Know What's Happening in Retail
Know What's Happening in Retail
AI start‑ups deploy virtual‑try‑on tech to slash $850 billion retail return losses
AI start‑ups such as Catches are launching virtual‑try‑on platforms that create realistic digital twins of shoppers, aiming to reduce the retail sector’s $850 billion return problem. The National Retail Federation reports that 15.8% of U.S. sales – 19.3% online – were returned in 2025, eroding margins. Generative AI and cheap cloud compute now make these tools cost‑effective.
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Torrid reported a 14% year‑over‑year drop in Q4 net sales to $236.2 million, with comparable sales down 10% and gross margin compressing to 30%. The retailer closed 151 stores in 2025, achieving 85% of its plan to shutter up to 180 locations, and began 2026 by closing 11 additional stores. Despite the downturn, Torrid introduced a lower‑price assortment that now represents roughly a third of its inventory and is expanding higher‑margin sub‑brands. Executives say the revamped operating structure positions the company for a turnaround, though analysts warn of execution risk.
GLP‑1 weight‑loss medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy are driving a measurable shift in consumer body sizes, prompting fashion retailers to reevaluate their sizing strategies. Brands are seeing heightened demand for smaller‑size inventory while larger sizes risk overstock, leading to...
Automated Retail Technologies (ART) has introduced four 24/7 Just Baked snack kiosks at Charleston International Airport, operated by Evolvending. The kiosks feature distinct brand concepts, including White Castle, Wow Bao, a sweets theme, and a café theme. ART and Evolvending have...
Regional grocers are accelerating growth to rival national chains, with Harps Food Stores entering Tennessee and Kentucky and nearly doubling its footprint. Brookshire Brothers announced four senior promotions, highlighting a talent‑development strategy aimed at sustaining expansion. Redner’s Markets unveiled a...
UK streetwear label Hoodrich is launching its first men’s footwear collection in the United States through a partnership with The Eastman Group, sold exclusively at JD Sports stores and JD.com. The debut line includes the $100 Recon chunky‑sole sneaker in three...
Matalan launched its spring‑summer 2026 "Style for Every Moment" campaign on 20 March, rolling out across TV, video‑on‑demand, social, digital and in‑store channels. Created by Ocurens and directed by Benjamin Lennox, the ads follow a series of real‑life moments that reflect...
Haut.AI is showcasing its Face Analysis 3.0, SkinGPT, and Skin.Chat solutions at Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2026. The Face Analysis platform evaluates more than 29 skin health metrics using 150+ facial biomarkers and over 3 million data points, already powering personalization for...
Amazon has unusually slashed prices on both its standard and Enhanced Fire TV remotes, offering discounts up to $15 within a two‑week span. The standard remote, normally $30, saw three separate reductions, while the Enhanced model received three cuts ranging...
Wingstop UKI opened its fourth Bristol restaurant at The Venue, Cribbs Causeway, adding a 4,520‑sq‑ft space with 168 covers. The launch includes a limited‑time Dragon’s Breath wing and free wings for the first 100 guests. The chain now operates 91...
UK e‑commerce orders rose 8.47 % YoY in the week leading up to Mother’s Day, but the growth was evenly distributed rather than concentrated on a single rush day. Shoppers spread purchases across the entire week, with the strongest lifts on...
Kohl’s chief executive Michael Bender announced that the department‑store chain will not close additional locations after shuttering 27 stores in 2025. The company will instead concentrate on extracting more productivity from its roughly 1,150 existing stores as it battles flat...
A year after a wave of sophisticated cyber attacks crippled ecommerce platforms and supply chains, retailers have begun overhauling their security models. The industry is moving from perimeter‑based defenses to zero‑trust architectures, with roughly 63% of organisations adopting at least...
9shines Label, founded in 2017, has built a D2C nightwear and comfort‑wear business around a single, well‑defined category. By prioritising breathable fabrics, inclusive sizing up to 7XL and functional details, the brand enjoys a near‑50% repeat purchase rate. Its hybrid...
Canada’s retail sector posted a modest 1.1 % year‑over‑year increase in January, falling short of the 1.5 % consensus but still delivering solid growth after a 0.4 % decline in December. Total sales reached C$70.7 billion, with vehicle sales surging 2.0 % and e‑commerce expanding...
