Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it plans to expand its Savings Catcher online price-matching tool to cities across the United States. Also, the world’s largest retailer plans to expand the product range covered by the online tool, including TVs, shirts, vegetables, and other produce. Also, Wal-Mart customers can now use Savings Catcher on the retailer’s mobile app. Wal-Mart’s move comes after the company’s U.S. discount division reported revenue declines for five consecutive quarters, and a drop in the number of shoppers for six quarters straight.
"Wal-Mart to expand online savings tool nationwide", Yahoo, June 05, 2014
Retailer Target Corp. is reorganizing its merchandising and decision-making structures following the December 2013 data breach that involved the theft of credit-card data for 40 million customers. Interim CEO John Mulligan said the incident has prompted the company to renew its focus on serving shoppers. Changes being tried by Target include reorganizing its baby, electronics, toys, and clothing sections described by the retailer as having become “stale.” Mulligan also said the steps taken by the retailer are parts of its efforts to return to its roots of “upscale discounting.” Target lowered its earnings forecast for the current year from $3.90 a share to $3.60, projecting its adjusted earnings of 85 cents to $1 a share for the second quarter.
"Target Revamping Merchandising, Bureaucracy Post Breach", Bloomberg, May 31, 2014
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. promoted Walmart Canada president and CEO Shelley Broader to executive vice president, president, and CEO of Walmart EMEA. Reporting directly to Walmart International president and CEO David Cheesewright, Broader will direct the retailer’s operations and business development in Europe, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Canada. Effective June 1, 2014, Broader’s appointment comes after joining Walmart Canada as chief merchandising officer in December 2010.
"Shelley Broader Named President And CEO Of Walmart EMEA Region", PR Newswire (CNW), May 30, 2014
French retailer Carrefour SA commissioned KPMG to lead the company’s efforts to sell its assets in India. Before hiring KPMG, Carrefour has been seeking potential buyers for its wholesale cash-and-carry business in the country. Carrefour India executives declined to state the company’s reasons for pulling out of the country, the sixth market the retailer would be leaving in the past couple of years. Sources revealed the retailer began the process of exiting the market following its failure to partner or sell its business to local conglomerate Bharti Enterprises. Also, the company reportedly lost its appetite for doing business in the country after the leaders of the eventually victorious political party BJP had made it clear that they would dismantle the country’s existing foreign direct investment rules.
"Carrefour ropes in KPMG to help it sell India assets", Economic Times, May 21, 2014
Unilever executives in India witnessed a demonstration by online retailer Amazon of its proposed delivery service using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. During the videoconference, Amazon executives demonstrated the UAV-delivery service first described by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in his letter outlining the company’s Prime Air delivery service. According to a Bangalore-based Unilever executive, his company has no immediate plans to adopt the drone delivery concept proposed by Amazon.
"HUL executives check Amazon's drone delivery mode", Economic Times, May 20, 2014
Alliance Boots’ pharmacy chain Boots the Chemist is a potential takeover target of U.S.-based rival Walgreens in the next few months, according to UK media reports. Such reports followed news of U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer’s plan to purchase UK drugs firm AstraZeneca, causing some labor and political leaders to express alarm over the ease with which companies from other countries, such as the U.S. and France, can acquire UK firms. In 2007, Boots became Alliance Boots after U.S. private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina bought into the company. In 2013, Walgreens acquired a 45 percent stake in Alliance Boots, with the option of buying the rest of the company starting in February 2015.
"Will Boots be snapped up by the Americans? High Street chemist could be taken over in months in £10.5billion deal", DailyMail, May 19, 2014
Retailer Target Corporation said it has appointed Peter Glusker as senior vice president in charge of new business integration and operations. Effective on May 19, 2014, Glusker’s appointment will see him manage the company’s integration of recent acquisitions and development of strategies aimed at ensuring a “consistent and great guest experience.” Glusker used to be Gilt Groupe’s vice chairman and CEO of the company’s Gilt Groupe Japan business unit.
