The Latest

  • A building with a sign that says "The Real Real."
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip
    Column

    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.

  • Person moving a button up on a clothes rack
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Marqeta
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Marqeta

    Why retail is positioned to win the flexible credential opportunity

    Shoppers juggle debit, credit and BNPL. Here’s why retail is poised to win with one flexible card.

  • A sporting goods storefront against a bright blue sky
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Dick’s Sporting Goods’ seasonal hiring slips

    The athletics retailer is echoing a national pattern of retailers pulling back on hiring workers for the holidays. 

  • People walking around a store that is decorated for the winter holidays.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    NRF forecasts 4.2% holiday sales growth, muted seasonal hiring

    Spending may top $1 trillion as consumers grapple with higher prices.

  • Image attribution tooltip
    Shaun Lucas/Retail Dive/Retail Dive, data from Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 large warehouse sits on a lot with trucks and a parking lot
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Walmart
    Image attribution tooltip

    Walmart opens next-gen California facility to boost West Coast fulfillment

    The 900,000-square-foot site is equipped with an automated storage and retrieval system to help increase order capacity to enable faster shipping.

  • Pink Suede products from Bath & Body Works
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Bath & Body Works
    Image attribution tooltip

    Bath & Body Works expands partnership to all Ulta stores for the holidays

    Pink Suede is back as a limited-edition scent exclusive to Ulta. Meanwhile, customers can shop a curated selection of seasonal products at the beauty retailer through Dec. 26.

  • Image attribution tooltip
    Adeline Kon/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • Halloween decorations and costumes.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

  • People walking in front of a clothing store, with puffy clouds in a blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Nordstrom Rack comes back to San Francisco

    The off-price retailer left its Union Square location three years ago but is reopening a 51,500-square-foot store in fall 2027 as the city’s retail revitalization continues.

  • A group of people in grey sweatpants and hoodies pose inside a hair salon.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Nike
    Image attribution tooltip
    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?

  • A taxi speeds by a Lululemon storefront in SoHo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Lululemon
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Bealls
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

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

  • Target store in Bridgehampton
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Target
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of The Lego Group
    Image attribution tooltip

    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%.

  • People, cars and buildings on a busy city corner.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

  • People crossing the street in front of a Saks Fifth Avenue storefront
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
    Image attribution tooltip
    Dani James/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

  • A person with a beard and mustache speaks into a microphone while other people look on.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Ryan Murphy via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 massive lit-up sign with the tilted blue "Hasbro" logo and cartoon images looms over a dark room.
    Image attribution tooltip
    "Hasbro booth" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Nordstrom
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

  • Panelists at Advertising Week New York
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Sarah Merians Photography for Advertising Week New York
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

  • Storefront of Spirit Christmas
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Spirit Halloween
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Photo by David McNew/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

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