Paper Clips

The retail landscape is shifting fast, and one trend is cutting across every category, price point, and demographic: the rise of the value‑seeking consumer. For catalog brands, this shift isn’t a threat rather it’s an opening. Print has always been a channel where value can be shown, felt, and proven through storytelling, curation, and clarity. But the definition of value is expanding, and catalogers who adapt will be the ones who stay indispensable. Read the full article from our friends at Dingley in the link below. According to Deloitte’s 2026 retail outlook, nearly seven in 10 Americans are now engaging in deal‑seeking behaviors, from switching to more affordable retailers to redeeming loyalty points more aggressively. Retail executives overwhelmingly believe this is not a temporary reaction to inflation but a structural, long‑term change in how people shop.

Soccer may not be the most popular sport in the United States, but the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to drive significant retail spending. New data from Numerator shows that 32% of U.S. consumers (89 million adults) plan to watch the global soccer tournament between June 11 and July 19 (+6 points vs. January 2026). An additional 17% are considering tuning in. Of those who plan to watch the World Cup, 89% expect to make a purchase related to watching the matches, with the top planned purchases being snacks/chips/dips (51%), alcoholic beverages (38%), prepared foods/appetizers (35%), sweets/desserts (31%) and frozen foods/appetizers (25%). Most intended shoppers (78%) will spend less than $100 on their World Cup-related items, with an expected average spend of roughly $74 per shopper.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the 66th Annual Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey. The report provides detailed data on U.S. paper industry capacity and production compiled by the AF&PA statistics team. Though U.S. paper and paperboard production declined 3.7% in 2025, to 66.3 million tons, several sectors showed continued resilience. Containerboard operating rates held firm at 91.9%, while printing-writing operating rates improved to 82.8%, reflecting continued capacity adaptation to demand changes. Packaging paper production increased 1.7%, boxboard production was essentially flat at 12.4 million tons Printing-writing capacity fell 13.9% in 2025 to 7.7 million tons. Capacity has fallen from nearly 18 million tons in 2015, reflecting a long-term adjustment in this segment. However, operating rates for Printing-Writing increased from 76.8% in 2024 to 82.8% in 2025. Containerboard production fell 4.4% to 36.1 million tons, and containerboard capacity declined 5.1% in 2025. Despite that reduction, containerboard continued to account for more than half of total U.S. paper and paperboard capacity, and mills maintained a 91.9% operating rate.

Ad spending for 2026 midterm political season is already trending 47% higher to $3.9 billion through May 29 versus the same time period in 2022, according to AdImpact. For the 2022 midterms, spending amounted to $2.65 billion through the same day, and totaled $9.0 billion by November. Earlier projections estimated that $10.8 billion would be spent for the entire 2026 political election period -- with $5.3 billion going to broadcast TV and $2.5 billion to connected TV. Roughly 70% of overall political ad spend goes to TV (national/local) and streaming/CTV.

The USPS has proposed another postage increase set to take effect in July 2026, and for many marketers, the first reaction is predictable: “Should we mail less?” That’s the wrong question. The better question is: “How do we make our mail work harder?” Because despite rising postage costs, direct mail continues to outperform many digital channels in response, recall, engagement, and trust. The marketers seeing the best results today are not abandoning mail. They are becoming more strategic with it. Poor strategy costs more than postage ever will. I’ve seen campaigns with mediocre targeting, weak creative, and generic offers waste thousands of dollars while highly targeted, well designed mailings generate exceptional ROI, even at higher postage rates. When direct mail is done correctly, it still commands attention in ways digital advertising often cannot. Consumers are overwhelmed online. Physical mail still has the ability to slow people down, create interaction, and build trust. That matters.

Ulta, a perennial sparkler in the often-flat retail world, reports earnings next week. With a 36.4% market share and 46 million loyalty members, trends in its quarterly financials tend to say as much about the national spending mood as they do about the latest lip gloss. The backdrop looks reasonably healthy. Circana finds the beauty sector growing steadily, with prestige sales rising 6% to $8.1 billion in the first quarter, and mass retail climbing 7% to $18.1 billion. Notably, it's the first time in five years both segments have grown at nearly the same rate. And in both cases, growth was largely value-driven, reflecting a mix of premiumization and careful spending. Fragrance was among the strongest performers, with double-digit gains in women's fragrances at mass and continued momentum in prestige minis — a format that captures both the trade-up and trial-driven shopper. Skincare remained a steady engine, with clinical brands capturing over a third of prestige dollar sales. Makeup was the softest spot.

The U.S. Postal Service and DHL eCommerce have reached a multi-year contract agreement with an expected value of “well over $10 billion,” extending their partnership of over 25 years, according to a news release Thursday. Through the deal, DHL eCommerce will continue to hand off parcels it picks up, sorts and transports exclusively to the Postal Service for last-mile delivery to the end customer, the release said. Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner said that the deal showcases how the agency can leverage its expansive last-mile delivery network to fuel growth and add value for its customers. He said since DHL eCommerce would rather not spend extensively to build out a last-mile network in the U.S., the deal is “a total win-win.”

Online retail (ecommerce) sales in April 2026 grew at a rate of more than 10% year over year for the first time since 2021, according to Digital Commerce 360 analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. ecommerce in April 2026 also grew at more than twice the rate of total sales that month. Total retail sales in April 2026 reached $137.56 billion. That was about a 4.9% year-over-year increase from $123.85 billion. Additionally, total retail sales growth came despite higher fuel costs tied largely to the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, which began at the end of February. Ecommerce has also grown at more than twice the rate of total retail in both March and April.

Four retailers ranked among the top 10 companies in an annual survey of  the 100 brands that Americans feel best embody the value of “patriotism." Levi Strauss & Co., took the fourth spot in brand loyalty and consumer engagement research consultancy Brand Keys' 25th annual “Most Patriotic Brands” survey. Amazon came in sixth, with Walmart and Ralph Lauren taking the seventh and ninth spots respectively. Jeep once again took the top spot. (See end of article for a list of top 20 brands, and all the retailers that cracked the top 100.) For 2026, the top 20 "most patriotic" brands were: Jeep Coca-Cola Ford Levi Strauss Disney Amazon Walmart Hershey’s Ralph Lauren Weather Tech Harley Davidson ChatGPT Apple American Express Gillette McDonald’s Wranger Jack Daniels Dunkin’ KFC

Walmart could be eligible for tariff refunds worth less than half of 1% of its U.S. annual sales, or about $2.4 billion, which could be used to support lower prices for shoppers, CFO John David Rainey said Thursday. The comments came during Walmart’s earnings call for its fiscal 2027 first quarter ended April 30. Rainey said Walmart would “definitely bias and try to prioritize” using any tariff refunds toward price cuts, citing pressure on consumers from fuel prices as a factor. “We think the single best return that we can have on a dollar capital right now is to invest in the customer and invest in price,” he said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection last month began accepting claims from businesses for refunds tied to tariffs that were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in February. In a court filing, the agency said it had processed $35.46 billion in refunds, including interest, as of May 11. More than 15 million entries, including those that have gone through to refund, have been validated, the filing said.

Consumer sentiment fell for the third straight month in May as supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continued to lift gasoline prices. Sentiment is now just below the previous historical low seen in June 2022, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, whose Index of Consumer Sentiment fell 10% in May to 44.8 in May.  In addition, consumers anticipate that business conditions will worsen over both short and long time horizons. The Current Conditions Index fell 12.8% to 45.8, and is down 22% year over year.

Walmart Inc. reported strong revenue growth for its first quarter, driven in part by soaring e-commerce sales and continued growth in its advertising business.   But the nation’s largest retailer issued soft second quarter and full-year guidance amid soaring gas prices.  In an interview with CNBC, Walmart CFO John Rainey warned that high gas prices could take a toll on shoppers going forward.  “I think higher tax returns muted some of the pressure related to higher fuel prices and as we’re in a period of time right now where those tax refunds are largely not coming in, I think consumers are going to feel more of that pressure from higher fuel prices,” he said. “It’s something that we’re keeping a close eye on, but that expectation is built into our guidance for the second quarter.”

TikTok Shop says it’s continuing to drive rapid growth for small businesses, even as bigger brands swarm the platform. U.S. small businesses on TikTok Shop — sellers with less than $15 million in annual revenue — increased sales by 66% in 2025 compared to the year before, TikTok Shop shared exclusively with Modern Retail. TikTok Shop now has more than 215,000 small businesses actively selling on the platform in the U.S., up 25% year over year. The numbers come alongside a new report from GlobalData commissioned by TikTok Shop that examined how people discover and buy brands on the platform. The report was based on a nationally representative survey of 6,000 U.S. consumers ages 16 and older conducted in April and May.

The “now” part of Nike’s high-stakes Win Now turarnound plan is starting to feel like a “later” to some industry watchers nearly two years in. The legendary sportswear giant is beset by challenges related to tariffs, deflating growth in China and an overall uncertain global environment. A lack of clear marketing vision may be further amplifying its problems, with a recent stumble around the Boston Marathon indicative of Nike’s difficulties replicating the aspirational messaging it once delivered with a rare level of finesse.  There are critical fronts, including women’s sports, where Nike can and is still winning. But it may need to pare down focus and switch up tactics to make its narrative cohere in a way that appeals to both choosier consumers and impatient investors. Nike reported flat revenue for the Q3 period ended Feb. 23, with company leaders admitting they were not satisfied with the pace of progress for the Win Now strategy. Marketing experts are in line with the sentiment.

Ultra-fast delivery is back in a big way, and retailers need to adapt. Ultra-fast delivery services focused on getting customers in densely populated urban areas their online orders in as little as 15 minutes or less began popping up in the U.S. a few years ago, but most failed to gain traction.  Companies such as Jokr and Buyk shuttered operations in the U.S. in 2022, with Philadelphia-based Gopuff a rare success story in the space. However, more recently, both Amazon and Walmart have launched efforts to get goods to consumers as quickly as possible. Amazon Now, which delivers thousands of items including household essentials, personal consumer electronics and groceries to customers’ doorsteps in about 30 minutes or less, is available in dozens of U.S. cities and will be rolled out to millions of customers across the country by year’s end.

Dutch Bros is growing its footprint in the Midwest. The drive-thru coffee chain has opened its first-ever location in the greater Chicago market, in the suburb of Melrose Park.  The opening is part of Dutch Bros greater expansion in Illinois. To date, it has opened in Urbana, Fairview Heights, Mt Vernon and Edwardsville, with additional openings planned for Rockford, New Lenox and Buffalo Grove this summer. "Opening in the Chicago area has always been a dream for us at Dutch Bros, and Melrose Park is just the beginning," said Allie Lahti, local market lead at Dutch Bros Coffee. "We've already felt so much love from this community, and we're so grateful to be here.” Dutch Bros recently reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue and earnings.. Total revenues grew 30.8% to $464.4 million. Systemwide same-shop sales increased 8.3%, with a 5.1% rise in transactions, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of transaction growth.

Despite the capacity reductions carried out in the second half of 2025, there is still excess capacity in the European market for publication paper, especially in the magazine paper segment. While producers report relatively good capacity utilisation for newsprint (standard and improved grades), the existing production capacity for SC and LWC/MWC paper continues to outstrip demand. For all grades, the gap between supply and demand is expected to widen over the course of the year. 

Retail sales rose slightly for the seventh consecutive month in April despite rising gas prices and stubborn inflation. Core retail sales (excluding restaurants, auto dealers and gas stations) inched up up 0.34% month over month in April and were up 5.53% year over year, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, released by the National Retail Federation. That compared with increases of 0.41% month over month and 7.05% year over year in March.

Summer travel plans appear resilient overall, despite higher oil and gasoline prices, though consumers are adjusting at the margin. According to the 2026 Bank of America Summer Travel Outlook, around 30% of respondents say higher gas prices won't change their summer travel plans, but others are looking to take fewer trips or cut back on items like accommodations. However, a "K-shaped" pattern appears to be emerging this travel season. Lower-income households are much more likely to have no travel plans (nearly 40%), and Bank of America card data shows their travel-related spending is down year-over-year (YoY) so far in 2026. By contrast, middle- and higher-income households are seeing stronger travel spending. Domestically, California, Florida, Texas and New York are the top states to visit. Internationally, travelers favor North America (ex US) and Europe.

The Home Depot has teamed with soccer-focused media network Men in Blazers Media Network for a traveling activation that will see the brands produce content around this summer’s FIFA World Cup, per details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive. The Home Depot is the official home improvement retail supporter of the tournament in North America. “Our customers are passionate about their communities, and soccer is an increasingly important part of that,” said Allison Kolber, vice president of integrated marketing at The Home Depot, in a statement. “This partnership with Men in Blazers allows us to show up in meaningful ways for our customers — celebrating local stories, supporting the people building the game, and connecting with soccer fans across the country.”

The U.S. Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today to adjust some prices on some domestic competitive package and service offerings. Pending favorable review and comments from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), these price changes and adjustments will take effect on July 12. Changes include, but are not limited to, elimination of ounce-based rate differentiation for published Commercial USPS Ground Advantage prices, which will not impact customers that have negotiated commercial rates for USPS Ground Advantage; and a competitive PO Box price increase of 3 percent. Also, the Postal Service will introduce Addresses API, a new Address Management System offering, and will align the divisor for dimensional weight pieces to industry standards for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select.

Higher-income shoppers have kept retail sales healthy, but the economic impact of the war in Iran presents an unknown, according to industry analysts. Retail industry segments dependent on broad-based or price-sensitive spend are facing weaker outlooks, according to a report from Moody’s Ratings analysts. However, credit and debit card payment volume through the end of 2025 shows consumer spending remained healthy. A growing dependence on higher-income households continues to be of concern, however, as spending growth within the economic cohort outpaced lower-income households who are prioritizing essentials and trading down.

