Today's Retail Pulse
Fresho acquires Nation Wilcox to dominate UK food‑wholesale software
Fresho, the Australian‑origin order‑management platform, has acquired UK ERP specialist Nation Wilcox, creating the largest software suite for British food wholesalers. The combined platform now serves over 400 wholesalers and caterers and processes more than £2 billion (≈$2.5 billion) in annual GMV.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Spinny targets $250-300M in IPO
Huda Beauty Taps Into Y2K Café Culture for US Pop-Up Celebrating New Collection
Huda Beauty is launching its Strawberry Latte Collection with a one‑day takeover of three Fellini Café locations in New York City on April 18. Customers who purchase Huda products at Sephora receive a free strawberry latte, while surprise gifting and shareable touchpoints encourage social media buzz. The collection features a $43 Blush Filter Palette, two $25 liquid blush shades, and three $21 faux filter glosses, all styled with Y2K café culture. The pop‑up runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., turning a coffee run into a branded experience.
StubHub to Refund $10 Million and Revamp Ticket Pricing After FTC Settlement
StubHub agreed to a $10 million consumer refund and a mandatory redesign of its price‑display system after the FTC charged the platform with deceptive ticket‑pricing practices. The settlement, pending court approval, compels the company to show total ticket costs up‑front, a...
Costco Hikes Annual Membership Fee to $130, First Increase in Seven Years
Costco Wholesale raised its premium club membership fee to $130 a year, up from $120, marking the first increase in seven years. The move added $2.68 billion in fee revenue in the first 24 weeks of fiscal 2026 and helped lift...
Hers Disrupts Women’s Primary Care with Direct‑to‑Consumer Telehealth Platform
Hers, the women‑focused arm of the Hims brand, provides a full‑service telehealth experience that lets users complete a diagnostic quiz, receive a provider review and have prescription meds delivered to their door. The model challenges traditional primary‑care clinics by turning...
Chinese Firms Shift to Brazil's Consumer Tech, Mixue Opens First Store with $590M Investment
Chinese direct investment in Brazil doubled to $4.2 billion in 2024, and ice‑cream chain Mixue opened its first Brazilian store, pledging a 3 billion‑real ($590 million) rollout. The move signals a strategic pivot from infrastructure to consumer electronics, smartphones, wearables and smart‑home devices.
Costco Rolls Out "More Stay, Less Pay" Hotel Bundles, Promising Savings for Millions
Costco is adding a "More Stay, Less Pay" option to its travel platform, letting members book longer hotel stays at a reduced rate and receive digital Costco Shop Cards. The move targets budget‑conscious travelers and could pressure online travel agencies...
Modular Store Deploys Humanoid Robots for Service
Modular Retail Store Where Humanoid #Robots Serve Coffee, Ice Cream, and Chat with Customers via @ZappyZappy7 #AI #Robotics #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/k1WmDPiodV
Report: Luxury Sales Dropped 30-50% in March at Mall of the Emirates
Luxury sales at Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates plunged between 30% and 50% in March, the steepest decline since the mall opened. The drop aligns with heightened regional conflict, reduced tourist arrivals, and softer consumer confidence across the Gulf. Analysts...
Kobo Clara Colour Debuts at $159, Undercutting Amazon's Kindle Colorsoft by $90
Kobo has introduced the Clara Colour e‑reader at a U.S. price of $159, positioning it as a cheaper alternative to Amazon's Kindle Colorsoft, which retails for $249. The device adds a color front‑lit display, warm night lighting, a 49‑hour battery...
Leen Bakker and Kwantum Promise to Keep Their Doors Open
Homefashion Group, the owner of Dutch home‑goods chains Le Bakker and Kwantum, told customers and staff that no additional store closures are planned for the near term. The reassurance follows a turbulent period that saw the Belgian arm of Le Bakker file...
Verizon Hospitality Leader Shares Insight on Eliminating Retail's Phantom Inventory
Verizon’s hospitality strategy leader Katie Riddle explains how phantom inventory—when system data shows stock that isn’t physically present—drives lost sales and erodes loyalty. She identifies legacy batch‑update systems and poor shelf monitoring as root causes. Riddle highlights computer‑vision cameras and...
