The Latest

  • The Nike "swoosh" on the side of a building, with another building seen behind it.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Column

    The Weekly Closeout: Nike sells Rtfkt, Hanky Panky gets acquired

    The athletics giant shut down the virtual sneaker company about a year ago, while the intimate apparel brand found a new home. 

  • Close-up of a smart cart screen.
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    Courtesy of Amazon
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    Amazon to roll out updated Dash Carts to more Whole Foods stores

    The latest version of the smart carts, which includes a real-time savings tracker, will expand to more than 25 of the specialty grocer’s locations this year.

  • Exterior of Walmart store with a sign that reads "grocery" and two cars parked in front.
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    Sam Silverstein/Retail Dive
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    Walmart adds tech veteran to board as it preps for AI era

    Shishir Mehrotra, who co-founded an AI platform and also has experience at YouTube, joins the board ahead of John Furner’s move to CEO.

    Updated Jan. 8, 2026
  • Children playing and jumping wearing bright colored clothing
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    Permission granted by Hanna Andersson
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    Hanna Andersson names Toys R Us vet chief digital officer

    Kacey Sharrett, who was most recently the head of DTC at GoPro, will oversee the children’s apparel brand’s digital ecosystem and customer experience. 

  • A Target storefront exterior
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    Dani James/Retail Dive
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    Target grows wellness assortment, again

    Following a similar play last year, the mass retailer is expanding the product category by 30% with a focus on offering "thousands" of items for under $10.

  • Two screenshots of Target app using the Find Bullseye hunting feature
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    Permission granted by Target
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    What shaped retail’s holiday season in 2025

    It was a year of AI-generated gift recommendations, tariff upheaval and increased financial stress on shoppers.

  • Exterior sign for a GameStop store.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    GameStop floats CEO pay entirely tied to performance

    Ryan Cohen would have to reach sky-high goals to receive the lucrative compensation, a setup resembling Elon Musk’s at Tesla.

  • People walking by Nordstrom's New York City store at the holidays.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    US e-commerce spend reached nearly $258B over the holidays

    Adobe Analytics data found consumer spending grew 6.8% compared to 2024, with buy now, pay later usage reaching a new high.

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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    Podcast

    The Backroom: Contemplating retail in 2026 with Doug Stephens

    The retail strategy adviser talks about trust in the age of emerging AI and the industry’s potential to shape our society.

  • E.l.f. Beauty game on Roblox
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    Courtesy of E.l.f. Beauty
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    E.l.f. Beauty launches virtual makeup experience on Roblox

    The cosmetics company seeks to attract Gen Alpha and Gen Z shoppers in the gaming universe with avatars that reflect their aesthetic. 

  • A stone building with a Converse storefront on the street level.
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    The image by Jörg Zägel is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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    Could Nike sell Converse?

    Revenue declines and a 44% drop in demand creation may indicate it’s time to divest the brand, according to BNP Paribas.

  • AI assistant apps icons for OpenAI ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude. are pictured on a smartphone screen.
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    Getty Images
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    A look at retail’s year of AI news

    Retail may be lagging behind other industries in the adoption of artificial intelligence, but 2025 was still transformative. Here’s a recap of retail’s biggest AI-related news this year.

  • An empty store with a "retail space available" window sign.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Claire’s plans tech upgrades despite financial setbacks

    The retailer will take steps to elevate customer in-store experiences by improving its technology foundation. 

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    Provided by Amazon

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    Amazon expands rural delivery with Oklahoma last-mile station

    The 30,000-square-foot facility in Weatherford is slated to break ground early this year, and the city said it will improve delivery speeds in the area.

  • A person walks through an aisle within a Home Depot store.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    How Home Depot sped up its supply chain — and what comes next

    The home improvement retailer has built an expansive network of distribution centers for faster deliveries. It's now looking to maximize the potential of those assets.

  • People shopping on a downtown street.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    December sales drop over 2% at small retail businesses despite traffic bump

    Even at the holidays shoppers prioritized essentials, and inflation-adjusted discretionary sales at smaller stores fell 1.8% year on year, per Fiserv.

  • An orange and white Ulta Beauty storefront with a tree in front
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    Dani James/Retail Dive
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    Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty to launch at Ulta

    The beauty brand will be available online and at the retailer's stores starting in February, with exclusive offerings and a donation campaign.

  • A red Levi's tab sign against a bright blue sky.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Column

    The Weekly Closeout: Levi’s adds Target vet to board, plus more Black Friday ‘standouts’

    Jeffrey Jones, a former chief marketer at Target, will join the apparel maker in January. Meanwhile, analysts called out On and Hoka as big winners from the sale season.

  • The Alexa.com website awaits a customer's prompt on a laptop computer.
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    Courtesy of Amazon
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    Amazon rolls out dedicated website that brings Alexa+ online

    The site can help customers research topics, take action on their behalf, and continue conversations with an Alexa device from where they left off.

  • Three boxes stacked with a bow on top in a holiday scene.
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    Getty Images
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    Visa, Mastercard track roughly 4% US holiday retail sales growth

    The 2025 holiday season saw consumers shopping across channels to land the best deals and maximize convenience, according to new reports. 

  • Chicago Marathon
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    Kaarin Moore/Retail Dive
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    Run retail run

    Over 54,000 runners recently participated in the Chicago Marathon, with some 1.7 million spectators lining the streets. They came to race — and to shop.

  • A Bed Bath & Beyond sign against a blue sky with puffy white clouds.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Bed Bath & Beyond operating chief out as Marcus Lemonis takes on CEO role

    Lemonis outlined a plan that moves the company beyond retail and into insurance, financial tools and “mortgage related solutions.”

  • To the right of a mall store entrance, a minimalist gray granite facade features the red and white Lululemon logo and white lettering.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Lululemon founder Chip Wilson scuffles with board amid CEO search

    The brand says it wants to avoid a proxy fight but that Wilson “declined to engage further” after nominating three people to its board.

  • Stressed hispanic man paying for a lot of christmas gifts
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    Getty Images
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    Combating the consumer ‘joy deficit’ this season

    Prices are high, shoppers are stressed out and anxiety-inducing marketing doesn’t help. Here’s what retailers can do instead.

  • People walk by a kitchen cabinet display at an Ikea store on Sept. 26, 2025, in Emeryville, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    White House delays furniture tariff increases for a year

    The U.S. is pushing back duty increases due to "productive negotiations" with trading partners, keeping the current 25% rate in effect.