"Target Names Peter Glusker Senior Vice President, New Business Integration and Operations", Target , May 16, 2014
In the United States, five large store brands plan to expand their online retail operations. With online orders accounting for almost half of its business, office supply retailer Staples plans to close around 225 stores by end of 2014 and will instead focus on online retail. Retail giant Wal-Mart’s online sales grew faster than Amazon’s for the first time in 2013. Consumer electronics brand Apple has become the country’s second-largest online retailer behind Amazon with its revenue of $18.3 billion in online sales. Electronics retailer Best Buy transformed itself into an “online first” retailer by implementing several initiatives, such as updating the company’s website, launching a loyalty program that works with the website, and starting the Athena big data project. Retailer Target hopes its online retail projects, which include a partnership with Google, will help it overcome negative consumer reactions to a recent data breach and an employee rant, which has gone viral on Gawker.
"Five big stores that are moving online", Marketplace.org, May 16, 2014
Lower-income consumers are still reeling from the effects of the recent economic slowdown, adversely affecting the revenue performance of retailers serving this market. Walmart reported sales for the first quarter barely rose at 0.8 percent, while profit dropped 5 percent, compared with the same quarter in the previous year. Traffic in Walmart stores in the United States fell 1.4 percent although sales at its Neighborhood Market stores rose 5 percent and online sales jumped 27 percent during the period. In contrast, high-end retailer Nordstrom reported sales increased 6.8 percent during the quarter.
"Retailers Feel Economy's Effects on Their Shoppers", The New York Times, May 16, 2014
Amazon is expanding its network of warehouses and distribution centers in the United States to strengthen its reign as the country’s leader in online retail. Spending $13.9 billion on order-fulfillment infrastructure, which includes 50 new distribution centers, in 2010 to 2013, the online retail giant is eyeing further expansion moves and seeking ways to speed up deliveries of online orders, which include same-day deliveries, to online shoppers’ homes. Other initiatives launched by Amazon as part of its efforts to grab a bigger share of the overall retail market include the Prime Pantry service for members of its loyalty program and the AmazonFresh grocery business.
"Amazon's Warehouse Expansion Goes Unabated As A Means To Unchallenged Dominance", Forbes.com, May 16, 2014
Online retailer Amazon said it has expanded its Sunday delivery service to include 15 cities more in the United States. Coming six months after Amazon’s signing of a deal with the U.S. Postal Service to deliver products to customers in New York and Los Angeles on Sundays, the service will now become available for customers in other cities, including Houston, Philadelphia, and Indianapolis. Other initiatives recently launched by Amazon to expand sales include expansion of same-day delivery to more cities and the launch of a food and kitchen supply service for users of its Prime program.
"Amazon Expands Sunday Delivery to 15 More Cities", Mashable, May 08, 2014
Not everyone is convinced that New York bagels are better than any others on the planet. Take Montrealers (and now some New Yorkers), for example. They like their bagels dense and chewy, unsliced, sweet and with larger holes. Both New York and Montreal bagels are boiled first, then baked, but the similarity ends there. The Montreal version is baked in wood-burning stoves, sweetened with honey and meant to be dipped in cream cheese, rather than sliced and smeared. Whichever is your favorite, denizens of both cities swear the difference in taste has to do with the water used for boiling, not the ingredients. But beware N.Y. City bagel bakeries: Montreal bagels are now imported from Canada into the Big Apple. And they are building a fan base.
"Bagel Wars: Montreal-Style vs. New York-Style Bagels", The Huffington Post, May 02, 2014
|
The Tampa Tribune, June 01, 2014
InternetRetailer.com, May 28, 2014
Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2014
Alliance Boots, May 13, 2014
Fresh Plaza, May 13, 2014
Business Standard, May 12, 2014
Fresh Plaza, May 12, 2014
InternetRetailing, May 12, 2014
Seattle Times, May 10, 2014
CNN Money Fortune, May 09, 2014
MarketWatch, May 07, 2014
The Toronto Star, May 07, 2014
Economic Times, May 06, 2014
TurkishPress, May 01, 2014
|