Hershey Unifies Portfolio Under ONE Model
The Hershey Company unveiled "ONE Hershey," a unified U.S. commercial operating model that brings its Sweet, Salty and Protein brands under a single structure and centralizes global brand marketing. The change expands the responsibilities of senior leaders, giving them oversight...
Lowe’s Debuts Home Maintenance Subscription Program Powered by Store Associates
Lowe’s has launched HomeCare+, a nationwide home‑maintenance subscription powered by its red‑vest store associates. For $99 a year, members receive two visits covering up to seven services such as dryer‑vent cleaning and HVAC filter replacement. The program is exclusive to...
Focus on TikTok Affiliate Marketing
TikTok affiliate marketing leverages the Creator Marketplace to pair brands with vetted creators who promote products for a commission. The model emphasizes micro‑influencers and niche communities, where authentic recommendations outperform polished celebrity ads. By integrating affiliate links into TikTok Lives,...
AI Is Changing How Your Shoppers Feel About Your Brand
Retail shoppers are increasingly using large language models (LLMs) as the first point of product discovery, with eight in ten shoppers under 44 relying on AI before visiting a retailer’s site. The Rithum survey of 1,046 U.S. and U.K. shoppers...
RF vs RFID: Why Retailers Are Moving Beyond Traditional EAS
Retailers are augmenting legacy RF‑based Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) with RFID tags that uniquely identify each item. While RF still triggers alarms at exits, RFID supplies item‑level data—SKU, value, time and location of a loss event. The hybrid approach lets...
‘We Stole Lululemon’s Designs and Made Them Less Terrible for the Environment’
Action Speaks Louder, a climate advocacy group, launched the “Mumumelon” stunt—a fake pop‑up store in London selling exact replicas of Lululemon’s hoodies and yoga pants made with renewable energy. The campaign highlights that Lululemon, which posted $11 billion in sales last...
Amazon Get Strict on Reference Pricing
Amazon announced stricter reference‑pricing rules that take effect on April 23, 2026 for Recommended Retail Price (RRP) and on May 18, 2026 for the “Was” price calculation. Sellers must now prove that the RRP matches a recent featured‑offer sale on...
Why 98% of Startups Fail? A BigBasket Competitor’s Journey From Early Traction to Shutdown
Sushant Junnarkar’s online‑grocery venture captured early traction in the 2010s, reaching 70‑80 orders a day and earning coverage in the Economic Times and Business World. The startup’s low‑inventory model faltered when well‑capitalised rivals like BigBasket entered, raising customer expectations and...
Aligning Manufacturing Support Services with Retail Supply Chain Operations
Retail supply chains have become far more complex as e‑commerce, omnichannel buying and globally distributed sourcing raise delivery expectations. This complexity creates gaps in order accuracy, inventory positioning and fulfillment speed when manufacturing and retail operate in silos. Integrating manufacturing...
Sharon Pais Takes over From Nandita Sinha at Myntra, Bets on M-Now for Growth
Flipkart‑owned Myntra appointed Sharon Pais as its new CEO, succeeding Nandita Sinha who will depart in the coming months. Pais, formerly head of Flipkart Fashion, said the company will keep its strategic focus on brand expansion and AI‑driven discovery while...
Indonesia's Kenangan Coffee Lands in Taiwan with First Outlet at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi
Indonesia’s fast‑growing coffee chain Kenangan Coffee opened its first Taiwan outlet in Taipei’s Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A11. The launch marks the latest step in a multi‑year international push that already includes Australia, India and other Southeast Asian markets. Kenangan now runs more...
This Southwest London Neighbourhood Is Getting a New Sports Direct Store
Sports Direct opened a 31,000‑sq‑ft, two‑floor store on Kingston’s Market Place, replacing a former Clas Ohlson outlet. The shop carries premium labels such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Puma, and introduces the chain’s first in‑store tennis‑racket restringing service through...
Impact on “Taipei International Chain and Franchise Spring Exhibition 2026”
The 2026 Taipei International Chain and Franchise Spring Exhibition, held in March, set a new scale record with hundreds of exhibitors and highlighted themes of Smart Retail, Low Labor Dependency, and AI‑Driven Entrepreneurship. Attendees experienced robotic tea dispensers, AI‑enhanced photo...
Amazon Expands Global Logistics With Shenzhen GWD Facility in 2026
Amazon will launch its first Global Warehousing and Distribution (GWD) hub in Shenzhen, China, in March 2026, creating a single‑origin inventory model for sellers worldwide. The AI‑driven facility will handle warehousing, customs, cross‑border transport and global distribution from one location,...
