Aldi to open 180-plus stores in 2026, launch new e-commerce site

A lot of ink has been spilled over the years about the critical role paper selection plays in direct mail marketing campaigns. This blog post isn’t about that. For one thing, it’s a big subject that deserves entire webinars, conference sessions, and content pieces. And samples, lots of them! So size, weight, finishes, sustainability, and of course, budget will have to wait. For another, I want to talk more broadly about recognizing how paper can be sustainable as well as inspiring. As something of a papertarian, I know how paper can fire up the imaginations of marketers, creators, and consumers everywhere. But up until a few years ago, I didn’t know much about the positive story about paper as a renewable resource. Sure, I recycled as much as possible personally, but there was so much I had to learn When the Paper + Packaging Board was established, I started to follow its promotional campaigns. I especially liked “How Life Unfolds,” which offered information and guidance to the public about paper and packaging usage and recycling. The video ads were especially effective in providing ideas for recycling everything from pet food bags to mail. And the Faces of the Forest series gave quick profiles about people in forest management at ground level. That’s a perspective often missed in discussions about sustainability. I’ve written previously about the Temple University studies about how advertising is more effective on paper compared to digital channels, often making it a smart choice. Combined with more awareness about innovations in paper vs. plastic (and its environmental impact), it became more apparent to me that paper is a responsible choice as well.

Starbucks says it will continue its focus on improving the customer experience as part of its multi-year turnaround plan. In July, the company rolled out its new Green Apron Service program as a part of CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” turnaround plan. This week, Niccol said that customers have already noticed a shift in the cafes’ atmosphere in the few months since the investment, particularly the welcoming staff and personalized interactions, such as the return of Sharpie-written names on cups. During its 2025 fourth-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, the coffee chain’s global same-store sales increased by 1%, mostly lifted by international markets like Canada and China. Starbucks’s same-store sales in the U.S. were flat. However, the company said new fall items and various customer service improvements helped boost sales in September. “Our intent is to become the world’s best customer service company,” Niccol said on the conference call. “To do this, we’ll double down on Green Apron’s service by empowering our leaders in and above the coffee house.”

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.