Merchants Sound Alarm as Swipe Fees Hit $198B
Swipe fees in the United States surged to a record $198.25 billion in 2025, a 5.9% increase over 2024 and an 80% jump since the pandemic began. Credit‑card fees dominate, with Visa and Mastercard alone accounting for $118.8 billion, while total credit‑card costs reached $157.8 billion. The average Visa/Mastercard credit swipe fee climbed to 2.36% of each transaction, continuing a decade‑long upward trend. Lawmakers are intensifying pressure on the industry, championing the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act that could slash fees and save merchants billions.
Family Dollar to Open Smaller-Format Stores in Urban Locations
Family Dollar, now a private company after a venture‑capital buyout, announced plans to roll out an extra‑small box (XSB) store format aimed at dense urban markets. The retailer, which operates 7,250 locations, reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $13 billion and a...
New Whole Foods Market in Los Gatos, Calif., To Open April 15
Whole Foods Market will open a new 43,130‑square‑foot store in Los Gatos, California on April 15, 2026, relocating from its 30‑year‑old location. The space is nearly double the size of the former store and adds a coffee‑and‑juice bar, expanded seating,...
Love’s Travel Stops Upgrades Loyalty Program
Love’s Travel Stops unveiled an upgraded Love’s Rewards program, integrating a single platform for both professional and casual drivers across its 670 locations. The new system, accessible via the Love’s App, awards points on fuel, in‑store merchandise, and branded items,...
Dollar Tree Posts Strong Q4 Results, Extends Two-Decade Same-Store Sales Streak
Dollar Tree posted a solid fourth‑quarter, with net sales climbing 9% to $5.45 billion and same‑store sales rising 5%, marking its 20th consecutive year of positive comparable sales. Gross margin expanded 150 basis points to 39.1% as pricing initiatives and lower...
Shoppers Plan to Buy More Produce After USDA Food Pyramid Update
The USDA unveiled an updated food pyramid on Jan. 7, 2026, and Acosta’s shopper community found that 80% of consumers were aware of it within three weeks. Respondents said they plan to buy more fruits and vegetables while cutting back on...
ONYX Professional Unveils “Beauty From the Ground Up” Brand Relaunch
ONYX Professional announced a brand relaunch under the “Beauty from the Ground Up” theme, focusing on foundational self‑care for hands, feet, and body. The overhaul leverages existing best‑selling products, such as its top‑ranked nail polish remover and Hard as Hoof...
White Castle Brings the Bacon to Freezer Aisles Nationwide
White Castle is rolling its Cheddar Bacon Cheese Slider out of the freezer aisle into Albertsons, Safeway and other grocery chains, with Dollar General joining in April. The slider, first sold in a Walmart variety pack last year and then...
Circana: Data-First Pricing Helps CPG Brands Diagnose Demand and Protect Profits
Circana’s new analysis shows that a data‑first pricing approach lets CPG brands replace intuition with measurable demand signals. By first reviewing promotion performance, firms can pinpoint subsidized sales and hidden inefficiencies. Elasticity measurement then reveals where price changes will affect...
Sally Beauty Hosting Pop-Up Event in Los Angeles
Beauty retailer Sally Beauty is rolling out “Colorfest,” a month‑long campaign centered on hair color and nail care, highlighted by a free pop‑up event at The Grove in Los Angeles on March 14. The event will feature immersive experiences and...
Dollar General Launches Weeklong ‘7 Days of Savings’ Event Ahead of Spring Cleaning Season
Dollar General is launching a weeklong "7 Days of Savings" promotion from March 15 to 21, targeting spring‑cleaning shoppers with rotating daily discounts on cleaning supplies, organization products, and household staples. The event showcases both national brands and Dollar General’s...
SimpliciTea Brings Automated Fresh-Brew Tea to C-Store and Grocery Beverage Operations
Appliance Innovation has opened its Automated Fresh Brew SimpliciTea system to convenience‑store and grocery operators nationwide after an exclusive rollout with QuikTrip. The compact, self‑cleaning platform brews tea to order, eliminating batch waste and delivering consistent hot or cold tea...