Seasonal Peaks Drive 22% Surge in Q1 eCommerce Deliveries
Scurri’s Q1 2026 data shows eCommerce deliveries surged 22% year‑over‑year, with 46.7 million shipments processed. Gross merchandise value climbed €907 million (about $990 million) to €5 billion (≈$5.5 billion), underscoring strong consumer demand despite economic headwinds. Seasonal spikes around Valentine’s and Mother’s Day lifted volumes,...
Iceland Offers Free Same-Day Delivery This Week in Online Growth Push
Iceland Foods is rolling out free same‑day delivery for orders over £40 (approximately $51) from now until Thursday, 16 April. The service, available until 9 pm each day, promises delivery within two hours and applies to the full range of Iceland and...
Drone Delivery Is Taking Off in the US, Could 2026 Be the UK’s Breakthrough Moment?
Walmart announced a 150‑store expansion of its Wing‑partnered drone delivery program, bringing the total to 270 stores by the end of 2027 and putting roughly 40 million Americans within reach of ultra‑fast aerial shipments. The move underscores a shift from pilot...
We Lost £3,000 After Collapse of Ikea’s Solar Panel Installer
Ikea’s partnership with European solar installer Soly collapsed, leaving customers like the author out of pocket for a £3,000 (~$3,800) deposit. Although Ikea continued to advertise the partnership, Soly’s UK arm entered liquidation in January 2026 and the retailer offered...
Culture Is Luxury’s Next Competitive Edge
Luxury brands are shifting from product‑centric strategies to culturally rich experiences, using flagship spaces as immersive museums, hospitality hubs, and community venues. The watch sector illustrates this trend, with houses like Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Panerai creating AP Houses, ateliers and access‑led...
Audio Ads Are Coming to 6,000 More Dollar General Stores
Dollar General is expanding its in‑store audio advertising network, partnering with retail ad‑tech firm Qsic to equip an additional 6,000 locations. The rollout will bring audio ads to 12,000 stores—about half of the retailer’s 21,000‑store footprint—by the end of Q2....
LoweConex Enhances Maintenance, Energy & Capital Investment Outcomes for Thousands of Retail Stores
LoweConex announced multi‑million‑dollar savings across energy, maintenance, and capital decisions for thousands of retail stores in 2025‑early 2026, driven by its Conex OS platform. The system unifies data from BMS, refrigeration, and HVAC assets, delivering real‑time visibility for retailers such as...
The Quiet Shift Putting Content at the Centre of Retail
Retailers in Australia are confronting a quiet but decisive shift: content has become the central engine of the omnichannel experience. Legacy, siloed systems struggle to keep pace with shoppers who expect real‑time, consistent information across web, mobile, stores and marketplaces....
Harbour Town Adelaide Boasts Sales Surge as New Tenants Join Offer
Harbour Town Adelaide reported a 6% rise in sales on a moving annual total basis and a 4% increase in foot traffic over the past year. The centre welcomed ten new premium‑outlet stores, adding brands such as Michael Kors, Swarovski and...
BoF Professional Masterclass | The Fashion Marketer’s Guide to AI
The Business of Fashion will host a Professional Masterclass on April 15, focusing on how AI has become a core component of fashion marketing and offering practical frameworks for its implementation. The event features case‑study author Haley Crawford, BoF editor Marc Bain,...
Metro Retail Sales Rise, Fuelling Double-Digit Earnings Growth
Metro Retail Stores Group (MRSGI) posted FY25 revenue above PhP 40 billion (≈US$662.8 million) and total sales of PhP 41.56 billion (≈US$742 million), marking a new scale milestone. Net income climbed 12% year‑on‑year to PhP 682.64 million (≈US$12.2 million) as operating efficiency improved. Same‑store sales rose modestly 0.6% while...
Bangkok-Based Coffee Startup Ve/La Expands Into Singapore
Bangkok‑born specialty coffee brand Ve/la is set to launch its first airport café at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1, slated for late summer 2026. The 24‑hour location will be the chain’s third international market after Thailand and London and will feature a...
