News Briefs

This initiative follows the recently introduced collaboration with Amazon Autos that combines Hertz Car Sales’ nationwide inventory with Amazon’s shopping and checkout experience. 

[READ MORE: Amazon expands used car inventory with Hertz partnership]

As Amazon Autos’ first fleet dealer, Hertz Car Sales is expanding the available inventory on Amazon Autos to offer a wider selection of vehicles from brands like Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet and Nissan. Initially launched in four cities, it has now expanded to all Hertz Car Sales locations across the U.S.

Ralph Lauren Corp. is expanding its hospitality portfolio.

The luxury apparel and lifestyle company plans to open a restaurant, The Polo Bar Ralph Lauren, in London, in 2028. The new venue will build on Ralph Lauren’s presence in the city, where it operates 12 stores, along with two Ralph’s Coffee locations.

The restaurant will also build on the success of The Polo Bar, which opened in New York City in 2015 and quickly became one of the city’s most celebrated and iconic restaurants. Ralph Lauren currently has five restaurants – in New York, Paris, Chicago, Milan and Chengdu – and more than 40 Ralph’s Coffee locations around the world.

In 2019, Ralph Lauren became the first American fashion designer to receive an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his philanthropic efforts and influence on global style.

A leading campus bookstore chain is launching a new omnichannel offering to better support students transition into the workforce.

Barnes & Noble College (BNC) has announced its new Campus to Career hub, designed to equip college students with the “tools, resources and insights” they need to succeed after college. Campus to Career offers a curated collection of products available both in-store and online, along with an exclusive digital hub powered by Home From College that connects students at BNC-partner schools with real-world opportunities at Fortune 500 companies and startups, plus a wide range of career readiness resources and tools.

A select number of campus bookstores will feature a collection of career-focused products in-store, including exclusive offerings from No Particular Order, along with products from leading brands such as Microsoft, Dagne Dover, STM, and others. All BNC stores offer a career-focused collection online, including notebooks, planners, professional laptops, tech accessories, and career-help books.

[READ MORE: Retail seasonal hiring to fall to lowest level since 2009]

“Graduating students often face challenges in developing the essential skills needed to transition into the professional world successfully,” said Celeste Risimini-Johnson, chief merchandise & operations officer, Barnes & Noble College. “Campus to Career supports students by providing the tools, resources, and guidance they need to navigate job applications, interviews, and their transition into the workforce.”

BNC operates physical and digital stores for more than 1,380 higher education and K-12 schools nationwide. Barnes & Noble Education Inc. was part of the Barnes & Noble national chain until 2015.

With 2026 around the corner, retail leaders are facing continued challenges when it comes to artificial intelligence adoption, price management and more.

Three-quarters (75%) of those surveyed in multichannel e-commerce Rithum’s 2026 Commerce Readiness Index said that business decisions are often made on “outdated, inconsistent, or incomplete data.” An even greater amount (81%) of retail executives say that poor data quality in particular is dragging down performance decisions.

N​​early three-in-four leaders say AI is evolving faster than they can adopt it, creating a widening execution gap. Rithum noted that many retailers are investing anyway, without fixing underlying data quality issues.

[READ MORE: Zebra: Retailers use automation to reach these goals]

As expected, rising costs, tariffs, and product complexity are forcing executives into hard trade-offs on pricing, assortment, and promotions, according to the survey. An overwhelming 91% of retail executives said pricing is heavily influenced by government policy, and 92% of brands cite product complexity as a cost-control barrier, adding that protecting profitability has become increasingly difficult. 

Over 90% of commerce leaders say they have shifted their marketing mix in the past year. However, they see the biggest leaks before checkout in the form of broken links, outdated product content, and irrelevant ads.

“Commerce leaders know the turbulence of this year isn’t slowing down, and many factors – like tariffs and inflation – remain out of their control,” said Suzin Wold, chief marketing officer at Rithum. “What they can control is how quickly and effectively they adapt. Our report offers a roadmap to help retail and brand executives do that.”

Target Corp. is celebrating the fourth anniversary — and success — of its employee education assistance program.

Since launching in September 2021, more than 10,000 Target team members have graduated from "Dream to Be" programs, earning degrees, professional certificates and other educational achievements. During that time, the retailer has invested $300 million in the initiative, which offers 500 tuition-free or partially-funded programs, including undergraduate degrees, Master’s degrees, certificates, language learning, high school completion, bootcamps and more across more than 40 schools, colleges and universities.

The Dream to Be program is open to all U.S.-based Target employees —  part-time and full-time — from their first day with the retailer. Target noted that hourly team members enrolled in Dream to Be have a 76% lower turnover rate and are 3.5 times more likely to be promoted.

The program’s academic offerings have expanded based on employee needs and emerging disciplines. This includes adding more language-learning options in addition to English, such as Spanish, French, German and more. Also, new courses in fast-growing fields such as AI have been added. 

“Dream to Be is a powerful reflection of our commitment to team members’ growth and development,” said Melissa Kremer, executive VP and chief human resources officer, Target. "As they build new skills, advance their careers and achieve personal goals, they also help Target reach new milestones. Celebrating 10,000 graduates is a proud achievement, but the true impact shines through in the everyday progress our team members make — moving themselves, and Target, forward."

One of the largest real estate services firms has added new talent to its leadership team.

Sam Schaefer has been tapped by JLL to serve as its new CEO of property management, in addition to joining the firm’s Real Estate Management Services Board. Schaefer joins JLL from real estate developer Trammell Crow Company, where he served as principal. Based in Boston, he will report to Neil Murray, global CEO of Real Estate Management Services at JLL.

"JLL's strong property management business is a testament to the work of our teams across the world to support our clients globally with local expertise," said Murray. "Sam is a proven leader, with experience in building high-performing teams. Under his leadership, our global experts will deliver unparalleled client value to meet all of their diverse needs in a rapidly changing world."

[READ MORE: JLL to take over management at 10 open-air Sunbelt centers]

Prior to Trammell Crow Company, Schaefer was the president & CEO at Hobbs Brook Real Estate. He also served as managing director and global head of leasing, corporate outreach and property management at Tishman Speyer.

"I look forward to leading JLL's Property Management team into the future and positioning the business for continued growth," said Schaefer. "As a unified global team, we will deliver best-in-class operating expertise across the world by leveraging JLL's innovative technology stack, integrated multi-service offerings and local knowledge to be the most competitive in the segments and markets in which we operate."