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 insights from the recent NRF Big Show where AWS demonstrated generative‑AI merchandising tools, real‑time inventory visibility and omnichannel integration. Honaman stresses the industry’s shift toward data‑driven customer experiences and the need for scalable infrastructure. The interview signals AWS’s strategic push to partner with brands accelerating digital transformation.
ShopRite Creates Wellness Kits for New GLP-1 Users
ShopRite has introduced Wellness Your Way Starter Kits aimed at customers who are filling a GLP‑1 prescription for the first time. The free kits bundle a dietitian‑crafted wellness guide, sample products and coupons for protein‑rich and low‑calorie groceries. The rollout...
Red Star Brands Unveils UK Launch of Four Loko REMIX
Red Star Brands announced the UK launch of Four Loko REMIX, a new line of high‑ABV ready‑to‑drink cocktails. The range includes two flavours—Peach Pulse and Berry Blitza—each delivering 12% alcohol by volume in a 330 ml recyclable Tetra Pak. The drinks are uncarbonated, caffeine‑free and...
Uber Eats Expands Canadian Grocery Selection with Launch of T&T Supermarket
Uber Eats announced the national rollout of T&T Supermarket on its platform, extending grocery delivery to the chain’s Asian‑focused stores across Canada. The launch initially covers Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario, with Quebec slated for a later release. Customers can...
Here’s Who Will Win as Agentic Commerce Disrupts Traditional Online Shopping
Agentic commerce, powered by large‑language‑model agents, is reshaping e‑commerce by making AI the primary buyer. Adobe reports a 693.4 percent surge in AI‑driven traffic during the 2025 holiday season, indicating a lasting shift. Retailers must supply structured, trustworthy product data, real‑time...
IKEA to Open a Decathlon in Its Croydon Store
Swedish furniture giant IKEA is piloting a partnership with French sports retailer Decathlon by opening a standalone Decathlon shop inside its Croydon store this spring. The 1,188‑square‑metre unit will feature a dedicated entrance and more than 5,000 items across hiking,...
Retail’s AI Isn’t Failing Because It’s Too Slow. It’s Failing Because It’s Not Listening
Retailers have flooded their tech stacks with AI dashboards and predictive models, but the overload has amplified uncertainty rather than clarity. The core issue isn’t speed; it’s that most AI relies on synthetic personas, which 69% of consumers say erodes...
How Adidas Built A Loyalty Infrastructure That Blends Commerce, Fitness, And Content
Adidas has transformed its adiClub loyalty program into a multi‑dimensional ecosystem that blends commerce, fitness tracking, and user‑generated content. Members earn points not only for purchases but also for workouts, reviews, and outfit photos, with points serving both as tier...
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...
HEMA Turns 100: The Turbulent Journey From Working-Class Department Store to Retail Icon
Hema celebrated its centennial in 2026, marking a hundred‑year evolution from a modest fixed‑price shop to a Dutch retail icon. Founded in 1926 by Arthur Isaac and Leo Meyer, the chain was positioned as an affordable alternative to upscale stores...
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...
Lululemon Announces 100th Store Opening in EMEA
lululemon announced the opening of its 100th store in the EMEA region, slated for March 13 in Warsaw, Poland, marking the brand’s first location in the country. The milestone follows a decade‑long expansion that now covers 19 EMEA markets and...
Shein to Open Five More Stores in French BHV Department Stores
Chinese fast‑fashion leader Shein will open five new shop‑in‑shop corners inside France's BHV department‑store chain on 25 February, covering Limoges, Angers, Dijon, Grenoble and Reims. The roll‑out was originally slated for November but was postponed by several months while BHV evaluated...
Credo Beauty and True Botanicals Join Programme Focused on Developing Kelp-Derived Beauty Formulas
Credo Beauty, True Botanicals and eight other brands have been selected for Kelp CoLab, a new R&D programme launched by GreenWave and ingredient supplier Macro Oceans. The initiative will help participants formulate products using kelp‑derived ingredients sourced from regenerative ocean...
