News Briefs

Levels, a destination that combines retail, brand experiences and innovation, has opened its doors in the Mission District of San Francisco.

The three-level space is home to a boutique featuring collections from up-and-coming brands in sports, entertainment, tech, and streetwear, as well as current industry staples. It’s located steps away from the Chase Center, home to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

In addition to the permanent store, Levels includes two event spaces that are available as extensions of retail and as standalone bookable spaces for brand activation. The venues will host groundbreaking activations and cultural exchanges, underscoring Levels' commitment to fostering creativity and inspiration, the company said.

Levels was founded by four individuals with backgrounds in retail, brand marketing, digital tech and consumer experience: Ronnie Singh is the head of lifestyle and content marketing at 2K; Sam Asfahani is the CEO of Mercury Group; Craig Lyonis the senior VP of marketing at Nutrabolt; and Ryan Gizinski is the creator, owner and operator at Guest List. 

"Levels is so much more than a store — it's a cultural hub where streetwear, sports, tech and entertainment converge," said Singh. "I'm proud to call the Bay Area home and to introduce Levels as a place to host, celebrate, and inspire the visionaries who are shaping the city's cultural landscape of tomorrow."

Studio Skaggs Kennedy has worked with Levels as the architect of record and design architect since the project's inception in 2023. The firm is based in Berkeley, Calif.

Publix finished the year on a strong note sales-wise. 

Sales rose 5.5% to $15.5 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 28, 2024. Comparable store sales increased 4.1%. (The company estimates sales for the three months ended Dec. 28, 2024 increased 1.4% due to the impact of Hurricane Milton.)

Net earnings were $1.2 billion, essentially unchanged from the year-ago quarter, with earnings per share of $0.37. Adjusted earnings were $0.34 per share, compared to $0.32 per share in 2023.

For the full year, Publix’s sales were $59.7 billion, up 4.6% increase from $57.1 billion in 2023. Comparable store sales increased 2.9%. Net earnings increased 6.6% to $4.6 billion. Earnings per share increased to $1.41 per share, up from $1.31 per share in 2023. 

Effective March 1, 2025, Publix’s stock price increased from $18.05 per share to $19.20 per share. (Publix stock is not publicly traded and is made available for sale only to current Publix associates and members of its board of directors.)

“Publix’s success is due to our associates,” said Publix CEO Kevin Murphy. “I’m so thankful to serve with them in making shopping at Publix a pleasure.”

Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 255,000 associates. The company currently operates 1,392 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.

A new digital furniture platform wants to be an omnichannel "one-stop shop" for customers.

By seamlessly integrating store location and inventory data within its search engine, Furniture.com intends to enable customers to explore, test, and purchase furniture items either digitally or in person. Headquartered in New York City and Atlanta, the company combines AI-driven personalization, discovery tools, and third-party retail partnerships. 

Rooms To Go, one of the nation’s largest furniture retailers, both backs and participates on the Furniture.com platform. Furniture.com's retailer partnerships also include chains such as Bloomingdale's and American Signature Furntiure. 

Bloomingdale’s also recently launched a partnership with Lucky enabling luxury brands to seamlessly connect their direct-to-consumer (DTC) websites to its in-store inventory.

[READ MORE: Bloomingdale's enhances online shopping thru DTC websites]

"Consumers are frustrated with the current furniture-buying process, and retailers are eager for solutions that drive foot traffic and sales," said Alex Seaman, senior VP and co-founder of Furniture.com. "Our platform simplifies the journey for consumers — helping them find their ideal pieces faster — then delivers these high-intent shoppers directly to partnering retailers to close the sales."

Furniture.com aims to expand its presence across the U.S. Long-term plans include leveraging augmented reality, deep learning, and recommendation engines. The company operates as an entirely separate entity from Rooms To Go. 

"One of the key advantages of Furniture.com for Rooms To Go is the unit economics," said Rooms To Go CEO Jeff Seaman. "The leads that come from it to Rooms To Go are many times more likely to convert than any other source. They've already had a chance to pre-shop on the site. Once it becomes a lead to one of the partners, since they've had the chance to pre-shop, they're more likely to convert."