The company also owns Wrangler, which it says will be a $5 billion brand, and last year bought Norwegian outdoor apparel maker Helly Hansen. Lee — the iconic denim brand made famous by James Dean — is up for sale, and owner Kontoor Brands has already received significant interest, the company announced Thursday. The divestment will allow Kontoor to focus on what it calls its growth businesses – the Wrangler denim brand and Helly Hansen, the Norwegian outdoor apparel maker acquired last year for $957.5 million. Wrangler is poised to become a $5 billion brand by the 2030s, Kontoor CEO Scott Baxter told analysts, who were surprised by the move in part because of notable progress in Lee’s turnaround. Kontoor has fielded strong interest in acquiring Lee, from multiple parties, and is

For years, direct mail has been surrounded by myths. Some came from outdated marketing assumptions. Others came from marketers who tried direct mail once, executed it poorly, and decided the entire channel didn’t work. Meanwhile, the brands quietly getting exceptional results from direct mail never stopped using it. In fact, many are investing more heavily into it because physical marketing has become more valuable in a world overloaded with digital noise. The reality is, direct mail has evolved. The strategies are smarter. The targeting is better. The tracking capabilities are stronger. And when done correctly, direct mail remains one of the most effective ways to capture attention and drive response. Click on the read more link to discover the "myths"

Import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to remain below last year’s levels into early fall despite a skewed year-over-year bump in May and June. That’s according to the Global Port Tracker report released Friday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. While the numbers in the report show a year-over-year increase for the next two months, that’s only because of the sharp fall-off in imports after ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs were announced in April 2025, explained Jonathan Gold, NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy. “ "With inflation rising and consumer confidence falling among global economic uncertainty driven by the conflict in Iran, the overall trend of lower imports is expected to continue after that," he said.

For decades, the narrative of the American economy was written in the shadow of shuttering factories. As production moved offshore, our economic engine shifted gears from physical goods to services and finance. Firms that produced almost nothing became the new American titans, fueling a consumer-driven boom that enriched the coasts while hollowing out the interior. We became a nation that designed and sold, but no longer built. This story was told most clearly by our freight patterns. For twenty years, goods flowed overwhelmingly from the coasts inward. Millions of containers arrived at our ports filled with products made by foreign labor, then trucked toward the center of the country to feed a consumption-heavy lifestyle. The Heartland was a destination for finished goods, rarely the source. This year, that logic flipped. The catalyst is the voracious build-out of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Contrary to the popular imagination, AI is not purely a digital phenomenon; in the physical world, it is the bedrock of a new heavy industry. These “Gigasites” represent a new economy dependent on three pillars: data centers, energy supply, and the AI models that optimize them both. This is where the digital becomes physical. According to SONAR analysts, a standard 500-megawatt data center requires roughly 30,000 truckloads of concrete, structural steel, and copper.

Amazon on Monday invited third-party businesses to access the full suite of logistics services it uses internally to support e-commerce orders on its platform, officially packaging the discrete shipping and delivery services it has been offering for years under the umbrella brand of Amazon Supply Chain Services. The announcement essentially declared that third-party logistics services is now a main business line, along with retail, cloud computing services and grocery. “It’s a playbook Amazon has run for years. Build world-class capabilities to meet internal needs, productize and make it available commercially,” said Nate Skiver, founder of LPF Spend Management, on LinkedIn. Amazon has been evolving for years into an integrated freight and logistics provider, externalizing portions of its logistics operation and offering wholesale capacity to shippers.

High prices are pushing consumers away from dining out in an effort to cut costs. That’s according to new data released by SmartSense by Digi, an Internet of Things (IoT) Sensing as a Service solutions provider, which noted that 66% of consumers are cutting back on dining overall as 59% of consumers report worsening economic conditions over the past six months. The most common type of restaurant consumers plan to curb spending at is full-service restaurants, with 78% reporting that they plan to do so. Nearly seven-in-10 (69%) say they will decrease spending at fast-casual restaurants, primarily fast counter service locations with customizable order options.

If you’re at the National Postal Forum this week, there may not be a better time to be a part of the industry’s top event. Be sure to say hello to Midland's Postal Affairs Director--Matt Jensen! I often think about the history of the postal system, about how change, both good and bad, seems to be happening faster now than our ability to respond to it. We’re coming to the end of the 250th year of the post office, just days after the country marks the same anniversary of independence. It’s no coincidence. Postal history is intertwined with American history. Thanks to the dedication, vision, and hard work of countless people in dozens of professions, the post office has helped bind America together and help it grow in so many ways over the centuries.

Major retailers like Target, Walmart and Aldi have recently announced redesigns of their private-label brands. The recent string of rebrands signals new investment in how these products are perceived. As more consumers embrace store brands, many major retailers have decided they need to improve the way they look. In 2024, Target introduced new, colorful packaging for its Up&up brand designed to make it easy to identify products as customers shop with large product names. Last year, Aldi began a refresh of its branding and packaging to put its logo on every private-label product in the store, and to bring consistent fonts and graphic design to all Aldi-branded products. In April, Walmart announced a redesign of its Great Value brand, its first full brand refresh in more than a decade. The refresh aimed to provide consistent placement of nutritional information, clearer visual cues to help customers pick the correct items and a modernized look.

Amazon reported a strong first quarter with better-than-expected earnings and revenue.  The company also announced that it will move its annual Amazon Prime Day  sales extravaganza from its traditional mid-July setting to unspecified dates in June.  (The only other two times Prime Day occurred outside of July were 2020, when it was pushed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021 when Amazon hosted the event in June as the economy was still in recovery from the pandemic.) Amazon's first-quarter performance was helped by strong growth in its cloud business, with its AWS (Amazon Web Services) segment’s revenue rising 28% year-over-year to $37.6 billion. Amazon said it was the segment's fastest growth in 15 quarters.

Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce business is booming and Supercenters are making a comeback, its annual report from Friday shows. The company’s growth during the 2026 fiscal year came as it continues to navigate a technological evolution in the retail industry. “We are at a pivotal moment, not just for our company, but for the industry, as artificial intelligence fundamentally reshapes how customers shop and how associates work,” Walmart CEO John Furner said in a statement. “We are harnessing its power to enhance our business, guided by our foundational values of service, excellence, respect, and integrity. In this new era, our purpose positions us to set the standard – making it a perfect time to be an omnichannel retailer dedicated to helping people save money and live better.”

Some retailers score better than others when it comes to being trusted by comsumers. Brands that have earned a high degree of trust among consumers are highlighted in Newsweek’s “Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2026” report.  “Trust in an organization dictates the brands people select, the certainty shareholders provide, and the devotion staff maintain,” the report said. “Nevertheless, many enterprises overestimate the actual depth of this bond." The 2026 ranking includes 700 companies in 23 industries ranging from retail, travel, hospitality, leisure and food and beverages. Rankings are based on independent survey of 25,000 U.S. respondents, resulting in over 100,000 evaluations that reflected the perspectives of consumers, employees and investors. The analysis also considered online media sentiment. To see the list click on the read more link below.

The second that U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened its tariff refund portal at 8 a.m. ET on April 20, tens of thousands of business owners and customs brokers hurried to submit their information. For some, the site crashed; for others, their entries received an error alert. Those who did get through breathed a sigh of relief. “Everybody was anxious to press the button as quickly as they could,” said Rick Woldenberg, the CEO of the educational toy company Learning Resources Inc., who submitted a request for $10 million in refunds. “It’s like getting Taylor Swift tickets.”

Consumer confidence has been on the wane all year, and economic realities aren’t helping much. Yet retailers just wrapped up the month, and the first quarter, with surprising strength. In March, consumer sentiment hit a new low as inflation rose — the highest spike in four years — as the Iran war took a toll on energy supplies and people’s nerves. In the mostly discretionary segments covered by Retail Dive, though, retail sales surged more than 8%, with gains in most categories. That came on top of a nearly 5% increase in February and a nearly 6% increase in January. “Overall, a solid March rounds off a good start to the year for retail,” GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders said in emailed comments. But he warned that economic storm clouds are gathering, and the numbers aren’t all that they seem.

The Book Manufacturers’ Institute (BMI) is pleased to announce the publication of the 2026 State of the Book Industry Report. This comprehensive report, produced in partnership with Alliance Insights, the research division of PRINTING United Alliance, examines the economic, technological, regulatory, and market forces shaping the book manufacturing industry in 2026. The report draws on industry surveys, in-depth stakeholder interviews, and data from leading economic and market research sources. BMI members can access the full report as part of their membership. Executive summaries are available to interested parties in the broader print and publishing sectors by contacting BMI directly.

The Trump administration on Monday began accepting requests for tariff refunds, after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s tariff policy earlier this year, but some analysts warned Americans likely won’t see lower costs as a result. Only an importer of record—the entity that officially paid the tariffs—can request refunds, though some legal analysts have criticized the process as only a few businesses publicly committed to sharing the proceeds, and many firms would benefit from the refunds despite asking consumers to pay higher prices brought on by the tariffs.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the March 2026 Packaging Papers Monthly report. According to the report, total packaging papers & specialty packaging shipments in March increased 7% compared to March 2025. They were up 3% when compared to the same 3 months of 2025. Total unbleached packaging paper shipments in March were at their highest level in over 2 years, with an operating rate that exceeded 90%.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the March 2026 Printing-Writing Monthly report. According to the report, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 7% in March compared to March 2025. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels in March decreased 1% when compared to February 2026. Using the latest available U.S. Census Bureau trade data, February purchases of total printing writing papers decreased 3% compared to the same month last year.

Celebrate more than four decades of outstanding achievements in the printing sector with the special 42nd edition of the 2025 Printing Impressions 300 ranking! Compiled by the editors at Printing Impressions, this edition showcases the largest printing companies in the United States and Canada and features comprehensive insights into the industry's key players.

The DTC footwear brand may have overestimated its customers’ appreciation for sustainability, and underappreciated their desire for fashion. A key Allbirds differentiator is its use of innovative materials, made from recycled and natural sources. But the company may not have appreciated that even the consumers laser-focused on the environment would want more. “Indeed, sustainability comes way down the batting order behind factors like style, price and comfort,” Saunders said. “Allbirds could have leaned into any of these things alongside its green credentials but largely chose not to do so.” Anyone looking closely at Allbirds’ supply chain may have quibbled with its claims, given the carbon footprint, according to Matt Powell, senior adviser with BCE Consulting. Even if the supply chain were squeaky clean, though, the brand would have needed the right merchandise.

The value was never in the tools; it was in the thinking. Will AI replace creative teams? The real answer is much more interesting. AI won’t replace creativity. It will separate real creativity from the kind that only looked good because the process was slow. For decades, creative work had a natural protection: time. It took days to mock up ideas. Weeks to explore concepts. Months to produce campaigns. That friction often hid average thinking. AI removes that friction. Now, anyone can generate headlines, visuals, and concepts in seconds. Which means the easy ideas, the obvious ones, are suddenly everywhere. And when everyone can produce average work instantly, average becomes worthless. That’s the real shift.

The United States Postal Service has officially filed its latest rate case with the Postal Regulatory Commission, with proposed changes set to take effect July 12, 2026. For marketers, publishers, and brands that rely on direct mail, catalogs, and magazines, this isn’t just a routine update—it’s a moment to reassess strategy, optimize production, and find new efficiencies. The proposed increases vary by mail class, but most Marketing Mail programs will see increases in the 5–6.5% range for commercial mailings.

In just a few days, we’ll mark what we believe will be the most significant moment in Canva’s history as we unveil a major step forward in how the world creates. We can’t wait to see 6,000 of you at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and millions more joining from around the world to share it with us. Looking back, it was only a decade ago that design was limited to a privileged few. Even the simplest task meant navigating a maze of complex and disconnected tools. You had to use one tool to find a template, another to source founts, another to design and animate, another to publish and print... and on, and on. Each tool had its own interface, its own learning curve, and its own file format that couldn’t work with anything else. We believed there was a better way, so we set out to bring everything you need to design into one platform, making it simple and accessible to the world. Today, we’re incredibly proud to be empowering more than a quarter of a billion people across 190 countries to create with Canva. What started as a crazy big dream has become the default way hundreds of millions of people bring their ideas to life.

“We CHEWS you, Chi!” Those four words emanating from The National Confectionery Sales Association (NCSA) put sweet smiles on the faces of all Chicagoans, knowing that their town had been selected as the permanent home of the Candy Hall of Fame Experience. Chicago triumphed over fellow finalists New York and Orlando to land the planned 60,000-sq.-ft. HOF that will honor—not Babe—but Baby Ruth. “For more than a century, Chicago has been home to some of the most iconic names in American candy, including Ferrara, Mars, Brach’s, Tootsie and Wrigley,” said Shelly Clarey, Chairman of the NCSA. “Establishing the Candy Hall of Fame Experience here reflects the city’s deep connection to the industry and creates a home to celebrate the people who helped build it.

The e-commerce giant’s CEO noted the dominance of brick-and-mortar retail despite decades of disruption, but sees that as a massive opportunity. “We’re not investing approximately $200 billion in capex in 2026 on a hunch,” Jassy wrote. Closer to retail, Jassy reiterated the company’s investments in rural America, saying “we understand that rural customers are often de-prioritized by logistics and telecom providers because remote communities are more expensive to serve.” “While other companies have been backing away from these customers, we’ve been running to them,” he said. “We’ve committed over $4 billion to expand our rural delivery network.” “Our retail business is now approaching $600 billion in topline, yet roughly 80% of global retail sales still happens in physical stores,” he said. “That will change.”

Consumer sentiment plunged in early April to the lowest level ever recorded in the more than 70-year history of the University of Michigan’s survey. The Index of Consumer Sentiment’s preliminary reading for April  fell to 47.6, down 10.7% from March, extending a decline that began with the start of the Iran conflict. Year-ahead inflation expectations rose to 4.8% this month from 3.8% in March. Comments show that many consumers blame the Iran conflict for unfavorable changes to the economy, according to Joanne Hsu, director, surveys of consumers.

The Postal Service has informed the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of its intention to temporarily suspend its employer’s contributions for the defined benefit portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to conserve cash and preserve liquidity due to its ongoing, severe financial crisis. “There will not be any immediate detrimental impact to our current or future retirees if normal FERS cost payments are temporarily withheld,” said Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Luke Grossmann. The Postal Service pays about $200 million every other week to OPM for the FERS annuity. Suspension of payments, effective April 10, will free about $2.5 billion in the current fiscal year.

In good news for shoppers, a bump in the cost of consumer goods reversed course in March 2026. Prices for everyday household purchases decreased 0.02% in March 2026 following a 0.19% increase in February and a 0.33% decrease in January. The monthly Numerator Consumer Goods Price Index (CGPI) also indicates that  prices for everyday goods are up 2% compared to March 2025.A similar trend is expected for the comparable categories covered in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ upcoming Consumer Price Index (CPI) release.

We expect the US Postal Service to file for an across-the-board rate change in monopoly postal products with the Postal Regulatory Commission this coming Thursday afternoon. Rate hikes are expected to average about 5%. Upon PRC approval, you can expect a July 12th implementation date.

