Amazon Prime Day starts today Press release

 

Bath & Body Works partners with Ulta Beauty at Reuters. “Ulta Beauty shoppers will soon be able to purchase Bath & Body Works’ signature fragrances, hand soaps ​and candles in more than 600 stores from July 12…” Reuters subs.

 

Forbes Top Creators 2026 “Meet the stars of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and other powerhouse influencers turning massive fanbases into millions of dollars.” Forbes top 50 list subs.

 

How Pokémon Cards Became Scarce, Valuable and Surprisingly Dangerous at Bloomberg. “TPCI reported $12 billion in sales last year across its Pokémon ventures, making it the world’s seventh-most valuable licensor (just behind Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.)…And while the six bigger companies all manage two or more pop-culture behemoths, TPCI only has Pokémon. Perhaps no characters on Earth are worth more pound for pound.” Bloomberg subs.

 

Walmart tests dark store in Fayetteville for speedy delivery at Talk Business. “Walmart’s depots are closed to the public, and they support Spark drivers fulfilling orders for faster delivery… 
Walmart began testing the dark-store delivery hub concept last year in Dallas. Last month, the Fayetteville location opened, and there are others planned for Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Carlstadt, N.J., with other cities still in the planning stages.” Read more

 

Agentic AI commerce comes to Samsung’s smart TVs at Fast Company subs.

 

Tide Already Dominates Detergent. Why Is P&G Pushing a New Version? at WSJ. “The decision to create Tide tiles dates back to just after the launch of Tide pods in 2012. That was when Lee Ellen Drechsler, a top R&D executive, stood at a whiteboard with two of the company’s most accomplished scientists: paper-towel pioneer Paul Trokhan and dish-soap innovator Mark Sivik…” WSJ subs.

 

A New Store in Hong Kong Has No Human Employees, Just a Single Humanoid Robot at Futurism

 

McKinsey: State of the Consumer 2026: When tech acceleration and cost pressures collide “Twenty-eight percent of Gen Zers say they are already using gen AI tools for shopping (versus 16 percent of baby boomers), while 60 percent say they regularly use the “AI overview” at the top of traditional search platforms…” Read more

 

Modell’s launches online comeback after Knicks championship — with brick-and-mortar stores the goal at NY Post

 

Best Buy Announces Chief Financial Officer Transition “Matt Bilunas to step down on July 31 after 20 years with the company, including seven as CFO. Company is conducting an external search for a successor…” Press release

 

Walmart Pulls Sam’s Club Deeper Into Its Ad Business at Adweek. “In Cannes this week, the retail giant is pitching advertisers on a rebrand for Sam’s Club’s retail media network. Previously dubbed Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (Sam’s Club MAP), the bulk retailer’s ad business is now named Sam’s Club Connect, a title that mirrors its sister business, Walmart Connect. The rebrand is designed for a more integrated pitch across Walmart’s properties.” Adweek subs.