September 12, 2025
- U.S. consumer spending showed slight growth in August, with core retail sales ticking upward by 0.26% month-over-month in August, per NRF data. Annually, core retail sales had grown by 6.67% as August drew to a close (via Chain Store Age).
- JCPenney is partnering with designer brand Bob Mackie to launch “Mackie,” an exclusive and limited-time collection (via Retail Touchpoints).
- Retail coffee prices jumped by 4% in August, resulting in a surge in coffee prices of 21% YoY. This represents the fastest price increase since October 1997 (via CNN Business).
- Ford is recalling 1.9 million vehicles globally due to a potentially defective rear-view camera which could display inverted or otherwise distorted images. The recall impacts a wide range of models (via FOX Business).
- Black Rock Coffee Bar raised $294.1 million in its U.S. IPO, as the Scottsdale, Arizona company moved nearly 15 million shares at $20 (via Reuters).
- U.S. consumer sentiment has shown signs of recent deterioration. Per the University of Michigan report, sentiment fell from a score of 58.2 in July to 55.4 in August, with trade and tariff policies remaining top of mind (via CNN Business).
- Swatch has begun selling a special edition watch poking fun at President Trump’s tariffs on Switzerland, which amount to a 39% tariff rate. The watch reverses the face numbers of 3 and 9 (via Reuters).