News Briefs

Saks Global has reportedly reorganized its top management.

Emily Essner, who was named president and chief commercial officer of Saks Global in December 2024 when the luxury retailer purchased the Neiman Marcus Group, has left the company, reported WWD. Essner previously served as chief marketing officer at Saks.

In addition, Bill Bine, chief transformation officer for Saks Global, and Rob Brooks, the chief operating officer for Saks Global, have also departed the company, according to the report. Similar to Essner, both were appointed  to their roles in December. 

In other changes, Kim Miller, president of Saks Off 5th, has been tapped as chief customer officer, a new role at Saks Global.

With the executive shakeup, the company is looking to reduce costs and improve relations with brands and vendors, WWD said.  

Saks Global is the largest multi-brand luxury retailer in the world, comprising Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Off 5th, Last Call and Horchow. 

A prominent online pet supplies retailer's creator storefront program has reached a new milestone.

Launched last year, Chewy Storefronts, a platform that brings the “power of the creator economy to the pet industry,” has surpassed 600 content creators. Through the platform, creators can build curated shops featuring their favorite Chewy products and earn commissions when their fan communities purchase through them.

Participants can apply to join, curate collections across thousands of brands, and track performance through a dedicated dashboard with real-time analytics. Chewy says its Storefronts program represents the next phase of its broader engagement strategy, by combining “commerce, community, and creator storytelling to meet pet parents where they are.”

[READ MORE: Survey: Pet parents continue to spend on food, toys]

“With Chewy Storefronts, creators can showcase their favorite pet finds in one place, making it easier for pet parents to discover products they’ll love,” said Amelia Taylor, director of influencer strategy at Chewy. “Chewy Storefronts brings together trusted voices in the pet community with our unmatched selection and service, creating a shopping experience that feels both personal and inspiring for pet parents.”

On its website, Chewy offers approximately tens of thousands of pet products from national and private brands, including pet supplements, food, accessories and more. Last spring, the company opened its first brick-and-mortar veterinary care practices.

Walmart is partnering with a pharmaceutical giant to sell its weight-loss treatment at the chain’s nearly 4,600 pharmacies nationwide. 

Walmart pharmacies will offer Eli Lilly’s Zepbound’s single dose vials at direct-to-consumer prices by mid-November, with the lowest dose starting at $349 per month with self-pay. It marks the first retail collaboration for the drugmaker and the first time it has provided a retail pick-up option to customers who use the LillyDirect website to order Zepbound. Patients with a valid, on-label prescription can access Zepbound vials directly without using insurance.

“Life is busy, and this will help people discover new, easy ways to get their medication,” said Kevin Host, senior VP of pharmacy at Walmart. “We are known for building great relationships with our patients, and our teams look forward to doing more of that through making this pickup option available from our trusted pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.”

 Zepbound is an injectable prescription medicine that may help adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off, moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and obesity to improve their OSA.

“Managing a chronic disease like obesity can be a significant and ongoing burden — physically, emotionally, and financially,” said Jennifer Mazur, senior VP and general manager of LillyDirect. “This collaboration with Walmart is designed to reduce that burden by streamlining access to prescribed treatment. By combining LillyDirect’s innovative, patient-centered platform with Walmart’s nationwide pharmacy footprint, we’re expanding options for patients facing access challenges, making it easier to start and stay on authentic Lilly medicine.” 

A softening of consumer sentiment is driving changes in spending behavior — and discount stores are the beneficiaries. 

Across income levels, consumers are broadly trading down and seeking more value amid macroeconomic uncertainties, according to new data from commerce media platform Cardlytics. Overall retail spending grew modestly (up 4.47%) from July through mid-October compared to the same time last year. But spending at discount retailers such as Dollar General, Walmart and Ross is growing nearly twice as fast (up 8% year over year) across the U.S. and continues to grow share.

With basket sizes staying flat, this points to more cautious and value-conscious behavior that is expected to continue through the holiday season, advised Cardlytics.

The states with the highest growth in discount retail spend include North Dakota (up 17.8%), South Dakota (17.6%), Hawaii (16.5%), Wyoming (15.9%) and Minnesota (15%). The states with the highest growth in overall retail spend include Delaware up (9.2%), Hawaii (8.9%), Ohio (6.8%), New Jersey (6.6%) and New York (6.1%)

Methodology 

Analysis is based on aggregate first-party purchase data from Cardlytics’ bank partners, representing spend from nearly 200 million bank customers in the U.S. Purchase data from July through mid-October in 2024 and 2025 was reviewed for year-over-year comparisons. Consumer spend patterns at all retailers across industries in the U.S. (top 100 retailers make up the vast majority of category spend) also reviewed.

Simbe Robotics is rolling out its store inventory robots at a new retailer.

Following a successful five-store rollout, Tally is now live across 17 Harmons grocery store locations in Utah, bringing real-time shelf intelligence and automation in store. According to the chain, the decision was based on Tally’s ability to produce a 20% reduction in out-of-stocks, increased pricing accuracy, and comprehensive shelf intelligence over the course of the pilot.

[READ MORE: Theisen's debuts Tally inventory robot at three locations]

“It’s not uncommon for associates to have been part of the Harmons’ grocer family for 20, 30, even 40 years, and we wanted to ensure we were introducing tech to fit their world,” said Bruce Hatch, CIO at Harmons. “Our goal for Tally was to empower and support our associates while also improving our operations and the customer experience. Simbe proved to be the perfect partner. Tally provides reliable, actionable data that helps our teams execute better, reduce missed sales opportunities, protect margin, and allow us to focus on what matters the most, our customers.”

Tally robots utilize AI and computer vision to scan the store multiple times a day and read tags on various fixture types, including shelves, hooks, bins and top stock. The robots capture and process images of shelf conditions in near real-time, translating inventory data into insights available on the Simbe platform and mobile app.

“Harmons demonstrates how integrating real-time shelf visibility into daily operations elevates retail execution,” said Cari McGinnis, senior director of client success at Simbe. “Beyond inventory, Tally’s shelf data fuels smarter automation, boosting performance and creating an agile, data-driven operating model centered on shoppers and store teams.”

Founded in 1932, Harmons is an independent, locally-owned grocer that operates 20 locations across Utah.

A  92,000-sq.-ft. grocery anchored center built during the COVID-19 pandemic in SoCal has a new owner.

Langdon Street Capital has purchased Rialto Village from NewMark Merrill, which erected the project during the COVID epidemic in Rialto, Calif., just five miles east of downtown San Bernardino.

Located just north of the I-10 Freeway at the corner of Riverside Avenue and San Bernardino Boulevard, Rialto Village is anchored by Sprouts Farmers Market and is fully leased. Other tenants include Burlington, Ulta Beauty, Five Below, In-N-Out, Coffee Bean, Cold Stone Creamery, and Mattress Firm, among others.

“We have strong conviction in the Rialto submarket and believe Rialto Village embodies the kind of community-driven retail destination that thrives in today’s environment,” said Adam Daneshgar, president of Langdon Street Capital. 

The center has direct freeway access and serves a trade area of some 220,000 residents, supported by a strong employment base, according to Newmark Merrilll.

“Rialto Village marks the second successful shopping center we’ve developed in the City of Rialto,” said NewMark Merrill CEO Sandy Sigal. “Delivered under budget and fully leased during the height of COVID, it reflects our deep commitment to creating meaningful community retail destinations in partnership with the city of Rialto.”