December 22, 2025

Here are our picks for top news impacting retailers today:

• Jim Beam is halting production at its primary site in Kentucky for all of 2026. The distillery will remain closed, and be subject to select site enhancements in the interim. “We are always assessing production levels to best meet consumer demand and recently met with our team to discuss our volumes for 2026,” the whiskey maker said (via BBC).
• Wellness products and supplements are gaining steam as a popular holiday gifting category. Teeth-whitening kits, vitamins, full-body deodorants and eye drops are just some of the products picking up. “It’s the perfect combination of being able to give someone else the gift of relaxation during the holiday season in a really elevated way that just frankly, hasn’t existed in the market before,” said Laura Beres of Ulta Beauty (via CNBC).
• 7-Eleven has kicked off it search for a new CEO, following news that longtime chief executive officer Joe DePinto — who held the post for over two decades — was retiring. “We strive to find, through a thorough selection process, the right person who can lead SEI and help us work even more closely together as one Group,” said Stephen Hayes Dacus, president and CEO of Seven & i (via Chain Store Age).
• Elon Musk reiterated claims that, due to the proliferation of AI and robotics technology, a “universal high income” was achievable, eliminating the need to save money. Replying to a post from investor Ray Dalio, who announced donations (following similar backing from Michael and Susan Dell) backing so-called “Trump accounts,” or new savings and investment accounts aimed at supporting young and newborn Americans, Musk wrote: “It is certainly a nice gesture of the Dells, but there will be no poverty in the future and so no need to save money. There will be universal high income” (via FOX Business).