Coty Launches AI-Driven Fragrance Concept Store in Hong Kong
Coty has opened “My Scent Edit,” an AI‑enhanced fragrance concept store inside Langham Beauty in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district. The shop‑in‑shop showcases brands such as Calvin Klein, Gucci and Kylie Cosmetics, and offers AI‑driven digital consultations, an AI photo booth, and...
Neutrogena Owner Agrees $4.7 Million Settlement over Skin360 Biometric Data Privacy Claims
Johnson & Johnson’s consumer arm, now Kenvue, agreed to a $4.7 million settlement over claims that its Neutrogena Skin360 app captured and stored users' facial biometric data without proper consent, violating Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Plaintiffs alleged the app...
Portillo's Is Still Learning What Not to Do From Texas
Portillo’s reported a 3.3% decline in fourth‑quarter same‑store sales and a 0.5% drop for the full year, driven largely by weak transaction growth in Texas. The chain announced new CEO Brett Patterson, succeeding interim CEO Mike Miles, who highlighted that...
After Solid Year, First Watch Approaches 2026 with Caution
First Watch posted a solid 2025, achieving 3.6% same‑store sales growth and opening a record 64 restaurants despite a modest traffic dip. The chain projects 2026 same‑store sales growth of 1%‑3% and will temper expansion to 59‑63 new sites while closing...
McDonald's Is Bringing Its Big Arch Burger to the U.S.
McDonald’s will roll out its half‑pound Big Arch burger in the United States on March 3 as a limited‑time offering. The sandwich, already a permanent menu item in the UK and sold in France and Canada, layers two quarter‑pound patties, white cheddar,...
Kylie Cosmetics Crowned Best-Performing US Beauty Brand on Social in January Based on Creator Marketing
Kylie Cosmetics topped the U.S. beauty brand social performance rankings for January, propelled by the launch of its new perfume, Cosmic Intense. On Traackr’s influencer‑marketing platform, the brand surged 47 positions to rank fifth overall and captured 83 % of its...
What Awaits the New CEOs at Walmart and Target? – Placer.ai Blog
Walmart closed Q4 2025 with foot‑traffic up 2.3% YoY and a 4.5% comparable‑sales gain, bolstered by 28% e‑commerce growth, positioning new CEO John Furner for a strong start. Target’s Q4 2025 visits fell 2.0% YoY and comparable sales dropped 2.7%, with weekend...
Costco Broadens Audience While Tightening Membership – Placer.ai Blog
Costco raised membership fees and tightened access rules, yet foot traffic kept rising through late 2025 and early 2026. Same‑store and total visits posted year‑over‑year gains, supporting mid‑single‑digit comparable‑sales growth reported in 2025. The higher cost of commitment appears to...
Dollar Stores, the New Face of the Holiday Season – Placer.ai Blog
Dollar stores experienced a 4.5% year‑over‑year increase in foot traffic during Q4 2025, matching growth rates of off‑price clubs and outpacing traditional holiday categories such as apparel and electronics. Five Below led the surge with strong same‑store visits focused on gifting,...
Continued Improvement in the Home Improvement Space – Placer.ai Blog
Foot‑traffic analysis from Placer.ai shows The Home Depot and Lowe’s each posted roughly 3% year‑over‑year visit growth in November 2025, with a rebound in January 2026 driven by storm‑prep shopping. Both retailers reported sales expansion and higher big‑ticket purchases in Q3 2025, indicating...
Placer.ai Overall Retail, E-Commerce Distribution, Industrial Manufacturing Index, January 2026 – Placer.ai Blog
Placer.ai’s January 2026 index shows both e‑commerce distribution centers and brick‑and‑mortar retailers recorded year‑over‑year foot‑traffic growth, extending holiday‑season momentum. Distribution centers posted a 2.6% increase while retail chains rose 1.8% YoY. In contrast, the Industrial Manufacturing Index slipped, driven by Winter...
