News Briefs

Foot Locker is opening a first-of-its kind store model that serves as both a shopping destination and community hub.

Set to open Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, “The Crenshaw Rec by Foot Locker” will be located on Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles and inspired by the role recreation centers have played as gathering places.

Developed by Foot Locker in partnership with Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse, The Crenshaw Rec by Foot Locker is designed as both a shopping destination and community hub. The space features an equipment room, open gym, hyper-local product collections, creative workspaces and a dedicated resource center that will host year-round programming supporting residents.

[READ MORE: Foot Locker to host immersive event weekend for 2026 NBA All-Star Game]

"The Crenshaw Rec by Foot Locker reflects our commitment to investing in the communities that have shaped our brand and continue to move sneaker culture forward," said Brett O'Brien, senior VP, chief marketing officer at Foot Locker. "Together with Nike Inc. and respected voices across Crenshaw, we're proud to create a destination that honors the neighborhood's rich legacy while inspiring the next generation through sport, culture, and community."

The store experience will include:

1. Community programming: Educational workshops including music academies, run clubs, barber shop cuts, and other events throughout the year.
2. Exclusive product collections: Merchandise available only at The Crenshaw Rec by Foot Locker will include a Crenshaw High School x Nike Team Shop collection and a capsule collection by Los Angeles-based designer Gavin Mathieu.
3. Local business integration: Ongoing pop-ups will highligh local businesses and entrepreneurs.
4. The Crenshaw Striper Program: A neighborhood hiring initiative.

To celebrate the grand opening, Foot Locker will host a community swap meet and three-on-three basketball tournament on Saturday, Aug. 22 from 10 a.m.- store close.

Pizza Hut’s global CEO will step down from the position upon the company’s sale to private equity.

Aaron Powell announced in a LinkedIn post that he will depart from the role at the end of the month. He joined Pizza Hut as global CEO in September of 2021 after spending 14 years as president of Kimberly-Clark’s Asia-Pacific division, according to his profile.

In June, Pizza Hut’s parent company Yum Brands Yum! Brands entered into definitive agreements to sell the pizza chain for $2.7 billion. The figure includes a $1.5 billion deal to sell all Pizza Hut operations outside Mainland China to private equity firm LongRange Capital for approximately $1.5 billion, as well as a $1.2 billion agreement to sell Pizza Hut Mainland China to Yum China, its former Chinese subsidiary which has operated as an independent company since 2016.

[READ MORE: Yum! Brands to sell Pizza Hut for $2.7 billion in two transactions]

“LongRange offered me a continuing role, and I decided that at close was the right moment,” wrote Powell. “I've always believed in leaving things better than you found them – and this business is in a better state. I am proud of what we did together: one global Pizza Hut, historic unit growth, strong international growth, and a U.S. business that is on the right track delivering positive transaction growth.”

Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Pizza Hut operates nearly 20,000 locations worldwide. Yum! Brands Inc. and its subsidiaries franchise or operate more than 63,000 restaurants in 155 countries and territories under the brands KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill.

Shoppers are thinking beyond promotions when it comes to recent purchases.

New data from Circana revealed that overall retail sales revenue increased 1.0% year over year in July, while unit sales declined 2.0%. The firm says this reflects ongoing consumer selectivity, as well as the shift of early summer retailer promotions from July last year into June this year. 

For the four weeks ending Aug. 1, non-edible CPG dollar sales were down 0.9% year over year, and unit sales fell 3.6%. Discretionary general merchandise retail dollar sales decreased 4.3%, and unit demand dipped 3.9% compared to the same period a year ago. 

Despite this, food and beverage sales revenue rose 0.5% in August, while unit sales increased 1.6%, highlighting the continued demand for essential purchases.

“Consumers are still spending, but they are increasingly doing so through prioritization rather than expansion; driven by purpose rather than promotions,” said Kiara Barrett, global head of thought leadership at Circana. “Promotional activity remains important, but broad discounts alone are generating less incremental demand.”

Circana said it anticipates that the traditional back-to-school shopping season will see low unit demand, but higher spending driven by pricing. Consumers will be more focused on the core elements, with even the highest-income groups exhibiting some caution.

[READ MORE: NRF: Retail sales maintain momentum in July for 10th straight month]

“As marketers look toward the holiday shopping season, the back-to-school experience offers an important lesson: promotions alone may not be enough to stimulate demand,” added Barrett. “Retail success depends on reaching the right shopper with the right product, the right offer, and in the right channel – all at the moment of need.”

