News Briefs

Target Corp. is rolling out another exclusive collection —one that will give its shoppers a premium option for bedding.

Direct-to-consumer home brand Parachute, best known for its luxurious bedding and bath items, has created an exclusive collection for the discounter. The new Parachute for Target line launches April 27 with more than 200 bedding and bath linen items, ranging from plush towels and decorative bed pillows to linen sheets and robes. 

The entire Parachute for Target collection will be available on Target.com, with nearly 90 stores carrying a portion of the collection, starting April 27. Prices range from $12 to $199, with most items under $90. Sheet sets range from $149 to $199.

The new collection will join Target’s other home goods and bedding lines, including Room Essentials, Threshold, Hearth and Hand with Magnolia and Casaluna. 

[READ MORE: Target in new partnership with Champion]

“Target’s famous for making great style accessible to everyone, so the opportunity to bring an amazing brand like Parachute to our guests is a dream come true,” said Jill Sando, Target’s executive VP and chief merchandising officer of apparel & accessories, home and hardlines. “Together, we’re focused on delivering on-trend newness, and you can’t get more on trend than Parachute’s luxurious bedding — at only-at-Target prices. Parachute for Target is giving our guests another great bedding option, and it’s helping build on our legacy of being first-to-mass with beloved national brands.”

Differing factors persuade consumers to make initial and repeat purchases from direct-to-consumer retailers and online brands.

Thirty-two percent of consumers say product quality is the top reason they initially purchase from a brand, while 29% cite product exclusivity, according to a survey from e-commerce solutions provider Radial.  However, delivery speed (72%), product availability (66%), and easy or free returns (63%) are now the most influential factors in consumers’ decision-making process when it comes to conversion and long-term loyalty.

Only 25% of respondents told Radial they believed personalization was “very important,” and 38% referenced brand values, suggesting that execution, not just intention, keeps customers returning.

When it comes to what factors prevent customer loyalty, Radial found that nearly 40% of consumers have stopped purchasing from DTC brands they liked due to fulfillment issues such as stockouts, shipping delays (29%), unexpected fees (30%) and return friction (24%). 

Gen Z (35%) and millennials (33%) are most frustrated with delivery delays and lack of communication. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds (62%) of all consumers surveyed said they would lose trust in a brand if product quality declined or post-purchase execution fell short.

[READ MORE: Survey: Millennial e-commerce habits include…]

“DTC and modern brands have done the hard work of building emotional connections, but today’s consumers are demanding operational consistency to match,” said Tom Schmitt, CEO of Radial. “Our research shows that even the most beloved brands risk losing customers if they can’t meet expectations around speed, availability and ease.”

The survey was commissioned by Radial and conducted by Dynata, the world's largest first-party data company. The survey was conducted in March 2025 of 1,000 U.S. consumers 18 years and older.

Yum! Brands and E.l.f. Beauty are two of six “exceptional” companies honored by The Conference Board with its 2025 Corporate Responsibility Awards. 

The annual awards recognize outstanding leadership in sustainability, innovation and corporate citizenship. Calling E.l.f. Beauty a “bold disruptor with a kind heart,” the Conference Board said the company sets its aspirations on elevating its people, its products and the planet. E.l.f donates at least 2% of its profits to causes most important to its employees and community and eliminates 2,500-plus ingredients from its formulas, with more than 85% of its products made in Fair Trade Certified facilities. 

E.l.f. Beauty is “a leader in corporate diversity— with a board of directors and a workforce reflective of the diverse community it serves,” the Conference Board said.

READ MORE: e.l.f Beauty unveils eye-catching campaign to make corporate boards more diverse 

Yum! Brands

Recognized for its multifaceted sustainability agenda. Yum! Brands is removing barriers through its community impact programs and cutting GHG emissions across its restaurants and supply chain, noted the Conference Board. It also is investing in sustainable packaging — with all its efforts going to build a more resilient food system. (Yum! and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 61,000 around the globe under banners that include KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.)

