News Briefs

Rivian, the manufacturer of electric sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks that sell for as much as $90,000, has found a new home alongside top brands such as Apple, Pure Barre and Capital Grille at Legacy Place in Dedham, Mass., some 10 miles south of downtown Boston.

Rivian’s Legacy Place location employs an interactive experience in which visitors can learn about the brand independently or with guidance from Rivian team members. 

Designed to be family- and dog-friendly, the space will also host live music and community programming throughout the year.

“Rivian is a unique addition to Legacy Place, bringing an entirely different type of retail experience to the property,” said Legacy Place’s GM Naomi Ehrens.. “Its innovative showroom concept and focus on community make it a natural fit for Legacy Place, while adding a new category to our thoughtfully curated mix of retail, dining, entertainment and wellness offerings.”

Legacy Place is a joint venture of National Amusements and WS Development, which owns and operates more than 100 properties that total 25 million square feet of space and has plans to develop an additional 10 million square feet in the coming years. 

Most shoppers are open to artificial intelligence agents helping them but aren’t ready to fully turn over the process yet.

Results of a new survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers exclusively released to Chain Store Age from cloud platform provider DOSS reveal that 77% of respondents would let an AI agent shop for them in some capacity, whether that meant researching, comparing products, or buying something. Monitoring for price drops led at 63%, with comparing products close behind at 62%.

However, only 6% of all respondents, including 11% of Gen Z, said they would let an agent complete purchases entirely on its own. However, respondents were more likely to allow an agent to complete a purchase on its own in certain categories, such as groceries and household goods (34%), personal care (29%) and pet supplies (23%). 

Eight-in-10 (79%) consumers were open to letting an AI agent swap them to a cheaper brand to save money and almost one-in-five (18%) have switched brands because of an AI recommendation, led by Gen Z at 26%. Among respondents who had tried an AI agent, 83% said they would use one again and 81% were satisfied with its picks.

On the downside, more than half of respondents worried that an agent would quietly spend more than they would (54%) or be secretly steered by brands that pay for placement (51%). 

[READ MORE: RTB House: Consumer trust in Agentic AI grows]

The survey also analyzed the public robots.txt directives of 500 major retailers and e-commerce platforms to find out how many are blocking AI shopping crawlers. Roughly 10% overall are preventing the large language model crawlers behind agentic shopping assistants from having access to their sites. Categories with notably higher rates included marketplaces and platforms (23%) and apparel and lingerie (21%).

Ahold Delhaize USA is rolling out “Saving Station” kiosks beyond its Stop & Shop banner.

The U.S. subsidiary of Dutch supermarket conglomerate Ahold Delhaize is launching Savings Stations in all its Giant Food locations across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The in-store kiosks allow customers to instantly load digital coupons and personalized offers directly to their loyalty accounts.

Located near store entrances, Savings Stations enable customers to scan their loyalty card or enter the phone number associated with their account to instantly load weekly digital coupons and activate personalized rewards offers. Customers can also print a customized savings list and all eligible discounts are automatically applied at checkout when they scan their loyalty card or enter their phone number. 

In addition to loading digital savings, Savings Stations allow customers to enroll in Giant’s loyalty program and gain access to a variety of seasonal recipes and family-friendly activities, including coloring pages and word searches that can be printed directly from the station.

Ahold Delhaize USA initially piloted the kiosks at its Stop & Shop regional Northeast banner in 2023 and deployed them across all Stop & Shop locations in 2025.

[READ MORE: Stop & Shop set to complete 'Savings Station' kiosk rollout]

“The Savings Station was designed to make savings more accessible for every customer, regardless of how they prefer to shop,” said Ryan Draude, director of omnichannel loyalty at Giant Food. “At a time when customers are increasingly focused on stretching household budgets, the Savings Station provides a simple way to ensure they never miss valuable digital coupons, rewards offers, and personalized savings opportunities."

Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of global food retailer Ahold Delhaize, includes Food Lion, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. 