Brands Focus on Leaner Product Lines Amid Surging Input Costs
Brands across smartphones, televisions and fast‑moving consumer goods are trimming product portfolios as input costs surge amid the Iran war and AI‑driven demand for components. Memory chips have risen 50‑90% and packaging materials 20‑35%, prompting manufacturers to cut 5‑7% of...
The Thrift Shift: Majority of Canadians Plan to Shop Second-Hand This Year
A Habitat for Humanity ReStore survey of 1,536 Canadians shows 60% plan to shop second‑hand this year, driven chiefly by cost‑of‑living pressures. Sixty‑eight percent thrift to save money, while 83% view it as both economically and environmentally sensible. Thrifting is...
For Mother’s Day, Kendra Scott Invests in Its Largest Influencer Activation to Date
Kendra Scott unveiled its "Mark It: Jewelry for the Moments That Matter" campaign for Mother’s Day, fronted by influencer Sara Foster and featuring more than 200 short‑form videos across TikTok, YouTube, Meta and Pinterest. The effort represents the brand’s largest influencer...
The Top 10 Brands Gen Z and Millennials Are Loyal To
Young consumers show a nuanced form of brand loyalty, calling themselves “loyal‑ish” rather than fully committed. YPulse’s survey of 13‑ to 39‑year‑olds finds tech giants Apple, Samsung, Sony and PlayStation dominate the top‑10 loyalty list, while McDonald’s ranks seventh thanks...
Banana Republic and The Explorers Club on a Journey Together
Banana Republic has teamed with The Explorers Club to debut a 20‑piece “Archive Reissue” capsule that reinterprets the brand’s iconic styles from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The collection rolls out on Tuesday in 29 Banana Republic stores across the...
Sol De Janeiro’s Director of Global Influence on the Rise of ‘Non-Followers’ and the New Rules of Social Engagement
Sol de Janeiro’s new director of global influence, Avrielle Cortes, says the brand is shifting from a TikTok‑centric strategy to a fragmented, multi‑platform approach. She highlights the rise of “non‑followers” – viewers reached through algorithmic feeds – as a key...
Kohl’s Is Stepping up Its Creator Efforts as It Attempts a Sales Reset
Kohl’s is expanding its creator marketing program to reverse a 4% drop in net sales and a softer‑than‑expected fourth‑quarter. The retailer now works with about 1,500 nano‑creators, offering commissions, free products and exclusive event access, while maintaining a roster of...
Candy Brand Behave Bet Everything on TikTok Shop, Went Viral and Secured a Target Launch
In summer 2024, low‑sugar candy brand Behave faced bankruptcy with only 60 days of cash left. The founders pivoted to TikTok Shop, posting multiple daily videos until a viral post of their Super Sour Skulls sold out in three days...
Retail Daily Minute | Starbucks Uplifts Chicago Stores, Ahold Delhaize Expands Pay-by-Bank & Edibles.com Enters Physical Retail
The episode spotlights three retail developments: Starbucks' pilot of a cozy, “uplifted” Chicago store under its Back to Starbucks strategy, Ahold Delhaize’s expansion of a pay‑by‑bank payment option across Giant Food and Stop & Shop, and Edibles.com’s launch of a...
Creator Content Has Become Critical for Retail Media Networks
Retail media networks are weaving creator‑led content into brand campaigns, leveraging sales data to pinpoint influencers with the highest conversion potential. Walmart Connect has expanded its Omnicom partnership to include Meta insights, while Best Buy will run seasonal YouTube spots with...
Disney Store Plans Perth Pop-Up
Disney Store will open a limited‑time pop‑up in Perth’s Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City from April 18 to May 31. The activation aligns with the anniversaries of Winnie the Pooh and Pixar Studios and showcases themed collections including Star Wars, Lucifer, Bambi, and...
French Garden Centre Gamm Vert Releases ‘Grow It Yourself’ Groceries
French garden‑centre chain Gamm vert has rolled out a new "Grow’ceries" campaign in partnership with Ogilvy Paris. The initiative repurposes familiar supermarket packaging – tomato‑sauce cans, soup cartons, pesto jars and crisps packets – to contain seeds and young plants for home...
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Merchandising Strategies: Boost Retail Sales With Effective Techniques
Investopedia outlines how modern merchandising blends pricing, display design, and promotional tactics to drive retail sales. It highlights the seasonal rhythm of U.S. retail, from Valentine’s Day to Christmas, and the shift of chief merchants toward customer experience and digital...