The other recipients of the 2025 Corporate Responsibility Awards were AT&T, Prudential Financial, Medtronic and Webster Bank.

“The exemplary work of [all] these companies has led to immense benefits both within and beyond company walls — employees, communities, the natural environment, and more,” said Jeff Hoffman, interim leader of the governance and sustainability center at The Conference Board. “By shining a light on this year’s honorees, we inspire the broader business community to take their corporate responsibility commitments to new heights.”

Gordon Brothers is expanding its presence across the pond.

The retail investment firm has announced the acquisition of SIA Group, an asset valuation, advisory, and trading firm in the U.K. Gordon Brothers says the deal will bolster both firms’ capabilities in the U.K. and Europe, and together they will provide asset-focused solutions to asset-based lenders, banks, financial sponsors, restructuring and turnaround professionals, and corporate and public bodies.

“We are delighted to welcome SIA Group to the Gordon Brothers organization,” said Mark Newton-Jones, head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Gordon Brothers. “This significant expansion of the team will not only give our combined businesses a wider geographical footprint, but also deepen asset expertise across many more business sectors to provide market-leading valuation, advisory, lending and trading solutions to both new and existing clients.”

SIA Group was established in 2003. The combined team led by Paul Craig, managing director, and Matt Earl, operations director, of the firm includes over 85 asset specialists operating across the U.K. including London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow.

“We are excited to join Gordon Brothers and leverage the synergies between two like-minded organisations,” said Craig. “This transformational transaction will allow us to offer a deeper, broader range of asset solutions in addition to the premier valuations and sales we provide to our clients today and enable us to span a broader range of industries, geographies and regulatory systems.”

[READ MORE: David Webb acquired by MWP with financing from Gordon Brothers]

Founded in 1903, Gordon Brothers is headquartered in Boston with over 30 offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific.

Two popular e-commerce platforms that deal largely in inexpensive imported Chinese goods to U.S. consumers are hiking their prices due to tariffs. 

Shein and Temu have both advised their customers via website notices that they will be raising their prices starting on April 25. The increases come as President Trump has increased tariffs on Chinese imported goods to 125%, on top of other increases. Also, starting on May 2, the Trump Administration is poised to end a customs loophole (the de minimis exemption) that allows goods worth less than $800 to come into the U.S. duty-free.

In a letter to customers posted on its website, Shein said that its operating expenses have gone up “due to recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs.”

“To keep offering the products you love without compromising on quality, we will be making price adjustments starting April 25, 2025,” the company continued. “Until April 25, prices will stay the same, so you can shop now at today’s rates. We stand ready to make sure your orders arrive smoothly during this time.”

Temu sounded a nearly identical note in its online message to customers. Both companies said they were doing everything they could to keep prices low — and neither revealed the amount of the increases. 

[READ MORE: Amazon takes on Temu, Shein with low-priced storefront]

Walgreens Boots Alliance has settled an opioid lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Walgreens has agreed to pay the government at least $300 million to settle allegations that it unlawfully filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in the last decade.

According to the terms of the settlement, Walgreens will pay $300 million to settle allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act numerous times between August 2012 and March 2023. If the company is sold, merged or transferred before 2023, it will owe the government another $50 million.

“We strongly disagree with the government’s legal theory and admit no liability,” Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman said in a statement, reported AP News. “This resolution allows us to close all opioid related litigation with federal, state and local governments and provides us with favorable terms from a cashflow perspective while we focus on our turnaround strategy.”

The Justice Department moved to dismiss the lawsuit against Walgreens in light of the settlement agreement.

“Pharmacies have a legal responsibility to prescribe controlled substances in a safe and professional manner, not dispense dangerous drugs just for profit,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “This Department of Justice is committed to ending the opioid crisis and holding bad actors accountable for their failure to protect patients from addiction.”

During the past eight years, drug makers, wholesalers and pharmacy retailers have agreed to more than $50 billion worth of settlements with governments, with most of the money earmarked to be used to fight the opioid crisis.