News Briefs

Despite tariff-related impacts, most (54%) holiday shoppers plan to spend the same as last year.

That’s according to Numerator’s 2024 Q4 Holiday Preview, which found that 69% of Christmas celebrators expect tariff-related impacts to their holiday shopping, and 26% believe it will change their shopping quite a lot or completely.

Among gift shoppers, the top category remains gift cards (72% plan to purchase). Boomers are the most likely generation to opt for gift cards (75%) while Gen Z & millennials are the least likely (63%).

The other top gifting categories among all shoppers are apparel (53%), toys or games (47%), home goods (36%), books (27%), food or beverages (27%), pet products (26%), accessories (25%), and spa or beauty products (25%). 

Other findings from the Numerator report are below.

•Nearly all (87%) U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Christmas.

•The top planned Christmas purchases are food (83%), gifts (82%), candy (44%), decorations (42%), and alcoholic beverages (36%). 

Compared to all celebrators, Gen X is more likely to purchase alcoholic beverages (40% vs. 36%), while Gen Z and millennials are more likely to purchase holiday apparel (31% vs. 19%). 

•Gathering with family and friends is the top celebration plan for Christmas celebrators (75%), followed by giving gifts (67%), decorating the house (61%), cooking or baking at home (60%), and hosting others at home (31%).

Big V Property Group has added another Texas property to its portfolio.

In its a joint venture with Principal Asset Management, the North Carolina-based real estate firm has acquired Fairfield Town Center in the Houston suburb of Cypress. The 355,000-sq.-ft., “value-oriented” property is 99.5% occupied, with tenants including Burlington, Kohl’s, Ross, Marshalls, Old Navy and more.

“Combined with our own 80 years of history, Big V and Principal Asset Management each have a storied legacy of success in serving clients and communities,” said Eric Zimmermann, chief acquisitions officer at Big V Property Group. “This collaboration underscores our shared focus on creating value and delivering quality experiences for the people and places we serve.”

[READ MORE: Big V launches retail property fund]

Big V says that Fairfield Town Center is the third most-visited retail center in the Houston area, with more than 187,000 vehicles passing the center daily. Located nearby are the Houston Premium Outlets, which sees 4.6 million visits per year, and Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital.

The acquisition is Big V’s second in the Houston area and continues the company’s growth in Texas. In addition, Big V, with partner The Seitz Group, recently broke ground on Rosamond Crossing, a new, 175,300-sq.-ft., open-air center to be anchored by Kroger Marketplace in Anna, Texas, northeast of Dallas.  

“We’re excited to add this to our growing Texas portfolio, now six centers strong,” added D’Ambrosio. “Fairfield Town Center exemplifies the type of property Big V builds, acquires and redevelops — well-located in growing areas, dominant, with healthy anchors and the most-desired retailers and services.”

Big V operates more than 50 outdoor shopping centers in 14 states totaling 9.5 million sq. ft.

Batteries Plus is touting its nationwide expansion in 2025 as it cements itself as a “future-ready, essential business.”

The specialty retailer signed 24 franchise deals totaling 63 new units this year, while expanding into new territories across 13 states with 30 newly-opened stores. Batteries Plus also reached a key milestone in 2025 by establishing a retail presence in all 50 U.S. states. The company now has more than 800 locations open and in development.

“Our growth in 2025 wasn’t just about adding locations, it was about strengthening the expertise and culture behind the brand,” said Joe Malmuth, chief development officer of Batteries Plus. “That combination of knowledgeable teams, essential services, and national brand credibility is what makes Batteries Plus a trusted partner for both consumers and critical industries nationwide.”

Batteries Plus credits its robust franchise system for the growth, including through initiatives like PlusCon, the brand’s franchise convention, along with ongoing investments in education and expertise. 

“Franchise candidates are looking for businesses that can adapt, grow, and remain critical no matter how technology evolves,” said Victor Daher, VP of global franchise development for Batteries Plus. “Our expansion into all 50 states this year is a clear signal that Batteries Plus delivers on that promise, offering owners a resilient model backed by strong infrastructure and diversified revenue streams.”

