After a slew of department stores shuttered last year, including the liquidation of Canadian icon Hudson Bay, more are set to close in 2026 — and probably every year for years to come.  In mid-January Saks Global, which includes luxury players Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, filed for bankruptcy, and observers expect several Saks and Neiman locations to shutter. Macy’s identified the most recent 14 stores set to close under a downsizing strategy that will ultimately mean the end of 150 locations. Even Dillard’s closed a store this month. Mall anchor vacancies — by and large department stores — are likely to tick up over the near term as a result, according to Green Street’s most recent annual review of more than 1,000 publicly and privately held malls. In the last 15 years, the “demise of the department store business model” contributed to at least 175 mall closures and struggles at other malls, per Green Street’s report. Even those with slumping sales notched billions in their most recently reported quarters, including Saks Global ($1.6 billion), J.C. Penney ($1.4 billion) and Kohl’s ($3.4 billion). In Q3, with at least comp growth, Macy’s Inc. net sales reached $4.7 billion and Dillard’s reached $1.4 billion. Nordstrom, which went private last year, saw $4.2 billion in net sales in Q4, its most recently reported quarter.

March came in like a lamb and went out like a roller coaster ride in the U.S. ad marketplace, according to just-refreshed data from Guideline's U.S. Ad Tracker. The index, which decelerated to 2.4% in February -- the worst expansion since the last ad recession ended -- bounced back to a 7.8% gain in March, implying a relatively healthy signal for the U.S. ad marketplace despite continuing concerns about the nation's economy, the macroeconomy, and geopolitical instability that have some economists predicting another looming recession.

A bottle the size of a grain of rice holds a single drop of beer. Capped and labeled, it raises two big questions: How? Why? According to Casper Danielsson, head of communications at Carlsberg Sweden, the miniature bottle is more than a novelty — it’s a statement on responsible drinking. “The world’s smallest beer holds only one-twentieth of a milliliter and is so small that it’s easy to miss. But the message is much bigger: we want to remind people of the importance of drinking responsibly.” Danielsson emphasizes that the bottle and images are real and not AI-generated. “It’s the product of craftsmanship, innovation, and a close collaboration between us and several experts.” The project soon drew attention from the design and packaging community. Vicki Strull, President of Vicki Strull Design, posted enthusiastically about the development on LinkedIn, noting, “It's just so darn CUTE! Admittedly, it's a gimmick and completely impractical, but as a packaging designer, I can't help but love it!”