Amazon.com announced it reached a new agreement with the U.S. Postal Service on package deliveries, and sources ​said the cash-strapped mail system would retain about 80% of its ‌existing deliveries from its biggest customer. That 20% cut is a dramatically better outcome for the postal agency than the two-thirds or larger reduction that Reuters reported last month Amazon had threatened. USPS has a roughly $80 billion budget, and Amazon represented $6 billion in annual revenue to the agency, according to two people familiar with the business arrangement. "We're pleased to have ​reached a new agreement with USPS that furthers our longstanding partnership and will ​let us continue supporting our customers and communities together," Amazon said in a statement.

Retailers and restaurants alike made headlines in March with store expansion plans and new formats. Here are the major stories as reported by Chain Store Age, starting with the most recent. CVS opens first of nearly 20 pharmacy-only stores planned for 2026 Five Below sales, earnings surge as comps jump 15.4%; to open 150 stores Bob's Discount Furniture targets 500-plus stores by 2035 Dollar Tree Q4 sales up 9%, traffic falls; to open 400 stores Costco tops estimates; eyes 28 new openings, with 30-plus in ‘coming years’  Marco's Pizza eyes 80-plus new stores for 2026

Starbucks Coffee Company has finalized its joint venture with private investment firm Boyu Capital, selling control of its China operations, the coffee giant’s second-largest business. Under the terms of the agreement, which was announced in November and has a value of about $4 billion, Boyu and Starbucks will operate a joint venture, with Boyu holding up to 60% interest and operating the approximately 8,000 Starbucks stores in China. Starbucks will retain a 40% interest in the joint venture and will continue to own and license the brand and intellectual property to the new entity.

Rapidly rising fuel prices are already having an impact on consumer spending. According to new data from loyalty marketing technology provider Snipp Interactive, 31% of consumers said gas price increases have "significantly" or "extremely" impacted their household budget, while only 13% said they felt no impact at all.  When asked which spending categories they had cut, dining out led all responses at 63%. Clothing (44.7%), entertainment (43.2%) and travel (38.9%) were the next most common answers. Nearly 36% of consumers said they had reduced grocery spending by trading down or buying less.

It will soon be a little more expensive to obtain an annual membership at Sam’s Club. The warehouse club subsidiary of Walmart is increasing the fees to join both its Club and Plus membership tiers. In an email to Chain Store Age, Sam’s Club will raise the annual cost of a basic Club account from $50 to $60 and the yearly price of a premium Plus membership from $110 to $120, effective Friday, May 1, 2026

Consumers are continuing to spend so far this year despite ongoing financial pressures. New data from Circana shows that total U.S. retail sales revenue, across discretionary general merchandise, retail food and beverage, and non-edible consumer packaged goods, is up 2% year over year for the first 10 weeks of 2026. Circana noted that the data shows consumers are changing their behaviors instead of cutting back spending all together.

We're thrilled to share something years in the making: the solar farms we co-funded are now generating renewable electricity to match energy used in our Canva Print supply chain. Four solar farms are now live, each producing 4–5 MW of renewable energy. It's a milestone we're proud of, and one we couldn't have reached alone. Built in partnership with Watershed, a sustainability AI platform, these projects show what’s possible when we invest in climate solutions together, rather than asking individual suppliers to take on a global challenge by themselves. Print is one of the largest contributors to our carbon footprint, from the materials and manufacturing to the energy required to bring physical products to life. If we want to make meaningful progress, this is an impactful place to start. In 2024, we committed to funding a portfolio of community solar projects in Illinois, USA, helping add new power to the grid in regions where renewable power is still limited. Now, as these projects begin generating electricity, they’re supporting a shift toward lower-emissions Print production.

Smurfit Westrock, the world’s largest paper-based packaging company, announced a multi-year agreement to become a Worldwide Partner of the Ryder Cup. This marks a meaningful milestone for Dublin-headquartered Smurfit Westrock as it celebrates the return of the Ryder Cup to Ireland alongside golf fans, players and partners. “Smurfit Westrock has always had a strong connection to golf in Ireland,” said Tony Smurfit, President and Group CEO of Smurfit Westrock. “As our Company has grown globally, our Irish roots remain deeply important. I’m thrilled for Smurfit Westrock to be part of the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in the 100th year of the event, as we showcase Ireland, Smurfit Westrock and the game of golf at its very best. We are also proud to support JP McManus and his family in bringing the Ryder Cup back, as the event holds great significance for Irish sport and the broader economy.”

The lines between apparel, activewear and everything in between have only continued to blur. That isn’t a problem, except if the customer says it is. Apparel is changing. Vuori and Fabletics provided a microcosm of the shifts in the space with the simultaneous release of new denim collections earlier this year. It’s a trend that’s been on the rise: athleisure brands are expanding further beyond their core offerings. At the same time, traditional apparel companies are staking a claim in activewear. Brands want to go where the money is, and sometimes that means broadening the scope of what they sell.

The humble e-commerce site is getting a major upgrade at Lowe’s. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based home improvement retailer is expanding a feature that uses customer data — things like location, browsing behavior and past purchases — to personalize its website. The feature is now being rolled out to a percentage of customers — though Lowe’s declined to specify how many — with a broader launch planned by the end of the year. The personalization will show up through modular content blocks on Lowe’s website that can be swapped, reordered or customized based on customer behavior.

After a particularly harsh winter in many parts of the country, shoppers are ramping up their Easter spending. Consumer spending on Easter is expected to reach a record total of $24.9 billion this year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The amount surpasses the previous record of $24 billion set in 2023. Candy is the leading shopping category for Easter, with 92% of consumers planning to purchase sweets. Other top categories include food (90%), gifts (64%), decorations (53%) and clothing (51%). Across these categories, food spending is expected to reach $7.5 billion, followed by gifts ($3.9 billion), clothing ($3.7 billion), candy ($3.5 billion) and flowers ($2.2 billion).

2026 is shaping up to be a year where consumer demand defies every economic headline and most brands aren't prepared for the split that's emerging across income tiers, categories, and generations. Here's what the data is telling us loud and clear: ✔️ Retail sales projected to grow 4.4% ✔️ Higher-income shoppers are accelerating luxury and premium buys ✔️ Gen Z +Millennials are shifting spend towards experiences, travel, and convenience ✔️ Larger tax refunds + steady wages are fueling momentum. For more on the subject from Cohere One click on the link below. #retailoutlook2026 #consumertrends #retailst

Amazon is getting even faster, posing a competitive threat to Walmart as well as other big-box retailers and grocers that people turn to for quick purchases. One-hour delivery from Amazon is now available in hundreds of cities across the U.S., in addition to three-hour delivery in 2,000-plus cities and towns, the company announced last week. The selection is limited largely to products found “in a local supercenter,” including pantry items, cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, and over-the-counter medications, the e-commerce giant said. “Our customers are busier than ever and are looking for new ways to save time while keeping their households running,” Udit Madan, svp of worldwide operations at Amazon, said in a news release.

FedEx Corp. revenue continued its upward trend in its fiscal Q3 2026, which ended Feb. 28. The carrier also increased its net income in the quarter. FedEx net income increased year over year to $1.35 billion in Q3 2026, from $1.29 billion the prior-year period. On an earnings call with analysts, CEO Rajesh Subramaniam called FedEx’s quarter the carrier’s “most profitable yet.” It was also FedEx’s sixth straight quarter of increasing its margins, he said. The carrier said its plan for FedEx Freight to become a new publicly traded company is on track for June 1, 2026.

Summer 2026 is arriving with a mix of economic caution, experiential spending, and a renewed appetite for tactile brand interactions. While digital channels continue to evolve, consumers are leaning into physical experiences like travel, outdoor living, home refreshes, and hands‑on shopping, creating a unique opportunity for catalogers to meet customers where they’re most inspired. For brands that rely on print to drive discovery and sales, this summer’s trends point to one clear takeaway: catalogs remain one of the most effective tools for capturing attention and guiding purchase decisions in a crowded retail landscape.

Brands love the fantasy of the limited edition. A seasonal pack tied to Halloween, a sports final, a pop culture collaboration, or an anniversary gets launched with the quiet hope that shoppers will treat it like a keepsake. Sometimes that happens. Most of the time, especially in fast-moving grocery categories, it does not. In fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), a limited edition usually lives in a very different reality from the one imagined in the boardroom. If units are still sitting on shelf after the event has passed, the package stops signaling novelty and starts signaling age. To a shopper moving quickly through the aisle, that stale seasonal pack can read less like “special” and more like “this has been here a while.” The safer choice becomes the regular version, the one that still feels current, familiar, and easy.

Costco Wholesale Club will unveil its first standalone gas station in June. The membership warehouse giant will open the 17,000-sq.-ft. station in Mission Viejo, Calif., reported USA Today, on the site of a former Bed Bath & Beyond store. The 40-pump station will be Costco’s first fuel station that is not co-located with one of its stores. Similar to the retailer’s other gas stations, it will be open only to Costco members. A second standalone Costco gas station is planned for Honolulu, the report said. It is slated to open in 2027. At a time of rising gas prices amid the Iran conflict, industry analysts have described Costco’s gas prices as its secret weapon, sending more customers to its locations. The company’s gas is, on average, 10 to 30 cents cheaper a gallon than at other gas stations, according to U.S. News Costco operated 747 gas stations globally at the end of fiscal 2025, which contributed 10% of its total net sales for the year, according to its annual report.

The other day, I saw an early sign of Spring: an election campaign commercial on TV. It was just a 30-second ad, but it did make me wonder how long it will be before more of them start showing up everywhere, even on streaming. With so many seats and offices at stake in this midterm election year, we’ll be bombarded with them. That’s why direct mail plays such a crucial role in modern campaigns. Mail has a built-in advantage. A well-designed piece consists of a strong headline, crisp, high-resolution images, and a focused message. It gets physically handled, read, and often saved. It doesn’t disappear with a click or get buried in an inbox.

Recent press coverage has mischaracterized our relationship with the United States Postal Service (USPS). The truth is simple: we negotiated with them in good faith for more than a year to reach a deal that would bring them billions in revenue and believed we were heading toward an agreement. Our goal was to increase our volumes with USPS, not reduce them—until USPS abruptly walked away at the eleventh hour in December.

Postmaster General David Steiner warned that USPS could reach a financial cliff as soon as fall 2026. As a response, he floated reducing the postal agency’s mandate to deliver mail six days per week or raising stamp prices to 90 to 95 cents. Stamps currently are 78 cents, having been increased six times since 2021.  “If you want the same number of delivery days and post offices, we can do that, but someone has to pay for it. If you want to have a discussion about reducing services, we can do that,” Steiner said. “But there's one thing we can't do, and that is the status quo, and we don't have a lot of time.” David Marroni, a senior official at the Government Accountability Office, testified that any fix to the USPS’ finances will likely require congressional action, calling the postal agency’s current business model "unsustainable."

Consumer brands and retailers aren’t sitting on the sidelines this March Madness. Companies across sectors, from footwear to personal care, are racing to sign college basketball players and feature them in marketing materials as the NCAA tournament gets underway. Earlier this month, Jordan Brand announced it was working with University of Connecticut shooting guard Azzi Fudd, while NYX Professional Makeup said it was joining forces with UCLA center Lauren Betts. On March 16, Freddy’s, a custard and burger chain, announced deals with 10 collegiate athletes in Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Meta is turning a pop-up that it opened in New York City in November into a permanent retail location. The parent company of Facebook said it has signed a 10-year lease with Vornado Realty Trust to make its temporary Meta Lab outpost in Manhattan a permanent flagship location. Located at 697 Fifth Ave., the skateboarding-themed Meta Lab is designed as a hands-on experiential space where customers can check out the company’s latest retail offerings, including its lineup of AI glasses, and immerse themselves in virtual worlds with Meta Quest headsets.

The total number of books published in the U.S. in 2025 with ISBN numbers jumped 32.5% over 2024, to more than four million books, according to statistics compiled by Bowker. The increase was led by self-published works, for which the number of print and e-books (including those without BISAC codes) soared 38.7% to more than 3.5 million from 2.5 million in 2024.

Amazon passed the U.S. Postal Service as the largest domestic parcel carrier in 2025, anchoring a broader market shift away from traditional couriers, as it in-sourced a large amount of last-mile delivery work previously handled by UPS, according to data published Monday by ShipMatrix Inc. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) handled 6.7 billion parcels last year, up 9.8% year over year, compared to an 8.3% decline for the U.S. Postal Service to 6.6 billion pieces. UPS (NYSE: UPS) also experienced an 8.3% volume decline at 4.4 billion deliveries. FedEx (NYSE: FDX) delivered 3.6 billion parcels in 2025, up 5.9%. Amazon’s parcel growth isn’t just fueled by its own online orders, but new contracts from third parties that don’t sell on the retailer’s platform.

The June 1 spinoff is locked in. Here's what shippers, investors, and the LTL market need to know. On June 1, 2026, the freight industry’s competitive landscape will change permanently. FedEx Corporation will complete the spinoff of FedEx Freight into an independent, publicly traded company, establishing the largest standalone less-than-truckload carrier in North America. The new entity will trade on the NYSE under the ticker FDXF, generate nearly $9 billion in annual revenue, and operate with a 15.8% operating margin, a benchmark most LTL competitors aspire to achieve. FedEx’s decision to separate Freight reflects a broader strategic shift to prioritize focused operations and profitability over conglomerate scale. After the spinoff, FedEx will focus exclusively on parcel, ground, and express services. FedEx Freight will have full autonomy over pricing, network strategy, and capital allocation, tailored specifically to the LTL market without the constraints of a parcel-focused corporate structure.

A Chicago-based fast-casual chain has tapped a new executive to oversee its future store expansion. Portillo’s has named Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling as its chief development officer. In this role, she will lead Portillo’s restaurant development strategy, including real estate and site selection, prototype design and construction, and will play a “key role” in advancing long-term expansion. A Chicago native, Pecoraro-Striepling most recently served as chief development officer for Miller’s Ale House for the past year, where she was responsible for driving the development and expansion strategies.

Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) today announced a hearing on “Oversight of the U.S. Postal Service: The Financial Future Under Postmaster General Steiner.” During the hearing, members will highlight the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) troubled financial situation after losing billions of dollars and will examine the initiatives Postmaster General David Steiner is taking to transform the agency and maximize revenue. Members will also assess whether USPS is reliable enough for Congress to allow it to borrow more money from the Department of the Treasury. WATCH: The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed-go to the link below to find the livestream link.