Don’t ask: “How can I survive all this change?” Ask: “What *won’t* change?” Jeff Bezos built Amazon by asking that exact question. He didn’t obsess over competitors or waste time trying to predict the future. Instead, he built Amazon around things he knew customers...
The social media live shopping 🛒 📲 era is here … leave a comment with your stories on how it’s going because too may won’t believe me …. https://t.co/X1aLLTYdWf
South Korean skincare brand Beauty of Joseon launched a pop‑up experience at Westfield London in March 2026, celebrating its heritage‑inspired product range. The installation, conceived by experiential agency N2O, blends traditional Korean motifs with modern retail design to showcase the...
How The Middle East Conflict Will Push Retail Prices Up And Consumers Into Retreat via @forbes https://t.co/vHxGN0OKET
Biedronka, Poland’s largest supermarket chain owned by Jeronimo Martins, has signaled interest in buying a sizable portion of Carrefour’s Polish assets. Carrefour is refocusing on its core markets of France, Spain and Brazil, leaving its Polish division up for sale....
Artificial intelligence is reshaping retail by delivering hyper‑personalized experiences, real‑time inventory forecasting, and 24/7 virtual assistance. AI‑driven dynamic pricing and computer‑vision‑enabled in‑store tools are boosting sales margins while reducing stockouts. Fraud detection and supply‑chain optimization further enhance security and efficiency....
Metrocentre, the UK’s second‑largest shopping centre, will transform its "The Forum" area into a new destination called "The Crescent". The revamp will feature up to ten newly refurbished units dedicated to independent brands and a centrally located coffee hub. Designed...
Colruyt is piloting a new store layout in five Belgian locations, moving the wine aisle away from the entrance and replacing it with a rack that showcases top promotions and flyers. The change aims to make price‑driven offers immediately visible...
Huckberry’s newsletter, launched 15 years ago, includes external links to curated stories, defying the e‑commerce rule against outbound links. The brand treats customers as community members, offering entertainment, education, and connections beyond its product line. This content‑first approach yields customers...
Walmart has secured two AI‑driven pricing patents—one for dynamic online price adjustments and another for demand‑forecasting tools—while rolling out digital shelf labels in 2,300 U.S. stores. The moves ignite debate over whether the retailer’s “everyday low prices” promise will give...
Restaurant franchising remains the dominant growth model in U.S. food service, with brands like Chick‑fil‑A, McDonald’s and Wingstop leveraging uniform menus and strong brand equity to outpace independent operators. Studies show franchise units generate higher revenue and enjoy superior success...
Retail marketers are facing backlash as AI‑generated ad “slop” erodes brand trust. Recent incidents like Blue Apron’s gibberish copy highlight consumer rejection of low‑quality automated content, now dubbed Merriam‑Webster’s 2025 Word of the Year. While platforms such as Meta and...
Alibaba’s third‑quarter profit fell 66% despite a modest 1.7% revenue rise. The decline was driven by weak domestic e‑commerce, with only quick‑commerce delivering growth (+56%). International sales, including AliExpress, added a modest 3% retail increase. The slump has pushed the...
Walmart has filed two patents that combine AI‑driven demand forecasting with dynamic pricing, and is rolling out digital shelf labels across U.S. stores. The patents cover real‑time price updates on e‑commerce platforms and predictive pricing recommendations tied to demand models....
Tesco launched its online grocery platform in 1997 and by February 2001 had grown sales to £237 million, up from £59 million the previous year, on a modest £40 million investment. The retailer pioneered an in‑store picking model, expanding delivery from a single...
Belgian fashion platform Dressr, together with restoration studio HoiHoi, has introduced a rental service for vintage designer handbags. The curated collection features restored pieces from brands like Celine, Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, available for ten‑day rentals starting at €52,...
Alexander McQueen will relocate its Old Bond Street flagship to a new premium location on the same street, slated for the final quarter of 2026. The move retains the existing store team and will feature a full range of ready‑to‑wear...
Crocs will open its first full‑price store in Paris in June 2026, marking a strategic shift toward premium retail in Europe. The launch is part of a broader 2026 expansion plan that follows recent outlet openings in the UK. In 2025...
The Works announced it will shut its e‑commerce platform and convert its website into a non‑transactional brand showcase. The decision follows two years of operational problems with third‑party fulfilment partners and a loss‑making online division that contributed only a small...
