicines at CNBC. “Currently, Anthem’s Medicare Advantage members whose plans include an OTC benefit can buy items through a catalog available over the phone or online, or they can shop in stores, though not both. In partnering with Walmart, seniors can buy their items online or in stores.” Read more

 

Walmart Parts Ways With Another High-Ranking Female Executive by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “Marybeth Hays, who had served as executive vice president of consumables and health and wellness for just over a year, will leave the company in January, according to an internal memo sent Friday from U.S. chief Greg Foran. Hays joined Walmart in 2009 from Lowe’s.” Tiered subs.

 

Amazon is said to work on a new device to record and stream live TV, challenging TiVo by Alan Boyle at GeekWire. “Bloomberg quoted an unnamed source as saying that the device, internally code-named “Frank,” would have physical storage and connect to Amazon’s Fire TV boxes. The concept reportedly allows for transmitting the video stream wirelessly to smartphones.” Read more

 

SHARING ECONOMY – An estimated 35 percent of millennials share passwords for streaming services. That’s compared with 19 percent of Generation X subscribers and 13 percent of Baby Boomers. at CNBC. Read more

 

7-Eleven owners say they feel disenfranchised by new pact with Japanese-owned chain by Ethan Millman at San Diego Tribune. “Average sales at a Japanese store topped American counterparts’ sales by nearly $1,100 per day and about $390,000 annually, according to Seven & i company data…Allen, who is based in Tokyo, said the American stores are 20 years behind the Japanese.” Read more

 

The Top 8 Brands that Create the Most Buzz with Gen Z (Walmart #7) by Charisse Jones at USA Today. List

 

Walmart Eyes Virtual-Reality Shopping System, Patent Filings Say by Matthew Boyle at Bloomberg. “Customers could wander digital aisles from home and “grab” items, which would be immediately picked and shipped from a fully automated distribution center.” Tiered subs.

 

E‑commerce accounts for an estimated 13.3% of US retail sales in Q2 by Katie Evans at Internet Retailer. Read more

 

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Sears CEO Puts His Own Board on the Spot by Suzanne Kapner at Wall Street Journal. “Mr. Lampert stepped in last week with a $400 million offer to buy Kenmore…Now the Sears board’s four independent members must decide whether to sell one of the company’s prized brands to its controlling shareholder…” Subscription

 

Walmart completes $16 billion investment in Flipkart at TechCrunch. Read more

 

Why hasn’t paying with your smartphone caught on? by Michael Lewis at Toronto Star. “A Visa survey of 1,000 Canadians this year found that only 35 per cent of respondents consider virtual wallets very secure, and only a small minority of consumers regularly use new forms of payment like mobile apps (9 per cent), digital wallets (6 per cent), peer-to-peer apps (4 per cent) or wearables-based pay (3 per cent).” Read more

 

Burberry vs. Target: Drawing the line between inspiration and infringement by Eric Chadwick & Kyle Peterson at Star Tribune. Tiered subs.

 

PAINT, POWER & BBQ – Is Ace Hardware Amazon proof? by Julia Limitone at Fox Business. “Ace Hardware CEO John Venhuizen, told FOX Business on Friday that they are having success taking on Amazon. “Don’t misunderstand. We all know Amazon is the most disruptive company in human history,” he told Stuart Varney. “But there is a desire of ours to be owning the home preservation business — and a lot of that has to do with feel and touch.” Read more

 

PepsiCo paying $3.2B for SodaStream International at Fox Business. Read more

 

Zippin is the first Amazon Go rival to open an automated checkout store by Sean Captain at Fast Company. “It’s far from the only rival, though. Bay Area neighbors such as AiFi, Aipoly, and Standard Cognition and Israel’s Trigo Vision are all developing similar systems.” Read more

 

Hollywood Reporter: Mike Huckabee, Jake Tapper Go 1-2 on Top TV Personalities Social Media Ranking Top 10 list

 

Walmart asks some beauty suppliers to consider sourcing outside of China at Reuters. “Many cosmetics products like shampoos, lipsticks and makeup fall under the most recent list of proposed levies on Chinese goods.” Read more

 

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Shatters Box Office Predictions In Opening Days at HuffPo. Read more

 

Brazil mall executives shrug off looming Amazon.com expansion at Reuters. “…the malls here attract a steady stream of patrons because they offer a relatively safe public environment in a country with the most murders in the world in recent years. Home delivery, which Amazon and other e-commerce companies rely upon, is more difficult in Brazil due to shoddy highways, tricky state taxes and large-scale cargo robbery.” Read more

 

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