Tariff Uncertainty Expected to Weigh on U.S. Container Imports in First Half of 2026, NRF Says
The National Retail Federation’s Global Port Tracker projects U.S. container imports will stay below last‑year levels through the first half of 2026 due to lingering tariff uncertainty and geopolitical risk. After the Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs, the Trump...
ADvendio Launches Ad Suite for Retailers Featuring AI Agents
ADvendio unveiled Revenue OS for Agentic Advertising, an AI‑driven suite that equips retailers with four specialized agents—AdOne, AdPortal, AdGateway, and AdFinance. The platform combines Salesforce’s reasoning engine with ADvendio’s operational logic to automate campaign planning, sales, data consolidation, and financial...
K-Beauty Pioneer Appoints a U.S. CEO
Olive Young, South Korea's top beauty retailer, named Gaeun Kwon as chief executive of its U.S. arm. The company will debut its first American store in Pasadena, California, in May 2026, followed by a preview location at Westfield Century City....
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Enters Minnesota
Ollie's Bargain Outlet opened its first Minnesota store in Austin, about 100 miles south of Minneapolis, marking the retailer’s entry into its 35th state and a key milestone in its Midwest expansion. The Austin location continues Ollie's model of no‑frills,...
Scotch-Brite Making Gen Z and Millennial Consumers Think Differently About Everyday Cleaning Essentials
Scotch‑Brite unveiled Brite, a vibrant kitchen‑cleaning collection aimed at Gen Z and Millennial shoppers. The line, debuting March 1 at Target, Walmart and Amazon, features dual‑sided scrubbers, ergonomic palm tools, a leak‑proof dishwand and eco‑friendly refill heads, each paired with a sleek...
7-Eleven Gives Customers a Boost with Energizing Sips for Daylight Saving Time
7‑Eleven, along with its Speedway and Stripes banners, rolled out two new frozen drinks to counter the sleep‑loss effects of daylight‑saving time. The lineup features a Sour Patch Kids Watermelon Slurpee, a tart, candy‑inspired beverage, and the first‑ever Fresca Zero...
National Nutrition Month Spotlight: MIGHTYLICIOUS Makes Gluten-Free Living Delicious and Easy
MIGHTYLICIOUS Gluten Free, a woman‑owned brand, launched a line of award‑winning baking mixes and ready‑to‑eat cookies aimed at the 1.3 million Americans on gluten‑free diets. The products promise traditional texture and flavor while meeting vegan, vegetarian and kosher standards. Available in...
Sprouts Farmers Market Opens New Store in Clermont, Florida
Sprouts Farmers Market announced the opening of a new 30,000‑square‑foot store at 3420 S US Hwy 27 in Clermont, Florida, with a ribbon‑cutting ceremony on March 6. The grand‑opening weekend runs March 6‑8, featuring promotions such as 20 % off for new Sprouts Rewards...
Sales at Record High, Americans View Meat as Part of a Healthy, Balanced Lifestyle
Meat sales in the United States hit a record $112 billion in 2025, up 2% in volume. Millennials and Gen Z drove two‑thirds of the unit growth, with many actively seeking more meat‑based meals. Over 98% of households buy meat, and 77%...
Retail Channels Remain Key as U.S. Supplements Market Grows
The U.S. dietary supplements market, valued at $68.74 billion in 2025, is projected to reach $131.08 billion by 2033, driven by an 8.5% CAGR. Vitamins continue to dominate, representing 28.1% of revenue, while immune‑health and specialty segments such as prenatal products also...
Video Forum: Justin Honaman, Amazon Web Services, Part 2
In a recent Video Forum, Justin Honaman, global head of retail, restaurants and consumer goods business development at Amazon Web Services, explained the concept of agentic commerce and its potential to reshape retail interactions. He highlighted how AWS’s cloud and...
Organic Valley, Stonyfield Organic, UNFI, and Whole Foods Market Team in Value Chain Climate Initiative for US Organic Dairy
Organic Valley has partnered with Stonyfield Organic, UNFI and Whole Foods Market to launch Verified Impact Units (VIUs) that fund carbon‑insetting projects on U.S. organic dairy farms. The initiative creates a transparent, third‑party verified system for measuring and reducing greenhouse‑gas...
