Archive for category: Eye-on-Retail

Amazon sellers boycott ads in policy change revolt: ‘We’re running out of f—ing margin’ at CNBC. “The 24-hour advertising boycott is being organized by Million Dollar Sellers, a community of more than 700 members…Sellers have complained for years, but this feels different,” MDS co-founder Eugene Khayman said in a post on X about the boycott. “The reason is simple: this is no longer just about irritation. It is about cash extraction.” Read more

Cattle prices soar to record highs as grilling season heats up at CNBC. “Live cattle futures traded at the CME Group settled at $2.51 per pound on Tuesday, the highest price on record going back to the 1960s…” Read more

Target’s new retro-inspired Pokémon collection was made for superfans, by superfans at Fast Company. “Distilling 30 years into one collection was the challenge faced by Gigi Guerra, a vice president of marketing at Target, who brought her perspective as a die-hard fan to the process. To pare down the Pokédex, Target chose to lean into the occasion and return to where it all began, basing all of its new products on Pokémon from the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue.” Read more

Nike’s New Temporary SoHo Store Celebrates the Grit of NYC – Opens Today at WWD. “The space is speckled with graffiti tags and throw-ups as well as a full-ceiling mural created by pioneers of NY graffiti. Other details include a running bib wheat paste ceiling as a nod to the wheatpasted posters the city is known for, and to pay homage to the New York marathon.” Read more

Wayfair’s Way Day event runs April 25–27, with “daily drop” deals starting April 20 Press release

Tesco Says Iran War Is Clouding Outlook for UK Shoppers at Financial Post

Behind the QVC Group Collapse, a Loss of Relevance and Late to Innovate WWD subs.

Jim Whittaker, Mountaineer Who Turned REI Into a National Retailer, Dies at 97 “In 1955, Whittaker received an offer to join REI, then a single 20-by-30-foot shop above the Green Apple Pie Restaurant in Seattle…Joining a tiny organization was “sort of a gamble,” he told The Wall Street Journal later, “but I thought what the heck.”…Whittaker rose to chief executive of REI in 1971.” WSJ subs.

Bessent warns gas stations that Treasury Dept will keep them ‘honest’ after spike in prices Fox Business

Get ready for the great American TV trade-in rush at Fast Company. “Circana, which monitors consumer purchases, says the average TV is replaced every 6.6 years. That figure dropped to 5 years during the pandemic…That puts more than 20% of the sets in use globally in that upgrade zone.” Read more

Walmart Unveils Modern Redesign of Great Value “The redesign will span almost 10,000 food and consumables items, making it the most extensive private brand update in Walmart’s history…the rollout will be phased over the next two years, beginning with salty snacks…” Press release

Amazon and U.S. Postal Service Reach Delivery Deal at WSJ. “Instead of reducing the number of packages Amazon ships through the Postal Service by two-thirds…the two sides now have a tentative deal that will result in a 20% reduction…(Amazon) is the Postal Service’s largest customer, shipping nearly 15% of all the packages that the USPS delivered in the country last year.” WSJ subs.

Lowe’s is investing $250 million to train skilled trades workers at Fortune. “… to help train 250,000 skilled trades workers in fields like plumbing, carpentry, and electrical work. The company had previously committed over $50 million to nonprofits and community college partners…” Fortune subs.

Doritos at $7 a Bag Ended Up Costing PepsiCo Billions at Bloomberg. “Meetings with retailers like Walmart, which wanted the snack maker to address concerns about affordability as soon as possible, became tense…By agreeing to lower prices, the company secured, on average, a double digit increase in shelf space at major retailers like Walmart, Costco and Target.” Bloomberg subs.

Academy Sports expects sales for Q1 to be up 6% – 7%, with comp sales up 2% – 3% Press release

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Empowering merchants with agentic AI at McKinsey & Co. “Especially in merchandising, a lot of activities are still manual…Two things I often discuss with my clients, particularly in grocery retail, are performance management and procurement…Now, these tasks have become much easier. The agent does them for you…You come in on Monday morning no longer looking at dashboards, but at a report detailing what worked and didn’t work last week, along with recommendations…” Read more

Bed Bath & Beyond Names Veteran Retail Operator Amy Sullivan President “…(joined) Kirkland’s in 2012, where she rose from divisional merchandise manager to President and CEO.” Press release

The Retailer That Welcomes Returns at WSJ. “Revolve’s return rate is roughly 60% as the retailer remains committed to a shopper-friendly free return policy. That didn’t stop the company’s profit from surging nearly 60% in the fourth quarter.” WSJ subs.

Retailers rely on First Sale mitigation tactic. Congress has noticed. at Retail Dive. “Essentially, you have a manufacturer who makes a product, sells it to a middleman for $20, but the middleman then sells it to the importer for, let’s say, $80,” The NRF’s VP of Supply Chain and Customs Policy, Jonathan Gold, told Retail Dive. “That importer can use the $20 valuation for what they’re declaring for customs for the tariff purposes.” Read more

Wayfair Announces First Florida Store “…in Florida at Galleria Fort Lauderdale, as part of the center’s comprehensive redevelopment. Scheduled to open in late 2027…” Press release

Used car prices rise to highest point since summer 2023 at CNBC. “We thought we’d see some impact from the Middle East conflict, and that may still happen. But right now, the data is clear: used-vehicle demand is healthy and inventory levels are relatively tight,” Cox Automotive chief economist Jeremy Robb said in a release.” Read more

**Get your product, service or event in front of the most powerful decision-makers in the retail community. Contact: info@eyeonretail.net

McCormick buys Unilever’s food business in deal that values it at nearly $45 billion at CNBC. “The deal will…expand (McCormick’s) portfolio further into spreads and condiments. It already owns Frank’s RedHot and Cholula hot sauces. For Unilever, divesting much of its food business allows the company to focus on its personal care segment, which is growing faster.” Read more

Nordstrom’s $6.25 billion deal to go private is paying off—and don’t expect an IPO anytime soon at Fortune. “When asked if the family would take Nordstrom public again, Pete Nordstrom says flatly, “I doubt it.” Though, he quickly adds, “never say never.” The fundamental question, Pete says, is “to what end?” Fortune subs.

