Wal-Mart to build 115 new stores in China by 2017 at Reuters. “Wal-Mart Stores Inc will build 115 new stores in China by 2017 and upgrade 50 stores this year, the company’s chief executive said on Wednesday.” Read more

 

EPA: Top 30 Green Power Users Among Retailers (Walmart #3, Best Buy #7, REI #8)  See the top 30 list

 

…National Top 100 Green Power Users (Kohl’s #3, Walmart #16)  See the top 100 list

 

Uber Is Quietly Testing A Massive Merchant Delivery Program by Jordan Crook at TechCrunch. “Sources say that Neiman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany’s, Cohen’s Fashion Optical and Hugo Boss are all in talks with the Uber Merchant Delivery program, and one source in particular said that there are over 400 different merchants currently in talks (or already testing) with Uber for same-day delivery.” Read more

 

Walmart Canada’s CIO Talks Shop by Shane Schick at IT World Canada. “The customer isn’t changing. They’ve always demanded a great experience, and they want the right product at the best price,” (Rich Neuman) of Walmart Canada says. “What’s changing is that the option set for them to get those things is growing dramatically faster than it has before. We have to figure out how to work with them wherever they’re going to be.” Read more

 

The CEO of MCX, the Retail Group Behind an Apple Pay Competitor, Is Out by Jason Del Rey at Recode.  Read more

 

Lumber Liquidators is crashing after earnings by Aken Oyedele at Business Insider. “In the month of March, same-store sales were down 17.8% due to a 6.5% decrease in the average sale and an 11.3% decrease in the number of customers invoiced.” Read more

 

Best Buy Ditches Crispin, Porter + Bogusky by Clare Kennedy at Minn./St.Paul Business Journal. “Best Buy is foregoing the agency of record model to do its creative work in-house or with a roster of agencies on a per-project basis.” Read more

 

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Mary Beth West to step down from J.C. Penney board and become its new chief marketing officer by Maria Halkias at Dallas News. “She has nearly 30 years experience in consumer and retail marketing. Most recently she held the top marketing role with Mondelçz International Inc.” Read more

 

Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly made nearly $8 million by Patrick Kennedy at Star-Tribune.  Read more

 

Alibaba’s Ma says freezing hiring after growing ‘too quickly’ via Yahoo.  Read more

 

Costco Clerk Gets DNA Results in Sammy Davis Jr. Paternity Test at Inside Edition. “An envelope contains the DNA test results that will forever change the life of a photo clerk from Costco.” See the video / Read more

 

CEO explains why SC Johnson hobbled Saran Wrap by Michael Burke at The Journal Times. “PVDC, or polyvinylidene chloride, was a substance responsible for two of Saran Wrap’s product benefits that no other plastic wrap could claim — an impenetrable barrier to odor and superior microwavability,” meaning it withstood high temperatures, Johnson told The Journal Times. “But when products containing any kind of chlorine, including PVDC, end up in municipal incinerators, they can emit toxic chemicals into the environment.” Read more

 

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Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet is created early every weekday morning and read by retail merchants and executives worldwide. We love data, earnings reports, executive presentations and stories off the beaten path that get at what’s really happening in the world of retail. Contact us at info@eyeonretail.net.