Ulta Beauty is opening a storefront on TikTok’s e-commerce platform just in time for spring. Ulta Beauty is the first beauty and wellness retailer to join the platform. It will roll out with more than 15 brands spanning makeup, skincare, hair and fragrance, in addition to more than 25 exclusive bundles.

Harris Poll research commissioned by Quad points to the importance of blending physical and digital in retail: Eighty-six percent of Gen Z and Millennials say touching and feeling products is essential to their purchase decisions, and 84% value brands that blend technology with physical experiences. With more than 80 percent of retail purchases happening in brick-and-mortar locations1, the in-store experience is still where buying decisions are made. Quad experts will share unique insights on these and other trends at the annual retail and e-commerce conference, whose theme is “Retail in the Age of AI .”

While some company leaders may underestimate direct mail's current market position, the channel represents about $40 billion or ~20% of all US offline channel spend. The growing focus on synchronizing digital and…

Whole Foods Market is expanding its presence across the pond. The Amazon-owned natural and organic grocer will open six new stores in the United Kingdom in the coming months, just one year after the company opened its first new store in the country in over a decade. With the six new stores in the London area (locations found later in article), Whole Foods’ U.K. store count will reach 12. The new locations will vary in size, spanning between 3,300 and 10,000 square feet. All stores will provide Whole Foods' a wide selection of organic items across its grocery, meat, seafood, cheese and prepared foods departments.

AT&T and Amazon Web Services are working together to extend 5G and fiber connectivity from business customers and locations directly into AWS environments, creating secure, resilient and reliable premises-to-cloud architectures for AI workloads. The solution is designed to reduce network complexity and latency while supporting real-time analytics, machine learning, and agentic AI use cases.

The fashion retailer has a new CEO, is expanding in the U.S. and will soon open a flagship in New York City. It just wants you to know it exists. Primark is making moves.  The fashion company last week appointed a CEO, Eoin Tonge, who had been acting as its interim for the past year.  The Dublin-founded retailer also recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary in the U.S., has been expanding its nationwide presence with new locations in Texas, Illinois, Tennessee and Florida, and is eyeing a flagship store opening in New York City’s Herald Square this spring.  Rene Federico, Primark’s U.S. head of marketing, is just ready for more people in this country to know about the company.  “We talk about ourselves as the best kept secret in amazing retail,” she said in an interview with Retail Dive this fall. “We don’t want to be such a kept secret anymore.”

Early bird pricing for Paper Meets LIVE! 2026 ends March 13. This premier paper industry networking event focuses on programming and networking that will enhance and grow business relationships among our member business partners and facilitate important discussions on the unique challenges and opportunities of the U.S. paper products industry. Paper Meets LIVE! 2026, taking place May 12-14 at the Opal Sands Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida, is co-hosted by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and National Paper Trade Association (NPTA).

Imports at major U.S. container ports are expected to remain below prior year levels for the first half of 2026. U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.08 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) — one 20-foot container or its equivalent — in January 2026, although the ports of New York/New Jersey and Miami have not yet reported their data. That was up 3.8% from December 2025 but down 6.4% year over year. Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said it is too soon to gauge the impact of the conflict in Iran on import cargo volume. "The immediate impact on containerized traffic to the United States is not likely to be substantial since little U.S.-bound container cargo is sourced from the region," Hackett said. "While it is too early to measure in the monthly data, increasing oil and gasoline prices will inevitably drive structural inflation if the conflict persists. That, in turn, could squeeze consumer discretionary spending and U.S. manufacturing, and ultimately drive down import volumes in the longer term."

The width and breadth of the 5 million-plus-square-foot Mall of America will ring with Spring Break promotions from the beginning of March through the middle of April. Breakers flow into MOA from Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin--as well as Minnesota—for six weeks. “Spring Break kicks off in the first week of March and extends to Easter because different towns celebrate the occasion on different weeks,” said Mall of America’s CMO Jill Renslow. “One unique thing is that the entire state of Iowa has the same week off, so we always note what week it is to be ready for the Iowans.”

See MIDLAND’s New Products in Action at Booth #776 in Aurora CO March 8-10, 2026 Innovative and sustainable, MIDLAND launches compelling new products which fulfill unmet needs in the market.  MIDLAND’s booth #776 is a “must” on your list of companies to see at Dscoop Edge 2026. Stop by our booth and learn how these new products will give you a competitive advantage and boost your bottom line.

For years, sales advice has glorified the close. ABC. Always Be Closing. We’ve all seen the movie clip. And many leaders still ask for more closing techniques, better closing lines, stronger closing pressure. Here’s the problem: In complex print sales, closing is rarely the real issue. If your team isn’t winning as often as they should, the breakdown is almost always upstream. It’s in prospecting. It’s in discovery. And most often, it’s in qualification. When your team slows down and qualifies hard — around pain, budget, internal alignment, and decision structure — closing becomes the natural next step. It feels collaborative, not confrontational. Predictable, not pressured.

Smurfit Westrock joined forces with Spanish fashion brand Ecoalf to create a store made from 100% paper and cardboard. Ecoalf specialises in turning materials such as plastic bottles, rejected industrial cotton and discarded fishing nets into clothing. The brand tasked Smurfit Westrock, which also has circularity at its core, to create a permanent retail store as inherently sustainable as the products on sale. The beautifully designed new shop, which is located in San Sebastián, Spain, features fully recyclable kraft paper walls and corrugated furniture produced in the Smurfit Westrock Sorpel and Cordovilla plants. It also runs on electricity from renewable energy sources. “We are very proud to open our first store built entirely from paper and cardboard. At Ecoalf, we work every day to minimize our impact on the planet, not only through the garments we design, but also through the spaces we create,” said Javier Goyeneche, Founder and President of Ecoalf.

Major apparel retailers are among those that have filed lawsuits specifically for refunds, with interest, related to IEEPA since the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments, per court filings reviewed by Retail Dive. Those companies include Kohls Inc., PacSun, J Crew Group, Uniqlo’s U.S. entity and Abercrombie and Fitch Trading Co.

When you work in a Walmart store, you learn that every minute matters for customers wanting to get in and out quickly and for associates juggling dozens of tasks to keep things running smoothly. That’s why digital shelf labels, or DSLs, have been such a meaningful upgrade in our stores. Today, roughly 2,300 Walmart U.S. locations are already using digital shelf labels, and we expect this technology to be chain-wide within the next year. For our associates, that expansion can’t come soon enough.

Even if you don’t sign up for the position, you still might have to take the leadership seat. The recent passing of Bob Weir, The Grateful Dead’s longtime rhythm guitarist and songwriter, sparked a conversation on leadership in a recent gathering. Although Weir held the band together for decades, his death inevitably turned the discussion to the shadow he often stood in—that of the band’s creative center, Jerry Garcia.  Garcia was the band’s natural leader. However, he never wanted or took that seat. (A move I certainly can relate to, but that’s another column for another day.) A strong distaste for authority and decision-making meant leadership in a vacuum. That meant organizational dysfunction, financial chaos, a lack of direction, and other fundamental issues. This was all despite making music that has endured for decades and inspired future generations.  Garcia’s problems aren’t unlike the problems many leaders today face. Leadership may be something you didn’t ask for. But sometimes, you have to face the music.

Have you ever had a piece of direct mail in your hands, maybe for a campaign that you did for a customer, or simply received at home, that really stopped you in your tracks? Maybe it made you notice it for some physical quality. Or a blazing headline across the front. Or even a clever use of marketing technology. That’s the power of interruption, that voice in your head that says, “Hold up, I’ll get my kid from soccer practice in a second. Let’s see what’s in this envelope.” Our routines and conversations, whether we have them with others or ourselves, can be interrupted by anything. A barking dog, a crying baby, a smoke alarm — or a well-crafted direct mail piece. The challenge is how to interrupt. Even in a less-crowded mailbox, it’s not enough to simply show up and hope to be noticed.

In brief: Losses deepened at the U.S. Postal Service in the first quarter of FY 2026. Severe winter storms have tightened freight capacity across multiple U.S. states, and a threat to delay the opening of an important new bridge connecting Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, is injecting additional uncertainty into the logistics industry. Paper companies continue to raise prices amid production declines, while paper availability is also being affected by winter storms. Tariffs under the Trump administration continue to evolve following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision invalidating the administration’s emergency tariffs.

You get maybe three seconds. That’s how long a song has to hook you. It’s also how long your marketing has to earn attention. Great songs and great brands work the same way — they open strong and stick with you. We break down what a real marketing hook looks like (and how to tell if yours is working). Want to know more check out this blog from JSchmid. What a Great Marketing Hook Looks Like | J. Schmid.

Consumer confidence edged higher in February as Americans felt a bit more optimistic. But it remains below the peak reached in November 2024. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index rose 2.2 points to 91.2 in preliminary results for February, from an upwardly revised 89.0 in January. (The cutoff for preliminary results was Feb. 17). “Confidence ticked up in February after falling in January, as consumers’ pessimistic expectations for the future eased somewhat,” said Dana M Peterson, chief economist, The Conference Board. “Four of five components of the Index firmed. Nonetheless, the measure remained well below the four-year peak achieved in November 2024 (112.8).”

"Porch pirates" are everywhere, but are most active in one particular U.S. state. As measured by the average number of monthly searches per 100,000 people for relevant Google Keyword Planner key terms related to stolen mail, including phrases such as “Amazon delivery stolen”  and “DHL lost my package,” Alaska has the most stolen packages with 76.70 average monthly searches per 100,000 people, 58% higher than the nation's average of 48.27.  The other non-contiguous U.S. state, Hawaii comes in second with an average relevant monthly search volume of 75.25 per 100,000 people; “Porch pirates’ is the fourth most searched-for term, coming after "USPS lost my package" in first, "USPS lost mail" in second, and "USPS lost my package claim" in third.  On the opposite side of the U.S. map, Vermont ranks third in porch piracy with an average monthly search volume of 74.91 per 100,000 people. In Vermont, “USPS report lost package” is the most popular search term after “Amazon package stolen,” “porch pirates,” “USPS lost mail,”  and “USPS lost my package.”

Sportswear brand New Balance reported its fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2025, the company said this week. The retailer achieved a record $9.2 billion in annual global sales, up 19% year over year. It was also the fifth consecutive year of global market share gains. New Balance CEO Joe Preston said in a press release Thursday that the footwear company saw record-setting results in almost every region, including more than 20% growth in North America and more than 30% growth in Europe. The retailer also opened an Asia Design Studio to unify its lifestyle apparel teams in the region.

While last year saw the collapse of chains like Joann and Rite Aid, 2026 is expected to be a brighter year in retail as store openings accelerate. Coresight Research estimates U.S. retailers will open about 5,500 new stores this year (up 4.4% year over year) and close about 7,900 stores (a 4.5% drop year over year), CNBC reported. Dollar General, Aldi, Tractor Supply, Barnes & Noble and Target, among others, are planning to open the most new stores in 2026, according to Coresight. The companies opening stores this year reflect strengths in categories like discount apparel, discount grocery and specialty retail despite a challenging financial environment.

Ace Hardware’s full-year revenue growth was fueled by its digital business growing 27% from the year prior. The company has been working to grow its brick-and-mortar presence. Ace added 106 stores to its footprint this year, ending fiscal 2025 with 5,250 locations across the U.S. It currently has more than 8,800 stores worldwide.  Along with growing its store count, Ace Hardware has been building out its fulfillment operations. Last summer, the retailer opened a 1.5 million-square-foot retail support center in Kansas City, Missouri, from which it can quickly ship products to its stores across the U.S. The facility marked a “significant investment in our long-term growth,” Travis Thomas, Ace’s retail support director, said at the time.

From Mango to Cyklar, legacy and emerging brands alike are leaning on physical retail to win over customers. What it takes for a brand to succeed — and survive — has changed drastically over the years. Gone are the days when brands could feasibly operate as pureplays. They must now continuously find ways to expand their distribution to reach customers. Whether the brands are established or are still trying to get their footing, brick and mortar is becoming necessary in order to stand out in an increasingly crowded market. Several brands have forged wholesale deals with retailers to get their products in front of a new set of customers. Here are six brands to keep an eye on in 2026. FP Movement, Mango, Tecovas, Cyklar, Homecourt, Skims

Ahold Delhaize USA is one big step closer to having a new state-of-the-art distribution center in North Carolina. The U.S. subsidiary of Dutch supermarket conglomerate Ahold Delhaize, along with its companies ADUSA Distribution and ADUSA Transportation, have broken ground on an $860 million-plus distribution center in Burlington, N.C. Initially announced in October 2025 and expected to open in 2029, the new facility will grow the company’s supply chain network, which serves Ahold Delhaize USA’s omnichannel grocery brands on the East Coast, by adding over 1 million sq. ft. of fresh and frozen distribution capacity. When operational, the hub will support Ahold Delhaize USA grocery brands including Food Lion while creating a more than 500 anticipated new jobs over time.

2025 was the first year in which each month's ecommerce sales exceeded $120 billion, ending on a record in December. December 2025 online sales in the U.S. reached their highest monthly total to date while boasting one of the highest ecommerce penetration rates to date, according to Digital Commerce 360 analysis of advanced estimates from the Department of Commerce. Furthermore, December capped off a year with the highest ecommerce sales to date, according to Digital Commerce 360 analysis. In 2025, annual ecommerce sales in the U.S. exceeded $1.5 trillion for the first time, Commerce Department data indicates. That’s more than double what they were in 2019 ($717.05 billion).

Amazon continues to test new concepts in brick and mortar. The company has proposed a mega-store in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, reported the Chicago Tribune. The development includes a 225,000-sq.-ft., Amazon store and a two-level, 150,000-sq.-ft. Ashley Furniture store, the report said. The project needs final approval from Oak Brook approvals. Earlier this year, Amazon received approval to build its first big-box store, a 229,000-sq.-ft. building in Orland Park, Ill. The store is expected to offer a mix of groceries, general merchandise and household essentials. Amazon also cited its plans to develop a “mass physical store format that brings customers distinctive selection, value and convenience.”

