News Briefs

MillerKnoll Inc. has started the search for a new chief executive.

The Michigan-based furniture maker said that president and CEO Andi Owen will retire as “mutually agreed” with the board. Owen has resigned from the board and has begun a leave of absence from the company. Her official retirement date is June 30.

Jeff Stutz, MillerKnoll’s COO, will perform the duties of CEO during Owen’s leave of absence. He will become interim CEO on June 30.

Owen, who has led MillerKnoll since 2018, made headlines in April 2023 after footage surfaced from a Zoom meeting in which she told employees worried about not receiving bonuses to “leave pity city,” reported Mlive. Her
tenure included the $1.9 billion merger of Herman Miller and Knoll that created a furniture giant.

The company said its board will conduct a comprehensive search process that includes internal and external candidates, with the assistance of an executive search firm, to identify its next next CEO.

A West Coast discount department store chain serving a heavily Hispanic clientele is temporarily removing the markup on certain household essentials.

Curacao, which is based in Los Angeles and operates 13 locations in California, Nevada and Arizona as well as an e-commerce site, is letting customers buy select everyday household essentials at the exact cost it pays its suppliers, with zero markup or profit, for a limited time. 

The initiative, which the retailer says is to help customers with rising prices on necessities such as food, gas and rent, covers dozens of everyday staples, including laundry detergent, disinfecting wipes, dish soap, baby wipes, paper towels, trash bags, shampoo and deodorant. 

Every item in the program is priced at Curacao’s cost, with no added retailer profit, and is available exclusively for customers in-store. On many items, the retailer says customers can save several dollars per unit compared to typical big-box or grocery store prices. Click here to see a sample list of specific products available at cost.

[READ MORE: Survey: Consumers to continue opting for lower-priced retailers]

“Supporting our community has always been at the center of everything we do, but right now families are feeling the strain of higher prices on almost everything,” said James Lubary, executive VP of retail at Curacao. “With our new essential product initiative, we are choosing to give up our markup on select household essentials, so customers pay what we pay, no profit added, on the products they rely on every day. For more than 45 years, our customers have trusted Curacao as more than a retailer, and this program is another way we are standing with them in a tough economy.”

With gas prices remaining elevated, consumers are being extra diligent about how often they drive and what they spend on.

According to a new survey from Reach3's consumer sentiment program, Trade Winds, virtually all Americans (97%) say they are concerned about rising gas prices. In response, nearly two-thirds (65%) say they are cutting non-essential trips, while 61% are driving less overall and 57% are planning errands more carefully. According to AAA, national average gas prices are up more than a dollar per gallon compared to one year ago.

In addition to high gas prices, 66% of consumers say rising grocery costs are affecting them most, followed by energy and utilities (39%), dining out  (38%) and transportation (38%).

Overall, 78% of Americans report negative feelings about the current economy, with frustration (17%) and stress (16%) the most common emotions. Almost half (49%) of those surveyed say they are not optimistic about the future.

The survey noted that increased prices are leading consumers to trim recurring expenses. Thirty-eight percent say they are watching subscription costs more closely, while nearly half (49%) have considered canceling video streaming services.

[READ MORE: Consumer sentiment falls to record low as gas prices, inflation worries rise]

"This is no longer just about reacting to headlines or temporary price increases. Consumers are adapting their routines around sustained economic pressure," said Matt Kleinschmit, CEO and founder of Reach3 Insights. "People are becoming more intentional about where they go, what they buy and which expenses still feel worthwhile. Brands need to understand these decisions are happening constantly in everyday, real-world moments, which is why continuous, immersive in-the-moment research matters."

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.