Flipkart announced that group CFO Sriram Venkataraman will step down after a decade of service, coinciding with the company’s preparation for a 2027 initial public offering. The Walmart‑owned e‑commerce platform has also appointed senior vice‑president Nishant Verman to help drive...
Amazon has expanded its Shop Direct program to accept product feeds from three third‑party catalog providers—Feedonomics, Salsify and CedCommerce. The integration pulls real‑time inventory, pricing and attribute data, allowing merchants without traditional Amazon listings to appear in Amazon search results....
South Africa’s e‑commerce market surpassed R130 billion in 2025, representing roughly 10 % of total retail sales, with 55 % of consumers using smartphones to shop online. Emerging mobile technologies—AI‑driven personalization, social commerce, and augmented reality—are reshaping how shoppers discover, evaluate, and purchase...
Rasna International is leveraging early‑summer weather and expanding demand in smaller towns to target 15‑20% revenue growth. The company now commands over 70% of India’s concentrate market, with sales increasingly driven by semi‑urban and rural consumers. A digital‑first strategy, including...
DailyObjects, the design‑led tech accessories brand, is targeting Rs 1,000 crore in revenue by FY27 while expanding its offline footprint to 150 stores over the next four years. The company currently posts an ARR of Rs 320‑330 crore and expects FY26 net revenue of...
Australian jewellery label By Charlotte is debuting in Western Australia with three new boutiques in Perth’s Karrinyup Shopping Centre, Claremont Quarter and Westfield Booragoon. The openings follow a rapid Victorian rollout that added four stores last year and bring the...
Sukoshi, a Canadian‑born Asian beauty retailer, has expanded from a 355 sq ft Toronto shop in 2018 to a 20‑store chain across the US and Canada. The company differentiates itself by acting as a launch and acceleration platform for emerging Asian brands,...
Convenience Retail Asia (CRA) posted a 2.8% decline in FY25 revenue to HK$1.4 billion, reflecting weaker consumer travel and price competition. Despite the sales dip, operating profit rose 19% to HK$40.9 million and attributable profit surged 41% to HK$33.8 million. The gain stemmed...
Indian retailers are rolling out aggressive festival discounts across Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Eid and pre‑summer sales to clear inventory amid rising input costs. Smartphone and TV sales have slumped, with Counterpoint projecting the next quarter as the second‑worst since the 2020...
Blue Bottle Coffee launched a new flagship store in Harajuku, Tokyo, covering roughly 83 sqm with seating for 26 patrons. Designed by Teki Design, the venue features a stainless‑steel façade and reflective interiors that echo the district’s visual retail culture. Unlike...
Target’s partnership with teen‑focused brand Roller Rabbit launched over 250 items and generated roughly $6 million in sales within the first hour, averaging $100,000 per minute. The collection, featuring family‑friendly pajamas, pool floats, luggage and exclusive mystery boxes, sold about 5,000...
Zara has launched a two‑year creative partnership with John Galliano to reinterpret its archive, marking a deliberate push upmarket. The collaboration is positioned as a branding exercise as much as a product line, aiming to infuse luxury credibility into the...
Walmart has secured two U.S. patents that leverage machine learning to automate price adjustments and forecast demand for its eCommerce inventory. The filings describe systems for dynamic markdowns and demand‑driven price recommendations across a broad product range. Although Walmart insists...
Myer is bolstering its luxury beauty portfolio by adding La Mer, Swiss Perfection and Guerlain to its shelves, alongside the recently launched Helena Rubinstein line. The new brands will appear in the retailer's flagship stores in Sydney and Melbourne, and...
Alibaba reported a modest 1.7% rise in third‑quarter revenue to 284.84 billion yuan, but net income plunged 66.3%, missing analysts’ expectations. Heavy spending on one‑hour delivery, deep discounts and an extended Singles’ Day promotion failed to lift consumer demand amid a...
Discount retailers Dollar General and Five Below used their Q4 earnings calls to outline new digital initiatives aimed at strengthening omnichannel experiences. Dollar General reported a 4.3% same‑store sales increase and highlighted its expanded delivery network, upgraded search, and a...
At the Mirakl Summit in London, Head of Agentic Commerce Amelia Van Camp highlighted how AI is reshaping marketplace ecosystems. She explained Mirakl’s strategy for embedding large‑language models into category mapping, customer experience, product sourcing and retail media. The discussion...
