News Briefs

A growing boutique fitness concept is slated to touch down in a new major market.

Sweat440, a high-intensity 40-minute workout studio that combines cross-training and strength training, is opening its first Dallas-area location in Carrollton, Texas, at the end of April. Sweat440 will be located in a retail center alongside food and beverage tenants Paris Baguette and McAlister’s Deli.

At Sweat440, classes start every 10 minutes. Members can simply show up and jump into the workout when they arrive, making it ideal for busy professionals, parents, and anyone trying to fit fitness into a packed schedule, according to the company. Typical square footage of each location ranges between 2,500 and 3,500.

[READ MORE: Fitness chains beef up at retail centers]

Founded in 2017, Sweat440 has grown to approximately 30 studios across the country, with locations in Florida, Texas, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama.

Zoox is expanding its areas of operation.

The robotaxi service, which was purchased by Amazon for a reported $1.2 billion-plus in June 2020, is expanding its coverage in San Francisco and Las Vegas, reported CNBC. It also is planning to enter two new cities — Austin and Miami — where trips will initially be limited to company employees, families and their friends,

Zook has been providing free driverless rides in several San Francisco neighborhoods and on the Las Vegas Strip since last year. As of late March, the company said it had served 350,000 riders and about 500,000 people have joined its waitlist, the CNBC report said.

[READ MORE: Amazon expands scope of ‘robotaxi’ pilot]

Zoox iplans to start offering trips to “high-traffic events” at venues in Las Vegas, including the Sphere and T-Mobile Alrena, later this spring. The company is currently testing its autonomous technology in 10 U.S. cities, reported CNBC.

Zoox said it ​has logged nearly 2 million autonomous ​miles and ⁠carried more than 350,000 riders.

To read the full story on CNBC, click here.

A&G Real Estate Partners has appointed a 15-year marketing and public relations professional to the newly created role of head of marketing and communications.

Nicole Smith, who joins the company from Puro.earth, a Nasdaq-backed carbon-crediting platform, will focus on brand development and further elevating “how we tell the A&G story,” according to co-president Andy Graiser.

Co-president Emilio Amendola added that a big piece of that story is how the company has expanded its services in recent years due to the rising demand for portfolio optimization and real estate sales across diverse sectors.

“We brought Nicole on to reinforce the importance we place on brand development and to clearly communicate our impact as we continue to grow,” Amendola said. “We’re excited to welcome her to the team at such a pivotal moment for the firm.”

Based in New York City, Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and public relations from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University.  

“I’m pleased to be joining A&G at such an exciting moment in the firm’s development,” Smith said. “The team’s reputation for delivering measurable impact for clients creates a powerful platform to elevate the A&G brand and amplify its voice with owners, operators and investors.”

TikTok Shop is making it easier for its users to find product details on the platform.

The social commerce platform and Bazaarvoice Inc. are partnering to allow brands in the Bazaarvoice Network to be able to syndicate their reviews and other user-generated content (UGC), including photos and videos, directly to products purchased on TikTok Shop. 

With Bazaarvoice review syndication on TikTok Shop, brands benefit from:

•Instant social proof: Syndicating reviews to TikTok Shop eliminates the "cold start" problem by seeding brands’ shops with trusted, native reviews the moment they launch.

•Visual validation: By syndicating photos and videos directly to the product page, visual evidence is provided to TikTok Shop users to verify brand legitimacy.

•Sales driver: Products with reviews are more likely to experience sales growth on e-commerce platforms, compared to products without any reviews. 

[READ MORE: These consumers are discovering new products on TikTok]

“Social inspiration works best when paired with social proof,” said Jo Callahan, VP of product marketing at Bazaarvoice. “By syndicating native reviews, photos and videos, we help brands immediately build trust. Whether it’s hearing how a blouse fits or seeing how a moisturizer blends on real skin, these human moments bridge the gap between browsing and buying, allowing consumers to make informed, confident decisions.”

TikTok Shop’s U.S. e-commerce sales are projected to reach $23.41 billion in 2026, a nearly 50% increase year over year, according to a recent estimate from eMarketer.

Founded in 2005, Bazaarvoice connects over 13,000 brands and retailers to the authentic shopper content that helps power commerce.

After a particularly harsh winter in many parts of the country, shoppers are ramping up their Easter spending.

Consumer spending on Easter is expected to reach a record total of $24.9 billion this year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The amount surpasses the previous record of $24 billion set in 2023. On a per-person basis, shoppers are budgeting a record high of $195.59, up from the previous record of $192.01 in 2023.

As in past years, discount stores (55%) remain the top shopping destination for Easter, followed by department stores (42%) and online (34%).

Candy is the leading shopping category for Easter, with 92% of consumers planning to purchase sweets. Other top categories include food (90%), gifts (64%), decorations (53%) and clothing (51%). Across these categories, food spending is expected to reach $7.5 billion, followed by gifts ($3.9 billion), clothing ($3.7 billion), candy ($3.5 billion) and flowers ($2.2 billion).

In line with previous years, 80% of consumers plan to celebrate Easter. Tradition (58%) is the primary inspiration for purchasing Easter‑related items, followed by sales or promotions (36%), shopping as a social activity with family and friends (30%), store displays and decorations (27%), and exclusive or seasonal products (27%).

For consumers not planning to celebrate the holiday this year, more than half (54%) still plan to take advantage of Easter‑related sales across categories such as candy, food and clothing.

“Easter continues to be a holiday rooted in tradition for many consumers, which serves as the leading source of shopping inspiration,” Prosper Insights & Analytics Executive VP of strategy Phil Rist said. “Consumers are also influenced this year by the shopping experience itself, including sales and promotions, engaging in‑store displays, and by shopping with family and friends for holiday inspiration.”

Costco Wholesale Club will unveil its first standalone gas station in June.

The membership warehouse giant will open the 17,000-sq.-ft. station in Mission Viejo, Calif., reported USA Today, on the site of a former Bed Bath & Beyond store. The 40-pump station will be Costco’s first fuel station that is not co-located with one of its stores. Similar to the retailer’s other gas stations, it will be open only to Costco members.

A second standalone Costco gas station is planned for Honolulu, the report said. It is slated to open in 2027.

At a time of rising gas prices amid the Iran conflict, industry analysts have described Costco’s gas prices as its secret weapon, sending more customers to its locations. The company’s gas is, on average, 10 to 30 cents cheaper a gallon than at other gas stations, according to U.S. News

Costco operated 747 gas stations globally at the end of fiscal 2025, which contributed 10% of its total net sales for the year, according to its annual report.