News Briefs

Walmart Canada leverages an artificial intelligence-enabled “storm rerouting agent” to monitor potential transportation disruptions at scale.

The Canadian subsidiary of Walmart Inc. utilized AI-based coding tools to develop a proprietary tool that cross-references 10-day forecasts with real-time highway and ferry closures, carrier data and other operational signals.

“In places like Newfoundland, we’re not just watching roads,” said Jeff McIntosh, director of transportation, Walmart Canada. “Because it’s only accessible by ferry, air or cargo vessel, we’re also monitoring ocean conditions, ferry operations and other weather patterns that can affect deliveries days before products ever reach the island. The goal is to understand the impact early enough to give our supply, transportation and store teams options.”

According to Walmart Canada, this visibility is especially valuable in remote regions where a ferry cancellation can disrupt one of the few available routes for getting products to stores and customers. The retailer gains time to act earlier and keep products moving in the face of changing weather forecasts.

“For stores, it means more confidence in shipment planning,” said McIntosh. “And for customers, it means another layer of preparation behind the scenes.”

[READ MORE: Walmart deploys AI for fresh produce monitoring and forecasting]

Walmart Canada also stays ahead of shifts in weather with a 24/7 global command center that monitors weather, risk and operations around the world, with meteorologists on staff helping the retailer understand when a forecast becomes a threat.

In addition, the retailer utilizes digital twin technology (interactive, AI-based virtual models that serve as digital replicas of real-life objects and/or environments) and simulation tools to model how weather could affect demand, fulfillment capacity, inventory placement and transportation pathways; as well as combines weather data, historical patterns and outside signals to position emergency inventory.

Domino’s Pizza Inc. is making it worth its customers’ while to let them know what they think of the pizza giant’s new digital consumer experience.

Domino's redesigned its website and mobile app earlier in 2026 in an effort to make them work better for customers. Now, the world’s largest pizza retailer is paying customers to try its new digital ordering experience by giving them $5 off their next order.

Any customer who places a qualifying online order between Aug. 3-30, 2026, is eligible for a $5 off coupon to be used the following week on a digital order. At the end of every online order, customers will also have the chance to provide feedback on their ordering experience. Offering commentary is not required to receive the $5 coupon.

Domino's Rewards loyalty program members will receive their coupon under the "My Deals" tab, while all other customers will receive theirs via email. 

"We streamlined our website and app to make them bolder, brighter, more modern, and engaging for customers, but we want to hear from them," said Mark Messing, Domino's VP of global digital marketing. "At the end of every online order, customers will have the chance to provide feedback on their ordering experience. While it's not required to receive the coupon, we'd still love to hear what worked for them and what we could improve because we know customer feedback is what matters most. Earning a discount on pizza for sharing your opinion may be the easiest side gig ever."

[READ MORE: Domino’s franchisees AI-enable delivery vehicles for safety, efficiency]

Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world and ranks among the world's top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 22,500 stores in over 90 markets.

Consumers are warming up to working and shopping around robots – but only in certain roles.

A new survey from communications firm Breakwater Strategy reveals that Americans are most comfortable when robots operate in the background. Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents are comfortable with robots performing stockroom work, while 59% say the same for cleaning floors and aisles, even with shoppers present. 

Comfort drops to the mid-to-high 40s as robots stock shelves or assist customers directly, and falls to 39% at self-checkout.

[READ MORE: HomeBase USA rolls out inventory scanning robots following pilot]

When asked to consider whether they would accept robots doing various roles at the grocery store if it lowered their grocery bill, acceptance among those surveyed was higher for back-of-house robots (58%) than those engaging with customers directly by helping them in the aisles (46%).

The survey also found that about three-quarters (74%) of respondents are worried robots will take other people’s jobs in the next five years, while just less than a third of workers (31%) worry about a robot taking their own job.

“For a company weighing a robotics deployment, these are stakeholder concerns to take seriously,” noted Breakwater. “People are saying plainly that they grow more wary the closer a robot gets to engaging with them directly. Addressing these concerns is essential work – in how robots are designed and deployed and, as important, in how companies communicate the choices they make about robots to the public and policymakers around them.”

Breakwater Strategy’s survey was conducted with YouGov between July 13-14, 2026, on 1,306 U.S. adults.

GameStop is reducing its long-term debt without spending any cash.

The video game retailer has agreed to a private, cash-less exchange of approximately $1.14 billion in outstanding convertible senior notes for shares of its Class A common stock. The agreement involves about $400 million of its 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2030 and $1.0 billion of its 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2032, 

 Under the terms of the deal, GameStop will givr Class A common stock to participating noteholders in lieu of the outstanding notes, with no cash changing hands in the process. After the exchange closes, approximately $1.1 billion in 2030 Notes and $1.7 billion in 2032 Notes will remain outstanding.

Following the closing of the deal, the exchange notes will be cancelled and no longer outstanding, and GameStop’s outstanding long-term debt will be reduced by approximately $1.4 billion (with approximately $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of 2030 notes and $1.7 billion aggregate principal amount of 2032 notes remaining outstanding). 

The agreement comes as GameStop is still pursuing its acquisition of eBay. In July, an SEC filing revealed that the company lifted its stake in the marketplace giant to nearly 10% from about 5% earlier in the year.

Floor & Decor Holdings Inc. reported second-quarter earnings that exceeded its expectations amid “uneven” demand for large discretionary flooring projects.

The specialty retailer of hard surface flooring and related accessories has opened 11 new warehouse stores to date in its current fiscal year, including five in the second quarter. It plans to open 20 locations for the full year. 

"We continue to expect the class of 2026 new stores to average approximately 55,000 square feet, a format that, while smaller than our legacy footprint, allows us to enter higher density markets without sacrificing sales productivity," CEO Brad Paulsen said on the earnings call. "We expect the balance of our 2026 store openings to be weighted through the fourth quarter."

A storied, family-owned grocery store chain on New York’s Long Island is getting new owners.

King Cullen Grocery Co. Inc. has agreed to be acquired by Giunta's Meat Farms. The deal includes 24 King Kullen supermarkets and four Wild by Nature natural foods markets.  (The family-owned Giunta’s has 10 locations on Long Island.)

The Smithsonian Institute recognizes King Kullen as America’s "first supermarket," as it was “the first to fulfill all five criteria that define the modern supermarket: separate departments; self-service; discount pricing; chain marketing; and volume dealing.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close in September, subject to customary closing conditions, according to a joint statement from the two companies. The announcement did not indicate whether the stores will retain their current banners or eventually be rebranded.

“King Kullen is more than a supermarket company,” said Joseph Giunta, co-owner of Giunta’s Meat Farms. “It’s America’s first supermarket and a significant part of Long Island’s history. We’re honored to carry that legacy forward while delivering the strong everyday value that has long defined the Meat Farms experience.”

The transaction will make Giunta’s the second-largest supermarket chain on Long Island, after Stop & Shop, reported Long Island Business News.