Fresh Food Distributors Add Surcharges as Fuel Costs Rise at NY Times. “Salmon caught off the southern tip of Chile, for example, are first taken to Puerto Montt and then sent on trucks to Santiago. From there, they are flown to Miami and delivered on trucks to restaurants and grocery stores all over the country. The wholesale price of salmon has risen to $6.48 a pound from $6.25 in February.” NY Times subs.

J.Jill, Inc. Q4 comp sales decreased by 4.8% Press release

Sources: Dick’s Sporting Goods Has Kicked Off Layoffs at Foot Locker at Footwear News

How Successful Retailers Prosper in Tough Times at HBR. “We have observed a consistent pattern: Companies often experience a five-year lag in recognizing when to stop expanding. With so many variables affecting revenue, it is easy to assume that a long-successful strategy remains effective indefinitely.” Read more

CVS Health to open nearly 20 pharmacy-only locations this year Press release

Credit card APRs have an ‘economically meaningful’ impact on consumer spending, Boston Fed finds at CNBC. “On average, a 1 percentage point increase in the annual percentage rate, or APR, on a credit card leads to a roughly 9% drop in credit card spending the following month — which is an “economically meaningful response,” the researchers found.” Read more

Amazon has purchased 1,300 acres of undeveloped land on the Oregon side of the Columbia River that could one day become a massive computing campus with up to 20 data center buildings at GeekWire

Stitch Fix is targeting people mid-transition, from GLP-1 users to newly divorced men at Glossy. “About 80% of the items in a man’s closet were purchased by someone else,” said Baer. “When that changes, they often don’t have the capability or the history to shop for themselves.” Read more

Allbirds is selling for $39 million. It raised nearly 10 times that amount in its IPO. TechCrunch

Jordan’s Furniture will be on the hook for $50 million if the Connecticut men’s and women’s basketball teams win their first games of the Final Four at USA Today

Quinnipiac AI poll: More than three-quarters don’t trust AI TechCrunch

Academy Sports Q4 comp sales declined 1.6% Press release

PayPal expands stablecoin access to 68 more countries at Fortune. “In addition to being able to send and receive PYUSD, users abroad will also be able to earn rewards on their stablecoin holdings. Existing holders in the U.S. earn 4% annually.” Fortune subs.

New study: People eating around nine daily servings of ultraprocessed foods had a roughly 67% higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from heart disease. “In the study, researchers followed more than 6,800 adults beginning when they were ages 45 to 84 years old and didn’t have cardiovascular disease…Each additional daily serving of ultraprocessed foods was associated with a 5.1% increased risk of cardiovascular disease…” WSJ subs.

Amazon introduces faster delivery with new 1-hour and 3-hour options Press release

America Now Has More Spas and Gyms Than Stores Selling Actual Stuff at WSJ. “Retail leasing by service-oriented tenants outpaced goods-based retail leasing for the first time ever…Service-based tenants leased just over 50% of total retail square footage in 2025, according to data firm CoStar. Fifteen years ago, service tenants accounted for only 40% of total leasing.” WSJ subs.

Dollar Tree, Inc. Q4 comp store net sales growth of 5.0% “For fiscal 2026, the Company expects: …comp store net sales growth in the range of 3 to 4%…Approximately 400 new store openings and 75 closings.” Press release

Target Circle three‑day event runs March 25–27  “…event features up to 50% off thousands of items across apparel, home, beauty and more…” Press release

Dem Senators take aim at Amazon, questions ‘Melania’ movie deal at USA Today. “The fact that Amazon is seeking favorable treatment from the Trump Administration while paying a far-above-market sum to produce and promote the Trump family’s film raises questions about Amazon’s exposure under federal anti-bribery law,” the letter states.” Read more

Build-A-Bear is launching its first-ever wholesale partnership with Walmart Read more

The $40 Billion Game of Youth Sports Has Only One Winner: Dick’s Sporting Goods at WSJ. “At this point, it is almost impossible to play baseball without buying from Dick’s. “It is basically the only game in town,” said Neil O’Connor, the equipment coordinator of his 14- and 11-year-old sons’ league in Baltimore…Also, headbands. Do kids really need a headband if they are always wearing a hat or helmet? Don’t be ridiculous. Of course they do.” WSJ subs.

More consumers moving to Walmart for grocery at Talk Business. “According to a recent dunnhumby report, Walmart’s grocery penetration reached a record 72%…report shows 76% of working-age Americans would struggle to cover an unexpected $400 expense.” Read more

Kroger CEO focused on bananas, among other things at Supermarket News. “According to sources, Kroger buys bananas through brokers instead of sourcing them directly from growers…contacts close to the situation believe Foran will make major changes to Kroger’s labor force. According to those sources, Foran believes overstaffing, complacency and underperformance plague some stores.” Read more

**Get your product, service or event in front of the most powerful decision-makers in the retail community. Contact: info@eyeonretail.net