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Covering the latest news in the retail industry

  • October 3, 2025

    • Dollar Tree announced the purchase of a distribution center just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, pegged at 1.25 million square feet. The center is expected to open by spring 2026, and is expected to create ~400 new jobs in the area (via The Globe and Mail).
    • Pearle Vision is tackling an extensive store redesign effort, with focus being on an improved customer journey experience as well as streamlined operations for its optometrists. “We actively engage with our patients and optometrists, whose insights are essential to shaping every aspect of our brand and new store layout. Their feedback drives our innovation, informs our strategy, and fuels our momentum,” said Gunjan Kumar, President of Pearle Vision and Retail License Brands (via press release).
    • Carhartt opened its first New York City store, a flagship located in the Flatiron District. With NYC home to a distinct number of skilled tradespeople, the company also highlighted plans to reach 100 stores by 2030 (via HypeBeast).
    • Digital price tags are proliferating in the U.S., particularly in grocery stores. Whole Foods, Kroger, and other grocers are adopting electronic shelf labels over traditional paper fixtures at an increasing rate, with dynamic pricing being a major concern for some onlookers (via CNBC).
    • Small retailers showed growth in September, although that growth had slowed from last year’s figures. Sales for the sector trended upward by 1.6% YoY, per Fiserv Small Business Index data (via Chain Store Age).
    • Cracker Barrel has severed ties with the design firm responsible for its ill-fated rebranded logo and store redesign. Stating it was “ending its engagement with Prophet,” the restaurant chain appears focused on recapturing consumer loyalty (via CNN Business).

  • October 2, 2025

    • Tesla enjoyed a record Q3 as car shoppers raced to beat the expiration of the $7,500 EV tax credit. The company sold 497,099 vehicles from July through September (via CNN Business).
    • Walmart has incorporated internet of things (IoT) devices into its supply chain in order to improve supply chain information and tracking. “With Wiliot’s ambient IoT technology, coupled with our AI systems, we’re not only optimizing our supply chain to make faster, smarter inventory decisions, but we’re also tackling one of the hardest problems in retail—knowing exactly what we own and where it is at any given moment,” exec Greg Cathey said (via Chain Store Age).
    • Popeyes plans to open more than 300 stores in Mexico over the course of the next decade. The region is said to represent a significant growth opportunity for the QSR brand (via press release).
    • Sur la Table is dipping its toe into the realm of national television advertising for the first time ever, despite having been founded in 1972. The 30-second spot, alongside a 15-second cutdown, was developed in partnership with Marketing Architects (via Chain Store Age).
    • Armani has reportedly approached potential buyers concerning the purchase of a minority stake, according to anonymous sources. Such an action would represent a de facto auction over a portion of one of the world’s most renowned fashion empires (via Reuters).
    • Meta has stated that conversations between users and its AI chatbot will be mined in order to deliver said users targeted advertisements to incite purchasing. “Just like other personalized services, we tailor the ads and content you see based on your activity, ensuring that your experience evolves as your interests change,” Meta said (via CNN Business).

  • October 1, 2025

    • The U.S. government officially entered a shutdown on Oct. 1, with the stock market exhibiting slight losses over the news. However, “Investors have generally looked past budget-related disruptions, prioritizing corporate earnings, broader economic trends and other key macroeconomic factors,” said Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial (via CNN Business).
    • GLP-1 drugs may be responsible for creating $5 billion retail apparel inventory risk, as size trends shift downward and inventory misalignment causes significant overstock in larger garments (via Chain Store Age).
    • IKEA plans to open a new store in Manhattan, with Ingka Group having purchased a 53,000 square-foot SoHo property for $213 million. The purchase represents IKEA’s continue push into the U.S. market (via Reuters).
    • Nike is showing some relative strength, having reported a rise in quarterly revenue and beaten Wall Street’s modest profit projections this week. Nike has also quickly moved out older inventory, focusing on its core sports footwear business (via Reuters).
    • Amazon has combined its Amazon Fresh and Happy Belly brands into a new Amazon Grocery private label. The brand plays host to more than 1,000 SKUs rated four stars or above (via Chain Store Age).
    • Peloton is leaning big into the tech boom, pinning turnaround hopes on a lineup of five new products which are all enhanced with various technological gadgets. In particular, the “plus” versions of its treadmill, bike, and rowing machine contain Peloton IQ, an AI-assisted feature taking on the role of personal trainer (via CNN Business).

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