A new round of attacks targeted supermarket refrigeration controllers in at least seven European countries including Belgium, Luxembourg, Estonia, Ireland, Sweden and Finland, pushing fridge temperatures to around 50°C and spoiling food. Carrefour confirmed 15 of its 700 Belgian stores were affected, while chains like Ahold Delhaize, Colruyt and Coop reported more limited impacts; Copeland, maker of refrigeration control systems, linked the French incidents to a discontinued line of supervisory controllers. No group has claimed responsibility for either this attack or October's larger wave that hit over 700 stores, mostly in France.
darkreading.com
· 2026-11-03
A number of retail chains are reducing or removing self-checkout kiosks they had installed in recent years. The pullback follows reports that self-checkout contributed to higher rates of theft and shrinkage than traditional staffed registers.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-11-03
Starbucks' CEO said the company wants to recognize participating customers as they arrive at stores and show them personalized digital menus. No timeline, technology vendor, or rollout details were disclosed in the comments.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-11-01
AI-powered facial recognition surveillance systems used by UK retailers including Home Bargains and Budgens have reportedly misidentified innocent customers as shoplifters, according to TechRadar. In documented cases, shoppers were removed from stores by management based on false matches, with little immediate ability to contest the accusation.
futurism.com
· 2026-11-01
Fast Company's AI Decoded newsletter examines Anthropic's investor pitch, noting that the company is presenting strong revenue growth projections to potential retail investors. The analysis points out that these projections are paired with heavy infrastructure spending commitments and no clear timeline for profitability.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-29
Go! Retail Group, operating Toys 'R' Us under license from WHP Global, is asking suppliers to accept payment terms of up to 180 days as it plans to open 120 new stores by Thanksgiving, according to the New York Post. That's well beyond the industry-standard 30 to 90 days, and some toymakers say they're wary given the chain's 2017 bankruptcy and 2018 liquidation. Basic Fun CEO Jay Foreman criticized the terms publicly, while Go! Retail CEO Gideon Schlessinger said he has seen no vendor hesitation.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-28
Candy prices have risen faster than overall inflation in recent years, driven largely by higher ingredient costs including a global cocoa shortage, according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited in the report. The National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend over $13 billion on Halloween this year, nearly double 2015 spending, with candy remaining the top purchase for 95% of shoppers and over $4 billion expected to go toward candy alone.
cnet.com
· 2026-10-27
Joseph Marver converted his struggling clothing store, Spirit Women's Discount Apparel, into a seasonal Halloween shop in 1983 after noticing a costume store nearby thriving each October. He expanded the concept into short-term mall leases, growing to 60 locations before Spencer Gifts acquired the business in 1999. The chain, now called Spirit Halloween, operates roughly 1,500 seasonal stores across the U.S. and Canada today.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-27
A new industry commentary argues that on-demand delivery, pioneered by food apps over the past decade, is now spreading into categories like paint, lumber, and bulk groceries. The piece frames this as consumer expectations set by food delivery now reshaping broader retail logistics, and calls for AI systems used in these operations to prove reliability before being given more autonomy.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-27
Kroger has shut down more than 50 supermarkets spanning its various brands across 18 states, a review of its store footprint found. The closures follow an announcement made roughly a year and a half ago in which Kroger said it would reduce its number of underperforming locations nationwide.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-22
A new National Retail Federation survey finds that gift cards are the most-requested holiday gift among American consumers this year, outranking electronics and jewelry. The survey also highlights that shoppers are especially focused on finding deals this holiday season.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-21
A contributor argues that company leaders become disconnected from their businesses when they rely on dashboards and filtered reports instead of direct observation. The piece recounts promoting a new strategy hire to director after she spent nine months working in a retail store, arguing frontline staff see problems before they reach executive meetings.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-21
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