CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor: January Data Shows Fourth Consecutive Monthly Gain “The Retail Monitor calculation of core retail sales (excluding restaurants in addition to auto dealers and gas stations) was up 0.15% month over month in January and up 5.51% year over year. That compared with increases of 1.6% month over month and 3.58% year over year in December.” Press release

 

Forbes 250: America’s Greatest Innovators (Bezos #2, Sinegal #17, Blank #54) Ranked list

 

Italian tax police carried out searches on Thursday at Amazon’s headquarters in Milan in a new tax evasion investigation at Reuters/CNBC. “The sources said the Guardia di Finanza tax police also ​searched the homes of ​seven Amazon managers and ​the offices of auditing firm KPMG. The probe is a new strand of an investigation looking into whether Amazon had an undisclosed, permanent base in Italy from 2019 to 2024 and should ⁠therefore ‌have paid more taxes in the country.” Read more

 

CNBC releases its inaugural Inside Wealth Family Office 15 list (Bezos #2, Lukas Walton #5…) List/Read more

 

Unaffordable Housing Impacts How Americans Consume, Work and Invest at Bloomberg. “As housing prices climb out of reach, discouraged Americans may be reaching for crypto and other risky investments…When the incentive to strive fades, behaviors change.” Bloomberg subs.

 

It’s a Grocery Store, but Selling Food Isn’t the Point at NY Times “Happier Grocery opened in 2023 and debuted its event space, called the Apartment, the next year. It has hosted chess nights, family-style dinner parties with chefs, yoga and breath work classes, and knitting workshops led by Ella Emhoff, daughter of the former Second Gentleman of the United States, among other experiences. There is, of course, a podcast. It has an actual grocery store, too…” NY Times subs.

 

…The Booming Business of Luxury Grocery Stores at WSJ. “Swaddled in expensive parkas and slinging luxury purses, a winding queue of patrons waits for the handsome bouncer to let them inside…’I wanted people to feel like they just took a Xanax when they walk in,” Sammy Nussdorf (of Meadow Lane) says…In downtown Manhattan, there’s Happier Grocery and Rigor Hill Market, both blocks away from Meadow Lane. Uptown is home to a bounty of longer-running spots including Butterfield Market, Agata & Valentina, Zabar’s and Ouri’s Market.” WSJ subs.

 

Target kicked off New York Fashion Week with the Spring Beauty Studio event in its new retail concept store, Target SoHo Press release

 

Amazon Pharmacy to expand same-day delivery to nearly 4,500 US cities TechCrunch

 

Your Strategy Needs a Visual Metaphor at Harvard Business Review. “…metaphor and storytelling did not change what people understood; they changed how much they cared…insights point to what we call a “second level” of visualization power…Strong metaphors connect with people’s imagination. Story structures create continuity and momentum.” Read more

 

PR Week: AI 25, Class of 2026 (Daniel Danker – Walmart…) List

 

Sally Beauty is betting on dupe fragrances and instant delivery at Glossy. “Anchoring the category at Sally Beauty is Alt., a dupe fragrance brand known for its interpretations of luxury scents…“We’re doing [fragrance] in our unique way, which continues to be a value play,” Sally Beauty CEO Denise Paulonis told Glossy. “At $25 to $35, you’re getting the equivalent of a $300 fragrance, which fits perfectly with who our customers are.” Read more

 

US Foods Q4 net sales +3.3% Press release

 

A year into Trump tariffs, Chinese factories and ports are buzzing with activity at CNBC. “Major ports in China handled 40% more containers during the week ended Feb. 1 from a year earlier…That marks the fastest year-on-year growth in more than 12 months…ports in Ningbo…operated “beyond capacity, with individual vessels overbooked by more than 20%…” Read more

 

FCC clears Amazon Leo to boost satellite broadband coverage “The approval would add more than 4,500 satellites to the previously authorized constellation of 3,232 Gen 1 spacecraft, expanding coverage to the entire globe…” GeekWire

 

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