AI Is Resetting the Rules of Growth in CPG
NielsenIQ’s new Growth Frontier report, created with Kearney, shows artificial intelligence reshaping CPG innovation and discovery. Over the past three years niche brands added 1.5 percentage points of U.S. market share while large national brands fell 2.1 points, highlighting a shift...
Target's Q4 Profit Beats Expectations and Company Projects a Return to Growth in 2026
Target posted adjusted earnings of $2.44 per share for Q4, outpacing the $2.16 consensus, while net sales slipped 1.5% to $30.5 billion. Gross margin improved to 26.6% on lower shrinkage and supply‑chain costs, offset by higher product expenses. Non‑merchandise segments such...
Guiding Stars Expands Beyond Retail as PHA’s Nutrition Standard
Guiding Stars and Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) have broadened their collaboration, designating Guiding Stars as PHA’s core nutrition standard. The expanded partnership will see the three‑star rating system used to identify and communicate healthier foods across retailers, CPG...
First Retailer Achieves End-to-End FSMA 204 Traceability
ReposiTrak announced that a leading grocery retailer has become the first to achieve true end‑to‑end traceability under FDA FSMA Section 204, using its Touchless Traceability solution. The system has already generated hundreds of thousands of FDA‑required Key Data Element records...
HI-CHEW and Menchie's Frozen Yogurt Launch a Zesty Spring Surprise
HI-CHEW and Menchie's Frozen Yogurt have launched a limited‑edition HI‑CHEW Grapefruit flavor, a citrus‑forward frozen yogurt available at Menchie's locations throughout March. The non‑fat, artificial‑color‑free product draws on HI‑CHEW’s Sweet & Sour Mix to deliver a sweet‑tart taste positioned as...
Monfort Companies Divests Convenience Portfolio in Multi-Buyer Seal
Monfort Companies and its affiliates agreed to sell their petroleum marketing and convenience retail assets, comprising roughly 80 stores in Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin, to several buyers. The transactions, advised by Matrix Capital Markets, were disclosed without financial...
AI, Clean Beauty and U.S. Growth Reshape Global Cosmetics Outlook
The global cosmetics market is forecast to reach $704.17 billion by 2032, expanding at a 5.25% CAGR from $492.18 billion in 2025. Skincare dominates, representing 48% of revenue, with the United States driving premium growth through anti‑aging, SPF, and microbiome‑friendly products. Artificial‑intelligence...
H‑E‑B Announces Major Remodel and Expansion of 83 & Lincoln Store in Harlingen
H‑E‑B has launched a comprehensive remodel and expansion of its 83 & Lincoln store in Harlingen, increasing the footprint to nearly 112,000 square feet. The project, slated for completion in early 2027, adds expanded departments, a refreshed exterior, and a...
Target to Remove Certified Synthetic Colors From Entire Cereal Assortment
Target Corp. announced that by the end of May it will stock only cereals free of certified synthetic colors across all stores and online. The initiative follows internal guest insights showing a sustained shift toward products without artificial additives, especially...
Amazon Deepens AI Push with $50B OpenAI Investment
Amazon announced a multi‑year partnership with OpenAI, committing $50 billion—$15 billion upfront and $35 billion conditional—to accelerate AI adoption. The deal includes a stateful runtime on Amazon Bedrock, exclusive AWS distribution for OpenAI Frontier, and an expanded $100 billion Trainium compute commitment over eight...
Albertsons Cos. Names Brian Rice to Board of Directors
Albertsons Companies announced that Brian Rice, the executive vice president and global chief information officer of McDonald’s, will join its board of directors on February 25, 2026, expanding the board to 11 members. Rice brings more than three decades of...
Borden Cheese Launches National Search for "America's Favorite Grilled Cheese"
Borden Cheese has launched a nationwide contest to crown “America’s Favorite Grilled Cheese,” inviting consumers to vote for one of four recipe contenders through March 24, 2026. Each vote doubles as an entry to win a year’s supply of Borden cheese and...