The Business Roundtable is warning that withdrawing from the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) could disrupt deeply integrated North American supply chains and put millions of U.S. jobs at risk, even as the Trump administration signals growing dissatisfaction with the trade pact it once championed. New analysis released by the CEO-led business group shows that U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico supported 1.2 million Texas jobs in 2023, with Texas exporting $168 billion in goods and services to its North American neighbors in 2024.  Since 2015, Texas goods exports to Canada and Mexico have risen 35%, while services exports climbed 38%, according to the data.  “Extending USMCA in a timely manner is critical to the vitality of U.S. businesses. Business Roundtable is an association of more than 200 chief executive officers (CEOs) of America’s leading companies, representing every sector of the U.S. economy, according to its website.

Dutch brewer lowers forecasts for 2026 profit growth as cost of living and consumer health concerns reduce sales Heineken is to cut up to 6,000 jobs globally over the next two years – close to 7% of its workforce – as the Dutch brewer struggles with falling demand for beer. The company, which makes Heineken, Amstel and Tiger, said the cuts would come from brewing and white-collar roles among its 87,000-strong global workforce as it faced “challenging market conditions”. It came as the world’s second-largest brewer by market value lowered its forecasts for profit growth in 2026.

U.S. chains dominate an annual ranking of the world’s most valuable restaurant brands. With its brand value up 5% to $42.6 billion, McDonald’s has reclaimed the top spot in Brand Finance’s annual report of the 25 most valuable and strongest restaurant brands in the world. Together, the brands had a combined value of $190.1 billion. Only five international companies cracked the list. Starbucks fell to second place from the top spot last year. Its brand value fell 4% to $37 billion as tougher competition in key markets, including China, limits the impact of its improving store performance. Rounding out the top five were KFC (brand value up 8% to %16.5 billion, Subway (brand value up 18% to $9.5 billion) and Chick-fil-A (brand value up a whopping 44% to $8.1 billion.) Here are the top 10 brands in Brand Finance's 2026 Restaurants ranking.  McDonald’s (brand value: $42.6 billion) Starbucks ($37 billion) KFC ($16.5 billion) Subway ($9.5 billion) Chick-fil-A ($8.1 billion) Tim Horton’s ($7.4 billion) Domino’s Pizza ($7.1 billon) Taco Bell  ($6.9 billion) Wendy’s ($4.9 billion) Pizza Hut ($4.9 billion) The remaining 25 brands are listed below. 11. Dunkin’ 12. Mixue (China) 13. Haidilao. (China) 14. Burger King 15. Chipotle 16. Olive Garden 17. Texas Roadhouse 18. Jollibee (Philippines) 19. Luckin Coffee (China) 20. Popeyes 21. Greene King (U.K.) 22. Chili’s 23. Greggs  24. Longhorn Steakhouse 25. Dutch Bros

Trade (Consumer Book) Revenues Up 14.2% for Month of December, and Down 0.5% Year-to-Date The Association of American Publishers (AAP) today released its StatShot report for December 2025, reflecting reported revenue for Trade (Consumer Books), Religious Presses, and Professional Publishing. Total revenue across all categories for December 2025 was up 9.4% as compared to December 2024, coming in at $1 billion. Year-to-date revenues were up 1.1%, at $14.6 billion for the year.

In December – traditionally one of the most important months of the year for the retail industry – retail sales in the segments covered by Retail Dive rose 4.4% year over year to $335.7 billion. E-commerce surged 6.7%, according to statistics released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The reports are running about a month behind due to last year’s government shutdown. “December is not as special as it used to be,” Wells Fargo economists Tim Quinlan and Shannon Grein said in a Tuesday research note. “Tariff fears likely encouraged consumers to buy early, buoying the secular trend that’s come with the immediacy of online purchases which has spread sales more evenly throughout the year.” Inflation and tariff-induced price hikes also led many consumers to purchase gift cards, which get counted as retail sales when they’re redeemed rather than when they’re purchased, they said.

Postmaster General David Steiner identified three growth priorities for the agency after it posted weaker results for its package shipping products in Q1. The last-mile bid portal is just one step the Postal Service is taking under Steiner to improve its ailing financial performance. The postmaster general flagged three areas he sees as growth priorities for the agency: Finding and enhancing strategic partnerships that expand reach, volume and relevance. Bolstering flagship products that improve service and reliability with “improvements that customers can really feel.” Leveraging first-mile assets and capabilities such as volume collection and returns to “capture value earlier in the pipeline.”

Ongoing uncertainty surrounding tariffs continue to impact import volume. Import cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports is expected to see a significant year-over-year decline during the first half of 2026 as the impact of tariffs continues, according to the Global Port Tracker. The report is produced for the National Retail Federation by Hackett Associates. Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said tariffs have brought “a global change in trade relations” that is affecting import volumes. “The continuing use of tariffs against friend and foe alike combined with the uncertainty of when or if they will be implemented makes trade forecasting very difficult,” Hackett said, adding that last year’s government shutdown is still making up-to-date government data difficult to come by. “Following essentially flat container import volumes in 2025 compared with 2024, we expect a decline during the first half of 2026 and likely longer,” Hackett said.

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.

For decades, the Super Bowl has been advertising’s most expensive — and most scrutinized — stage. But in 2026, the Big Game is also the opening ceremony for an unusually dense and high-profile sports year for U.S. fans, justifying extra-big spending as brand messages flow right into the Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, and an expanding universe of streaming-led sports coverage. That convergence is changing how brands approach Super Bowl advertising and how they are measuring their success. Instead of betting everything on a single in-game moment, marketers are stretching Super Bowl investments across weeks of pre-game drops, digital extensions, streaming buys and AI-powered personalization that extend well past the fourth quarter.

Amazon’s fourth quarter online store net sales increased 10% year over year to nearly $83 billion, per a Thursday press release. The e-commerce giant’s physical store sales rose 5% to about $5.9 billion. Related retail operations also grew, with third-party seller services increasing 11% and subscription services jumping 14%. Amazon’s overall net income increased from $20 billion in the same period the year before to $21.2 billion in its latest quarter. Amazon expects companywide net sales for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 to be between $173.5 billion and $178.5 billion, representing growth between 11% and 15% year over year.

After achieving record revenue in 2025, Goodwill Industries International Inc. expects 2026 to be its most lucrative year yet. Goodwill made approximately $7 billion in revenue in 2025, making it “the best year” in the company’s nearly 125-year history, David Eagles, Goodwill’s COO, told Modern Retail. As part of that, Goodwill processed 300 million shopping transactions, thanks to a rising number of consumers looking for low-cost, unique items. Goodwill’s online marketplace, ShopGoodwill.com, also logged its best year in 2025, achieving $450 million in gross merchandise value.

Excitement surrounds the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics (MICO 2026). For the 2026 Games the use of traceable and responsibly sourced wood is a key part of the event with PEFC-certified Italian forests at the heart of its sustainability aims. MICO 2026 is global sporting event with millions watching live in person, on television and via various media platforms. PEFC-certified wood is playing a valuable structural and visual role, demonstrating how natural resources can be transformed into sustainable architecture, with lasting environmental, economic, and social value for local communities for years to come.

HP Inc. announced that Bruce Broussard, a member of the company’s Board of Directors since 2021, has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), effective immediately. He succeeds Enrique Lores, who has stepped down as President and CEO and as a member of the Board to pursue another professional opportunity. The Board has formed a CEO Search Committee to identify the company’s next CEO and has retained a leading global executive search firm to assist with the process. As Interim CEO, Mr. Broussard will advance the company’s strategic priorities by leveraging his proven operational, financial, and business management expertise as well as his deep knowledge of HP’s business. Mr. Broussard is a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience at public companies

Less than a year ago Saks Fifth Avenue began curating a high-end assortment for the e-commerce giant, but the two are now at odds. Saks Global is moving to exit its partnership with Amazon as part of its bankruptcy, but Amazon’s luxury storefront will continue without it, the e-commerce giant said by email. In that document, submitted the same day Saks Global filed for bankruptcy, Amazon called its investment in the $2.7 billion Saks-Neiman deal — for about a 23% stake — “worthless” and accused Saks of breaching their agreement.

Lindsey Vonn’s crash and injury to her left knee during a World Cup downhill race Jan. 30 has only heightened the suspense around the 41-year-old skiing icon’s planned Winter Olympics comeback from a prior injury to her right knee. With Vonn still scheduled to compete in one Olympics event Feb.8, and two more during the Games’ first week, she posted on Instagram that “My Olympic dream is not over….If there’s one thing, I know how to do, it’s a comeback.” Rest assured that Vonn is getting plenty of medical attention -- and that she appreciates it. Indeed, that’s the theme of a new campaign from healthcare apparel brand Figs, which will go on as scheduled during the games. Figs is the official outfitter of Team USA’s medical team. In the campaign, Vonn thanks -– and co-stars with -- the medical team that got her back on the competitive slopes after she had retired in 2019 and had knee replacement surgery in 2024. The cast includes not only her orthopedic surgeon, but a nurse practitioner, physical therapist, acupuncturist. and mental health coach. UPDATE: Vonn revealed Tuesday she suffered a completely ruptured ACL in a crash last week but remains focused on racing in the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

“RoT” can actually be a good thing. 😉 The Return of Touch is here, and consumers are hungry for more human, tactile brand experiences. From catalogs to packaging to in‑store moments, touch is doing what digital can’t. Dive into the insights from JSchmid latest blog: https://lnkd.in/gpfjUHEU

Spending on Valentine’s Day is expected to remain high this year, but a significant portion of consumers say they have reduced or stopped buying holiday gifts. Nearly one-in-four (23%) consumers say that they have curbed gift purchases in the past 12 months to save money, according to a new survey from e-commerce marketing company Omnisend. Despite this many shoppers report spending more online overall – driven largely by inflation (39%) and higher shipping and delivery fees (23%). Almost half of consumers surveyed are spending more online per month than a year ago, with 17% spending $100–$199 more per month, 16% spending $50–$99 more per month and 6% spending $500 or more per month.

Human resources leaders, after experiencing a difficult 2025, are optimistic about 2026 despite bracing for challenges and more upheaval in the year ahead. Those are the findings of the newly released Wiley Workplace Intelligence report, “HR and L&D Leaders Predict the Top 5 Challenges for 2026.” Wiley’s survey of 1,500 HR and L&D leaders reveals that 73% of respondents are feeling optimistic about their organization’s future. That’s despite the fact that many are expecting significant challenges and continuing change in 2026 after a tumultuous 2025. Culture and engagement appear to be the biggest areas of concern. Nearly a third of leaders each identify organizational culture improvement and employee engagement as top challenges for 2026. Both areas took a hit last year after workers experienced factors such as rapid change, instability, AI adoption, and return-to-office mandates.

Starbucks Coffee Company is back in expansion mode with plans that include opening hundreds of new U.S. stores during the next couple of years — and even more looking further out. The coffee giant expects to open approximately 600 to 650 net new cafes this year, including 150 to 175 U.S. company-operated stores and 450 to 500 international locations. China, Starbucks’ largest market outside of the U.S., comprises close to half of the international total.

Eddie Bauer is reportedly planning to abandon brick and mortar. The store operator of the iconic, 106-year-old outdoor apparel and lifestyle brand is getting ready to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a move to shutter its approximately 200 North American stores, reported WWD. Eddie Bauer’s store operations are owned by Catalyst Brands under license from brand owner Authentic Brands Group. Catalyst Brands was formed in January 2025 when JCPenney and SPARC Group (a joint venture of brand management firm Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group and Shein) combined to form a new organization. In addition to Eddie Bauer, its portfolio includes JCPenney, Lucky Brand, Aéropostale, Nautica and Brooks Brothers.

The 2025 holiday season delivered unprecedented strength, crossing the $1T mark and reinforcing the resilience of today’s retail consumer. Ecommerce and omnichannel performance remained core drivers, with late‑season BOPIS growth underscoring just how critical inventory visibility and operational precision have become. As we move into 2026, spending remains active but increasingly value‑driven. The brands that will outperform this year will be those who can marry disciplined acquisition with meaningful, trust‑building customer experience—balancing efficiency with emotional resonance. The CohereOne + J.Schmid latest trend report breaks down the drivers and signals shaping early‑year strategy: 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2garuYg

Most consumers are more likely to purchase when experiences are truly personalized, yet most brands still miss the mark despite heavy investments in personalization. That’s according to a new report from customer data cloud provider Amperity, which found that 74% of consumers are more likely to purchase when they receive a truly personalized offer or recommendation. And 69% are more likely to buy when retailers adjust offers instantly while they browse. While consumers expect recognition, they rarely get it, according to Amperity. Most (83%) consumers want retailers to remember them, including preferences and past purchases.

In brief: Mailers got some good news this month when the Postal Regulatory Commission limited the USPS to a once-a-year rate increase for Market Dominant products through 2030. The freight market is keeping a close eye on how the U.S. Supreme Court will rule about the legality of some Trump administration tariffs. Producers of uncoated freesheet paper are citing reduced capacity and increased demand as the basis for price increases that are set to take effect in February and March.

As we reflect on the past year, which was a healthy one overall for mergers and acquisitions in the printing industry, it’s a good moment to assess what drove the activity in 2025 and what’s likely to carry the momentum forward into 2026. The industry’s two principal segments — packaging and commercial printing — have different financial parameters. But the macroeconomic trends underpinning them are the same, and those forces remain encouraging for buyers and sellers alike. Especially reassuring is the fact that the pace of M&As is coming back up to what it was in the early years of the present decade. 2021 and 2022 were record breakers in terms of transactions completed — as M&A advisers, we were never busier. Although not quite as hyperactive, 2023 was a blockbuster in its own right. We can report that the pace has picked up again in 2025, so much so that in the remainder of the year and into 2026 we expect activity to look more like it did in 2023 than it did in 2024.

Job cuts continue at Amazon. Following recent media reports indicating it would reduce approximately 14,000 positions, Amazon announced in a corporate blog post that it is eliminating roughly 16,000 positions across the company. In October 2025, Amazon laid off roughly 14,000 corporate employees as part of what Reuters reported was a larger initiative to reduce expenses and rectify excessive increases in staffing levels it made during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Combined with the October staff reductions, the latest layoffs represent close to 10% of Amazon’s roughly 350,000-person corporate workforce.

