News Briefs - Sep 4, 2026 | Chain Store Age

Twosome Place will open a 2,604-sq.-ft. location in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Va., outside of Washington D.C., marking its first location in the U.S. The cafe is expected to open in mid-October, and will feature 78 seats including outdoor seating.

chainstoreage.com

Costco August sales up 9,9% amid higher gas prices, digital growth

Costco Wholesale Corp. maintained momentum in August as its average worldwide transaction increased, boosted by higher gas prices.

chainstoreage.com

Lululemon reports tough quarter, slashes outlook

Heidi O’Neill has her work cut out for her as she takes the reins of Lululemon Athletica Inc.

chainstoreage.com

Petco loses millions due to loyalty program

When Petco Perks launched in Q2, “customer point redemption volumes far exceeded our initial projections,” CEO Joel Anderson said.

retaildive.com

Victoria's Secret momentum continues; stores remain 'heartbeat' of business

Victoria’s Secret & Co.’s turnaround continued to gain traction in the second quarter with broad-based growth across its business amid its fifth straight quarter of positive comparable sales growth.

chainstoreage.com

Bain & Co.: U.S. holiday sales to exceed $1T for first time

The new Bain & Company 2026 holiday forecast gives retailers a lot to be merry about.

chainstoreage.com

Why Halloween seems to come to stores earlier every year | NRF

Consumers are shopping earlier, planning further ahead and turning Halloween into a full season

nrf.com

The National Trust for Local News expands to Vermont with acquisition of five publications - Editor and Publisher

The National Trust for Local News is expanding to a fourth state with the acquisition of the Vermont Community Newspaper Group, a family of award-winning weekly newspapers and digital platforms coveri...

editorandpublisher.com

Saks, Neiman Marcus Try And Put A Fresh Foot Forward

Two months after exiting bankruptcy, the holding company consolidates marketing, hoping to turn the page on brand woes.

mediapost.com

Five Below Q2 sales soar; on track for 150 new stores; to enter Puerto Rico

Five Below delivered robust second-quarter results on both its top and bottom line as its value message continues to resonate with consumers.

chainstoreage.com

News Briefs - Sep 3, 2026 | Chain Store Age

Pop culture-influenced apparel and collectibles retailer Hot Topic is under new ownership.

chainstoreage.com

2 small town newspapers suspend operations

Two northern Kentucky newspapers have announced they have suspended operations as of the end of August. The Falmouth Outlook and its sister publication, the Bracken County News, are located about 40 m...

k105.com

MLive ending print editions of Flint Journal, Saginaw News and Bay City Times

MLive Media Group has announced the end of its print editions and home delivery of several mid-Michigan newspapers, citing 99% of its readership coming from digital platforms.

abc12.com

US newspaper circulations 2026: Villages Daily Sun is only one of 50 biggest print titles to see annual growth

Just one of the 50 largest audited newspapers in the US grew its average daily print circulation year on year to March 2026.

pressgazette.co.uk

Saturday Evening Post will stop printing after 205 years - Editor and Publisher

The magazine, famous for publishing Jack London stories and Norman Rockwell art, will continue online.

editorandpublisher.com

Ace Hardware on Track to Open 170 Stores in 2026 - Retail TouchPoints

Ace Hardware celebrated the opening of its 100th store in 2026 and is on pace to open more than 170 stores by the end of the year.

retailtouchpoints.com

J. Peterman appears to have folded

The quirky catalog retailer, made famous by “Seinfeld,” has stopped taking orders and faces allegations of violating Ohio consumer laws.

retaildive.com

News Briefs - Sep 2, 2026 | Chain Store Age

Sweetgreen is continuing its expansion by heading west.

chainstoreage.com

Sprouts names former Petco exec as its next CEO

There’s going to be a change at the top at Sprouts Farmers Market come the first day of its fiscal 2027 year.

chainstoreage.com

Brands Briefing: Fjällräven is going beyond Kånken backpacks as it builds stores in North America

Fjällräven is opening more stores in North America, including a new retail concept with its sister brands.

modernretail.co

Q2 2026’s restaurant winners and losers

Coffee is in, pizza is out, and some legacy QSR chains are struggling with much-needed turnarounds.

restaurantdive.com

Ad Market Continues World Cup-Related Surge, Expands 11.9% In July

As expected, the U.S. ad market continued to surge in July thanks to incremental spending related to the World Cup soccer/football tournament hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

mediapost.com

Data Reveals ChatGPT Ads Not Performing

Many agencies do not see the performance expected from ChatGPT Ads campaigns, despite OpenAI touting improved testing to target audiences.

mediapost.com

Marfa Stance to expand brick-and-mortar footprint — here's where

An international outwear brand is making its debut in the Midwest.

chainstoreage.com

Restaurant parent Woworks to open nearly 40 new locations by year's end

Restaurant company Woworks is touting the expansion of its healthy, customizable fast-casual dining brands nationwide.

chainstoreage.com

Study: The pharmacy retailers with the most satisfied customers are...

Customer satisfaction is a critical factor in driving return visits to a pharmacy.

chainstoreage.com

Abercrombie & Fitch in record Q2 sales; plans new store, remodels

Abercrombie & Fitch reported its 15th consecutive quarter of top-line growth on record second-quarter sales, and raised its full-year outlook

chainstoreage.com

Nuuly drives Urban Outfitters’ record second-quarter revenue

The subscription rental service increased its average active subscriber count by more than 30% and posted $179 million in net sales.

retaildive.com

GameStop preliminary Q2 results detail eBay investment

GameStop is expecting an increase in its second-quarter profit due to its investment in eBay,

chainstoreage.com

Tractor Supply Loses Top Executive

Kimberley Gardiner is exiting Tractor Supply after four years. She was CMO. Tractor Supply has added CMO responsibilities to Neil Tenzer's duties.

mediapost.com