December 11, 2025

Here are our picks for top news impacting retailers today:

• The Federal Reserve announced a 25 basis point interest rate cut, the Fed’s third rate cut of 2025. This leaves the interest rate range at between 3.5%-3.75%. Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee and Kansas City Fed president Jeff Schmid backed the notion of holding rates as-is, while Fed governor Stephen Miran favored a more substantial 50 basis point rate cut (via Yahoo! Finance).
• Chewy delivered mixed quarterly results, showing beats on revenue and earnings despite guidance for the current quarter being pegged as slightly weaker than anticipated. CEO Sumit Singh told CNBC’s Jim Cramer, “Pets…is a super emotive category. And in an emotive category like this, when you show up with being best in class in what we do — which is e-commerce — but then we deliver service levels that you can only expect at the best local neighborhood pet stores, it kind of is the best of two worlds” (via CNBC).
• Coca-Cola has named Henrique Braun as its new CEO, replacing James Quincey, as the consumer goods sector sees a number of c-suite shuffles during a period of macroeconomic uncertainty and shifting consumer tastes. “Quincey set a high bar. Investors should expect the new CEO to continue to refresh the portfolio of brands,” said Kimberly Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners (via Reuters).
• Cracker Barrel is facing renewed criticism from long-time customers over seemingly slipping quality standards. Citing kitchen shortcuts and the removal of fan-favorite items from the menu, diners complain that the chain is headed in the wrong direction (via FOX Business).
• Flight Club is expanding its darts-food-and-beverage offering throughout the U.S., with 10 locations currently open for business. Global operator State of Play most recently opened a new Flight Club in Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood. “With Flight Club’s combination of interactive gameplay, immersive experiences, elevated food, and premium mocktail offerings, State of Play is already benefiting from these trends [shopper preference for social, memorable moments over material goods],” the company said (via Chain Store Age).