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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Google Shopping now includes a “Stores” tab that surfaces local retailers alongside product listings. The feature appears after clicking the “More places” button and redirects users to the Places navigation bar. It is distinct from the existing “Nearby” filter, which adds the word “nearby” to queries and can show non‑local merchants. Early testers confirmed the tab was not previously available.
Printworks Manchester will observe Neurodiversity Celebration Week from March 16‑20 with sensory‑friendly initiatives. The venue will project calming Northern Lights visuals on its digital ceiling and launch a weekly Sunday sensory‑friendly hour with dimmed lighting and reduced audio. Additionally, 200...
Kentucky Horsewear has deployed a generative‑AI product assistant that guides shoppers through natural‑language queries, delivering tailored horse‑gear recommendations both on its e‑commerce site and in physical stores. Developed with Taglayer, the tool instantly suggests items such as blankets, underblankets, and...
Dutch online supermarket Picnic aims to hit €1 billion in German revenue this year, marking a milestone after five years of operation. The retailer is expanding its footprint by launching in Munich, bringing its total to thirteen fulfillment centers across the...
Co‑op has signed a five‑year deal with VoCoVo to equip more than 2,300 UK stores with S5 Pro headsets, following a successful pilot in 114 locations. The rollout, which began in February, aims to keep staff constantly connected, improve safety...
Albert Heijn’s "2+5" promotion in Belgium, covering sixteen household items, sparked rapid stock depletion and consumer disappointment. The Belgian Economic Inspectorate investigated after the minister’s concerns about unfair pricing. The probe confirmed the promotion complied with regulations, with no loss‑selling...
Chinese livestream sellers are turning Seoul’s bustling shopping districts into on‑street studios, using Douyin to showcase fashion items as authentic Korean goods. The number of street‑based livestreams has surged three‑ to fourfold in the past six months, with vendors like...
Aldi has ended its two‑year “Shop & Go” checkout‑free trial in London, converting the Greenwich High Road store back to a standard Aldi Local. The experiment used AI‑powered cameras to automatically charge shoppers as they left the store, mirroring Amazon’s...
Garage, the Canadian activewear and denim label, launched its UK e‑commerce site and announced two physical stores: a Bluewater location opening on 20 March and a flagship at 321 Oxford Street West on 27 March. The online rollout provides nationwide shipping across...
Butter Payments CEO Charles Rosenblatt argues that in volatile markets, subscription firms must shift focus from acquisition to data‑driven retention. Machine‑learning models can analyze vast anonymized data to pinpoint churn drivers, payment failures, and high‑LTV prospects. By operationalising these insights,...
Magnum launched a multi‑sensory activation in the St Pancras‑King’s Cross tube walkway, releasing bursts of chocolate aroma and a cracking sound to mimic biting the ice‑cream. The installation, running from 9 March to 22 March, provoked mixed reactions, with many commuters describing the scent...
Preezie has introduced an AI Shopping Assistant that transforms Australian retail websites into virtual sales associates, delivering conversational, context‑aware guidance. By ingesting product catalogs, size charts and policy data, the assistant can answer natural‑language queries, suggest bundles, and recommend fit....
Sephora UK announced it will open its first Scottish locations this summer, with stores in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter and Glasgow’s Silverburn Shopping Centre. The Edinburgh store occupies 4,961 sq ft and the Glasgow venue 5,048 sq ft, together offering a broad mix of Sephora‑UK exclusives...
Petal & Pup, the Australian‑born fashion label, is moving beyond its direct‑to‑consumer roots into wholesale and brick‑and‑mortar channels, debuting at Nordstrom in the United States and soon at select David Jones stores in Australia. President Victoria Estella Perry says leadership...
Chow Tai Fook, the 97‑year‑old Hong Kong jewellery giant with over 5,000 stores and HK$122 billion market cap, is launching a creative‑driven offensive to fend off fast‑growing domestic rivals such as Laopu Gold and Luk Fook. The group hired David Tse,...
Indonesia’s e‑commerce market is maturing, moving away from low‑trust, price‑centric marketplaces toward authenticity‑driven mall ecosystems anchored by authorized sellers. A 2025 Cube Asia study shows roughly 80% of Indonesian shoppers now favor these mall environments, driven by younger, middle‑class consumers...