Oakley and Meta are teasing a Super Bowl spot featuring the brands’ smart glasses and a cast of celerities.  “Created by Mother Los Angeles, the Big Game spot will be set against the backdrop of one of sport’s biggest moments, and stars director Spike Lee, streamer and influencer iShowSpeed, former NFL player Marshawn Lynch, PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia, and Olympians Kate Courtney, Sky Brown, and Sunny Choi,” according to Little Black Book. “In the full ad, each of these talents will showcase the capabilities of Oakley Meta’s Performance AI Glasses in high-energy, and visceral ways.  This is Oakley’s first Super Bowl spot. “The Super Bowl push comes after Oakley Meta launched in July 2025. The brand represents a collaboration between Oakley and Meta, combining the eyewear maker’s athletic-focused design with Meta’s AI technology. It’s tailored specifically toward athletes rather than general consumers,” according to Adweek.

San Francisco's unique culture, diversity, and spirit of innovation make it a special place for thousands of Amazon employees and customers who live, work, and play in the city. With offices throughout downtown and operations nearby, Amazon has deep roots in San Francisco (SF) and is committed to partnering with local organizations, community leaders, and local businesses to support initiatives that are meaningful to San Franciscans. Here are a few ways Amazon’s investing in the future of downtown: Strengthening San Francisco’s economic core Amazon joined forces with other technology leaders in a transformative initiative to revitalize the heart of San Francisco. Through a partnership with the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation (DDC), aligned with Mayor Lurie's “Heart of the City” vision, we’re helping drive meaningful change in the city’s core. The DDC has secured commitments from private-sector partners to bring coordination, speed, and execution to downtown renewal efforts. The investments are already making an impact across the city, funding projects like clean and safe services, a new downtown business fund supporting local entrepreneurs, improvements to the community gathering space East Cut Crossing, and advancement of the Embarcadero park project. The DDC is also reviving community spirit by relaunching First Thursdays, the popular event celebrating local artists and performers.

Trade (Consumer Book) Revenues Up 3.1% for Month of November, and Down 1.7% Year-to-Date The Association of American Publishers (AAP) today released its StatShot report for November 2025, reflecting reported revenue…

Betty, a Quad agency, today announced the opening of new offices in Austin, Texas, and Mexico City, Mexico, marking a significant step in the continued expansion of the creative agency and Quad’s global platform. The two locations bolster Betty’s ability to serve clients with fresh talent, localized expertise and integrated capabilities in two high-growth markets recognized as centers of culture and creativity. The Austin and Mexico City office openings follow a period of rapid growth for Betty, which has seen a surge in demand from both category leaders and challenger brands seeking strategic, innovative creative solutions that can scale without sacrificing speed or quality.

It’s official – TikTok is here to stay in the U.S. The immensely popular short-form video platform has established a new entity called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC in compliance with an executive order signed Sept. 25, 2025 by President Donald Trump. That order said enforcement of a previous order requiring TikTok‘s Chinese parent company ByteDance to find a new owner for its U.S. business by Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 had been extended until Jan. 23, 2026. As previously reported, TikTok USDS Joint Venture has three managing investors: Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake and the Abu Dhabi-based MGX investment fund, each holding 15% ByteDance will retain a 19.9% stake in the joint venture. Previous media reports indicated the joint venture would value TikTok’s U.S. business at approximately $14 billion, but no official financial figure has been released.

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.

To mark 150 years of brewing history, Budweiser is launching a yearlong “Made of America” campaign that celebrates the brand’s deep roots and enduring role in United States culture. The milestone celebration kicks off with a limited-edition Heritage Can Series, available in 12-packs designed to take fans on a visual journey through Budweiser’s storied past. The collectible series features four distinct can designs, each inspired by a defining era in the brand’s history: the 1950s, 1980s, 1990s, and a specially designed 150th anniversary can for 2026. Every can features Budweiser’s 150th anniversary logo and the phrase, “Made of America – For 150 Years.”

Higher tax refunds could lift discretionary spending in 2026, but the labor market is the biggest factor, according to Bank of America Institute research. U.S. consumers last year shelled out their extra spending money on smaller items — including used goods, apparel and dining out — rather than big purchases like electronics, furniture, hotels and air travel, according to research from the Bank of America Institute earlier this month. “2025 was defined by savvy consumers looking to stretch a dollar,” said Liz Everett Krisberg, head of the institute, and David Michael Tinsley, senior economist. They noted “a clear split in discretionary spending” by categories, based on Bank of America credit and debit card data.

Several former Walmart leaders say they expect the big-box retailer to keep a close eye on Amazon’s proposed big-box store near Chicago. “Amazon has tried a number of different physical store layouts and formats, and the only one that has really worked is the one they bought, which is Whole Foods,” said Scott Benedict of Benedict Enterprises, a retail consultant who held various leadership roles at Walmart between 1997 and 2017. “The one thing … they haven’t tried is this format, a Supercenter format that is really at the heart of Walmart’s success, which is the combination of food and grocery in a wide-assortment scenario.” While one store opening is unlikely to faze Walmart, which has 4,600 stores throughout the U.S., it could be the start of something that scales with other locations and eventually becomes a competitive threat. Moreover, it’s the entry of Walmart’s longtime e-commerce rival into a space where it currently dominates and has a competitive advantage: Because of its store network, Walmart says it can deliver to the top 95% of households in under three hours.

A leading Asian grocery chain is planning on going big in the Bay Area. H Mart is planning to open its California largest store yet at Pacific Commons Shopping Center in Fremont, located on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay. The store will span two levels and more than 100,000 sq. ft. Features will include a food hall and dine-in restaurants, in addition to the chain’s expansive Asian grocery offerings. The planned store represents the largest investment in H Mart’s history, and its first store in Fremont. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026. Founded in 1982, H Mart operates over 100 locations across 18 states.

Through large investments in new technology and new logistics planning and execution, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) significantly improved its delivery performance during this past holiday season. Mail items and packages were delivered within 2.5 days on average (16 billion in volume), compared to 2.8 days during the same period last year (Nov. 15 – Jan. 9). On-time delivery scores were higher virtually across the board, with the best scores being in its last mile Destination Delivery Units (DDU). “Customers entrusted us with billions of letters, cards, and packages, and we delivered—faster than last year and with strong consistency across the network,” said Deputy Postmaster General, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Human Resources Officer Doug Tulino.

Goodwill’s digital strategy is paying off: Its online marketplace, ShopGoodwill.com, just logged its biggest year ever, turning donated goods into hundreds of millions of dollars for the nonprofit’s workforce programs. The online auction site, which allows local Goodwill organizations to sell donated items nationwide, generated about $450 million in gross merchandise value last year, up 22% from 2024, according to the company. That marked the highest annual total in its 26-year history, as demand for resale climbed amid inflation, tariffs and growing interest from younger shoppers. Even so, ShopGoodwill.com still accounts for less than 10% of Goodwill’s overall retail revenue, according to the charity, underscoring how much room it still has to expand.

A China-based home improvement retail brand is set to make its brick-and-mortar debut in the United States. Vevor will open its first-ever U.S. store in Houston on Feb. 9, with an assortment that includes a wide selection of tools, gardening equipment and home improvement products. The 32,000-sq.-ft. Houston flagship is built around a buy online, pick up in-store model that connects Vevor’s digital platform with a “solution-driven in-store experience.”

Speculation is growing that Hudson News, a staple of airports and other transit hubs, might stop carrying magazines in the Tri-State Area — a scenario that one panicked publisher likened to “an asteroid killing off the dinosaurs.” Publishers’ fears were sparked after Hudson News Distributors — the James Cohen-owned distribution arm of Hudson News — informed the New Jersey Department of Labor in mid-December that it was laying off 236 employees in its Parsippany, NJ, headquarters, a filing reviewed by The Post showed. Cohen’s company is slated to cease distributing mags on Feb. 7, a source with knowledge of the matter told The Post on Friday. That means glossies will no longer be available in various Hudson News locations in the Tri-State Area — including at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports — barring intervention from an outside party.

Since 2020, Walmart has launched or relaunched 10 private apparel brands, including Scoop, Joyspun, Free Assembly, No Boundaries, Love & Sports, Sofía Jeans by Sofía Vergara and Weekend Academy. Its latest fashion line — Mills, by actress Millie Bobby Brown — debuted in 750 Walmart stores and on Walmart.com this month. Last year, Walmart began carrying thousands of pre-owned luxury handbags, jewelry and watches through a partnership with the resale platform Rebag. Today, Walmart Fashion is home to “six brands that are a billion dollars or bigger,” Incandela said. “We’re assertively taking market share, our total performance scores are improving dramatically, [and] we’re capturing new customers,” she added. “Our $100K-plus household income customers are increasing dramatically, because they’re looking at Walmart for the first time for fashion.” About half of the U.S., or 145 million people, visit Walmart’s website and stores every week.

We sat down with Andy Johnson, head of Iridio by RRD, for a quick chat about the company’s latest research report, focusing on marketing trends. He shared some insights and takeaways for printers. What were the biggest trends that emerged from the report? T The biggest trend emerging from Iridio’s report is the flight to efficiency driven by economic uncertainty. With 56% of marketers citing volatility as their top source of uncertainty, we are seeing a decisive shift toward measurable, high-return channels. Budgets are increasing for digital tactics, such as online video (59%), websites (57%) and paid social (56%). AI has also moved from experimental to essential. AI and machine learning is now the top technology investment (55%), with marketers using it specifically to scale personalization and predictive analytics. Were there any surprises? If so, what were they? One surprise is the trust paradox facing AI. While AI is the number one tech investment for 2026, marketers still view it as a threat to consumer trust. The data found that 53% of marketers cite human interaction replacement and AI deception as top threats.

Amazon is strategically expanding the number of wildfire relief items it stores in its dedicated response hub. The online giant opened its first Wildfire Relief Hub, located in the San Bernadino Valley two hours east of Los Angeles, in 2024. Initially stocked with more than 6,000 essential items — as well as its logistics infrastructure and technology, the hub delivered needed items to first responders, non-profit partners and humanitarian relief agencies on the ground in Los Angeles during the January 2025 wildfires that struck the city. Now, Amazon is storing approximately 20,000 wildfire relief items at the hub — over three times more than when it opened. These include air filters, masks, fire-safe rubber boots, respirators, hydration packets, neck gaiters, specialized gloves, and trauma kits. In addition, the hub stocks approximately 200,000 general relief items, such as diapers, toiletries and medical devices.

November retail sales in the segments covered by Retail Dive grew 3.9% year over year to $284.8 billion, per numbers released Wednesday by the U.S. Commerce Department. The report was delayed by the government shutdown. E-commerce sales jumped 5.5% to $141.7 billion and the apparel category grew 7.4% to $30.8 billion during November. Meanwhile, the home sector declined 4% year over year and electronics was nearly flat. “Consumers are gloomy, but they are still spending,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said in emailed comments. “The only areas they are pulling back in are home improvement, home furnishings and some electronics and appliances. Outside of those areas, consumers continue to spend and they are likely to keep that up in early 2026 as they receive larger-than-normal tax refunds.”

Amazon has big plans for the village of Orland Park, Ill. The Chicago suburb is proposed site of a retail development that the e-commerce giant wants to build on a 35-acre site, reported patch.com. The plan cleared its first hurdle this week when it was approved by Orland Park’s plan commission. It still needs to be approved by the village board of trustees who will meet on Jan. 19. The development includes a 229,000-sq. ft. building housing a retail store offering a wide range of products, including groceries and general merchandise, with a “limited” warehouse component to support on-site operation, according to the report. The plan also include multiple commercial outlets, six acres for open and landscaped space, and stormwater detention. If approved, the plan would be Amazon’s first foray into big-box retailing, putting it in direct brick-and-mortar competition with the likes of Walmart’s supercenters and Costco.

Aldi has big expansion plans for 2026 as it celebrates 50 years in the United States. The discount grocery giant plans to open more than 180 new stores across 31 states this year, pushing it closer to its goal of 3,200 stores by the end of 2028. It also announced plans to open three new distribution centers within the next three years. As part of its 2026 expansion, Aldi will enter two new states, Maine and Colorado. It also will grow its footprint in fast-growing metro areas such as Phoenix and Las Vegas.

ix years ago, independent technology analyst Ben Thompson, who authors the Stratechery newsletter, wrote, “Everyone in commerce is, whether they realize it or not, in the Anti-Amazon Alliance.” At the time, he was describing how retailers and tech companies were increasingly banding together to give merchants and shoppers ways to sell and buy online without relying entirely on Amazon. Today, it also captures Walmart’s latest push into artificial intelligence, as the retailer leans into partnerships, while its biggest rival, Amazon, takes a more closed approach. On Sunday, Walmart and Google announced a partnership that brings the retailer’s shopping experience inside Google’s AI assistant, Gemini. Customers will be able to search for products, assemble a basket and check out directly within the chat interface using Google Pay. The partnership, unveiled during a keynote speech at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show industry conference in New York at the Javits Center, will utilize Walmart’s and Sam’s Club’s product selections, pricing and delivery capabilities. The companies said the experience will initially roll out in the U.S., though a launch date was not shared, and then expand internationally.

Walmart will expand its drone delivery coverage with Wing to 150 U.S. stores over the next year, reaching more than 40 million potential customers near those locations, the companies announced Sunday. The partnership will continue to scale further, with plans for the drone delivery service to cover over 270 Walmart locations in 2027. Walmart has roughly 4,600 U.S. store locations overall. The expansion plans include stores in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Miami, with other locations to be announced at a later date. “The question is no longer if Wing and Walmart will deliver to your city, it’s when,” the announcement said.

Following “chronic uncertainty” from increased U.S. tariffs in 2025, the impact on cargo imports in 2026 is likely to still be affected by trade policy. That’s according to the latest “Global Port Tracker,” which is produced for the National Retail Federation by Hackett Associates. “As 2026 begins, we see a world increasingly focused on protecting domestic industries and addressing perceived trade imbalances,” Hackett said. “This approach has raised questions about the future of free trade and international economic cooperation.”

Apparel and footwear brands are skating into the spotlight at this year’s Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Italy — and they’re determined to nab a win in one of the world’s leading fashion hubs. As the clock ticks down to Milan-Cortina 2026, companies are putting out products for athletes and consumers alike. EA7 Emporio Armani, Ralph Lauren and Lululemon are designing uniforms for Team Italy, Team U.S.A. and Team Canada, respectively. Salomon is providing jackets and boots for 18,000 volunteers at the Olympics and Paralympics. Pajama brand Dagsmejan is partnering with the Swiss National Ice Hockey Team and providing athletes with sleepwear and eye masks. And, earlier in January, J.Crew and Skims each revealed apparel lifestyle collections — the former, with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and the latter, with Team U.S.A.

