1

The summer travel season is extending, likely fueled by ongoing workplace flexibility, according to Vacations Pass the Value Test: 2024 Deloitte Summer Travel Survey. U.S. summer trips scheduled to happen in September after Labor Day rose from 12% in 2022 to 17% this year.

2

Amazon will take advantage of its own logistics mastery to expand one- and two-day services into rural areas to enable more customers to receive packages faster through more-efficient warehouses, contracted drivers and local retailers.

FROM C+CT: National Retailers Aren’t Flying over Rural America Anymore

3

Pickleball’s popularity has reached beyond retail settings into the video game arena. The new PPA Pickleball Tour 2025 claims to be the first to feature the world’s best players in real PPA Tour venues.

4

“Summerween” is a thing now, as retailers like Costco and Michaels promote and stock Halloween, back-to-school and holiday merchandise earlier than ever to get consumers to spend more.

5

Chinese retailer Pop Mart, known for its pop culture toys and figurines, drew hundreds to the opening of its first store in San Francisco, at Stonestown Galleria, where shoppers waited overnight to score exclusive merchandise.

6

Footfall at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s flagship U.S. properties increased 5.1% year over year in the first half of the year. Experiential tenant sales rose 15.2%, food-and-beverage tenant sales jumped 7.4% and sport tenant sales increased 12.6%.

7

Some Texas supermarkets, including H-E-B, are using self-sufficient generators called microgrids that run on natural gas to help them stay open when natural disasters and other events cause the grid to fail.

8

Furniture retailer Raymour & Flanigan will backfill the former Bonton department store space at Park City Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

9

A year after closing its menswear-focused store on Bleecker Street in New York City, J.Crew opened a 3,800-square-foot menswear store in New York City’s NoHo.

10

L.L.Bean will open a store this fall in the former Bed Bath & Beyond at Brookside Plaza in Enfield, Connecticut.

11

Krispy Kreme sold the Insomnia Cookies chain to private equity firms that want to grow it from 295 to 1,800 stores.

12

Cosmetics maven Bobbi Brown opened a sixth store for her growing makeup brand Jones Road in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

13

Indoor sports facility operator Socceroof, which has locations in other New York City boroughs, will open its first Manhattan unit, a 20,000-square-foot space at the 28 Liberty office tower in the Financial District, alongside a 13,000-square-foot Court 16 pickleball and tennis club.

14

To anchor the next phase of Centennial Yards Atlanta, immersive entertainment company Cosm will create a 70,000-square-foot, three-level venue where visitors can experience sports and other events surrounded by a dome-like display that makes them feel like they’re part of the action.

15

Long wait times, difficulties filling prescriptions and other customer satisfactions issues are causing brick-and-mortar pharmacies to lose ground to mail-order competitors, according to Drug Store News’ coverage of a J.D. Power U.S. Pharmacy Study.

16

After sales at its U.S. stores that had been open at least one year declined by 2% year over in the second quarter, Starbucks aims to boost membership in its loyalty program.