Retail News

Target Circle Days are coming at the end of this month, spanning a three-day period across Mar. 25 through Mar. 27. The omnichannel sales event sees thousands of SKUs on offer at a discount, and only loyalty members — Circle members — may participate (via Chain Store Age).

Build-a-Bear Workshop is launching its first-ever wholesale partnership in conjunction with Walmart. “For nearly three decades, we’ve built our brand around personalization and emotional connection. Launching our first wholesale partnership with Walmart allows us to introduce Build-A-Bear to millions of new guests while staying true to the creativity and individuality that set us apart,” said Dave Henderson, CRO (via press release).

Lowe’s has launched HomeCare+, a $99 annual subscription program which allows loyalty members to avail of two in-house visits per year from Lowe’s Red Vest workers. Workers can tackle up to seven listed tasks, including electric dryer vent cleaning, an electric water heater flush, and an HVAC air filter replacement (via press release).

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is targeting certain car dealerships over shady practices, including excessive or unnecessary hidden fees built into sales contracts. “The Trump-Vance FTC is committed to preventing auto dealers from misleading consumers with low advertised prices and then adding on mandatory fees at the end of the purchasing process,” said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (via Jalopnik).

Nvidia’s NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion platform has enjoyed increased partnerships with several automakers, including BYD, Isuzu, Nissan, Hyundai, and Kia. These automakers will increasingly leverage the tech company’s platform wherever autonomous driving technology could be leveraged (via press room).

As the U.S. penny continues its exit from common circulation, several states (and the federal government) are introducing penny-rounding bills which largely follow the symmetrical rounding rule. Prices ending in one, two, six, or seven cents are rounded down — prices ending in three, four, eight, or nine are rounded up (via Newser).

Meta could be weighing sweeping job cuts of as much as 20% of its existing workforce, a Seeking Alpha report (citing Reuters sources) suggests, due to massive AI capital expenditures. However, for its part, Meta called the reports “speculative reporting about theoretical approaches” (via TheStreet).

Amazon is set to launch its Big Spring Sale at the end of the month, spanning March 25 through March 31. This time around, non-Prime members will also be able to join in the shopping spree (via NBC News).

Oil prices continue to soar as President Donald Trump seeks allies in the goal of opening the Strait of Hormuz. While the U.S. Navy is slated to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz in the near future, Iran’s military capability has not been degraded enough for that to occur as yet (via Al Jazeera).

At least one of the DEI-centric boycotts pertaining to Target is coming to an end, as “Target Fast” has been called off by its organizer. Pastor Jamal Bryant of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church called for an end to the boycott after Target allegedly privately admitted to a breakdown in trust with the Black community and recommitted itself to funding Black-led community groups and businesses (via Forbes).