News Briefs

Lululemon Athletica Inc. has reported a C-suite departure as it prepares to welcome a new CEO.

Ranju Das, chief AI and technology officer, has left the activewear brand after less than year. The departure, effective Aug. 13, was reported in a company filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 

"Lululemon has transition plans in place for his responsibilities," the filing stated. 

Das joined Lululemon on Sept. 3, 2025. His responsibilities in the newly-created role included leading the company's technology organization and driving the development and execution of the “next phase” of the company’s technology and AI strategy. Prior to Lululemon, he held the roles of CEO and founder of Swan AI Studios, an AI-centered firm focused on scaling companies in the healthcare and biotech sectors.

Heidi O’Neill is set to take the reins of Lululemon on Sept. 8. The 27-year Nike Inc. veteran replaces former CEO Calvin McDonald, who stepped down in January 2026.

Primark continues to enter new markets as its expands its U.S. footprint.

The global value fashion and home retailer will open its first store in the state of Minnesota, at Mall of America in Bloomington. Opening on Sept. 3, the new store will be Primark's 46th U.S. store, spanning locations across 15 states.

In July, the retailer opened its first store in Indiana, at Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis. In upcoming locations, Primark will open its second location in the greater Orlando area on August 20, at Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets. 

[READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE Q&A: Primark unveils Manhattan flagship]

With nearly 35,000 square feet of retail selling space, Primark's Mall of America location will feature fashions for the entire family, including Minnesota Vikings gear through the company’s collaboration with the NFL. Primark is known for its budget prices, with women's denim starting at $12, men's tees at $5, and girl's and boy's sweatshirts at $7.

"Celebrating our entry into the state of Minnesota, and at such an iconic shopping destination, is an incredibly exciting milestone," said Kevin Tulip, president of Primark US. "Our Minnesota debut follows our new stores in Indiana and New York City earlier this year, and we love to mark openings in style so there will be lots happening at the Mall on September 3."  

Founded in Ireland in 1969, Primark has grown into international fashion retailer with more than 480 stores across 19 countries in Europe, the U.S. and the Middle East. In April, Primark owner Associated British Foods announced plans to separate its foods business (FoodCo) from its retail business.

The world’s largest international health and beauty retailer is creating the infrastructure to deliver connected customer experiences.

AS Watson is expanding its existing partnership with NCR Voyix  to adopt the Voyix Commerce Platform. This implementation will include the rollout of Voyix POS, self-checkout, loyalty and managed services across select retail brands and markets in Europe and Asia, including Watsons in Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines; Superdrug and Savers in the U.K.; Kruidvat in the Netherlands; and Drogas in Latvia. 

“This agreement marks an important milestone in the evolution of AS Watson’s retail technology landscape.,” said Gerrit-Jan Steenbergen, group retail technology director, AS Watson. “By adopting the NCR Voyix Commerce Platform, we are creating a modern, scalable and cloud-native foundation that will help our brands deliver exceptional customer experience while accelerating innovation across our global operations. 

Through this deployment, AS Watson intends to support its mission to deliver exceptional “O+O” (offline plus online) shopping experiences while suporting its long-term technology strategy.

“We’re proud to continue our longstanding global relationship with AS Watson and support its efforts to enhance and deliver more connected experiences across brands, geographies and customer touchpoints,” said Darren Wilson, president, retail and payments, NCR Voyix. 

[READ MORE: Marco’s Pizza selects POS platform for international stores]

Established in 1841, AS Watson Group operates more than 17,000 stores across 12 retail brands in 31 markets and is a member of multinational conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. 

(Photo: Karakking / Shutterstock.com)

Walmart shoppers are increasingly shifting their CPG purchasing online.

New data from Numerator reveals that while in-store shopping accounts for three-quarters of Walmart’s CPG spending, traffic dipped by 118 million trips over the past year. However, Walmart.com gained nearly 250 million trips over the same period.

The online spending rise has been led by two groups in particular. Higher-income households increased their online spending at Walmart by 27% last year, an increase of nearly $6.4 billion. Gen Z also saw increased spending on the online platform, growing by 48%.

Numerator found that although average transaction online reaches $65 vs. $40 in-store, online shoppers are making fewer trips generating, an average of nearly $1,600 of per-household spending online compared to $1,900 in-store.

[READ MORE: Numerator: Amazon continues to gain CPG market share]

While baby boomers make up more than a third (38%) of the retail giant’s CPG in-store spending, the group was the only generation to decrease (-2.2%) their spending at Walmart. Consumer spending moved over to Amazon (1.0pts) and Costco (0.4pts), although Walmart.com recovered some of the decline (-0.7pts in baby boomer share of spending).

Numerator added that middle- and lower-income baby boomers decreased their annual Walmart spending by 5.9% and 14.3%, respectively, even as their online spending increased.

Numerator’s data is for the 12 months ending June 30, 2026, and is based on Numerator’s Total Commerce Panel, which captures longitudinal purchase behavior from 200,000 U.S. households across more than 44,000 retailers. 

Consumers are set to feel the impact of ongoing shocks to the global supply chain.

To mitigate against potential or ongoing supply chain disruptions over the next six months, 36% of U.S. business executives recently surveyed by global professional services company BSI say their organization plans to increase prices. 

[READ MORE: Supply chain disruption poses global threat – here’s how]

In addition, 24% of respondents plan to reduce the range of products or SKUs they offer in the next six months, while 68% are already pausing new orders altogether. Eight-in-10 (81%) say they are currently or about to warn customers about shortages, delays, or dependency risks.

During the last six months, only 30% of respondents said they were fully prepared for raw material or component shortages, including scarcity of critical inputs. This is despite 49% having experienced supply chain disruption due to geopolitical events, with 50% having seen issues arise due to raw material or component shortages.

Eight-in-10 (81%) respondents are currently or imminently stockpiling or building strategic inventory buffers, while 78% are currently or considering nearshoring their supply chain in the next 12 months and 79% are already or planning to change modes of transporting products.

Looking at immediate response in the next six months, 37% of respondents expect to find new suppliers and 28% expect to shift trade routes. One-in-five also said they expect to cut jobs or reduce recruitment due to supply chain pressures.

“Businesses are facing a new normal of near-constant disruption,” said Tony Pelli, practice director, supply chain resilience, BSI. “Whether it will be empty shelves, higher prices or delays to receiving orders, impacts are likely to trickle down to the public. For business leaders, building resilience requires stronger collaboration, improved visibility across supply chains and more proactive approaches to managing risk."

RIvian has expanded its footprint in the Bay State.

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., located 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 general manager 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.