For the second consecutive year, unit sales of print books were up at outlets that report to Circana BookScan, hitting 762.4 million in 2025. That marks a 0.3% increase over 2024, which in turn saw sales grow 0.5% over 2023. Since sales peaked in 2021 at 839.7 million copies, they have settled at levels higher than before the pandemic, though not as high as many publishers had hoped.

Five generations now share the workplace, but one is redefining how ideas are expressed, how information flows, and how teams come together. Gen Z – the generation fluent in stories, memes, and visual language – has entered the workforce with expectations that look very different from the systems many businesses are still operating with. In our latest State of Visual Communication Report, we uncovered a clear generational shift when it comes to the world of work. 91% of Gen Z believe visuals communicate ideas better than text, yet nearly half of organizations still rely on text-heavy processes and outdated tools. The result is a widening gap between the fastest-growing segment of the workforce and the environments they’re stepping into, and it’s a strategic challenge business leaders are not prepared for.

Consumers started the new year feeling a bit more optimistic about the economy. Consumer sentiment rose 2.1% to 54.0 in early January, its highest level this month since September 2025, although it remains at historically low levels, according to the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index’s preliminary findings for January. The January reading marked the second straight month the index improved. “All told, while consumers perceived some modest improvement in the economy over the past two months, their sentiment remains nearly 25% below last January’s reading,” said Joanne Hsu, director, surveys of consumers, University of Michigan. “They continue to be focused primarily on kitchen table issues, like high prices and softening labor markets.”

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.

Adobe released online shopping data for the 2025 holiday season, covering the period from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025. Based on Adobe Analytics data, the analysis provides the most comprehensive view into U.S. e-commerce by analyzing commerce transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs and 18 product categories. Consumers spent $257.8 billion online from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, up 6.8% year-over-year (YoY) and setting a new record for e-commerce. 25 days saw consumers spend more than $4 billion in a single day (a significant jump from 18 days in 2024). Mobile shopping hit a new milestone, with the majority of online transactions (56.4%) taking place through a smartphone this season (up from 54.5% in 2024); Mobile shopping was highest on Christmas Day (Dec. 25), driving 66.5% of online sales (vs. 65% in 2024), followed by Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27) at 61.6% mobile share (vs. 59.3% in 2024)

Will protein fatigue hit in 2026? Just as big food makers like General Mills and PepsiCo are catching up to the high-protein trend with products like protein-packed Cheerios and Propel water, a sense of protein fatigue is setting in. In 2025, a number of beloved American classics got injected with a dose of protein. Kellanova rolled out its line of protein Pop-Tarts in November, taking inspiration from challenger Legendary Foods, which helped popularize gluten-free and keto-friendly toaster pastries. The new Pop-Tarts offer 10 grams of protein per serving and come in flavors like strawberry, blueberry and brown sugar cinnamon. Not to be outdone, Doritos protein chips are coming to shelves in 2026. From a sales perspective, there are few signs that protein mania is slowing down. But on social media, some brands and consumers are starting to poke fun at the onslaught of protein-filled products. Sweetgreen, for example, ran a social media campaign last year making fun of items like protein popcorn and protein cold foam, while calling out the amount of protein that Sweetgreen offers through “real nourishment.”

[Portland, OR, Jan 6, 2026] – Building on the success and impactful research of the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB), Two Sides North America (TSNA) will step up to take the lead in promoting positive and environmentally-focused messaging for the sector. TSNA and the Love Paper Campaign will continue championing the story of sustainability, innovation, and the essential role of paper products and packaging materials.  “As stewards of sustainability messaging for the industry, Two Sides North America is proud to carry forward the foundational work done by the Paper + Packaging Board,” said Jules Van Sant, Executive Director of Two Sides North America. “We are committed to leveraging their extensive research and data to inform consumers and stakeholders about the renewable, recyclable, and essential qualities of paper.”  “The Paper + Packaging Board consumer sustainability program was recently discontinued, passing its sustainability mantle to Two Sides North America,” states Mary Anne Hansan, President of the Paper + Packaging Board.

The Home Depot’s supply chain has come a long way since 2017. Eight years ago, the home improvement retailer outlined a vision for a two-day parcel delivery network focused on placing inventory close to the end customer, Jordan Broggi, executive vice president of customer experience and president of online, said at an investor and analyst conference in early December. But Home Depot has managed to sail past two-day shipping speeds since then — 55% of its deliveries for in-stock SKUs today are made either the same day or the next day, more than triple its 2022 amount, per a company presentation. Powering Home Depot’s acceleration are nearly 200 facilities the retailer has added over the past eight years to fill various roles in its supply chain, according to Broggi.

The 1+3 Rule: Why Commenting Always Beats Posting There is a fundamental misunderstanding in our industry about how visibility works. Most sales reps think they need to post content constantly to be seen. While posting is important, it is actually the least efficient way to grow a following from scratch. If you have 500 connections and you post a photo of a new brochure, maybe 50 people see it. If you comment on a post made by a marketing influencer with 50,000 followers, thousands of people could see your name and headline. The Math of Engagement: You need to adopt the 1+3 rule as your baseline minimum. For every single piece of content you post to your own feed, you must comment on at least three posts from others. This ensures that you are giving more to the platform than you are taking. However, if you really want to drive growth, you need to scale this up. The top performers I know in this space are not stopping at three. They are commenting 20 or 30 times a day.

Holiday spending took a toll on many Americans, with a large number taking on some debt to afford gifts. Over one-third (37%) of consumers racked up holiday debt this holiday season, averaging $1,223, according to recent data from LendingTree. This figure is up from $1,181 last year and the highest since 2022. Nearly half (48%) of parents with children under 18 years old borrowed to cover the holidays, taking on an average of $1,324 in debt. Among those who took on debt this holiday season, four-in-10 (41%) said they are still working on paying off last year’s bills. Overall, nearly six-in-10 (59%) of consumers with holiday debt this season said they are “stressed about it,” while 47% regret spending as much as they did. This was more common among parents of young kids (52%).

Globally, ecommerce sales so far in the holiday season have exceeded $1 trillion, according to data from Salesforce. It found that from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, online shoppers have spent a combined $1.033 trillion. That’s 7% growth compared to the same time frame in 2024, Salesforce data shows. In the U.S., ecommerce sales over that time period reached $238 billion, marking 4% growth, Salesforce reported. Meanwhile, Adobe Analytics data from a similar period — Nov. 1 through Dec. 12 — shows U.S. consumers have spent $187.3 billion in online sales. That would be 6.1% growth compared to the same period in 2024, according to Adobe.

All year, we’ve listened to business leaders and teams across industries as they navigate rapid change, and place their bets on what will matter most in 2026. AI remains at the center of nearly every conversation. The tools keep evolving, teams are iterating in real time, and leaders are stepping back to assess what AI will really mean for how we work, collaborate, and create. 1. Brand consistency has become a strategic revenue driver 2. AI maturity now separates the leaders from the laggards 3. Visual communication now drives measurable business outcomes 4. Content demands continue to explode, and speed is a strategic advantage

Gains in Scholastic’s children’s book publishing and distribution, as well as international groups, offset declines in the company’s entertainment and educational solution units, resulting in a 1% increase in revenue in the quarter ended November 30, 2025, with sales rising to $551.1 million. Lower costs, which included a reduction in discretional overhead expenses in the children’s book publishing and distribution segment as well as lower distribution costs, helped to boost operating income to $82.9 million from $74.7 million a year ago, an 11% increase. In the children’s publishing group, trade sales increased 7%, to $110.4 million, Scholastic reported in its financial announcement, helped by the release of the 14th title in the Dog Man series, Big Jim Believes, and continued success in the Hunger Games and Harry Potter franchises. Book fairs revenues were $242 million, up 5% from the prior year period, Scholastic reported, driven by increased fair count and revenue per fair.

Trade (Consumer Book) Revenues Up 3.5% for Month of October, and Down 2.3% Year-to-Date The Association of American Publishers (AAP) today released its StatShot report for October 2025, reflecting reported revenue for Trade (Consumer Books), Religious Presses, and Professional Publishing. Total revenue across all categories for October 2025 was up 6.7% as compared to October 2024, coming in at $1.5 billion. Year-to-date revenues were up 0.4%, at $12.4 billion for the first ten months of the year.

Each holiday season is a delight. There’s the joy of sending gifts, the exhilaration of receiving one, and the excitement of connecting with family and friends. Every year, the U.S. Postal Service makes that a reality, serving a critical role in keeping traditions and connections alive. This year that role feels even more meaningful as we celebrate our 250th anniversary with a holiday marketing campaign we call Delivering Since 1775. For 250 years, peace of mind has been at the heart of USPS, especially during the busy holiday season. Whether it’s a handwritten card, a long-awaited package or a last-minute gift, our role has always been to deliver more than mail. We deliver reassurance, connection and trust.

In brief: The longstanding delivery partnership between e-commerce giant Amazon and the USPS is looking rocky. A flurry of activity at the end of the year continues the paper industry’s “rightsizing” of production capacity and supply. The logistics market is closely watching the proposed merger of the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads, while a coalition of attorneys general challenges proposed new rules for non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses. And another major trucking company is shutting down.

Barnes & Noble is opening more stores for readers to shop at in the new year. After nearly two decades of "declining store numbers," the bookseller has plans to open 60 new locations across the country in 2026, in addition to the dozens opened this year. While the details are still "being worked out" as far as locations and grand opening dates, the expansion follows a period of "strong sales" in existing stores, Barnes & Noble confirmed to USA TODAY.

On a sunny October day in Illinois, 54,000 runners gathered to take part in the 47th Bank of America Chicago Marathon. People from over 100 countries and all 50 states came to compete in one of the world’s most prominent races. They also came to shop.  “There’s the running marathon and then there’s the shopping marathon,” Terry Symonds said. She, along with two friends, came to the Midwest from Australia to participate in the event. “You have a whole bunch of shops here that we don’t get in Australia. … It’s a big shopping experience.”  Symonds and her group of friends estimated they would each spend around $500 in stores on the days surrounding the race.

Starbucks has poached a senior manager from E.l.f. Cosmetics as part of its ongoing quest to re-energize the Starbucks brand through cultural collaborations. Neiv Toledano has joined Starbucks as its senior marketing manager of fashion and beauty. While Starbucks has always had employees who have worked on collaborations, including in the fashion and beauty spaces, this is a first-of-its-kind dedicated role and a signal that Starbucks is placing a bigger premium on these types of partnerships. At E.l.f., Toledano worked on collaborations with buzzy brands like Stanley and Liquid Death. In a LinkedIn post, Toledano said she’ll be “combining my greatest passions to drive culture, fandom, and buzzworthy moments” for the Starbucks brand.

Holiday return rates have dramatically risen since the pre-pandemic area. Close to one-in-five (17%) holiday purchases will be returned, and total returns for purchases made during the 2025 holiday season are expected to amount to approximately $160 billion. New analysis emailed to Chain Store Age from business-to-business resale platform B-Stock also indicates there will be a slightly higher return rate of 19% for online holiday purchases, totaling roughly $50 to $60 billion dollars. B-Stock data further reveals that holiday return rates have more than doubled since 2019, which was the last holiday season before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other findings include that the return percentage for online holiday apparel purchases is closer to 30%, and that processing a return can cost a retailer around 30% of the item’s original price, or higher for low-cost products.

Have you ever seen a Christmas “tree” built from hundreds of beer kegs?  A 30-foot tree of kegs wrapped in 25,000 LED lights glows brightly outside the Genesee Brew House in Rochester, New York. The display has been created and sponsored annually since 2014 by Genesee Brewing Co., the state’s oldest brewery, founded in 1878. Depending on the year and source, the tree uses anywhere from 532 to 650 kegs — but the exact number matters less than the spectacular result that draws thousands of visitors yearly. The keg tree has now drawn national attention: in October, Newsweek named it the best Christmas tree in the United States — even though, unlike the other nine on the top 10 list, it’s not technically a tree. That just makes its inclusion all the more impressive.

2025 marks a major milestone for the Y2K-favorite brand Pacsun: It’s the first time in 18 years that it’s increasing its store count, rather than decreasing it, the company told Modern Retail. Pacsun, which is now at just over 300 stores, opened nine new stores this year in areas including New York City and Victor, New York, as part of a bigger bet on brick-and-mortar retail. The company is planning to open 20-30 new stores a year for the next few years, Joel Quill, vp of retail at Pacsun, told Modern Retail. Pacsun is eyeing new locations in malls, high-traffic streets and college towns — all places popular with its key demographic of 16- to 24-year-olds.  Pacsun’s expansion plan comes as the company enjoys more sales from its store locations. Stores now account for a majority of Pacsun’s revenue — about one-third comes from digital — and are outpacing projections, said Richard Cox, Pacsun’s chief merchandising officer.

Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) today announced the renewal of its partnership with Hunger Task Force and a $750,000 commitment over the next year to ensure more Milwaukee-area children, families, and seniors have access to healthy, free food. Coming at a time of growing need, the donation extends Kohl’s hometown partnership with Hunger Task Force and will help sustain its network of more than 60 food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters. Funding will also help fill the gap in food access that many youth face during the summer through next year’s Summer Meals Program. “Together with Hunger Task Force, we’re strengthening access to healthy food for families across Milwaukee at a critical time right now when so many need extra assistance during the holidays,” said Christie Raymond, Kohl’s chief marketing officer. “We’re proud of our longstanding partnership and are working to immediately minimize the gaps in nutritious food resources for our community. If you are looking to help neighbors in need this season, we encourage you to please join us in supporting Hunger Task Force.” Kohl’s Cares has contributed more than $12 million to Hunger Task Force since 2009, fueling programs that have delivered more than 1.3 million suppers for youth through the Summer Meals Program and 3.5 million pounds of healthy food served across its network.

Selling clothing is tough on a good day, given how quickly fashion tastes can shift. With tariffs and consumer anxiety adding to the level of difficulty, this year seemed destined to run roughshod over apparel retailers’ performance. Yet many have thrived. Through October, compared to a year ago, apparel sales rose every month except February, sometimes 6% or more, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. In Q3, apparel retailers including Gap Inc., Urban Outfitters Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and American Eagle Outfitters posted results that defied analyst expectations.

