It’s been another week with far more retail news than there is time in the day. Below, we break down some things you may have missed during the week, and what we’re still thinking about.
From an activist-initiated CEO search at Ethan Allen to a cat bodega, here’s our closeout for the week.
What you may have missed
Rifle Paper Co. names CEO
Stationery and home brand Rifle Paper Co. announced that it appointed Carey Ann Campbell as its CEO, according to information sent by the company to Retail Dive. Campbell has been in the role since April, and joins from apparel brand Southern Tide.
“As the brand continues to grow, the time was right to welcome new leadership,” Anna Bond, Rifle Paper Co. co-founder and artist, said in a statement.
The retailer has a flagship store in Winter Park, Florida, and is planning to open its second retail location in Tampa, Florida, this fall.
The retail CEO to Rhode Island governor pipeline
Helena Foulkes, a Costco board member and the former CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company, just got one step closer to claiming a new title: governor of Rhode Island. The former executive, who also spent 25 years at CVS — including several as president of CVS Pharmacy — beat out incumbent Dan McKee in the Democratic primary.
She had 62.5% of the votes in Rhode Island with roughly 98% of the vote counted, NBC reported. Foulkes ran for governor four years ago as well, but fell short in the primary. In 2026, she ran on a platform of affordable healthcare, housing and utility bills, as well as proposals to create more jobs and invest in careers and technical education.
The Republican primary remains too close to call, but Foulkes will face off against Aaron Guckian or Elaine Pelino in November.
Retail therapy
A Cat-Focused Bodega from Temptations
Cat treat brand Temptations will open an immersive cat bodega experience in New York City this fall, per a Wednesday press release. The pop-up bodega will be live Thursday through Sept. 19 and feature free cat treats, exclusive merchandise attendees can win and more.
"Bodega cats are the best part of the bodega or corner store experience and they're deserving of far more than just internet fandom," Lukasz Wysoczanski, vice president of care and treats at Mars Pet Nutrition North America, said in a statement. "The Temptations Cat Bodega, where treats are always free, is a homage to these hard-working cats and a way for fans to celebrate them for the stars they are. We're excited to put our spin on the iconic bodega experience and give cat lovers everywhere a chance to show their local corner cat some love with free treats."
What we’re still thinking about
7.3%
That’s how much Chewy’s net sales increased in the second quarter, reaching $3.3 billion. Excluding the acquisitions of SmartPak and Modern Animal, net sales increased 5.7% year over year.
The online pet retailer’s subscription Autoship sales, which make up the majority of its overall net sales, increased 9.3%.
A pullback on discretionary spending and premium products affected both Chewy’s hard lines and consumables businesses, with the latter experiencing “treat sales growth [slowing] more sharply than growth in core food,” Chief Financial Officer Chris Deppe said on a call with analysts Wednesday.
The retailer raised its guidance for the full year, now expecting net sales to grow 6.8% to 7.7%, reaching $13.46 billion to $13.57 billion. Chewy also raised the low-end of its adjusted EBITDA margin guidance by 10 basis points, narrowing the range to 6.7% to 6.8%.
What we’re watching
Activist, citing Ethan Allen CEO’s age, initiates search to replace him
Financier Doug Bergeron has escalated his activism at Ethan Allen, announcing Thursday that he has organized a search to replace Farooq Kathwari as CEO. Last month Bergeron, who owns more than 5% of the furniture retailer’s stock, criticized its management and proposed replacing its entire board, including Kathwari.
Kristine Miller, one of Bergeron's six board nominees and eBay’s former chief strategy officer, is leading the CEO search. The group has already found potential candidates, according to Bergeron’s statement.
Ethan Allen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the move follows an interview with Bloomberg Television in which Kathwari defended his tenure, his age, the state of Ethan Allen’s stores, the decision to downplay e-commerce and other aspects of the retailer’s operations.
“Farooq Kathwari deserves a lot of credit for the company that he's been running for 38 years, but he's 82 years old,” Bergeron told Bloomberg. “Farooq has managed to lose market share in good markets, good housing markets and in bad housing markets.”
Kathwari responded that the board has never raised the idea of replacing him, and said he is “more active than somebody who is 30 years old.”
“I'm a mountain climber. I'm a sports person. I have a boat. I have a farm,” he said.