Sunmi, the world’s largest Android‑based BIoT provider, is capitalizing on the wave of “chainization” among retail and F&B brands seeking global scale. With over 10% market share and operations in more than 200 countries, Sunmi supplies integrated hardware like the...
WOLF, the 190‑year‑old luxury watch‑winding and case maker, announced a major expansion across Asia Pacific. The company is establishing a dedicated Hong Kong headquarters and appointing local agents throughout the region to deepen market expertise. It will showcase new collections at...
Binz stores in Canada buy surplus inventory from retailers at liquidation auctions and resell it by the bin for as little as $25. The global recommerce market, which includes such secondary‑sale channels, now exceeds $200 billion a year. Rising cost‑of‑living pressures...
Beauty trade shows remain a cornerstone for brand exposure, yet costs now exceed $100,000 for many participants. Brands like Dossier Perfumes and BonPatch leveraged large booths, sampling, and influencer engagement at CosmoProf Miami to secure wholesale partnerships and post‑show orders....
Nuuds, the three‑year‑old essentials label founded by Daryl‑Ann Denner, is making its first wholesale foray by opening temporary shop‑in‑shop spaces in four Nordstrom stores located in Houston, Denver, Austin and Charlotte. The brand, which has generated $150 million in lifetime DTC...
Retail grocers and convenience stores are rolling out digital alcohol cashback programs through Swiftly to counter a 5% year‑over‑year decline in liquor sales. Swiftly’s platform grew from about 11,000 to over 33,000 stores in 44 states after acquiring BYBE, enabling...
Upper Fifth Avenue, the world’s most expensive retail corridor, is undergoing a $402 million redesign to widen sidewalks, add trees, and prioritize pedestrians. Rents remain sky‑high at over $2,000 per square foot, while the Fifth Avenue Association, a century‑old nonprofit, coordinates...
The article highlights the emergence of “dark brands” – private‑label and marketplace‑native products that thrive without consumer awareness. Growth in e‑commerce and algorithmic recommendation engines now drives sales, eclipsing traditional brand visibility. In the United States, store brands account for...
Thailand’s luxury retail market, now worth $4.4 billion, is being reshaped by Siam Piwat’s two flagship malls, Siam Paragon and the newly opened IconSiam. The company commands roughly 70 % of the country’s luxury share and has attracted more than 51 global...
Zimmermann, the Sydney‑born luxury label with 110 stores worldwide, has opened a new 357‑square‑metre boutique in Westfield Sydney. Designed by long‑time partner Studio McQualter, the space blends rough‑cast concrete, handmade tiles and copper accents with marble floors and Italian terrazzo. The...
T2’s CFO Krista Diez‑Simson explained how the premium tea retailer is pairing expansion with tight financial discipline. New concepts such as a reimagined QVB flagship and a unified commerce platform are only pursued when they meet strict ROI and payback...
Australian startup Neosframe has launched an AI‑powered creative automation platform that streamlines retail advertising production from asset creation to compliance and multi‑channel versioning. The system promises to increase campaign output by up to ten times without adding headcount, targeting regulated...
JD.com has launched Joybuy, its European e‑commerce platform, in six markets including the United Kingdom and Germany. The service promises same‑day delivery for orders placed before 11 a.m. and offers free delivery on purchases over £29. JD leverages its own warehouse...
Harbor Freight operates over 1,600 stores nationwide, with California leading at 148 locations and Texas close behind with 131 existing stores plus three slated to open. Florida ranks third with 91 stores, while Alaska, Hawaii and the District of Columbia...
Central Retail unveiled its 2026 “Innovation in Action” plan, targeting disciplined, organic growth after a modest 3.6% revenue rise to 253.2 bn baht and a 9.9% profit decline. The strategy emphasizes expanding its Go Wholesale membership warehouses to 16 by year‑end,...
Walmart’s Great Value private‑label, launched in 1993, now tops U.S. food sales by volume, but the low‑price products aren’t made in Walmart factories. Instead, the retailer contracts major manufacturers—Bimbo (Sara Lee breads), Conagra (peanut butter), Reynolds/Hefty (trash bags), Wells Dairy (ice...
