News

Consumer sentiment rises amid lower gas prices; renewal of Iran conflict poses risk
Consumer sentiment surged to a five-month high in early July as cooling gas prices put Americans in a better economic mood. But the improvement could be short-lived due to the recent renewal of tensions in the Middle East.
CoStar: Retail rent growth slows to 1.6% in Q2
Retail asking rent growth is continuing to slow down despite still being at recent highs.

Circana: Retail spending remained resilient in June — here’s what drove it

An “unusual collision” of events helped spark spending in June, but consumer demand remains selective going forward.
Adobe: Here’s when online back-to-school spending will peak

Back-to-school shoppers are increasing their digital activity but won’t hit maximum levels for a few weeks.
How agentic commerce will test loyalty and returns

Who pushed the buy button? It’s an interesting question here in the early days of agentic commerce, especially as it pertains to returns and fraud.
Survey: BNPL usage on the rise — especially for groceries

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) payments are becoming an increasingly important tool for consumers, with many relying on them to make essential purchases.
QVC Group’s restructuring plan approved; debt slashed

QVC Group Inc. is close to emerging from bankruptcy protection.
Best Buy opens solar sites at store, distribution center — here’s where

Best Buy Co. Inc. continues making strides toward its goal of carbon neutrality.
Instacart acquires shelf intelligence tech provider Arpalus

Instacart is enhancing its artificial intelligence capabilities for internal use as well as for clients.
Wonder closes funding round at $9 billion valuation; reportedly to go public

Fast-growing, high-tech restaurant company Wonder continues its momentum, raising money from both new and existing investors.
Chicken Salad Chick to continue expansion plans with debut in Pennsylvania

Chicken Salad Chick is on a roll when it comes to entering new markets.
Sheetz migrates to new store virtualization platform

A Pennsylvania-based regional convenience store operator is replacing legacy edge computing infrastructure at its stores.