Retail sales up 1.7% in March; driven by a spike in gas prices at Yahoo/AP. "Excluding gas prices, the number was a slim 0.6%...Business at gas stations rose 15.5% percent. Elsewhere, sales at department stores rose 4.2%, while sales at furniture stores were up 2.2%. Online retailers saw a 1% gain." Read more   Tractor Supply Q1 comp sales +0.5% "Comparable average ticket increased 1.6%, partially offset by a comparable average transaction count decrease of 1.0%...Four of five product categories delivered positive comparable sales growth...Companion animal performance was below the Company average..." Press release   Amazon ‘strong-armed’ Levi’s, Hanes [...]

  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 [...]

  Lowe's CEO @ CNBC This Morning "CNBC’s “Squawk Box” team discusses Lowe’s business performance, its new subscription service HomeCare+ and more with Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison." 4:16 video   China’s exports grew 2.5% in March in a sharp slowdown as Iran war raises uncertainty AP News   Wholesale prices rose 0.5% in March, much less than the 1.1% expected at CNBC   Albertsons Companies, Inc. Q4 ID Sales +0.7% "In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company recorded a loss of $773.8 million...related to the opioid settlement framework announced today..." Press release   NRF: Top 50 Global Retailers [...]

  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 [...]

  Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For (Wegmans #5, Target #29, Sheetz #32, Publix #50) List/Fortune subs.    BJ’s new Chief Merchandising Officer hails from Sam’s Club "Stephanie Reibling...most recently (served) as senior vice president, general merchandise manager at Sam’s Club...Earlier in her career, Reibling held divisional merchandising roles at Walmart...She also held leadership roles at Gap Inc." Press release   Visa says AI could start making purchases for you at Fast Company. "Only about a third are comfortable with AI completing a purchase, and fewer are willing to let it spend without approval. That gap points to a broader [...]

  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 [...]

  Gap becomes the first major fashion company to offer checkout within Google’s Gemini at CNBC. "For now, customers won’t be able to link loyalty accounts or spend points on the transaction, he said. That could create some friction for regular customers, but Gerjets said the option could be added down the line." Read more   Dollar General Corporation Appoints Jerry W. “JJ” Fleeman Jr., as CEO "Fleeman to succeed Todd Vasos as CEO effective January 1, 2027...Fleeman has served as CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, Inc...He has also served as a member of the Ahold Delhaize Management Board since [...]

  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 [...]