December core consumer prices rose at a 2.6% annual rate, less than expected at CNBC. “Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the consumer price index showed a seasonally adjusted 0.2% gain on a monthly basis and 2.6% annually, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Both were 0.1 percentage point below expectations.” Read more

 

Target’s Stores Become an ICE Battleground in Hometown Minneapolis at WSJ. “…immigration officials detained two Target employees inside the vestibule of a suburban store late last week…Both are American citizens and were later released…Video of the incident quickly circulated, sparking an outcry on social-media and calls from local residents and politicians for Target to protect employees and customers from immigration agents patrolling its store lots. On Saturday, demonstrators protested outside the Richfield, Minn., store, demanding a response from Target and additional training for staff when interacting with immigration officials.” WSJ subs.

 

Aldi launches massive expansion with 180 new US stores at Fox Business. “…Aldi plans to open more than 180 stores by the end of 2026, pushing its total footprint to nearly 2,800 this year. Its goal is to operate about 3,200 stores by the end of 2028.” Read more

 

Taking a Cue From Labubus, Retailers Are Embracing Mystery Shopping at Bloomberg. “But as with any gamble, it doesn’t come without risk. Like the kid who receives a sweater instead of Legos for his birthday…And many of them air their grievances on social media. Le Creuset faced customers’ frustration after selling mystery boxes at an event in Hartford, Connecticut. One TikTok content creator, who identifies herself as Linda from Buffalo, posted multiple videos criticizing the brand for what she said were lower values of mystery box merchandise from the event.” Bloomberg subs.

 

CNBC/NRF: 2025 holiday sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 grew 4.1%…Total retail sales, excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations, were up 1.26% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 3.54% unadjusted year over year in December, according to the Retail Monitor.” Press release

 

Dollar Tree Appoints Daniel Delrosario as SVP of Investor Relations and Treasurer “Most recently, Mr. Delrosario served as Vice President of Investor Relations and Treasury at Burlington Stores, Inc….” Press release

 

Texas AG accuses major grocers of spraying pesticides on organic produce at KVUE ABC. “The attorney general’s office is looking into stores that use Produce Maxx, which is an EPA-registered antimicrobial pesticide.” Read more

 

H-E-B is deepening its Dallas-Fort Worth presence with Forney store at WFAA ABC

 

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Behind the Unraveling of Apple’s Credit-Card Partnership With Goldman Sachs at WSJ. “Heading into 2025, Goldman executives were hoping that Apple would make a decision on who would be the card issuer by around early March…That didn’t happen…At one point Apple was writing three separate contracts with JPMorgan, American Express and Synchrony…Apple pinged Capital One and said a deal was imminent but it had one last chance to get in…By May, Apple told JPMorgan that it was its preferred partner.” WSJ subs.

 

Wing’s drone delivery is coming to 150 more Walmarts at The Verge. “…including in four new cities: Los Angeles, St. Louis, Miami, and Cincinnati.” Read more

 

Ace Hardware Ranks No. 4 on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, No. 1 in Category for Fifth Straight Year Press release

 

Kroger Scales Generative AI Strategy with Google Cloud Press release

 

Google makes a big move into agentic commerce, raising questions about Amazon’s retail dominance at GeekWire. “UCP might not threaten Amazon’s logistics empire. But it could challenge the idea that shopping must begin inside Amazon’s app or website, said Maju Kuruvilla, CEO and founder of Seattle-based agentic commerce startup Spangle. “This doesn’t change Amazon’s core advantage — price, selection, and convenience,” Kuruvilla said. “This is more of an additional discovery channel.” Read more

 

Why Amazon bought Bee, an AI wearable at TechCrunch

 

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