Photo courtesy of Giant Food.

Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center is landing an in-demand new retail tenant.

Hawaii’s largest open-air shopping center has announced new tenants slated to open in the coming months, chief among being Asian collectibles retailer Pop Mart. The new store, set to open this month, will mark the brand’s first store in Hawaii.

Founded in 2010, Pop Mart has become a fast-growing global force in pop culture entertainment. Known for its designer art toys, blind boxes and collectible figures, the brand offers original artist collaborations and licensed collections inspired by popular entertainment franchises, anime, gaming and contemporary art. 

Pop Mart operates over 550 stores worldwide, as well as over 2,500 Robo Shops (blind box vending machines). The brand opened its first store in the U.S. in 2023, and announced plans to expand its presence at malls nationwide at the beginning of the year.

Upcoming additions to Ala Moana Center include art gallery Kaikoa Gallery, indoor playground Kids City Adventure and Korean beauty retailer Nara. Aliʻi Coffee Company, Gorjana, Lume Harmony, Miniso and Studs have all recently opened at the property, adding to its diverse mix of shopping, dining and lifestyle tenants.

Opened in 1959. Ala Moana Center is anchored by Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Target. The property is home to more than 350 stores and restaurants.

[READ MORE: Ala Moana Center to host immersive luxury shopping event]

Ala Moana Center is owned and operated by Chicago-based GGP, which has a portfolio of nearly 100 retail assets.

Casey’s is expanding its footprint in Texas via acquisition.

The Iowa-based convenience retailer has agreed to acquire Pak-A-Sak, a family-owned convenience chain with 24 locations in the Texas panhandle, according to a report from local ABC 7 News. Both Casey’s and Pak-A-Sak confirmed the deal.

Pak-A-Sak was opened by Dale and Joyce McKee in 1978 in Canyon, Texas, according to the company’s website, and has been operated by the family for three generations.

“These high-quality locations are primarily in the Amarillo area and will add to the company’s growing number of units in the state,” a Casey’s spokesperson told the outlet. “We look forward to the next steps in this transaction and welcoming the employees at these locations to the Casey’s family.”

In late June, Casey’s announced new strategic plan is centered around three priorities: adding "at least" 400 new stores over the period, expanding its food and beverage offerings, and enhancing its operational efficiency by implementing new technology.

[READ MORE: Casey's aims to open 'at least' 400 new stores over next three years]

Since introducing its last strategic plan in 2023, Casey's opened more than 500 new stores and joined the S&P 500.

Through its network of more than 2,900 stores across 19 states, Casey’s is the third-largest convenience store retailer and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States.

Target Corp.’s increased emphasis on fresh and exclusive merchandise is reflected in its Halloween offerings.

Nearly 70% of the retailer’s 2026 Halloween collection is new, with about 60% of the items available only at Target. Sixty-percent of the decor is under $10 and half of all costumes and accessories under $25.

Target’s private label home brand, Threshold, will have Halloween-themed glass pumpkins, rattan decor, haunted village pieces and more. In March, the company said it would relaunch the brand this summer with plans that included shop-in-shops in 200 stores that highlight seasonal looks and on-trend décor.

[READ MORE: Target reveals turnaround plan — investing $6B in stores, tech and workers]

Target said its Halloween costume collection ranges from beloved classics to this year’s breakout sensations. Standout costumes include K-Pop Demon hunters and fan-favorite characters  ranging from Toy Story and Spiderman, along with more Marvel heroes. The selection also features an expanded Pokémon collection.

“Our guests are looking for more than simple Halloween decorations or costumes. They want the latest trends, meaningful ways to celebrate with family and friends, and products that reflect the fandoms they’re excited about,” said Cara Sylvester, executive VP and chief merchandising officer, Target. “This year’s assortment does just that, with elevated decor, fan-favorite characters, seasonal treats and creative family activities that make it easy to create memorable Halloween moments without compromising on style or value.”