America

In 2012, Amazon.com quietly launched AmazonSupply, the e-commerce company's foray into the unsexy but hugely lucrative world of B-to-B wholesale. By 2014, when Forbes covered the burgeoning business, AmazonSupply was already offering 2.2 million products for sale in 17 categories, from tools and home improvement to janitorial supplies. Industry insiders were already concerned about the potential impact of AmazonSupply on America's 35,000 distribution companies, almost all of which are regional and family-run. Could they compete with AmazonSupply's infrastructure and deep cache of consumer data?

Walgreens CEO Gregory Wasson announced Wednesday that he will step down from his position before the new year, just as America's largest drug store chain prepares to complete a merger with the Switzerland-based Alliance Boots. The company said in a statement that Stefano Pessina, executive chairman of Alliance Boots, will serve as acting CEO, pending a board search for a successor. Walgreens Chairman James Skinner will become Walgreens Boots Alliance's executive chairman.

Why are black Barbies priced differently than white Barbies? It's a tough question and one that some of America's biggest retailers are having to answer amid the biggest shopping time of the year. For example, on Tuesday afternoon Wal-Mart's website listed an African-American ice skater Barbie for $11.87, while the Caucasian version costs just $9.88. The retailing giant said the pricing discrepancy was an unintended error. "They should always be the same price, across all ethnicities," a Wal-Mart spokesman said Tuesday evening. "This is just a pricing error. We corrected it immediately."

When I was in school, there was a guy on our basketball team who could dunk like it was nobody's business. Left hand, right hand, two hands behind his head, you name it. He also had the unfortunate habit of dribbling the ball off his foot and ricocheting it across the court. He sat the bench.

In retail, innovation is the name of the game. Increasingly, retailers are staying ahead through unique in-store experiences that inspire shoppers through social lifestyles. Take a look at STORY, a Manhattan retailer that continually changes everything in-store, from products to fittings to events based upon different themes like "Love" or "Made in America." It's described as a monthly magazine, meets art gallery, meets retailer concept. Taking the in-store experience to a whole new level, Ikea recently hosted a "one night only" sleepover for shoppers at its store near Sydney.

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