It's been another week with far more retail news than there is time in the day. Below, we break down some things you may have missed during the week, and what we're still thinking about.

From Staples expanding its co-working locations to Lowe's launching a toy catalog geared toward its Pro customers, here's our closeout for the week.

What you may have missed:

Walmart to acquire assets of tech firm Botmock

Walmart is betting on the future of voice and text shopping. On Monday, Cheryl Ainoa, senior vice president of core retail services and emerging technology at Walmart, announced that the retail giant plans to acquire select assets from tech startup Botmock for an undisclosed amount.

Founded in 2016, Botmock has produced tools to design, prototype, test and deploy conversational applications across platforms. Ainoa wrote that this technology could allow business owners to offer voice, chat and intelligent assistant experiences.

"With such a tool we can build natural voice and chat interfaces for our customers and associates faster and deploy them more rapidly," Ainoa wrote on LinkedIn.

Co-work at your friendly Staples store

Staples this week announced the opening of two new Staples Connect locations — one in Los Angeles and the other in Auburn, Maine. The stores provide space and services for remote workers and small businesses.

Both locations provide a "try-before-you-buy" shopping experience so customers can test products, on-site TSA PreCheck Enrollment, a print shop, and shipping and tech services. The Auburn store also offers an assortment of wellness products.

Staples has experimented with co-working options and office arrangements in the past. In 2016 the company collaborated with Workbar to offer office space in three Boston-area Staples locations. The company then introduced the Staples Connect brand in February of 2020 in six Boston-area stores with the idea of providing co-working and community spaces.

J. Crew x Blackstock & Weber take another step

While the world is left wondering whether Yeezy x Gap will ever pick up the pace of their collaboration, J. Crew is out with another drop from Blackstock & Weber, whose founder, Chris Echevarria, got his start in retail at one of J. Crew's New York City stores.

The Ellis Penny Loafer in cacao spotted pony and cacao suede, released at noon on Friday, is exclusive to J. Crew. The shoe retails for $345, a price point that signals new-found confidence for J. Crew, a brand that has recently resorted to heavy discounts to move its clothes. That likely derives from Echevarria's own strongly held belief that consumers are more ready for fashion innovation than many brands give them credit for. "I'm going to tell this story in a different way, for our generation," he told Retail Dive in an interview.

Retail Therapy:

Lowe's releases toy catalog for the Pros

Now that Halloween is well behind us (well, five days ago), retailers have already started decking the halls. Holiday commercials are airing on TV and several retailers, including Walmart and Amazon, have sent out holiday toy catalogs for kids. While print has been in decline for decades, catalogs still have a hold on consumers' hearts during the holiday season.

To get in on the fun, Lowe's this week released its first-ever Pro "Toy" Catalog. Geared toward its Pro customer base, the catalog is intended to "serve as a guide of products and savings," Lowe's said in a press release emailed to Retail Dive. 

The company also brought back its "PROvember" sales event, featuring deals, in-store demos and more for its Pro shoppers.

Simon mall executives ready to unpack clogged ports themselves if they have to

You know, sometimes if you want something done you need to do it yourself. Port delays are big contributors to the supply chain snafus that have retailers worried about having enough to offer their customers for the holiday season. Executives at mall owner Simon Property Group, which late last year joined rival Brookfield to snap up J.C. Penney out of bankruptcy, aren't about to sit idly by with holiday gifts stuck in Los Angeles Harbor.

For a while there, Penney's problem centered on the inventory they did have, but the struggling retailer once again has a fresh crop of leaders ready to change that. Now, top Simon executives say they're ready to head over there to get holiday goods onto Penney's shelves. Simon Property Group Chief Investment Officer Stanley Shashoua, who recently stepped down as interim Penney CEO, is apparently worried enough about the port situation to roll up his sleeves. And CEO David Simon promised to pitch in.

"He did tell me that he was going to, if he had to go to the port of L.A. and unpack boxes to get them into the Penney store, and said he was going to do it," Simon told analysts this week, per a Motley Fool transcript. "And I said, 'Well, that's a great idea. I'll do it too.' So we're on call to help."

What we're still thinking about:

18.7%

That's how much Wayfair's net revenue fell in the third quarter compared to the same period a year ago. The online retailer benefited during much of last year as consumers invested more into their homes — the place they were spending the majority of their time. Now, as the economy opens up broadly, consumers feel more comfortable shopping in stores, and are shifting spending to experiences, like travel, which was largely off the table in 2020.

Wayfair's net loss in the quarter was $78 million from a profit of $173.2 million in the year-ago period.

7

That is how many months Jenna Owens spent on the job as chief operating officer of GameStop before leaving the company. Owens, a former Amazon executive, joined GameStop earlier this year amid a broad reshuffling of the gaming retailer's leadership. The management shakeup was set off by activist investor and Chewy founder Ryan Cohen, who is trying to drive a technological transformation at the company. GameStop did not disclose a reason for Owen's departure or say whether it was even looking for a permanent COO. Her duties at least for now have been absorbed by other members of GameStop management.

What we're watching:

Bed Bath & Beyond launches a digital marketplace and partners with...Kroger? 

Ever since CEO Mark Tritton took the helm at Bed Bath & Beyond two years ago, he's been working to turn around its business. The company has rolled out a number of initiatives, including last year laying out a plan to launch at least 10 private labels, invest in technology, build on its "omni-always" approach and remodel stores.

And this week, in a flurry of announcements, the retailer said it would launch its own digital marketplace, which will sell products from third-party brand partners; partner with Kroger to sell goods from Bed Bath & Beyond and BuyBuy Baby, including its private labels, in the grocer's stores and online; and that it's two years ahead of schedule in its stock buyback program.

Like many retailers selling home goods, Bed Bath & Beyond saw a spike in demand this past year as consumers invested in their homes. But as that demand wanes, the retailer's sales are starting to slip. In the second quarter, net sales fell 26% to $2 billion, while comps fell 1%.