News Briefs

Amazon’s business-to-business program hit new financial heights in the second quarter of fiscal 2026.

The online giant reports that Amazon Business reached $60 billion in annualized gross sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, meaning its estimated revenue for the full fiscal year based on performance so far equals $60 billion. 

More than 11 million organizations of all sizes worldwide are Amazon Business customers, including more than 1.8 million new users to date this year, according to Amazon. In 2025, Amazon says Amazon Business-specific discounts saved organizations more than $1 billion worldwide.

Since launching in the U.S. in 2015, Amazon Business has added features and benefits including a curated site experience, Business Prime, business-only pricing and selection, single or multi-user business accounts, approvals workflow, purchasing system integrations, payment solutions, tax exemptions, dedicated customer support, and targeted generative AI technology.

[READ MORE: Amazon releases generative AI solutions for business customers]

“Organizations of all sizes trust Amazon Business for vast selection, everyday value, and fast, reliable delivery—and that trust is reflected in our continued growth,” said Shelley Salomon, worldwide VP of Amazon Business. “As organizations look to do more with less, we’re inventing new ways to help them save time and money—and reinvest in growing their business.”

Leveraging Amazon's fulfillment network, Amazon Business made more than 500 million deliveries worldwide in 2025. Now, the company is investing further in delivery designed specifically for organizations. In 13 states across the U.S., Amazon Business has started rolling out dedicated, branded delivery trucks designed for organizations. 

Built for how businesses receive deliveries—from loading docks and office buildings to university campuses and mailrooms—these trucks offer scheduled delivery windows, palletized bulk and parcel delivery, and consolidated drop-offs.. In addition, the trucks run on compressed natural gas, which produces fewer emissions than traditional diesel trucks. 

Meijer is the latest retailer to offer deep discounts in what has turned out to be one of the most value-driven back-to-school shopping seasons ever.

The Michigan-based retailer said it is dropping prices by up to 50% on nearly 200 essential items to help families prepare for the upcoming school year. The offer includes more than 50 school supplies for less than $1, including both Meijer and national-brand favorites such as pencils, crayons, markers, folders, notebooks, binders, erasers and more. Some of the items are priced at $0.25.

Meijer is also discounting groceries families often purchase for the back-to-school season, including many breakfast and lunch items for under $2. 

Earlier this month, Walmart said is offering its lowest prices since 2019 on the 14 most popular school supplies found on classroom lists across the country.

"Back-to-school season is an exciting time, as families prepare to help their kids start the year strong," said Don Sanderson, chief merchandising and marketing officer at Meijer. "We're committed to making it easy for families to find great value on school supplies, clothing, and everyday groceries in one stop. By expanding the number of discounted items, we're helping families check everything off their lists and head into the school year feeling confident and ready."

The privately-owned, family-operated Meijer operates more than 500 supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets and express locations throughout the M

JCPenney is touting its stores as a value-based, one-stop shopping destination for back to school.

The department store retailer’s seasonal offerings include haircuts for students and teachers at JCPenney Salons with prices starting at $12. The promotion runs through Sept.19. (Also through Sept. 19, teachers also can get an extra 10% off on their purchases.)

In other back-to-school deals and kicking off on Aug. 2 and running through Aug. 27, Penney is featuring kid’s and teens’ essentials under its Price Lock program, which locks in discounted prices on key clothing and footwear items. This year’s lineup includes  $6 tees, shorts and leggings, $8 Izod polos and $14 denim and kids’ casual shoes.

The company is also bringing back its “Really Big Deals “ promotion, which drops new “unreal” deals every weekend from Friday through Sunday. It runs Aug. 7 through Sept. 7.

[READ MORE: JCPenney offers shopping discount tied to gas receipts]

This year's back to school season comes as multiple surveys confirm that shoppers are focused on price over brand loyalty. 

JCPenney, part of Catalyst Brands, operates more than 650 stores in the United States and Canada.

While senior retail technology executives recognize the value of artificial intelligence, they also view it as a source of potential threats.

Half of senior IT and networking leaders surveyed by Cisco for the study “Retail in the Age of AI” are actively upgrading their campus and branch network infrastructure to handle the capacity demands of AI. And three-in-four (76%) respondents agree that delays in modernization put their AI initiatives at risk, while 46% cite bandwidth and capacity demands as their top AI-driven campus and branch network challenge.

More than seven-in-10 (72%) respondents say their ability to meet customer expectations is at risk if their networks cannot support AI and 71% agree that failure to modernize could mean missed business opportunities such as revenue, loyalty, and market share.

In addition, 68% of respondents say that operational efficiency is at risk without AI-capable infrastructure and 62% say falling behind competitors leveraging AI more effectively is a real and growing risk

AI security issues

The survey also examined how AI is impacting retail network security efforts. Almost half (48%) of respondents cite keeping the network secure as their top operational challenge. 

Close to eight-in-10 (78%) respondents report that AI has significantly expanded their attack surface in the last year. Almost seven-oin-10 (68%) say AI workloads have introduced new blind spots in security monitoring and 67% say the distributed nature of AI makes it harder to maintain consistent security policies.

[READ MORE: KPMG: Cybersecurity spending rises as attacks increase]

Given these findings, it is not surprising that 85% of respondents have implemented additional security controls specifically for AI workloads. However, 68% say threats are evolving faster than their ability to adapt

Cisco surveyed 292 senior IT and networking leaders in the retail sector as part of a larger survey of 3,400 technology executives.

The European Union’s latest move to reduce waste and promote sustainability targets the excess stock and customer returns that are destroyed or sent to landfills every year. 

The 27-member EU has passed a new rule — Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation — that prohibits large companies with more than 250 employees and over €50 million (approximately $57 million as of July 20) in net annual turnover from destroying or sending to landfills unsold clothing, accessories and footwear. The regulation, which took effect July 19, will be extended to medium-sized firms in 2030.

While the ban will impact brands across the board in the EU, its impact is expected to pose a particular dilemma for luxury fashion groups such as Chanel and Prada as it removes one their least visible tools for keeping their products desirable by maintaining their scarcity, according to a report by Financial Times.

“The new rule will force brands to choose between carrying higher inventory costs, expanding tightly controlled discount channels or producing fewer goods in the first place,” the report said.

The new ban aims to encourage donation, repair and reuse. Unsold and returned items can only be destroyed when items are unsafe, damaged, counterfeit or rejected by charities, according to a post on the European Commission’s website. Businesses who cite these exemptions must provide proof (e.g. documents or test results) and publish annual reports on what they have discarded.