It wasn’t just shoppers with strapped budgets that boosted buy-now, pay-later services to a record-setting $1 billion in transactions on Cyber Monday. It was also the brands and fintech companies that pushed the services front and center. This holiday season, more brands deployed BNPL services with different payment options beyond the more familiar “pay-in-four” structure, whether a six-month payment plan at 0% interest or a 24-month installment loan with interest. And the services are showing up in more digital wallets. Apple Pay users, for instance, can now toggle a payment plan with Affirm and Klarna, while Afterpay has new integrations with its sister company Cash App. BNPL represented about 7.3% of all spending from Nov. 1 to Dec. 2 this year, according to Adobe, and it’s forecasted to account for around $20.2 billion between Nov. 1 and the end of the year.

Retailers should prepare for record traffic on “Super Saturday” as consumers rush to complete their holiday shopping. An estimated 158.9 million consumers plan to shop on December 20, the last Saturday before Christmas, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure is up from 157.2 million shoppers last year and surpasses the previous record of 158.5 million in 2022. (Black Friday and Super Saturday are generally regarded as the two busiest shopping days of the holiday season.) Super Saturday shoppers are expected to embrace multiple channels this year, with nearly half, or 71.6 million (45%), planning to shop both in-store and online, up from 69.5 million (44%) in 2024. For those who plan to shop a single channel, 29% will do so exclusively in-store, while 26% will shop online only.

Trade (Consumer Book) Revenues Up 10.9% for Month of September, and Down 3.2% Year-to-Date The Association of American Publishers (AAP) today released its StatShot report for September 2025, reflecting reported revenue for Trade (Consumer Books), Religious Presses, and Professional Publishing. Total revenue across all categories for September 2025 was up 14.4% as compared to September 2024, coming in at $1.7 billion. Year-to-date revenues were down 0.4%, at $10.9 billion for the first nine months of the year.

In 2025, the number of department stores that have left New York City far outnumber those that remain. There are millions of New Yorkers who probably don’t even remember Gimbels, Ohrbach’s, Abraham & Straus, B. Altman, Bonwit Teller, Wanamaker or Japanese retailer Takashimaya – an incomplete list of the long-departed. Many do recall when Lord & Taylor, Barneys and Henri Bendel closed, less than a decade ago. That makes the presence of Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman all the more precious, and the entrance of Nordstrom and Printemps a sign of hope for the segment. But with Fifth Avenue losing much of its cachet and department store merchants losing much of their influence, this retail model has become a challenge even for these survivors.

According to a new survey conducted by The Harris Poll (THP), U.S. consumers are increasingly turning to tactile brand experiences — including brick-and-mortar stores and catalogs — to inspire, enrich and simplify their holiday shopping journeys. “The Return of Touch Report: Holiday Shopping, Reconnected,” presented by Quad, expands on THP’s original landmark white paper, “The Return of Touch Report: Reimagining Consumer Engagement in 2025” The new holiday-focused report from The Harris Poll is just one click away.

When the color experts at Pantone announced Cloud Dancer as their 2026 Color of the Year, they predicted the shade would inspire a kind of cool calm. But the choice of Cloud Dancer, which Pantone described as a “billowy” white, has instead sparked heated controversy. People online have blasted the shade for being “bleak” and “boring” and possibly not a color at all. After hearing the description of the color read during TODAY’s Dec. 4 unveiling, Al Roker retorted “otherwise known as white.” The Pantone Color Institute has been choosing an annual color of the year since late 1999 when it deemed Cerulean Blue 2000’s Color of the Year, WWD reported. It called the soft blue shade the “Color of the Millennium” and said it inspired hope.

The U.S. Postal Service highlights its long and proud history of ensuring a vital connection between American service members and their loved ones back home. From the battlefields of the Revolutionary War to modern-day global operations, the mission to deliver mail to the military has remained a cornerstone of U.S. postal history and a crucial morale booster. “Ever since George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were appointed to lead the Army and the Post Office, we’ve had a strong partnership built on service to the American people,” said USPS Historian Steve Kochersperger. “When away from home, to get a handwritten card or letter that was in the hands of your loved one just a few days before, maybe it even has a smear of lipstick or a scent of their perfume — no email can do that.” The tradition of supporting military mail runs deep. During the Civil War, the Post Office Department coordinated with the U.S. Army to organize mail flow, recognizing its immense value in maintaining troop morale. A “Soldier's Letter” program was introduced that allowed soldiers to send letters without stamps, with payment collected from the recipient, ensuring communication was not hindered by lack of postage. In addition, postal money orders allowed soldiers to securely send money back home, and absentee ballots allowed them to cast their votes from distant battlefields.

Hot off the press:Canva Create will once again take over SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 16 for a full day celebration of creativity, inspiration, and the next wave of innovation at Canva. What began as a product showcase has grown into one of the world’s most energising creative festivals. Next April, thousands of creators, teams, educators, and innovators will come together for bold announcements, hands-on learning, and fresh inspiration designed to spark imagination and open the door to new possibilities. Canva Create is our flagship event for creativity, community, and the ideas shaping the future of design and visual communication. 2026 promises an unforgettable experience, and we cannot wait to have you there!

Walmart Inc. has rung in a new era as it begins trading on the Nasdaq. After being listed on the New York Stock Exchange for 53 years, the retailer giant has completed the listing transfer of its common stock and bonds to Nasdaq. Walmart said the move follows an evaluation of several factors, including trading execution, brand alignment and a shared focus on technology-driven innovation to support its position as the world’s leading omnichannel retailer. “Our decision to list on Nasdaq reflects Walmart’s deep commitment to innovation and growth as a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer,” said Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart. “Nasdaq’s focus on technology and its support for companies driving digital transformation align perfectly with our strategic vision. This is an exciting next chapter as we continue building a frictionless future for our customers, members, associates and shareholders.”

More people want their buying choices to align with their environmental values, yet the path to doing so remains unclear. Recent research shows that 80% of consumers consider the environmental impact of their purchases, and 79% say they want an easier way to identify environmentally responsible companies. Despite this interest, only 3% of product labels mention environmental or social sustainability—even though nearly one-third of products make such claims. This mismatch leaves well-intentioned shoppers unsure how to evaluate competing messages at the shelf or online. Certification and labeling help close that gap. Independent, verified sustainability credentials translate a company’s commitments into a clear and trusted signal. As purpose-driven purchasing becomes mainstream, the ability to demonstrate substantiated impact is moving from a value-add to a meaningful differentiator. Sustainability’s role in business has evolved rapidly. What was once seen as a corporate responsibility initiative is increasingly shaping growth strategies. Labels and certifications influence not only intentional “green” shoppers, but also broader audiences through what HBR calls a passive search effect: labeled products are chosen even when consumers aren’t explicitly looking for sustainable options. A credible certification helps products stand out in crowded or complex retail environments.

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.

Paramount has gone straight to Warner Bros. Discovery’s shareholders with an all-cash offer for the company that it says is more valuable than Netflix’s deal announced Friday. Paramount was widely expected to be the frontrunner for Warner Bros. But WBD opted instead for Netflix, which it said offered a more lucrative deal. The proposed marriage with Netflix caught Hollywood insiders by surprise — including Paramount CEO David Ellison, who still contends that his deal was the better offer. “We’re sitting on Wall Street, where cash is still king,” Ellison told CNBC in an interview Monday. “We are offering shareholders $17.6 billion more cash than the deal they currently have signed up with Netflix. And we believe when they see what is currently in our offer, then that’s what they’ll vote for.”

Amazon is in discussions with a longtime partner about the path going forward. The online giant said it is discussions with the U.S. Postal Service about its future relationship and considering its options before its current contract expires, reported Reuters. The current agreement between the two parties expires in October 2026. Under the current agreement, Amazon accounts for roughly 7.5% of the agency’s revenue in 2025, according to The Washington Post, which also said that Amazon was considering cutting ties with the USPS. But in e-mailed remarks to Chain Store Age, Amazon said that, from the start, "we have disagreed with the framing of the Washington Post’s piece." "It's not our plans to cut ties with the USPS— in fact it's the opposite," Amazon told Chain Store Age. "Without a doubt, our goal is to continue working with the USPS, as we have done for the past 30+ years and are going to continue to push to reach an agreement."

Capri Holdings last week announced that it completed a sale of Versace to Prada S.p.a. For nearly $1.4 billion in cash.  “With the successful completion of the sale of Versace, we plan to use the proceeds to repay the majority of our debt, which will substantially strengthen our balance sheet,” Capri CEO John Idol said in a statement. “We remain focused on executing our strategic initiatives across Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo to maximize the potential of our iconic brands.” Leggett & Platt this week said its board is reviewing an unsolicited proposal from bedding giant Somnigroup International to acquire the 140-year-old company for $12 per share. The manufacturer of mattresses and other goods has been a Somnigroup supplier for years. On Monday, Somnigroup –  formed after Tempur Sealy acquired Mattress Firm early this year for $5 billion – disclosed its letter to Leggett & Platt regarding the proposal, which Somnigroup said reflects more than a 30% premium above Leggett & Platt’s average closing price in the previous 30 days. “We hope that you share our enthusiasm,” Somnigroup CEO Scott Thompson wrote, and asked for a response by Dec. 22.

Walmart continues expanding the availability of drone-based delivery that can arrive in as little as five minutes. The discount giant is building on a longstanding partnership with Wing, an on-demand drone delivery provider powered by Google’s parent company Alphabet, to launch ultra-fast drone delivery from six Walmart Supercenter stores across metro Atlanta.  Walmart products eligible for drone delivery include grocery items, last-minute gifts, household goods and over-the-counter medicine. According to the retailer, its drone deliveries average a five-minute or less flight time.  To receive drone delivery from Walmart, eligible customers can place an order through the Wing app and, at checkout, confirm the precise delivery location on their property. Once loaded onto one of Wing’s automated drones, the order cruises at approximately 60 MPH and about 150 feet off the ground.  Upon arrival, the drone lowers the package to the ground with no assistance needed. Wing operates within FAA guidelines, flying their drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) up to a six-mile aircraft range from the store.

FIFA has selected a retail partner ahead of the world’s largest sporting event next year. Sports merchandise brand Fanatics will serve as the official on-site retail licensee of the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will feature 104 matches across 39 days next summer in Canada, Mexico and the United States. In addition to in-stadium retail operations at 16 venues across North America, including in Los Angeles, New York & New Jersey, Atlanta, Miami and more, Fanatics will also open retail experiences at official FIFA Fan Festival locations within host cities, creating more opportunities for fans to shop their favorite country and player apparel. Fanatics says it will work with a variety of brands and official FIFA merchandise partners to curate a “robust fan gear assortment” for all 48 competing nations. The company will utilize its on-demand manufacturing capabilities and global supply chain to produce “quick-strike products” that celebrate the unpredictable moments of the World Cup.

In 2025, online sales beat expectations for retailers during Thanksgiving and the four days that follow, which together make up the Cyber 5. Altogether, U.S. consumers spent $44.2 billion online during the five-day period, according to data and analysis from Adobe Analytics. The Cyber 5 also includes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. The results show Black Friday’s online relevance continuing to rise. As they did, Cyber Monday still continued to be the dominant day for digital sales. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) and buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps drove more activity than they did during the equivalent days in 2024.

Advertiser excitement is in full swing as Super Bowl LX approaches on Feb. 8, 2026. NBCUniversal confirmed in September that all commercial inventory for the big game is sold out, with the broadcaster seeking around $7 million for a 30-second spot during early talks. Some marketers, including Grubhub, have been quick to announce their debut for what many bill as the biggest night in advertising, while others, like Ritz and Nerds, were similarly eager in revealing plans for their return. The big game continues to be a major opportunity for brands to gain visibility, with the 2025 iteration attracting 127.7 million U.S. viewers across television and streaming platforms, making it the most watched Super Bowl to date.

Consumers are opting for an online giant over a brick-and-mortar staple when it comes to electronics spending. Numerator’s latest Consumer Electronics Tracker reveals that Amazon has officially overtaken Best Buy in the electronics space, accounting for 30% of overall sales in select consumer electronics categories in the past year, compared to Best Buy’s 28%. Amazon’s share of electronics spending spiked in July 2025 to 43% as a result of its summer Prime Day event, according to the data. Walmart held steady in third place when it came to electronics spending, ending September 2025 with 12.8% of consumer spending. Walmart was followed by Costco, Target and Sam’s Club, which each captured a single-digit share of electronics spending all year.

RISI/Fastmarkets reports that The European Parliament has approved the Commission’s proposal to simplify the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and voted in favor of a one-year delay for all companies, in line with the position expressed by the Council on November 19. According to the amended text, the entry into force would be postponed to December 30, 2026 for large operators and to June 30, 2027 for micro- and small enterprises. The EU Parliament also requested the Commission to carry out a simplification review of the EUDR by April 30, 2026 to assess the law’s impact and administrative burden. The approved text was adopted by 402 votes to 250 and with 8 abstentions. “Parliament is now ready to start negotiations with member states on the final shape of the law, which has to be endorsed by both Parliament and the Council and published in the EU Official Journal before the end of 2025, for the one-year delay to enter into force,” the EU Parliament said in a statement on November 26.

The European Parliament has today voted to approve an amendment to the EU Deforestation Regulations (EUDR) to remove all printed products from the scope of the regulations, including books, journals, newspapers and magazines. The amendment passed with 449 votes in favour, 202 against. This will now need to be agreed between the Parliament, Council and Commission in December.

Black Friday ecommerce sales have increased 30.7% in 2025 versus 2020, as consumers have largely shifted spending online since the pandemic. By 6:30 p.m. EST on Black Friday, U.S. consumers spent a combined $8.6 billion online. Shoppers using generative AI platforms were 38% more likely to complete sales than those who didn’t use those platforms. Buy now, pay later (BNPL) usage drove $747.5 million in ecommerce spending, or about 6.3% of all digital sales on Black Friday.

Twenty years ago, 80% of Butterball's revenue came from Thanksgiving. Today? Just 25% of a $1.5B business. 1 billion pounds of turkey processed annually.  One bad year wipes out the business. But the real challenge wasn't the risk — it was the economics. Facilities and workers cost money 365 days a year. 80% of annual revenue came in 30 days of the year. To grow, Butterball had to keep the system productive the other 11 months. That required two moves: 1.Make Thanksgiving predictable enough to anchor the business. 2. Add products that run through the same facilities. Ground turkey for everyday meals → Deli meats and breakfast items → Foodservice supply for restaurants and schools. Same plants. Same birds. New revenue. They still ship 15 million whole turkeys every November. But Thanksgiving dropped from 80% to 25% of revenue. That's how you get to a $1.5B business that runs 12 months a year, not just one.