News Briefs

Uber Technologies Inc. wants to help consumers build their grocery baskets.

The Uber Eats delivery subsidiary of Uber is releasing a new agentic AI-based beta feature on its mobile app called Cart Assistant. 

Created in response to what the company says was feedback from users wanting a quicker way to shop, Cart Assistant lets customers select a grocery store on the app home screen and tap the purple Cart Assistant icon on the storefront to start shopping.

Customers can then type their list or add an image, and the Cart Assistant will add the items to their basket. A photo of a handwritten shopping list or a screenshot of recipe ingredients can also be used

Cart Assistant will automatically take availability into account and show store-level details like item prices and applicable promotions. Users can then edit the basket, swapping out selections or adding additional items from the store. The solution builds on a customer’s past orders to prioritize familiar items in an effort to make the experience faster and more personalized.

[READ MORE: Aldi teams with Uber Eats on Super Bowl delivery bundle]

At launch, Cart Assistant is available at dozens of large-chain grocery and drugstores in the U.S., including Albertsons, Aldi, CVS, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts, Safeway, Walgreens and Wegmans – with more to come.

"That’s how we think about AI at Uber: starting with real customer needs and building practical solutions within the app," Praveen Neppalli Naga, CTO at Uber, said in a corporate blog post. "We’re excited to learn from how people use Cart Assistant and continue improving the experience over time. Happy shopping!"

The offices of Chain Store Age will be closed Monday, Feb. 16 in observance of Presidents' Day. 

DayBreaker will resume publication on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Calvin McDonald is returning to the beauty business.

The former CEO of Lululemon Athletica Inc. has been appointed chief executive of The Wella Company, effective April 2. McDonald, who will be based in New York City, will also join the board of the 125-year-old hair care giant.  

Retail veteran Glenn Murphy, who was appointed executive chair following the resignation of Wella CEO Annie Young-Scrivner in January 2025, will remain the role to provide continuity and strategic advice to the new CEO and leadership team, the company said.

McDonald stepped down as CEO of Lululemon at the end of January after leading the company for seven years during which time he built the company into a brand powerhouse. But the retailer has been underperforming for more than a year, with the weakness most apparent in its core North American market.

Prior to joining Lululemon in 2018, McDonald spent five years as president and CEO of Sephora Americas, transforming the company into a market leader in the region and expanding haircare into the company's fastest-growing category, Wella said in a release. 

Earlier in his career, McDonald held multiple senior roles across some of Canada's largest retailers, including 17 years at Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Wella, whose brands include namesake Wella, Clairol, Briogeo and OPI, is owned by investment firm KKR.

"We are delighted to welcome Calvin to The Wella Company," said Murphy. "As a three-time CEO, he brings decades of experience at industry-leading global consumer brands and retail businesses. Calvin's proven ability to drive results through product differentiation, category expansion, and smart investments will help us win in the dynamic beauty sector."

Earlier in his career, McDonald held multiple senior roles across some of Canada's largest retailers, including 17 years at Loblaw Companies Ltd.

"I'm thrilled to return to the beauty industry — an innovative, fast-evolving sector powered by consumers who are genuinely passionate about the products they love," said McDonald.

Reebok is recapturing customer purchase intent at the point of refund.

The athletic footwear and apparel company, which is a subsidiary of Authentic Brands Group, is reporting a significant 11x increase in repurchasing behavior and 63% faster repurchases among customers who select an instant refund option it offers in partnership with post-purchase platform Reshop.

Initially launched at Reebok and several other Authentic Brands Group banners in May 2025, the solution closes the traditional 10-14-day refund gap by providing customers immediate access to their money from refunds with the goals of enabling faster repurchases and creating a better shopping experience. 

[READ MORE: Authentic Brands Group partners to deliver 'instant' refunds]

"Reebok saw material adoption of Reshop by consumers in the first three weeks of being live, and it continues to grow,” said Adam Kronengold, chief digital officer of Authentic. “We’re now seeing 11× repurchasing behavior of customers who choose to get instant refunds through Reshop. It’s clear there’s demand and impact. We’re glad to be offering a better refund process that shoppers are looking for." 

Authentic Brands Group owns more than 50 global brands, generating approximately $32 billion in annual systemwide retail sales. The company's portfolio includes Reebok, Champion, Nautica, Elvis Presley, Eddie Bauer, Aéropostale, Lucky Brand, Nine West, Brooks Brothers, Juicy Couture, Vince Camuto, Quiksilver, Billabong, Sperry, Hunter, Ted Baker and others.  

The Francesca’s brand may not disappear entirely.

Stand Out For Good Inc., the parent company of women’s apparel and lifestyle retailer Altar’d State, on Wednesday won bid protections to serve as the stalking horse bidder for the intellectual property assets of Francesca’s. The Houston-based specialty women’s apparel and accessories chain filed for bankruptcy on Feb. 6, with plans to close its stores and liquidate. 

Earlier this week, Stand Out made a bid of $7 million for Francesca’s intellectual property, per a court filing. The deal includes a break-up fee of $210,000 and an expense reimbursement of up to $150,000 paid to Stand Out. Alternative bids are allowed to be submitted.

Prior to its bankruptcy filing, Francesca’s hired Hilco to solicit interest in the company’s assets. 

In addition to Altar’d State, which operates more than 110 stores nationwide, Stand Out’s retail portfolio includes wedding-focused Vow’d, kids apparel brand Tullabee and activewear brand AS Revival. 

Artificial intelligence may be making an already growing challenge for hiring managers worse.

A new survey from staffing agency Express Employment Professionals reveals that 80% of U.S. hiring managers say candidates' resumes don't match their real-world skills “at least sometimes,” with a third (34%) of them reporting that it happens “all the time or often.” Despite this, only 22% of job seekers confess to listing skills they don't actually have.

The survey found that with AI-powered tools at every applicant's fingertips, companies are becoming increasingly suspicious of embellished resumes. A strong majority (86%) of hiring managers believe AI makes it too easy to put misleading information on resumes, and 42% strongly agree that it is becoming a serious hiring risk.

[READ MORE: Survey: Expertise tops concerns for HR teams implementing AI]

"In today's market, you don't need a perfect resume; you need a truthful one," said Bob Funk Jr., CEO, president and chairman of Express Employment International. "When job seekers exaggerate their abilities, they set themselves up for stress, failure and lost opportunities. But when they're transparent about their skills and what they know, and eager to learn what they don't, employers take notice. Integrity is still a competitive advantage."

Methodology

The Job Insights survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals from Nov. 3 to 19, 2025, among 1,002 U.S. hiring decision-makers. The Job Seeker Report was also conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals, from Nov. 7 to 20, 2025, among 1,003 adults ages 18 and older.