Retail News
Receive the most impactful retail stories of the day to your inbox
Join a network of 75,000+ retail professionals
News Stories
Covering the latest news in the retail industry
-
December 2, 2025
- Black Friday sales were up by a total of 4.1% versus 2024’s figures (excluding auto sales), according to Mastercard SpendingPulse data. Apparel and jewelry did particularly well during the Black Friday sales event, trending upward by 5.7% and 2.75%, respectively. “Consumers are showing incredible savviness this season. They’re navigating an uncertain environment by shopping early, leveraging promotions, and investing in wish-list items,” said Michelle Meyer, chief economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute (via Chain Store Age).
- Cyber Monday sales were also up, notching an increase of about 4.5% as of 6:30 p.m. ET against last year’s figures, per Adobe Analytics. A total of about $9.1 billion had been spent by that time, with estimates suggesting that online spending would reach $13.9 billion to $14.2 billion as Monday drew to a close (via Reuters).
- Costco has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, requesting a full refund of the tariffs so far collected from the warehouse club. The suit primarily concerns itself with an ongoing separate lawsuit being considered by the Supreme Court as to the legality of Trump’s tariff actions, with Costco noting that — even should the Supreme Court decide that the tariffs were not lawful — it faces a deadline of Dec. 15 which could prevent previous tariffs payments from being remitted back to it (via CNBC).
- Real American Beer is making a play at snagging market share within a crowded market, with high aims to become as “big as Bud Light.” The beer, bearing the likeness of its late founder, pro wrestler Hulk Hogan, is backed by minority owner WWE and is sold in 38 states. “His [Hogan’s] goal was that this would be bigger than Bud Light, and… now we have to carry that out,” said CEO Terri Francis (via FOX Business).
- TikTok Shop is seeing significant average price increases across categories as it matures as a platform — and confronts the increasing costs of tariffs. “The impact of tariffs and the growth of TikTok Shop make it difficult to isolate the exact causes of price changes,” e-commerce intelligence firm Charm’s CEO Alex Nisenzon said (via Modern Retail).
-
December 1, 2025
- Amazon has edged out Best Buy in the consumer electronics segment, according to Numerator data, taking 30% of the total overall spend versus 28% captured by Best Buy. Walmart retains its position in the third position, claiming 12.8% of consumer spending in the electronics category (via Chain Store Age).
- Newell Brands, responsible for both Sharpies and Yankee Candle products, is slated to slash 900 jobs — or ~4% of its total global workforce — while also shouldering $90 million in restructuring charges. Approximately 20 Yankee Candle stores in the U.S. and Canada are also destined for closure, which totals about 1% of the brand sales, by January 2026 (via Reuters).
- Tesla stock was described as “ridiculously overvalued” by famed investor Michael Burry. “With recent news of Elon Musk’s $1 trillion dollar pay package, dilution is certain to continue. Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry stated (via Electrek).
- Cyber Monday could break records this year, according to analysts. U.S. consumers already broke Adobe forecasts around Black Friday (spending $11.8 billion), Thanksgiving Day ($6.4 billion), and the weekend thereafter (also $11.8 billion). “Cyber Week is off to a strong start. Discounts are set to remain elevated through Cyber Monday, which we expect will remain the biggest online shopping day of the season and year,” Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said (via AP News).
- Casual dining restaurants are doing exceptionally well as of late, with Olive Garden, Chili’s, and Texas Roadhouse enjoying solid growth during Q3. “These trends point to 2026 as a year when casual-dining leaders could build on that momentum, offering quality meals and reliable service without the premium price tag to maintain share,” noted Consumer Edge (via Chain Store Age).
-
November 28, 2025
- Holiday ads don’t seem to perturb consumers that much, with more than half (54%) expressing neutral sentiment on the subject, and almost a third (31%) stating they love them, per GumGum data. However, retargeted ads appear to be a concern, with 62% saying that third-party digital cookies could end up ruining the surprise of a Christmas gift. “This data really highlights the importance of respectful, contextually aligned advertising. By meeting consumers in the right mindset and avoiding invasive retargeting, brands can build trust and deliver performance without risking the magic of the season,” said Katy Loria, chief revenue officer at GumGum (via Chain Store Age).
- Consumers and retailers alike are being warned of the potential for fraudulent leverage of agentic shoppers this Black Friday. “It definitely makes my life easier… but at the same time, it also makes fraudsters’ life substantially easier as well. Think of it as sending thousands of robots into different stores to masquerade as good consumers,” said Michael Reitblat, CEO of Forter, an e-commerce prevention provider (via CNBC).
- Sears could be headed into its very last holiday season, with just five stores remaining out of a fleet that once numbered well over 2,000 just 20 years ago. “Sears wasn’t profitable back in the day when it was a much bigger company with buying power. The idea it is profitable with just a small number of stores is for the birds,” said GlobalData managing director, and RetailWire BrainTrust panelist, Neil Saunders (via CNN Business).
- AI traffic to retailers soared by 830% year-over-year in early November, according to data provided by Adobe Analytics. Top product categories being explored for purchase included tech and consumer electronics, toys, and personal care products. “While generative AI traffic remains modest compared to other channels, such as paid search or email, the uptick this season has been notable,” Adobe said (via Forbes).
- MAC Cosmetics is expanding its live-selling approach, already moving products via Chinese platforms Tmall and Douyin, to include selling on TikTok Shop in the U.S. For Black Friday, the brand is selling various promotional bundles via TikTok Shop, and is also offering 30% off via its website (via Modern Retail).