JCPenney wants to help consumers unload embarrassing purchases and replace them with its merchandise.

From Friday, Aug. 28 – Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, the department store retailer will let customers bring any “retail regret” to one of its stores nationwide and trade it in for $15 off a $50 purchase. Items will be donated to disaster relief non-profit Good360.

JCPenney recently polled 733 adult U.S. consumers who shop JCPenney or other off-price retailers and found 88% said it’s easy to shop at JCPenney and 76% said they find what they came for in their size. In addition, 87% of respondents agreed their “visit to JCPenney is worth my time” and 92% said “got a good deal” at JCPenney.

“Here’s what we know about you,” said Marisa Thalberg, executive VP, chief customer and marketing officer for JCPenney parent company Catalyst Brands. “You don’t want less. You want better for less. Better quality. Better brands. Better experience. Better value. Not because you’re asking too much, but because you’re asking for what we happen to believe every American deserves. Consider this our invitation to discover that style, quality and value really can exist together, without tradeoffs. You just may not have thought that the answer to it is JCPenney. Yes, JCPenney.”

[READ MORE: JCPenney offers shopping discount tied to gas receipts]

Plano, Texas-based JCPenney is part of Catalyst Brands and operates the jcp.com e-commerce site and more than 600 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Walmart’s paid membership program is increasing its value proposition.

Members of the Walmart+ program now have access to 25 free 4x6 photo prints per month (a total of 300 per year) from their local Walmart Photo Center. In the Walmart app, members can go to the Walmart+ benefits page and use their barcode before they checkout. 

In addition, Walmart+ members can obtain special savings on one qualifying in-store Money Center service transaction — including check cashing, money orders, money transfer sends, bill payments or e-cash loading — every three months.

Members can visit an in-store Walmart Money Center or check with customer Service for available money services. In the Walmart app, they can go to the Walmart+ benefits page and share their barcode with an associate to obtain a qualifying fee-free money service transaction once every quarter.

Walmart+ auto care benefits also now include no-cost repairs of qualified flat tires (a $15 value). Members who purchase new tires with the Value package installation also receive the road hazard warranty for their tires at no additional cost.

For flat tire repair, members bring in their qualified auto tire and scan the register QR code with the Walmart app at checkout, before payment. For the road hazard warranty, members can purchase qualifying new tires with the Value package installation and get the warranty included for free.

Walmart has bulked up Walmart+, initially launched in September 2020, with numerous additional benefits over the years. As part of the annual $98 fee, Walmart+ now offers benefits including upgraded video streaming, free same-day delivery on grocery and Rx, free shipping with no order minimum, gas discounts, and 5% unlimited cashback through the OnePay CashRewards Credit Card.

[READ MORE: Walmart-backed fintech and Synchrony to launch Walmart credit card]

A fast-growing donut chain is slated to soon enter the Great Lake State.

Houston-based Shipley Donuts will make its Michigan debut in Metro Detroit through a 15-unit franchise agreement with Hole Lotta Dough LLC. The chain will open its locations across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

The first Shipley location planned for Michigan has a target opening for late Q1 2027. Hole Lotta Dough plans to open three additional shops per year for the next four years, resulting in 15 new stores over a five-year development period.

[READ MORE: Shipley Donuts signs its first-ever nonprofit franchise agreement]

Now based in Auburn Hills, Mich., multiple members of Hole Lotta Dough’s leadership team grew up in Houston. The operators bring over 20 years of experience in Metro Detroit’s gas and convenience store industry.

"Hole Lotta Dough brings the local expertise and Houston-to-Detroit connections to bring Shipley to life the right way in a brand-new market," said Flynn Dekker, CEO of Shipley Donuts. "This partnership is a testament to our franchise growth strategy, and we're excited to introduce Metro Detroit communities to the fresh donuts and kolaches that have brought people together for generations." 

The Michigan expansion comes as Shipley plans to expand its footprint to a neighboring Midwest state. The company recently announced it would enter Ohio with a three-unit franchise agreement in Cincinnati.

Founded in 1936, Shipley Donuts operates more than 390 company-owned and franchised restaurants across 13 states. The chain offers more than 40 varieties of fresh, handmade donuts.

Last summer, Shipley Donuts was acquired by California-based private equity firmLevine Leichtman Capital Partners. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Bloomberg reported that the deal could have valued the donut chain at $400 million.