News Briefs

Best Buy Co. Inc. is growing its "Geek Squad Academy" offering beyond its roots as a two-day summer camp.

Introduced in 2007, Geek Squad Academy is a two-day camp offered during the summer in cities across the U.S. by Best Buy. Geek Squad is the technology support service debuted by Best Buy in 2004. Now, the consumer electronics giant is launching the first-ever expansion of Geek Squad Academy, GSA in a Box.

GSA in a Box will offer year-round, one-day workshops that introduce children and teens ages nine to 15 to technology and teach skills such as 3D design, computer coding, artificial intelligence literacy, robotics, and photography. 

The program is designed to allow organizations, nonprofits, schools or local Best Buy stores to partner with employee volunteers to deliver hands‑on tech experiences throughout the year. After the experience, participants become official Geek Squad Junior Agents. 

"We know what opens doors to opportunity is access to technology, supportive mentors and hands-on experiences where young people explore and learn new skills," said Olivia Jefferson, VP, social impact at Best Buy. "Through Geek Squad Academy in a Box, we are doing just that by connecting even more young people with creative and engaging workshops that help them build skills they can carry into their future careers."

[READ MORE: Best Buy promotes teen art with Microsoft collaboration]

During summer 2025, 500 Best Buy employees volunteered through Geek Squad Academy. Camps were held in 35 cities across the country from coast to coast and in Puerto Rico with more than 3,000 participants. During 2026, Geek Squad Academy’s two-day camps are taking place in over 30 cities between May and September. 

Based in Minneapolis, Best Buy operates more than 1,000 retail stores in North America.

Walmart is celebrating a major milestone in its rapidly expanding drone delivery program.

The discount giant announced that it has officially completed more than 1 million drone deliveries to hundreds of thousands of customers. The one millionth delivery comes as Walmart continues to expand drone capabilities across 66 stores in four states serving five metro markets. 

The retailer released several notable statistics about its drone delivery program, including:

•Forty percent of Walmart’s 1 million drone deliveries were made during the retailer’s first quarter of fiscal 2027 (ended April 30, 2026).

•Average drone delivery time is 23 minutes.

•The fastest drone delivery time has been four minutes, 44 seconds.

•Walmart has made more than 200,000 drone deliveries in Texas.

[READ MORE: Walmart in new Guinness World Record — with help from Cardi B]

Walmart initially launched drone-based deliveries from three stores in Northwest Arkansas in late 2021, then expanded a partnership it launched with Wing, an on-demand drone delivery provider powered by Google parent company Alphabet, for drone delivery in the Dallas-Fort Worth market in August 2023. 

In June 2025, Walmart said it was offering its drone delivery service in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa. This move made the company the first retailer to scale drone delivery across five states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. 

So far in 2026, Walmart has said it will expand “ultra-fast” service via drones from Wing to an additional 150 stores over the next year, giving it a network of more than 270 drone delivery locations in 2027, and launched Wing drone delivery in Greater Houston.

Walmart also now offers drone-based food delivery via Zipline drones in Rowlett, Texas.

A leading beauty retailer is bringing its scaled-down store format to a new market.

Sephora Canada will open the brand’s first-ever small store in the country on June 5. Located in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver, B.C., the Sephora location will span over 2,000 square feet and feature a curated assortment of beauty and cosmetics products.

The opening marks Sephora Canada's 147th store nationwide. The company says the opening represents an important milestone in its “ongoing retail evolution.”

"We know that beauty is an inherently personal and experiential category, where customers want to touch, test, discover and connect with experts before they buy," said Thomas Haupt, country general manager at Sephora Canada. "Our new small-store format lets us bring the best of Sephora into communities like Kitsilano in a way that feels curated, convenient and reflective of the neighborhood. It's about meeting clients where they already live and spend their time, making Sephora part of their everyday."

[READ MORE: Sephora pilots app within ChatGPT]

Sephora operates more than 3,200 stores in addition to its e-commerce and digital platforms. The company is a subsidiary of global retail conglomerate LVMH.

