News Briefs

[READ MORE: Kroger tests contactless payment]

Based in Cincinnati, The Kroger Co. operates approximately 2,800 stores under a variety of banners across the U.S., including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick 'n Save, Metro Market and Mariano's.

Cult-favorite U.K. workout brand Gymshark has tapped Dick’s Sporting Goods as its first U.S. wholesale partner.

The news of the partnership follows the opening of Gymshark’s first permanent U.S. retail store, at Roosevelt Field Mall, in Garden City,  N.Y., with a flagship set to open in downtown Manhattan later this year. Starting on Oct. 24,  Gymshark apparel and accessories will be available at 12 Dick’s House of Sport locations nationwide, with prices ranging from $16.00 to $70.00.

The stores will feature a fully branded Gymshark space, with features that have been designed and clad to display the company's branding, including mannequins modeled on Gymshark athletes. Speciality mannequin stands are made from actual weight plates, ensuring the Gymshark moto, “We Do Gym,” shines through.

“We’re always looking to give our athletes access to fresh and surprising brands, as well as further differentiate our product offering,” said Brendan Kirk, VP of merchandising at Dick’s Sporting Goods. “Becoming Gymshark’s first U.S. wholesaler allows us to do just that. Gymshark is redefining what modern training apparel looks like with high-performance, stylish pieces rooted in real gym culture. House of Sport is the perfect place to bring that experience to life.”

One of America’s largest grocery chains has announced its holiday season hiring goal.

The Kroger Co. says it aims to hire more than 18,000 associates for this fall and winter for customer-facing roles like cashiers, baggers, deli bakery clerks, pharmacy technicians and more. The figure is a significant decrease from last year, when Kroger set a goal of hiring more than 25,000 seasonal workers.

Kroger currently employs more than 400,000 associates nationwide. For its new hires, the chain is touting competitive wages and benefits, continued education and tuition reimbursement, training and development resources, and more.

"Our incredible associates are the heart of Kroger, serving our customers with dedication every day," said Tim Massa, executive VP and chief associate experience officer at Kroger. "As we enter this special season of giving and gratitude, we're excited to welcome new associates to join us in providing fresh, affordable food and exceptional customer experiences. Whether it is a warm smile, a helping hand or a recipe recommendation, our associates play a vital role in creating moments that matter during the holiday season and beyond."

[READ MORE: Kroger in new payment processing partnership]

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Kroger Co. operates approximately 2,800 stores under a variety of banners across the U.S., including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick 'n Save, Metro Market and Mariano's.

Halloween is more than a week away, but Amazon is launching its second major event of the 2025 holiday season.

The Amazon Holiday Beauty Haul — a two-week shopping event for beauty customers across gifting, new arrivals, premium, skin care, makeup, hair care, personal care, fragrance, nail, men’s grooming, and Allure Best of Beauty winners — is returning for a fifth year.

[READ MORE: Holiday beauty event returns to Amazon]

From now through Sunday, Nov. 2, Amazon customers can shop up to 40% off thousands of curated deals, coupons, and gift sets from a wide variety of beauty and wellness brands.

The event will also offer 48-hour flash category deals dropping throughout its duration. The Amazon Live livestream sales platform will host three or more daily livestreams from creators and experts, featuring tutorials, product demos, and for the first time, additional Amazon Live-only livestreaming flash deals. 

The sale is accessible at a dedicated page on the Amazon e-commerce site. Click here to see a list of sample deals.  

Amazon follows up Prime Big Deal Days 

The Amazon Holiday Beauty Haul comes on the heels of the online giant’s annual Prime Big Deal Days fall online sales extravaganza, which occurred this year Oct. 8-9. Amazon promotes Prime Big Deal Days as the official kickoff to its holiday shopping season.

While no specific sales data for Prime Big Deal Days is available, analysis from Numerator compared favorably to the entire four-day 2025 Prime Day event. In addition, Numerator survey data showed more than half of Prime Big Deal Days shoppers plan to shop on Black Friday (61%) and Cyber Monday (58%). 

Bambi Baby will open a flagship in the heart of Manhattan's historic Ladies’ Mile District.

The specialty retailer, which sells baby furniture, nursery sets, strollers, car seats, cribs, bedding and other related products, has inked a retail lease for its first New York City store, at 655 Sixth Ave. The transaction was arranged by CBRE. 

Bambi Baby will occupy 900 sq. ft. of prime, ground-floor space and 8,500 sq. ft. in the lower level of the property. The CBRE team of Jordan Kaplan, Jessica Tauber and Eric Gelber represented Bambi Baby in the negotiations. The property owner, United American Land, was represented in-house by Jack Laboz, and Aric Trakhtenberg, and Ravi Idnani of Newmark.

“Bambi Baby wanted to open its first flagship location in New York City, and the historic Ladies Mile District in the heart of Chelsea made perfect sense,” said Kaplan. “We are thrilled we were able to secure this amazing space for our client.  It is incredibly located, easily accessible and will be an incredible gain for families in the greater New York City market.”

 In additon to an e-commerce platform, Bambi Baby operates five brick-and-mortar stores, with three locations in New Jersey — in Paramus, Middletown and Union — along with a store in Miami, Fla., and Melville, N.Y. 

Five Below is expanding its footprint into a new region.

The tween and teen extreme-value retailer will enter the Pacific Northwest, opening eight stores across Washington and Oregon in November. The locations, which span malls to neighborhood shopping centers, are listed at end of article.

Five Below’s debut in the region comes as it is on track to open a total of 150 stores in 2025. In August, the retailer reported top- and bottom-line second-quarter results that topped expectations. Sales jumped 23.7% to $1.03 billion, while same-store sales rose 12.4%. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the company has more than 1,850 stores in 44 states. 

Five Below’s new store locations in the Pacific Northwest region include:

• Sunrise Village, Puyallup, Wash.;

• Celebration Center, Federal Way, Wash.;

• Everett Mall, Everett, Wash.;

• Evergreen Crossing, Spokane Valley, Wash.;

• Valley Mall, Union Gap, Wash.;

• Vintner Square, Richland, Wash.;

• Alderwood Parkway, Lynnwood, Wash.

• Cascade Plaza, Beaverton, Ore.