A Confcommercio study of 122 Italian cities shows that 156,000 small shops and street vendors have disappeared since 2012, erasing more than a quarter of traditional retail space. While brick‑and‑mortar outlets continue to contract, tourism‑related businesses have expanded, with hotels...
Pop Mart, the Chinese pop‑toy giant, is moving beyond its flagship Labubu dolls as demand for newer characters such as Twinkle Twinkle, Crybaby and Skullpanda surges. Twinkle Twinkle generated 390 million yuan in the first half of 2025 and now accounts for half...
The Mall Group is redeveloping its flagship Mall Ramkhamhaeng into a cultural retail hub under the “1981 Soul & Sold” project. The concept blends commerce, culture and community, targeting vintage fashion, collectibles, music, art and lifestyle services. Development is underway, with tenant recruitment and...
Meta CPMs up 22.58%. Google CPA up 17.25% ...and suddenly every DTC brand wants a pop-up shop. The majority of brands aren't even testing physical. They're testing Amazon and wholesale. And almost every time they look at those channels as...
Flipkart defended its Re 1 per litre milk promotion as a limited-time campaign, saying prices are set by sellers and farmer procurement rates remain unchanged. The company’s statement follows a complaint by Bangalore Cooperative Milk Union (Bamul) to the Competition Commission...
Schuh Manchester is launching a three‑month local creative window project at its Market Street store, beginning 23 March. In partnership with Manchester‑based Heads Creative, the permanent window will host quarterly takeovers by emerging local talent, starting with stylist Lili Donovan, artist Brandina Chisambo,...
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Costco has introduced a digital ordering channel for its custom cakes through the member app, ending a decades‑old paper‑form process. Shoppers can now select size, flavor, and decorations on their phones and receive an email receipt confirming the request. The...
Retailers are increasingly launching private‑label brands to capture higher margins, tighten supply‑chain control, and create exclusive product assortments. By sourcing directly from manufacturers, merchants can eliminate intermediaries, set unique specifications, and differentiate their shelves from competitors. The article outlines a...
Cleveland’s Be at Ease Convenience Store has reopened with a “Spending With Purpose” model that earmarks a negotiated slice of every purchase for rotating local nonprofits. Partnerships shift every 90 days, currently involving Seeds of Literacy and Community of Hope,...
Macro: Generative AI boosts retail margins via supply‑chain automation. Leaders: WMT, TGT. Risk: AI discovery can divert share from opaque retailers. Trade: Buy WMT. 📈 — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
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Lauren Gropper’s Repurpose has built an eight‑figure sustainable brand by diverting 727 million plastic items from oceans and landfills and selling compostable tableware and essentials through retailers like Target and Walmart. The company survives early market indifference and a costly geographic...
Walmart shoppers looking to avoid crowds should target early weekday mornings, especially Tuesday mornings when shelves are fully restocked after the weekend rush. Trae Bodge advises weekend shoppers to go in the morning or evening if they must shop then,...
Lowe’s MyLowe’s Pro Rewards program offers contractors free standard shipping and same‑day delivery on eligible orders over $25, subject to weight and size limits. Members also gain upgraded purchasing tools, including volume discounts, Scan‑to‑Pay, order quoting, and Pro Business Solutions...
Target celebrated the opening of its 2,000th U.S. store in Fuquay‑Varina, North Carolina, marking the largest physical‑store expansion in its recent history. The retailer pledged $5 billion for 2026, with more than $1 billion earmarked for new locations and remodels, and plans...
Nordstrom’s Spring Beauty Savings Event offers a rare 15% discount on luxury brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, Hermès, Dior, and Tom Ford, with deeper cuts of 25% on Estée Lauder/Lancôme and 20% on MAC. The promotion runs through March 15 and includes free gift...
UK supermarkets have begun deploying live facial‑recognition cameras to curb shoplifting, scanning every shopper in real time. The technology matches faces against law‑enforcement and private watchlists, aiming to deter theft before it occurs. Campaign groups, led by Big Brother Watch,...
Target Plus is Target’s invite‑only online marketplace that partners with select U.S. third‑party retailers. Launched in 2019, it now hosts more than 1,500 curated brands and charges a referral commission of 5%‑15% per sale, with no setup or monthly fees....
