US retail sales rose slightly in September, adding to months of big gains at AP. “Sales increased 0.2% last month from August, the Commerce Department said Tuesday…The retail sales figures suggest that Americans as a whole are still willing and able to boost their spending…” Read more

 

TikTok Shop Pushes Into Luxury Retail With $11,000 Handbags at Bloomberg. “The emergence of high-end luxury goods on TikTok Shop is a sign of the company’s evolving e-commerce ambitions since it launched in the US two years ago to comparisons with Chinese fast-fashion heavyweights like PDD Holdings Inc.’s Temu and Shein Group Ltd. TikTok Shop is still a destination for cheap finds…but its push into luxury also shows that the once-prominent threat of a TikTok ban in the US has done little to dim the company’s online shopping aspirations.” Bloomberg subs.

 

Dick’s Business Q3 comp sales +5.7% (vs. +3.6% expected) Press release

 

…Dick’s Ups Guidance, Will Shutter Some Stores at CNBC. “For its namesake banner, the company is now expecting comparable sales to rise between 3.5% and 4%, up from its prior range of 2% to 3.5%…“We need to clean out the garage,” said Stack. “We’ve taken pretty aggressive markdowns to clean out old merchandise. We’re impairing some store assets. We’ll close some stores … everything we’re doing is there to protect 2026 and just kind of do this one time.” Read more

 

…Dick’s Names Matthew Barnes President, Foot Locker International Press release

 

Best Buy Q3 comp sales +2.7% (vs. +1.5% expected) Press release

 

…Best Buy Hikes Sales Forecast at CNBC. “…expects full-year comparable sales…to range between a 0.5% rise to a 1.2% increase, compared with its previous expectations for a 1% decline and a 1% climb… CEO Corie Barry said Best Buy saw “better-than-expected sales” for the quarter because of strong results across computing, gaming and mobile phone.” Read more

 

Would You Like a New Car With That $8 USB Cable? Amazon Hopes So at WSJ. “Hyundai, which has been selling cars on Amazon since December, said nearly all the people browsing the company’s vehicles on the e-commerce website were new to the brand. Around 40% of them said they were more likely to consider a Hyundai once they learned of the tie-up with Amazon.” WSJ subs.

 

Kohl’s Q3 comp sales -1.7% Press release

 

…Kohl’s Appoints Michael J. Bender as CEO “Mr. Bender has served as interim CEO since May…has 30 years of leadership experience at Eyemart Express, Walmart, L Brands, and PepsiCo.” Press release

 

Cramer: Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch surged nearly 20% after the retailer beat on quarterly earnings and revenue…Kohl’s shares skyrocketed more than 25% after the department store reported a quarterly profit when estimates called for a loss. 

 

Shoppers curtail Black Friday plans to stretch spending: ‘They are using every tool that they can,’ expert says at CNBC. “Consumers plan to spend an average of $622 between Nov. 27 and Dec. 1, down 4% from last year, according to a new Deloitte survey released Monday. The overall belt-tightening was largely due to a higher cost of living and financial constraints, Deloitte found.” Read more

 

Amazon to invest up to $50B to build AI infrastructure for US government agencies at Fox Business

 

American Eagle’s Holiday Plot Twist? Martha Stewart in Denim at Adweek. “…American Eagle is branching out beyond its typical Gen Z target to the older generations who shop for them, (CMO) Craig Brommers told ADWEEK. While Stewart has cross-generational appeal, her name and image awareness among Gen Z grew by 33% between 2020 and 2024 and is now on par with Millennials…” Read more

 

Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events Press release

 

Inside Atlanta’s First Government-Funded Supermarket at WSJ. “The second store, going up in a section of Southwest Atlanta where roughly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line, could be more of a challenge. There, on the edge of a rundown strip center, the city is leasing space where a previous grocer went out of business…” WSJ subs.