Bealls Appoints David Brown Vice President of Stores
Bealls Inc. announced David Brown as its new Vice President of Stores, overseeing nationwide store operations. Brown brings more than 25 years of retail leadership, including recent success as regional vice president at Ross Dress for Less where his teams...
QuikTrip Opens 1,200th Store
QuikTrip celebrated the opening of its 1,200th store at 6459 Jonesboro Road in Morrow, Georgia, marking the retailer’s 181st location in the state. The new outlet features QT Kitchens, an expanded coffee menu, and creates roughly 24 local jobs with...
Wegmans Releases Statement on Facial Recognition Technology
Wegmans Food Markets released a statement clarifying that its facial recognition technology is deployed in only a small fraction of stores and is used exclusively for security purposes. The company emphasized that it does not collect retinal scans or voice...
Bio Creative Labs Expands with Dual Whole Foods Rollout
Bio Creative Labs is rolling out its new BELIEVE hair‑care line and Petal Fresh Skin ResQ Hello Hydration skincare collection across every Whole Foods Market in the United States. The dual launch bypasses regional testing, reflecting the company’s confidence in...
Kroger Expands Savings Programs to Improve Access to GLP-1 Medications
Kroger is expanding its pharmacy savings programs to include manufacturer‑sponsored discounts for GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs. The retailer now pairs medication access with nutrition counseling, fresh‑food options, and registered dietitian services, creating a one‑stop wellness hub. In select states, customers can...
Food Lion Feeds Turns Oranges Into Meals Through Orange Bag Campaign
Food Lion Feeds has launched its Orange Bag campaign, running Feb 25–Mar 17, 2026, inviting shoppers to buy specially marked navel orange bags that translate into meals for Feeding America and local food banks. Since its 2019 debut, the initiative has generated more...
Half of U.S. Shoppers Worried About Artificial Ingredients in Food, Acosta Group Finds
Acosta Group’s 2025 shopper study reveals that half of U.S. consumers are concerned about artificial ingredients in food, while 58% read product labels regularly and 87% of health‑focused shoppers do so. The research, based on 1,083 respondents, shows 35% consider...
Video Forum: Justin Honaman, Amazon Web Services, Part 1
In the first installment of a two‑part Video Forum, Justin Honaman, global head of retail, restaurants and consumer goods business development at Amazon Web Services, outlines how cloud‑based AI, data analytics and edge computing are reshaping the marketplace. He references...
Natural Grocers Salutes Colorado with Three-Day Event
Natural Grocers is hosting its seventh annual Celebrate Colorado celebration from March 3‑5 across all 45 Colorado locations. Shoppers will receive a limited‑edition reusable bag and sticker, and can enter sweepstakes for a $1,195 snowboard, a $1,599 e‑bike, or a $500...
Magic Molecule Launches in Whole Foods Market
Magic Molecule, a hypochlorous acid‑based skin‑care brand, announced that its FDA‑cleared Skin Spray is now stocked in all 500+ Whole Foods Market locations, making it the retailer’s first hypochlorous acid product. The spray, priced between $13.99 and $22.99, claims to...
Natural Grocers Celebrates Texas Independence Day with a Special Gift and Savings
Natural Grocers is celebrating Texas Independence Day from March 2‑4 at all 24 Texas locations. {N}power members receive a free limited‑edition Texas‑themed reusable tote bag and a $5‑off coupon on in‑store purchases. The promotion highlights the retailer’s loyalty program and its...
Walmart Data Ventures Launches Scintilla In-Store Platform
Walmart Data Ventures unveiled Scintilla In-Store, a mobile platform that fuses live inventory data, actionable metrics, and supplier‑assigned tasks for field representatives. The app replaces the former Volt system and aims to cut out‑of‑stock situations while improving planogram compliance at...
Data to Decisions in an Instant
Retail executives at the FMI Midwinter Conference warned that the rise of agentic commerce will collapse the traditional lag between data collection and purchasing decisions. Generative AI agents embedded in phones and devices will make instant, autonomous buying choices, shifting...
Historic Supreme Court Decision Ends Trump’s Tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6‑3 ruling on February 20, 2026, striking down President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The decision, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, holds that the Constitution reserves...
