Retail News

Consumers, brands, and retailers are all seemingly scaling back their spend (and in the latter cases, marketing efforts) for Valentine’s Day this year. Omnisend data suggests shoppers are trimming holiday spending, and retailers are slashing targeted marketing as a result (via Chain Store Age).

Mattel stock has shed ~23% of its value over the course of the past five days, with a Feb. 10 earnings call detailing the company’s current struggles. Taking cues from competitor Hasbro, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz signaled a move into digital games as part of “the continued expansion beyond physical product” (via Forbes).

Stand Out For Good Inc., parent company of women’s apparel and lifestyle retailer Altar’d State, has taken on the role of stalking horse bidder for Francesca’s IP assets. Earlier this week, Stand Out posted a $7 billion bid for Francesca’s IP (via Chain Store Age).

McDonald’s likewise delivered wins on both EPS ($3.12 adjusted against $3.05 projected) and revenue ($7 billion versus $6.84 billion projected) for its most recent quarter. “By listening to customers and taking action, we have improved traffic and strengthened our value & affordability scores,” CEO Chris Kempczinski said (via CNBC).

Restaurant Brands International beat quarterly estimates on earnings ($0.96 adjusted versus $0.95 expected) as well as on revenue ($2.47 billion versus $2.41 billion anticipated). Burger King, particularly international locations, showed up strongest, with Popeyes conversely seeing same-store sales tumble 4.8% (via CNBC).

Mall of America is launching its own park, shop, fly program aimed at locals looking to satisfy their travel bug. Price at $12 per night, customers gain access to long-term parking and easy access to the nearby Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (via Chain Store Age).

Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad is drawing criticism, particularly from those concerned about the potential for mass surveillance. Privacy expert Chris Gilliard was cited as calling the ad “a clumsy attempt by Ring to put a cuddly face on a rather dystopian reality” (via The Verge).

Ford delivered brutal quarterly earnings, indicating a net loss of $8.2 billion in 2025, with $4.8 billion of that loss being attributed to its EV division. This represents the largest net loss in nearly two decades for the automaker, the worst results since the 2008 recession (via Gizmodo).

Kraft Heinz signaled a pause in plans to split the company, with CEO Steve Cahillane stating many of the company’s issues are “fixable and within our control.” “As a result, we believe it is prudent to pause work related to the separation and we will no longer incur related dis-synergies this year,” Cahillane said (via CNBC).

Nordstrom is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, with plans to launch a capsule collection as well as extra loyalty perks as a result. Nordstrom is also launching a 125-page anniversary catalog packed with exclusive deals for its shoppers (via Chain Store Age).