(Logo courtesy of PRNewsfoto/Furniture.com)

A leading energy drink brand and a rap legend are teaming up to help consumers adjust to daylight savings time with a special free product.

For the second year in a row, 5-Hour Energy is partnering with Flavor Flav, the “hype man” from iconic rap group Public Enemy, to promote a free giveaway of its 0.5-ounce 1-Hour Energy product, designed specifically to help boost the energy of consumers adapting to the loss of an hour of sleep. 

"At 5-hour Energy, we're all getting what makes you tick and making sure you never run out of steam," said Jeff Sigouin, president and COO of 5-Hour Energy parent Living Essentials. "That's why we created 1-hour Energy — to tackle that yearly energy slump with a fun, fast fix.”

As part of the promotion, Flavor Flav will be participating in a series of media appearances and activations. He will also be surprising commuters throughout New York City on Monday, March 10, 2025 – the first workday after the time shift from standard to daylight savings time.

In addition, starting Feb. 28, 2025, a bottle of 1-hour Energy will be provided free with any 5-hour Energy product purchased on 5hourEnergy.com while supplies last.

"It's true,” said Flavor Flav. “Even ya boi gets tired from daylight savings time. I'm so hyped to be back partnering with 5-hour Energy to help everyone keep their energy levels at a 10, even with one less hour in the day. Between my favorite grape flavor, my decked out custom clock, and the chance to surprise fans, it feels like 1-hour Energy was made just for me.”

[READ MORE: Kroger offers free 'Hour Back Boxes' ahead of daylight savings]

The nation’s second-largest book retailer has promoted a company veteran to its C-suite.

Brandon Waters has been named chief information officer (CIO) at Books-A-Million, Inc. effective immediately. He will now oversee the retailer’s technology strategy and initiatives, and continue leading project management and business intelligence teams, fostering collaboration on IT initiatives, including advancements in AI.

Waters rejoined Books-A-Million in June 2024 as senior VP of IT, overseeing key digital implementations for financials, supply chain, and merchandising while supporting existing systems and driving efficiency and innovation. Before serving more than four years in multiple roles at Milo's Tea Company, Waters spent over 15 years at Books-A-Million from 2004 to 2020 in various tech-focused roles. The company says Waters has played a key role in the company's e-commerce, mobile app and loyalty program launches.

"Brandon's rapid impact since rejoining BAM! has been truly impressive," said Terrance G. Finley, CEO of Books-A-Million, "His strategic vision, technical expertise, and dedication to our company's success make him the ideal leader for our IT department. We are confident that he will continue to drive innovation and enhance our technological capabilities as CIO."

[READ MORE: Books-A-Million takes same-day delivery national with Walmart]

Founded in 1917, Books-A-Million operates more than 200 stores in 32 states as well as its e-commerce site, Booksamillion.com.

Deckers Brands is automating key workforce management tasks and supporting management decisions with data.

The parent company of footwear brands such as Ugg, Hoka, Teva, Koolaburra, and Ahnu is deploying the Legion workforce management platform in an effort to improve labor operations while improving employee satisfaction across its retail locations worldwide. 

[READ MORE: On-fire running brand Hoka opens its first U.S. flagship]

Leveraging the AI-based Legion platform, Deckers Brands intends to streamline workforce compliance by helping managers navigate local requirements and jurisdiction-specific scheduling needs.

The company will be able to utilize the Legion workforce management solution to support more than 70 workforce management use cases, including scheduling, demand forecasting, compliance, and frontline communications. 

Deckers Brands will gain the ability to offer flexible scheduling, with a recent survey from UKG revealing that 27% of frontline employees are willing to resign due to lack of workplace flexibility. 

"At Legion, we employ our deep expertise in enterprise AI to help customers address their specific workforce management challenges while building toward their strategic goals," said Sanish Mondkar, founder and CEO of Legion Technologies. "In choosing Legion WFM, Deckers Brands has made an investment in its workforce management that is designed to improve labor efficiency, improve employee engagement, and ultimately drive superior customer experiences."

Deckers Brands products are sold in more than 50 countries and territories through select department and specialty stores, company-owned and operated retail stores, and select online stores, including company-owned websites.  

(Photo: Elias Parise)