News Briefs

A premium direct-to-consumer healthcare apparel retailer has made its brick-and-mortar debut.

Kindthread has opened its first retail location at Westfield Topanga in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. At the store, guests can find a “curated” selection of Kindthread’s collection of scrubs, including its Landau, White Cross and Beyond Scrubs brands.

The debut store is fully integrated with Kindthread's digital platform from launch, allowing customers to browse in person, complete purchases online, access their full order history, and receive personalized product recommendations across channels.

The brand says that the Los Angeles location gives guests “real choice across multiple collections, knowledgeable staff, an elevated environment, and seamless integration between in-store and online shopping.”

[READ MORE: Figs opens new physical location in NYC]

"Healthcare professionals have been underserved by retail for too long," said David Sasson, CEO of Kindthread, which was launched in March of 2022. "Healthcare apparel has been moving in a direction where professionals are expected to pay a premium for a single brand and call that progress. We think progress looks different. It looks like walking into a store, seeing real options across multiple collections and price points, and having someone help you find what actually works for your body and your budget.”

Westfield Topanga spans more than 1.5 million square feet, and is anchored by Nordstrom, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Target.

It was free bagels and “Schmears On Us” for the first 100 guests to arrive at Bagels & Co. on the opening day of its fifth location in the City of Brotherly Love.

The bagel chain is known for its large and eclectic variety of “schmears” such bacon cheddar, birthday cake, siracha scallion, and cookie monster. 

Special limited-edition bagel and schmear flavors are added throughout the year to commemorate seasons, holidays, sports teams and more.

The largest concentration of Bagels & Co. shops is in Florida. The chain has six stores operating in the state (including Fort Lauderdale and Gainesville) and has additional shops set to open in Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and North Tampa near the University of South Florida campus.

It is also ready to enter Ohio with a shop located near The Ohio State University in Columbus.

Bagels & Co. has a policy of partnering with local nonprofit organizations in its markets and gives 10% discounts to police, firefighters, EMTs, teachers and military personnel. 

Several factors are expected to drive consumer behavior in 2026 — but increased costs remain paramount for shoppers.

Nearly four-in-10 (37%) U.S. consumers said their primary concern for the coming year was rising prices (when thinking about the country as a whole), an increase of nine points compared to July 2025, according to Numerator’s 2026 Visions Report. Based on Numerator’s forecasts, core inflation could range between 2.3% and 4.8% in the year ahead, depending on multiple factors, including tariffs and the Iran conflict.

In addition to rising prices, consumers are moving towards a more balanced view of their wellbeing, which will impact spending this year. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of consumers said they are prioritizing both physical and mental health, up from 46% last year.

[READ MORE: Consumer sentiment declines in early March]

Brand values remain important for many consumers as well. Almost half (48%) of those surveyed by Numerator said they would stop purchasing from a company that takes a political or social stance misaligned with their values, up two points compared to July 2025. Nearly four-in-10 (38%) consumers said they participated in at least one consumer boycott in the past year.

Nearly one-in-five consumers changed their shopping habits last year to actively avoid certain retailers, reflecting a growing willingness to “vote with dollars,” according to Numerator.

Select FedEx Office locations will now serve as return hubs for a retail giant.

With the addition of over 1,500 locations, Amazon customers can now make free returns on eligible items with no shipping box, tape or label needed at more than 10,000 drop-off locations across the United States. FedEx Office joins the likes of Whole Foods Market, The UPS Store, Kohl’s and Staples where Amazon customers can make drop-off returns.

For eligible items, customers begin the return process in their Amazon account, choose a nearby drop-off location, and receive a QR code. They can then bring their unpackaged item and QR code to the selected location, where the item is scanned and prepared for shipping. No shipping box or label is required.

“Convenience doesn’t end once you place your order,” said Gopal Pillai, VP of returns and recommerce at Amazon. “We work hard to help customers find products they’ll love and use, but like any retailer, sometimes a return is needed – and when that happens, we want the experience to be seamless. We’re constantly working to make returns simpler, and bringing FedEx Office locations into our nationwide network is one more way we’re building a return experience that fits naturally into customers’ everyday lives."

[READ MORE: The Save Mart Companies, Amazon partner for in-store return kiosks]

With the addition of the FedEx Office locations, four-in-five Amazon customers in the U.S. have access to at least one drop-off location within five miles of their home. The addition to Amazon’s roster of drop-off return locations comes as the online giant plans to move Amazon Prime Day from its traditional mid-July setting to late June.

Meta is making it easier for users to find and buy products across its Facebook platform.

The tech giant said that under its new Facebook Affiliate partnerships, creators can now tag affiliate products directly in their Facebook posts and reels, with no link-in-bio, swipe up or looking in comments for a link. Meta is rolling out the program with Amazon in the U.S., and Shopee in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Brazil and Taiwan. It plans to add add additional affiliate partners, including and Temu and eBay in the U.S., in the coming months.

“Your audience sees the product, taps and shops, and you can earn,” Meta said in a post on its website.

With the new program, creators can connect their accounts from the company’s affiliate program partners to Facebook and then can tag products directly in your photo posts and reels. Connecting the account unlocks a prominent and clickable affiliate banner that can appear right on  content, helping recommendations stand out.

“When your followers see something they love they can simply tap to shop, taking them either right to the product page in the affiliate partner’s app or the mobile website to complete the transaction, making it easy for them to purchase your recommendations,” Meta said. “You’ll earn a commission from the affiliate partners for every qualifying purchase.”

The company said it also is testing new, actionable insights that will allow creators understand what content is driving sales, see what’s resonating with their audience and optimize their content to maximize earnings.

Saks Global has changed its mind. 

The luxury retail group will keep operating three stores that it had earmarked to go dark. The Saks Fifth Avenue stores at The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, Fla., and The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert, Calif., will remain open, as will the Neiman Marcus store at The Westchester in White Plains, N.Y. All three centers are operated by Simon. 

Saks, which filed for bankruptcy in January, announced its first round of store closures in February as part of a planned "optimization" across its store portfolio. In March, it announced a new round of closings that included 12 Saks Fifth Avenue locations and three Neiman Marcus stores, including the three locations that it has now decided to keep open.

“We are pleased to share that our Saks Fifth Avenue Sarasota, Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Desert and Neiman Marcus Westchester stores will remain open following recent productive conversations with our landlords and further evaluation,” a Saks Global spokeswoman said in a statement to Chain Store Age. “Our approach to optimizing our store footprint remains centered on ensuring we focus our presence in markets with a high concentration of luxury shoppers where we can operate at an attractive level of profitability. We look forward to continuing to serve customers in these markets.”

As it stands now, 15 Saks stores and 33 Neiman Marcus stores will remain up and running. The company will also continue to operate Bergdorf Goodman's two stores in Manhattan. (As previously announced, the company is also closing the majority of its off-price Saks Off 5th stores.)