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Tech News
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is speeding up renovations across its retail stores with three key changes: new dedicated 'Avenue' sections for order pickups and Today at Apple sessions, removal of large video walls at the back of stores, and the return of standalone Genius Bars in place of the Genius Grove format used for over a decade.
L.L. Bean's new CEO has directed $50 million toward renovating the company's flagship store in Maine, redesigning it to emphasize immersive, tactile experiences over standard product displays. The revamped space greets visitors with elements like live fish rather than leading with clothing or footwear collections.
Target is introducing a redesigned beauty section called Beauty Studio in 600 stores starting September 10, replacing the shopping experience previously tied to its Ulta partnership. The move marks a reinvention of one of the retailer's key store areas as that partnership winds down.
A growing number of individual investors are using generative AI to write custom trading scripts and delegate portfolio decisions to automated agents, effectively mimicking strategies once reserved for professional quant funds. This trend, sometimes called 'vibe-coding,' lets non-programmers describe a trading idea in plain language and have AI translate it into executable code.
Target is again drawing criticism over a Halloween costume in its seasonal lineup, just under two weeks after apologizing for a separate children's costume that critics compared to blackface caricatures. This time, the retailer is not the only company implicated in the controversy, as other sellers are reportedly facing similar accusations.
Victoria's Secret has closed 38 stores globally this year as part of an effort to reshape its store network. Despite the closures, the retailer raised its full-year sales guidance, signaling the cuts are strategic rather than a sign of weakening demand.
A new opinion analysis argues that digital advertising is shifting toward transaction-based models where the point of purchase itself has become a key driver of brand demand, not just its final step. This trend, described as 'commerce media,' extends the retail media concept beyond retailers and CPG brands into other transactional ecosystems like travel and finance.
A California bill aimed at regulating surveillance-based pricing — where retailers use personal data to set individualized prices — failed to advance to Governor Newsom's desk before the legislative deadline. The California Retailers Association responded by expressing hope that lawmakers can restart negotiations next year by focusing on points of existing consensus.
PepsiCo has been building digital ordering and data tools aimed at the millions of small mom-and-pop stores that dominate Mexico's retail market, its second-largest globally after the U.S. The initiative, led by commercial transformation executive Johannes Evenblij, focuses on giving these small retailers better access to products and insights typically reserved for larger chains.
Walmart has installed 838 EV charging ports across 100 stores since launching its first company-branded charger last year, with construction underway at 100 additional locations. The retailer's network grew faster than any other charging provider except Tesla last month, and Walmart aims to expand to thousands of sites by 2030.
T-Mobile has filed new disclosures showing 63 layoffs spread across 13 locations in Washington state as part of an ongoing wave of workforce reductions in 2026. The carrier has also been shutting down retail stores nationwide alongside these job cuts.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly criticized Amazon, focusing on the employment status of its delivery drivers, the sale of illegal e-bikes on its platform, and fines related to idling delivery vehicles. The socialist mayor is positioning these issues as part of a broader push to hold major corporations accountable for labor and safety practices in the city.