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 to Ikea’s falafel promotion to Bob’s Discount Furniture making its New York Stock Exchange debut, here’s our closeout for the week.
What you may have missed
Adidas opens first US soccer flagship
With the World Cup landing in North America this summer, Adidas last week opened its first soccer-focused flagship in the U.S., at New Jersey’s American Dream mall.
The store will offer athletic footwear, gear and lifestyle products like the Adidas Originals line, according to a press release from the shopping mall. The store will cater to both avid soccer fans and newcomers, and will offer the first 200 visitors an Adidas zine with exclusive content and other offerings. A grand opening is planned for Feb. 25 and will feature athlete appearances.
Adam Petrick, chief marketing officer of American Dream, expressed excitement at the debut of Adidas’ soccer-focused store concept, which the mall describes as an “immersive, soccer-driven retail experience.”
“This opening reinforces our commitment to bringing iconic brands and culturally relevant experiences to our guests, especially as the world turns its attention to the global game,” Petrick said in a statement.
American Dream plans to have a slate of World Cup-related programming throughout 2026.
Bob’s Discount Furniture makes its NYSE debut
Ahead of its public market debut, Bob’s Discount Furniture on Wednesday said it would price its initial public offering at $17 per share, which was on the lower end of its expected range of $17 to $19 per share.
Shares of the company’s common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.
Bob’s operates about 200 stores across 26 states as of Sept. 28, but sees the potential to run more than 500 stores by 2035, according to its S-1 filing.
Retail therapy
Ikea fala-falls for the Tiny Chef
Ikea and the “Tiny Chef” stop-annimation show are partnering on three episodes to celebrate the launch of the retailer’s falafel. The story finds the Tiny Chef visiting an Ikea store only to become an ambassador for the falafel balls. The collaboration is part of Ikea’s year-long “Cooking & Eating” initiative.
“[W]e have the privilege and responsibility to make healthier, sustainable food choices accessible and affordable for the many,” Lourido Gomez, global food manager at Ikea Retail Ingka Group, said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with Tiny Chef, showing people that plant-based eating should be joyful, creative, and full of flavour, not just better for the planet.”
The Tiny Chef episodes began releasing on Monday and can be found on Tiny Chef’s official channels, with promotion across Ikea’s social platforms in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany and Australia.
What we’re still thinking about
$1 trillion
Walmart Inc. hit a milestone on Tuesday by reaching a market value of over $1 trillion.
The mass retailer reached the value as its share price surpassed a little over $125, which was needed to hit a more than $1 trillion market cap. Walmart's share price traded at a high of $128.17 for the day, and it has maintained the record market cap since.
The move comes after Walmart transferred its listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq in December. Former CEO Doug McMillon at the time said this move helped reflect the retailer’s commitment to innovation and growth as a “tech-powered omnichannel retailer.”
What we’re watching
Consumers face most January job cuts, biggest dip in hiring since the Great Recession, Challenger says
The number of job cuts announced in the U.S. in January rose 118% year over year and 205% from December, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
The total of 108,435 is the highest for January since 2009 — the height of the Great Recession — and the highest for any month since October 2025, the firm said. This signals a “less-than-optimistic” outlook for the year, Chief Revenue Officer Andy Challenger said in a statement. Employers also announced the lowest total job openings for January since 2009 when Challenger started tracking hiring plans.
This could erode consumer spending this year, with Moody’s analysts noting the dependence on relatively stable wages and employment. Larger-than-usual tax refunds could lift spending at some point but “the long game still depends on the labor market,” Bank of America Institute analysts said earlier this month.