[READ MORE: Batteries Plus to open first stores in Hawaii]

Headquartered in Hartland, Wis., Batteries Plus offers batteries, specialty light bulbs and phone repair services for the direct-to-consumer and commercial channels. It also offers key programming, replacement and cutting services.

Google’s latest enhancement to its virtual try-on feature eliminates the requirement for shoppers to have a full-body photo.

The online giant is now allowing U.S. consumers to use its generative AI-based virtual try-on tool, first introduced in 2023, even if they lack a full-body photo of themselves. Leveraging the Google Gemini 2.5 Nano Banana flash image AI model, the try-on solution will generate a full-body digital version of the shopper based on their selfie.

To use the new feature, customers can upload a selfie to the tool, select their usual clothing size, and the virtual try-on solution will generate several studio-like images. 

Customers can select one image to make it their default try on photo and start shopping. Shoppers will still have the option to virtually try on clothes using a full body photo or a range of models with diverse body types. 

The solution will enable customers to start trying on clothes from billions of product listings from Google Shopping Graph, a real-time dataset of products, inventory, and merchants with more than 45 billion listings, in-stock inventory data from a range of retailers and Google Gemini generative AI models. 

This is not the first time Google has expanded the capabilities of its virtual try-on offering. Previously, the company has moved beyond offering try-on of men’s and women’s tops to include women’s dresses; and also released a custom image generation model for fashion which understands the human body and nuances of clothing, like how different materials fold, stretch and drape on different bodies.

[READ MORE: Google rolls out agentic AI checkout, expands virtual try-on]

The founder of Lululemon weighed in on the news that CEO Calvin McDonald will exit in January with a blistering statement slamming the board for what he sees as its lack of succession planning.

[READ MORE: Lululemon CEO to depart — interim chiefs named]

"As one of the largest active shareholders of Lululemon, I am deeply concerned about what appears to be a tremendous failure by the board to competently plan for the future and manage an effective succession process,” stated Chip Wilson. “This latest failure in my opinion only amplifies the urgency the company faces and the obvious need for the CEO search to be led by new, independent directors with real experience.

Wilson has been a vocal critic of McDonald and has called for changes at Lululemon, whose performance has faltered. In October, he took out a full-page advertisement (“Lululemon: in a Nosedive”) in The Wall Street Journal detailing his complaints. Wilson said the company had “lost its edge.” 

"The board's praise for Calvin McDonald, a CEO who has overseen massive value destruction over the past two years, with a 62.8% drop in LULU's share price, shows blatant disregard for its shareholders,” Wilson stated in his most recent statement. “In my view, the board has failed to properly hold management accountable to deliver product innovation and instead has led with complacency. The erosion of premium brand value in the company's core markets demonstrates that the board does not understand its target customers anymore or what will drive shareholder value at Lululemon over the long term.”

To read Wilson’s full statement, click here. 

Three regional grocery and alcohol retailers are partnering for online delivery with a major third-party platform.

Stater Bros. Markets, Kowalski's Markets, and Big Red Liquors will all begin providing an online delivery option via Uber Eats, the on-demand delivery subsidiary of Uber in December 2025. Stater Bros. operates grocery stores in Southern California, while Kowalski’s Markets is a gourmet, organic, and specialty grocer operating in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and Big Red Liquors has stores in Indiana.

"Our goal is to make it effortless for customers to get everything they need from the stores they already love," said Hashim Amin, head of grocery & retail for North America at Uber. "As we close out 2025, we're especially proud of the progress we've made in growing our selection of regional grocery and alcohol partners, because these are the brands that truly define their communities."

Customers at all three chains can order Uber deliveries by opening the Uber Eats app, tapping "grocery" or "alcohol" and then tapping "shops." They can then select their local Stater Bros., Kowalski's, or Big Red Liquors store, add items to their cart, choose on-demand or scheduled delivery, and track orders in real time from store to their door.

All three retailers also partner with DoorDash for online deliveries. In addition, Stater Bros. offers online delivery fulfillment via Instacart and partners with omnichannel location technology provider Flybuy by Radius Networks to improve its third-party delivery experience.

[READ MORE: Southern California grocer Stater Bros. optimizes third-party delivery]