News

Seattle – Amazon.com reportedly plans to launch a line of private label grocery products. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon will add items such as milk, cereal, baby food and household cleaners to its Elements private label brand.

Currently, Amazon Prime members can purchase Elements baby wipes, and the retailer previously sold Elements diapers, as well. Amazon has recently applied for trademark protection for about two dozen Elements-branded products including coffee, soup, pasta, water, vitamins, dog food and razors.

Destination XL Group's reinvention seems to be appeaing to more customers as the retailer reported a boost in same store sales in the first quarter.

Walgreens Boots Alliance has appointed a PepsiCo and UPS veteran as its new CIO.  

By Jeff Trachsel

Showrooming has plagued brick-and-mortar retailers for years, with e-commerce quickly chipping away at in-store sales. Recently however, experts report the rising trend is actually the reverse - shoppers are now exploring options online before buying in-store. According to a 2014 report from BI Intelligence, reverse showrooming, or webrooming, is actually more common among U.S. consumers, with 69% of consumers researching online before transacting in-store.

By David Trice, Co-Founder and CEO, Engage

Earlier this year, San Francisco sent shockwaves through the business community when it enacted the “Retail Workers Bill of Rights,” two ordinances that significantly burden retail employers operating in San Francisco by requiring large retailers to provide “predictability pay” to any employee who does not receive sufficient notice of scheduling changes.

Deerfield, Ill. – Walgreens Boots Alliance plans to keep its headquarters in the U.S. and never went beyond the consideration stage of moving operations outside the U.S. in an “inversion” to reduce corporate taxes. At  the Walgreens annual shareholder meeting May 28, Walgreens chairman James Skinner said Walgreens headquarters will remain in Deerfield, Illinois.

As Texas deals with the aftermath of tragic flooding, Walmart is trying to make a difference in the state where it has its largest presence.

The Walmart Foundation has announced donations totaling $500,000 to organizations helping with relief efforts for those affected by the floods in Texas and Oklahoma.