New Canva data shows vision boards are becoming a shared, visual tool for ambition, revealing how people are using creativity to clarify goals and take action on what’s next. As the energy of a new year settles in, one creative ritual continues to dominate feeds, group chats, and shared moments: the vision board. What was once a quiet, personal exercise has evolved into a highly social, highly visual practice. We’re seeing that shift play out in how people create with Canva. In 2025, vision board creations increased 13% year over year, with a sustained surge as people mapped out what they wanted from the year ahead. From career ambitions and personal milestones to affirmations and long-term goals, vision boards have become a way to visually articulate what matters, and to share that ambition with others.

Over the past six years, James Daunt has operationally flipped the U.S.’s largest bookstore chain upside down. Now in growth mode, the once-struggling retailer is a prime example of how to save one. To best understand Daunt’s approach, one needs to look back several decades. Daunt, a former banker, set up his own indie bookstore called Daunt Books in the U.K. in 1990. “I wanted to set up a business of my own as closely aligned as possible to my personal interests,” Daunt told Modern Retail. “Reading topped these and, therefore, a bookstore seemed a good fit.” After the success of Daunt’s Waterstones, Elliott Advisors acquired a majority stake in the business in July 2018. And in 2019, Elliott acquired Barnes & Noble for about $683 million, making Daunt its CEO, in addition to his role as CEO of Waterstones. He moved from London to New York. Just like he did at Waterstones, one of the first changes Daunt made at Barnes & Noble was stopping the practice of accepting payments from publishers for prime in-store placements, as Modern Retail previously reported. Daunt has also prioritized promoting from within to create a workforce of dedicated booksellers, rather than managers who had previously worked for retailers in different categories. While its financial figures are private, Daunt appears to have been successful. After a decade of falling sales and store closures, Barnes & Noble is expanding again. The chain opened about 60 stores in 2025 and expects to do the same in 2026.

Following a sluggish trend, shopper activity remained subdued in April. Although demand for apparel remained robust, other sectors experienced declines compared to the previous year. Despite economic challenges such as inflation, consumer engagement persists, contributing to our optimistic outlook for 2024. While the economy is expected to slow in the upcoming months, steady growth is still anticipated throughout the year. The National Retail Federation predicts retail sales will increase 2.5% to 3.5% in 2024, signaling a return to pre-pandemic growth levels. Monitoring this trend closely, especially as we transition into Q2, will be crucial.