“Amazon Plans Major Move Into Grocery Business” at Reuters via CNBC.  “Amazon.com is planning a major roll-out of an online grocery business that it has been developing for years, targeting one of the largest retail sectors yet to be upended by e-commerce, according to two people familiar with the situation…Amazon now plans to expand the business outside Seattle, starting with Los Angeles as early as this week and the San Francisco Bay Area later this year…If the new locations go well, the company may launch AmazonFresh in 20 other urban areas in 2014, including some outside the U.S., said one of the people.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100789495

 

“Costco to expand in Ontario and West (Canada)” by Hollie Shaw at The Star Phoenix.  “Costco Wholesale continues to build its presence here as a quietly indomitable retail giant, with plans to build up to 25 more of its vast warehouse stores.  “Our goal is to get to about 110 (stores),” said Louise Wendling, senior vice-president and country manager at Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.”    Read more: https://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Costco+expand+Ontario+West/8480033/story.html#ixzz2VLIGlabg

 

“Target Canada Finds Target on Its Own Back” by Marina Strauss at Globe & Mail.  “Target has felt a sales pinch at its outlets in Buffalo, Detroit and Seattle, among others, since its first foray outside the U.S., Tony Fisher, president of Target Canada, said on Tuesday. “We have seen an impact,” Mr. Fisher said after an address to the Retail Council of Canada’s annual conference. “For us, it’s too early to tell what the long-term trend will be…But while shoppers have been drawn to Target’s much-hyped apparel and home decor offerings, they have been harder to lure down its grocery and household goods aisles.”  Read more:  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/us-retailer-finds-target-may-be-on-its-own-back/article12351099/

 

“Peruvian retail sector “catching Walmart’s eye” ” at Fresh Plaza.  “In March, Enrique Ostalé took over the position of head of Walmart Latin America, and, according to Gestión, he comes from a background in Walmart Chile and understands the potential in the Peruvian market, one of the fastest growing in the region.  Fueled by wider credit availability and a booming economy, Peruvian retail sales are set to grow by 20 percent this year, according to consultant group Araval, as cited by Reuters.”  Read more:  https://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=109868

 

“Brick and Mortars (Still) Can’t Beat the Web” on Price by Rafi Mohammad at HBR.  “The brick and mortar vs. web battle has long been portrayed as one based on price. Viewed through this lens, physical stores simply can’t win — it’s time to forget about competing on price. Instead, the mantra for brick and mortar success should be “creating and capitalizing on value.”  Read more:  https://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/06/brick_and_mortars_still_cant_beat_the_web_on_price.html?utm_source=Socialflow&utm_medium=Tweet&utm_campaign=Socialflow

 

“Wal-Mart granted restraining order against union” at City Wire.  “More than 100 representatives from OUR Wal-Mart and the UFCW made their way to Bentonville this week to stand up for what they say are needed changes within the retailer’s employment practices.  The group includes several Wal-Mart employees who are on strike this week.  They peacefully demonstrated outside Wal-Mart’s home office in Bentonville early Monday morning, but they will not be allowed to disrupt the business in Wal-Mart Stores, according to the order.”  Read more:  https://www.thecitywire.com/node/28134#.Ua8mCkDVDpU

 

“Coldest Spring in 50 Years Fails to Deter UK Shoppers” by Matt Clinch at CNBC.  “U.K. retail sales values were up 1.8 percent on a like-for-like basis compared to May 2012, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), reversing a downtick from last month when an early Easter holiday meant sales values declined.  “Retailers pulled off a good result in May despite contending with topsy-turvy temperatures and continued economic difficulties,” Helen Dickinson, director general of the BRC said in a press release.”  Read more:  https://www.cnbc.com/id/100786736

 

“Home Improvement And Repair Marketplace Porch Raises $6.3M” by Leena Rao at Techcrunch.  “Porch is a Pinterest-like platform for home design and improvement that also connects you to professionals who can make the designs and reconstruction a reality in your own home or apartment. You view other neighbors’ home projects, see their actual project costs, and decide on the right professional by seeing friend endorsements.”  Read more:  https://techcrunch.com/2013/06/05/home-improvement-and-repair-marketplace-porch-raises-6-3m-from-sv-angel-jeff-skoll-and-others/

 

“Amazon Launches Online Marketplace in India, Selling Books and DVDs to Start” by Jason Del Ray at All Things D.  “Amazon India is strictly a marketplace where third parties can list their products to sell; Amazon isn’t selling any of its own inventory. But Amazon is offering fulfillment services to its marketplace merchants, giving sellers the option to have Amazon handle packing, delivery, returns and customer service from its fulfillment center located “on the outskirts of Mumbai.” Read more:  https://allthingsd.com/20130604/amazon-launches-online-marketplace-in-india-selling-books-and-dvds-to-start/

 

“NRF Welcomes White House Announcement on Patent Litigation Abuse”  ” “Patent trolls don’t target just national brands,” Duncan said. “Small and medium-sized retailers are also being threatened and sued, and they are seen as easy prey because they don’t have the legal expertise or money to easily fight back. Congress needs to be sure Main Street businesses that play such a vital role in our local communities are protected.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130604006521&div=-1245645151

 

“America’s Youth Admit to Surprising Online Behavior, Would Change Actions if Parents Were Watching”  “62% of parents do not think that their children can get into deep trouble online and 80% of parents do not even know how to find out what their children are doing online. The majority of parents (74%) simply admit defeat and claim that they do not have the time or energy to keep up with their children and hope for the best.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130604005125&div=-1245645151

 

Thanks for reading…

 

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