Target Corp. has added another new face to its C-suite.

Grant McGee has been named as executive VP and chief legal and compliance officer of the discounter, effective May 31. In the role, he will lead Target’s legal, compliance & risk teams, as well as its government affairs function.

McGee arrives at Target with 20 years of legal expertise and experience in large, consumer-facing global companies. Most recently, he served as the general counsel for consumer goods and personal care giant Kimberly-Clark, leading all legal, public policy, government affairs, compliance, security and flight operations for the company. 

The leadership appointment is the second of the month for Target. Jeff England was previously named as executive VP, chief global supply chain and logistics officer.

“Legal, compliance and government affairs are essential in today’s dynamic operating environment,” said McGee in an interview on Target’s website. “Whether we’re enabling AI and emerging technologies, adapting to evolving global regulations, or partnering with our team, guests and partners to build lasting value — our team plays a critical role in helping Target deliver its strategy at speed.”

The C-suite additions come as Target appears to be rebounding from slumping sales. In its most recent quarter, the chain reported that its total comparable sales rose 5.6%, its biggest quarterly increase since early 2022. Customer traffic rose 4.4% compared to the year-ago quarter.

[READ MORE: Target in biggest store remodel program in a decade — here are the details]

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. operates more than 2,000 U.S. stores.

Walmart is introducing a refreshed hardware department and its first new home brand in five years.

For spring 2026, the discount giant is debuting Greenworks Pro, a professional-grade line of power tools available only at Walmart; as well as an expanded assortment of exclusive Greenworks 24V Powerball power tools and its private label Hyper Tough tool brand, including 12V and 20V brushless power tools and batteries, hand tools and mechanic tools.

In home, Walmart is introducing “Mainstays Kids,” its first new home brand launch in five years, featuring more than 600 items across furniture, bedding, bath and décor. The assortment spans 12 categories and six coordinated collections designed to help create playful, functional and personalized spaces for kids of all ages. 

"At Walmart, we’re always looking for ways to bring innovative products, modern design and strong value to our customers," said Courtney Carlson, senior VP of merchandising at Walmart. "From professional-grade tools to stylish, affordable home décor for families, these launches reflect how we’re continuing to evolve our assortment to better serve the needs of today’s customers."

Customers can now shop these new products at Walmart stores nationwide and the Walmart e-commerce site. The new Greenworks Pro line is also available for Walmart Business customers.

Walmart also recently launched a comprehensive two-year phased redesign of its flagship private label brand, which is also the largest food and consumables consumer packaged goods brand in the United States. Launched in 1993, Great Value includes about 10,000 items.

[READ MORE: Walmart updating look of its biggest private label brand]

Based in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart Inc. operates more than 10,900 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries. 

Chinese brand Rolife will break new ground when it opens a location at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., later this year.

In what's described as a "first-to-market" concept, the store is a new concept that's designed as a “creative destination” rather than a traditional retail shop. It will offer Rolife's signature DIY miniature house kits, 3D wooden puzzles, collectible figures, gift items, blind boxes and more in an interactive environment.

In addition to browsing products from the Rolife, ROKR, and Rowood collections, shoppers will also be able to participate in live demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and special interactive events that “bring the creative process to life."

[READ MORE: How Mall of America is shaping the next era of physical commerce]

Founded in 2017 as a sub-brand of Robotime, Rolife operates seven concept stores across China, six in Thailand, one in The Netherlands, and 13 in the United States. The Mall of America store will be the brand’s first in Minnesota and in the Midwest. Rolife has a location at Mall of America’s sister property, American Dream Mall, in East Rutherford, N.J.

“We are proud to welcome Rolife for their first-to-market flagship concept, bringing an immersive and creative retail experience guests can’t find anywhere else,” said Chivas Alejo, director of leasing special projects at Mall of America. “Rolife introduces a category of interactive retail and creativity that continues to evolve the way guests experience Mall of America.”

At 5.6 million square feet, Mall of America is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America.