ANALYSIS: Dunelm’s New App Marks a Strategic Shift Toward Deeper Omnichannel Engagement
Dunelm launched a new iOS and Android app to deepen its omnichannel strategy, linking physical stores, digital experiences, and customer data. The app extends the AI‑powered search and recommendation engine first introduced on Dunelm.com, creating a unified intelligence layer across...
Fashion Players Issued Warning as Trump’s 10% Global Tariffs Go Live
The United States has activated a 10% tariff on all imported fashion goods, marking the first phase of former President Trump’s global levy program. Industry analysts warn that a further increase to 15% is possible, intensifying cost pressures across the...
Home Depot Sees Fiscal 2025 Sales Surpassing $164 Billion US
Home Depot reported fiscal 2025 sales of $164.7 billion, a 3.2% increase over the prior year, driven by modest comparable sales growth. Fourth‑quarter sales slipped 3.8% to $38.2 billion, reflecting a shorter reporting period and lingering consumer uncertainty. Net earnings fell slightly...
Why CX Outcomes, Not Price Cuts, Will Drive Retail Growth in 2026
Retailers face a slowdown in consumer spending, with S&P Global projecting just 2.0% growth in 2026. The article argues that price cuts provide only short‑term sales boosts while eroding margins and brand equity. Instead, it positions customer experience (CX) as...
Hims Alums Launch Fiber-Boosted Sweetener Brand Poca
Hilary Coles and Emily Boschwitz, former Hims executives, have launched Poca, a zero‑calorie sweetener syrup enriched with three grams of fiber per serving. The product combines allulose, monk fruit, and inulin, avoiding sugar alcohols and stevia, and is offered in portable sachets...
How Amazon’s Creative Agent Turns Retail Media Into a ‘Commerce Engine’
Amazon Ads unveiled Creative Agent, an AI‑driven creative partner inside Creative Studio that lets advertisers generate video and display ads through a chat‑based workflow. Leveraging Amazon’s retail insights, the tool pulls product pages, shopper signals and brand guidelines to produce...
Partnerships Key to Unlocking Value in Payments Space: KPMG International
KPMG International’s new report warns that banks and retailers must forge strategic partnerships to keep pace with rapid payment‑technology change. Survey data from 500 banks and 500 retailers shows 54 % of retailers consider payment modernization essential, yet only 45 % say...
Study Finds $796bn Total Retail Loss for Retailers in 2025
Appriss Retail’s 2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report reveals a staggering $796 bn loss for retailers in 2025, driven primarily by merchandise returns and shrinkage. Returns alone accounted for $706 bn, with $100 bn classified as preventable fraud and abuse. Shrinkage contributed an...
Natural Spa Factory Champions Low Volume, High Mix Manufacturing to Support Emerging and Premium Brands
Natural Spa Factory’s Low‑Volume High‑Mix (LVHM) model lets emerging and premium brands produce small‑batch, multi‑format products without sacrificing professional‑grade formulation, quality control, or compliance. By consolidating formulation, filling, packaging, printing, fulfillment and dropshipping under one roof, the factory reduces handoffs...
Samsung Ads’ Smart TV Carousel Delivers for Non-Endemic Brands
Samsung Ads introduced an Immersive Carousel ad unit on its European Smart TV home screens, supporting up to five rotating tiles per placement. The format appears on more than 70 million Samsung TVs, auto‑rotating every five seconds and also navigable via...
Shoe Giant Deichmann “Held Its Own” In 2025, Invests in New Campus
Deichmann closed 2025 with €8.9 billion in revenue, a modest 2 % currency‑adjusted increase, translating to 180 million pairs of shoes sold worldwide. The German shoe giant outperformed much of the broader fashion and footwear sector despite a challenging market environment. CEO Heinrich...
Nearly Half of Shoppers Used Mobile for Their Latest Retail Purchase
The 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index, commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, found that 48% of shoppers used a mobile device for their most recent retail purchase, with usage exceeding 60% in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Mobile browsing frequency is...
