#retail

#retail

This year's survey reveals a significant decline in the use of credit cards, from 14.2% of transactions to 12.6%. With higher interest rates making credit cards a more expensive way to shop, consumers turned to debit cards where usage increased from 62.0% to 64.0% of transactions. As the cost of living crisis eased, some customers returned to old habits. The weekly shop showed signs of a comeback with consumers making fewer but larger transactions.

Costco launched Kirkland Signature in 1995 to consolidate its private labels and reduce consumer confusion. Today, the brand is a money-generating machine that, according to The Wall Street Journal, made about $86 billion in the financial year 2023-24. For context, Costco reported a total revenue of $254 billion in the 52 weeks ending September 1, 2024. The figure is also a whopping $40 billion more than what Nike earned in the year leading up to May 2025.

If the S&P 500 finishes the day at a record, it would mark the latest time the U.S. stock market has powered past what appeared to be a debilitating set of worries. Most recently, those concerns centered on what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates, whether too many dollars are flowing into artificial-intelligence technology, and if sharp drops for cryptocurrencies would bleed over into other markets.

These appointments represent a dynamic next step for The Vitamin Shoppe as we continue building out a high-performance organization aligned with our bold growth ambitions,

The U.S. stock market is drifting near its record levels on Wednesday following mixed reactions to profit reports from Macy's, Marvell Technologies, and other companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and pulled within 0.7% of its all-time high set in late October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 174 points, or 0.6%, as of 11:50 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged.

There was a time - not so long ago, though it already feels sepia-tinted - when London was the sort of place that tourists arrived in with stars in their eyes and left with shopping bags cutting off circulation at the fingers. Harrods bags, Selfridges bags, Mulberry bags, the bright yellow of Fortnum's peeking out of a suitcase being sat on in a hotel lobby. Europe's favourite grown-up playground; Manhattan's chic transatlantic sibling; Tokyo's idea of European swagger with better tailoring and more chaotic restaurants.

"Our organization has become slow and inefficient," Heaf said. "Unnecessary complexity has reduced our speed and dampened our innovation."

Millions of pounds a month are lost by UK shops and businesses because they are not accessible to people with disabilities, according to an awareness campaign. Purple Tuesday, which says a "mindset change" is needed, is urging retailers to consider new ways of improving inclusion such as adapting sensory experiences for neurodivergent people. Some 16 million people in the UK have a disability, and 90% of disabled people found their shopping experience was affected by a lack of accessibility, according to the Business Disability Forum.

The newly renovated Cartier flagship in Miami's Design District stands at 147 NE 39th Street, its new facade conceived by Diller Scofidio and Renfro, and comprehensive renovation and interior design by Laura Gonzales. The building's undulating glass carries a rhythm that catches the changing light and suggests a sense of motion. Across the curved surface, a delicate pattern has been translated from a 1909 Cartier brooch. It appears and disappears with each shift in sun or shadow, softening the boundary between interior and exterior.

Boasting the rodeo-ready title of the largest Western retailer in the United States, Boot Barn beat Wall Street expectations in its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday. The company reported a net sales of $505.4 million, a 18.7% increase from a year prior. Boot Barn's share price has increased by more than 50% over the past 12 months, and is up over 27% year-to-date.

Due to market dynamics in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, we shared with our team today that we are proposing to close all company-operated Gap Specialty and Gap Outlet stores in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in a phased manner from the end of August through the end of September 2021. We are thoughtfully moving through the consultation process with our European team, and we will provide support and transition assistance for our colleagues as we look to wind down stores.

There have been times in all of our careers where we've been passed up, or we didn't get that next role when we felt like we were ready for it,

Fashion accessories chain Claire's is to sell all their 156 shops to WH Smith owner to investment firm Modella Capital. Administrator's have warned that the future of 145 remaining shops and around 1,000 staff's future remains uncertain. The majority of Claire's assets have been sold to Modella Capital including 1,000 workers across England and Ireland administrators at Interpath said.

If you spent the week doomscrolling #RaptureTok and wondering whether to leave your houseplants a goodbye note, good news: the end times did not arrive on Tuesday. What did show up, however, were a bunch of very earthly headlines. One very famous network host is back (though not on every station-because why make anything simple in 2025?). Housing kept playing hot-and-cold depending on your ZIP code, retail nostalgia made a crafty comeback, and beverage brands learned that promising better guts requires better evidence.

"I wanted my clothes to fit better, and so my own butt was the inspiration," Blakely said during Fortune's 2013 Most Powerful Women Summit. "I might be the only woman in the world grateful to my cellulite."

The car-free This is Oxford Street event will mean the street will be closed to all traffic from Orchard Street to Oxford Circus. This will allow the road surface to be used for art installations, a children's literary festival, an urban forest, sports pitches, chill out zones, live performances and food and drink stalls. Prominent retailers are backing the event, including Schuh, Holland & Barrett, Topshop, John Lewis and The Body Shop, which will each host interactive events.

Nordics recovery continues to pick up pace

Macy's is coming up for air, topping earnings estimates and delivering the best comparable sales jump in 12 consecutive quarters. With $4.8 billion in net sales, the retail company exceeded the company's guidance, raising its full-year financial guidance after cutting it earlier this year, the company announced in its second quarter earnings report. In addition to is namesake brand, Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury, both owned by Macy's, also saw comparable sales growth for a 4th and 18th consecutive quarter respectively.

Monday, September 1, 2025, is Labor Day, which is one of 12 official federal holidays in the United States. The day is observed on the first Monday of every September. Labor Day celebrates the labor movement in the United States and the contributions that workers of all stripes make to the country, to companies, and to the economy. It recognizes that America would not be the economic powerhouse that it is without the average worker.