The Latest

  • A building with a sign that says "The Real Real."
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    The Weekly Closeout: The RealReal secures fresh financing, Roots buyout advances

    The resale marketplace refinanced to help strengthen its balance sheet, while the apparel brand's shareholders approved its acquisition by Marquee Brands.

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    S.Corwin via ChatGPT

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    Sponsored by NRG

    Power profitable growth: How retailers are elevating customer experiences while unlocking new revenue without adding operational complexity

    Retailers face increasing pressure to drive growth, elevate customer experiences and improve profitability. Discover how leading retailers are partnering with NRG.

  • Halloween decorations and costumes.
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    Getty Images
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    Halloween without candy? What shoppers are cutting from budgets this year

    Nearly two-thirds of shoppers plan to skip some purchases this year, including staple items like costumes and candy, a new LendingTree survey finds.

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    Shaun Lucas/Retail Dive/Retail Dive, data from Getty Images
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    High prices push September retail sales up 6.7% over last year

    The categories tracked by Retail Dive saw broad-based growth, though month-over-month comparisons show signs of a slowdown.

    Updated Oct. 15, 2026
  • A taxi speeds by a Lululemon storefront in SoHo.
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    Courtesy of Lululemon
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    Lululemon restructures raw materials team, lays off 7 people

    The changes came in August, a spokesperson told Retail Dive, just a few weeks before the arrival of new CEO Heidi O’Neill.

  • Bealls holiday campaign For the Haul of It.
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    Courtesy of Bealls
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    Bealls to debut mobile app

    The app is intended to create a more connected shopping experience across channels, while also supporting the retailer’s strategy around loyalty.

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    Adeline Kon/Retail Dive
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    Tracker

    The running list of retail deals in 2026

    Since July, Hot Topic was acquired, Tailored Brands filed for an IPO and more.

    Updated Oct. 8, 2026
  • Target store in Bridgehampton
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    Permission granted by Target
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    Target wants more efficient stores. An upgraded employee app could help.

    The retailer’s myDay app features a newly customizable home screen functionality and will soon include access to AI-backed insights. 

  • Four children play with Lego bricks and open a paper bag containing the bricks.
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    Courtesy of The Lego Group
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    Toy prices jump 4.2% ahead of the holidays

    The September price bump came amid a “tough” inflation report, with the overall Consumer Price Index up 0.6%.

  • A group of people in grey sweatpants and hoodies pose inside a hair salon.
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    Courtesy of Nike
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    Deep Dive

    Gen Z, Gen Alpha and the AI-ificiation of retail this holiday season

    AI is “rewiring” the brains of today’s youth, at the same time that they’re craving physical experiences. Can retailers strike the right balance?

  • People crossing the street in front of a Saks Fifth Avenue storefront
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    Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue
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    Saks channels ‘main character energy’ for first post-bankruptcy holiday

    A few months after its parent company exited Chapter 11, a leaner Saks Fifth Avenue is out to show it still has holiday heft.

  • A Target storefront exterior
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    Dani James/Retail Dive
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    Moody’s upgrades retail and apparel outlook as tariffs ease

    The firm now expects “solid household finances” to lead to more stability in the sector, although rising energy costs and geopolitical risks are still a factor.

  • Shoppers pause at an acquarium tank inside a Scheels store in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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    Cara Salpini/Retail Dive
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    Column

    Reporter’s notebook: Inside Scheels’ sporting goods wonderland

    Come for the sporting goods, stay for the animatronic Abe Lincoln. And whatever you do, don’t expect your average retail experience.

  • A massive lit-up sign with the tilted blue "Hasbro" logo and cartoon images looms over a dark room.
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    "Hasbro booth" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    Hasbro opens studio focused on Dungeons & Dragons

    The new Wizards of the Coast Studios in Montréal will focus on developing content for the D&D franchise. 

  • FAO Schwarz at Nordstrom in New York City.
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    Courtesy of Nordstrom
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    Nordstrom expands FAO Schwarz offerings, debuts new app features for holidays

    The department store revamped its Nordy marketing character and is offering same-day beauty deliveries at select locations this season.

  • People, cars and buildings on a busy city corner.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Where has the aspirational luxury consumer gone?

    High-end brands have raised their prices in the post-pandemic economy. They’re selling less in part because fewer consumers can afford them.

  • Storefront of Spirit Christmas
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    Courtesy of Spirit Halloween
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    Spirit Halloween to transform dozens of locations to Spirit Christmas

    The spooky retailer will expand its Christmas concept, now in its third year, to 44 locations this season.

  • A Ross Dress for Less Storefront is shown at night, while customers walk towards it in the parking lot.
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    Photo by David McNew/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Ross opens 51 new stores

    The off-price retailer completed its fiscal year 2026 store growth plan of opening 115 new locations, including its first in Massachusetts.

  • A person with a beard and mustache speaks into a microphone while other people look on.
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    Ryan Murphy via Getty Images
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    Target denies cooperating with ICE. Here’s why that may not matter.

    Whether they own or lease store property, retailers probably need formal policies about whether law enforcement agencies can establish operational staging areas in their parking lots.

  • A person wearing a blue shirt reaches for cilantro in a grocery produce section.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Tariffs pushed up consumer goods prices by 2.9 percentage points: NY Fed

    Consumer expectations for inflation rose for the second straight month to the highest level since May, the University of Michigan said Friday.

  • Panelists at Advertising Week New York
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    Permission granted by Sarah Merians Photography for Advertising Week New York
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    Why Free People prioritizes cultural co-authorship in celeb tie-ups

    At Advertising Week, chief marketer Jack Reynolds explained why the Urban Outfitters-owned retailer ceded control when working with musician Willow.

  • A Lowe's storefront with the company's blue and white signage
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    Nate Delesline III/Retail Dive
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    Lowe’s launches Black Friday deals in October

    As shoppers seek Black Friday and Cyber Week discounts, Lowe’s is spreading out its sales events.

  • A building with a pitched roof and "Athleta" in big block letters is seen at a slant from below.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Column

    The Weekly Closeout: E.l.f. Brands pushes into fragrance and is Athleta’s C-suite shakeup an opportunity?

    The beauty brand has launched its first fragrance and body care collection, while the Gap Inc. brand is searching for a new CEO after Maggie Gauger went to Lululemon.

  • A person speaks in front of a crowd inside a warehouse, with a "Grand Opening" banner in the background.
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    Courtesy of Tractor Supply Company
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    Tractor Supply opens Idaho distribution center with automation, dedicated AI team

    The retailer's site in Nampa will distribute inventory to 123 stores and includes a group that aims to "apply practical artificial intelligence to operational needs."

  • People walking down the street, past storefronts.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Bloomingdale’s merchant jumps to Bluemercury

    Stacie Borteck Dattner will report to Bluemercury CEO Alexandre Choueiri, the former Kering Beauté executive who arrived in August.

  • NRF Big Show 2026
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    Courtesy of Jason Dixson Photography
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    Top retail trade shows in 2027

    These events feature C-suite speakers who will discuss AI-driven solutions, understanding consumer behavior and leveraging technology, among other subjects.