GUEST COMMENT Hello, Answer Engines: How Brands Can Stay Seen when Users Don’t Click
In 2025 Google and Bing introduced AI‑powered snippets and chat‑style overviews that answer queries directly, ushering in a zero‑click search era. Brands can no longer rely on traditional click‑through SEO and must instead structure content for featured snippets, FAQ blocks,...
‘Purpose Before Profit’: IKEA India CEO Patrik Antoni on Scaling for the Long Term
IKEA India’s CEO Patrik Antoni emphasized that purpose, not profit, drives the company’s long‑term scaling in the country. He highlighted deep consumer insight, democratic design and consistent quality as pillars for adapting a billion‑dollar brand to India’s diverse market. While...
Sephora UK to Open New Small Format Store in London’s West End
Sephora UK will launch a 4,400 sq ft boutique on London’s Carnaby Street, marking its first West End presence. The store features 2,600 sq ft of trading space, a distinctive façade, and a curated product mix aimed at speed and expertise. It will incorporate...
Complaints From Fashion Shoppers Surge
Citizens Advice logged nearly 18,000 fashion‑related complaints in 2025, a 21% jump from the previous year. Online orders generated 82% of the grievances, while women’s apparel accounted for almost half of all issues. The most common problems were faulty goods,...
Luxury on Trial: What Will Stand up in 2026
The luxury sector is moving from mystique to evidence as AI‑savvy consumers scrutinize every sustainability claim. 2025’s rise in greenwashing exposed fragile trust, forcing brands to prove value through transparent, audit‑ready data and third‑party verification. Margins are squeezed by higher...
Pandora Appoints David Boynton as Managing Director for Northern Europe
Pandora announced David Boynton as managing director for Northern Europe, bringing a seasoned retail background to the jewellery brand. Boynton previously led The Body Shop, Charles Tyrwhitt and L’Occitane, and served as interim general manager for Pandora’s Central Eastern Europe...
Alo Heads Down Under with First Store Locations Revealed
Los Angeles‑based athleisure brand Alo Yoga announced its entry into the Australian market with two flagship stores, one at Chatswood Chase and a 700 sqm, two‑level location in Westfield Bondi. The openings are part of Alo’s broader international expansion, adding to...
GoWit Announces Partnership with Publicis Media Middle East to Scale Commerce & Retail Media Across MENA & Türkiye
GoWit, a commerce‑enablement platform, has entered a strategic partnership with Publicis Media Middle East to expand its retail‑media solutions across the MENA region and Turkey. The collaboration will combine GoWit's AI‑driven shopping tools with Publicis' extensive media network, enabling brands...
Why Custom Algorithm Company 59A Cares So Much About Offline Data
Custom algorithm firm 59A, which has been serving UK advertisers for six years, announced its U.S. launch last week, appointing Jon Nash as the first U.S. CEO. The company builds bespoke media‑buying code by blending online signals with a wide...
From Nausea to Relief, How Beauty Founders and Execs Are Reacting to the Supreme Court’s Tariff Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled to block the Trump‑era tariffs on Chinese beauty products, ending weeks of uncertainty for the industry. Beauty founders and executives, who had been bracing for higher import costs, described the decision as a “relief” after...
Rodan + Fields Moves Beyond Social Selling with Influencer-Powered ‘C-Suite’ Campaign
Rodan + Fields is transitioning from a pure social‑selling model to an omnichannel strategy, launching its Pure C Serum on a new direct‑to‑consumer website and through Ulta Beauty. To amplify the rollout, the brand unveiled a “C‑Suite” influencer campaign featuring seven...
Quebec Retail Hours Pilot Expands Weekend Shopping
Starting March 11, 2026 Quebec will launch a province‑wide, one‑year pilot that lets most retailers stay open until 9:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, ending the long‑standing 5:00 PM weekend curfew. Participation is voluntary, allowing merchants to choose hours based on staffing...