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 At Home’s Halloween collections to Beyond Yoga’s high-sweat performance line, here’s our closeout for the week.
What you may have missed
At Home this week kicked off its 100-day countdown to Halloween by introducing five spooky collections: Western Hollow; Gothic Graveyard; Grim Gardens; Spellbound; and Happy Haunting.
“Thanks to cultural moments like Summerween, Halloween excitement begins even earlier,” Louie Higaki, vice president of merchandising at At Home, said in a statement. “We see our customers eager for Halloween as early as April, and they’re looking for more than decorations — they want products that reflect their personal style at fabulous value.”
The retailer’s festive assortment features more than 1,000 items, which it says is “more Halloween décor under one roof than any other brick-and-mortar retailer.”
Products range from tabletop decor and candles, to animatronics and outdoor decor. The collections are available at nearly 230 stores across 39 states, as well as on At Home’s website.
Beyond Yoga gets its glow on
Beyond Yoga, owned by Levi Strauss & Co., has launched a new line focused on high-sweat performance, per a company press release. Glowzone is intended to support high-intensity workouts while maintaining the brand’s “signature softness.”
Image courtesy of Beyond Yoga
The line includes moisture-wicking technology, four-way stretch and UPF 50 protection across a “coordinated system of fabrics and silhouettes.” Products span intensity levels and use cases, as well as sculpted and loose styles.
Among the items at launch are the high-waisted midi legging and biker short, medium impact bra and medium impact cropped tank, strappy cropped tank and hybrid straight leg pant. Glowzone went on sale Tuesday at Beyond Yoga stores, online and at select wholesale partners.
“Glowzone represents an exciting milestone for our brand and is the result of a highly collaborative development process,” Beyond Yoga CEO Nancy Green said in a statement. “Through ongoing customer feedback, wear testing, and iteration, our community helped shape every aspect of the line, allowing us to create one of our most technically advanced performance lines to date while staying true to the comfort, style, and softness that define Beyond Yoga.”
Retail therapy
Beer-flavored Cheez-It crackers for game day
Cheez-It debuted a limited edition Coors Light beer cheese-flavored cracker, according to a Wednesday press release. The collaborative snack is priced at $4.99 per box and will be available at retailers nationwide starting in August. It is the first time Cheez-It has partnered with a beer brand.
Image courtesy of Mars, Inc.
“Fans already love reaching for a cold Coors Light when they’re snacking on game day, so finding a way to bring our crisp, refreshing beer flavors to life in a real-deal beer cheese flavored snack just made sense,” Matt Carpenter, marketing vice president at Coors Family of Brands, said in a statement.
What we’re still thinking about
$1.00
That’s what Digital Brands Group wants to increase its per share stock price to so the company can continue to be in compliance with the Nasdaq. In order to do so, the company, which oversees such brands as Bailey 44, Stateside and Sundry, will enact a 1-for-40 reverse stock split, effective on Friday.
The result of the reverse stock split will reduce the number of shares of outstanding common stock from around 23 million shares to about 575,000, according to a company press release.
What we’re watching
Price worries return as fuel, tariffs spike again
Last month’s reprieve from rising prices may have come and gone. Consumers got a break in June as fuel costs fell and the Trump Administration’s tariff regime seemed to be indefinitely paused. And they went shopping, helping boost retail sales in the mostly discretionary categories covered by Retail Dive by more than 11%.
But consumers have been wary, with well over a third already waiting for markdowns before they buy, according to research from marketing analytics and outsourcing firm Big Chalk.
“If gas and related inflationary pressures do not stabilize in the next 90-120 days, gross household budgets will turn negative — which might erase the improving spending behaviors and exacerbate the negative ones,” Rick Miller, a partner at Big Chalk leading marketing effectiveness, said in emailed comments regarding the report.
It’s not looking good. In recent days, the U.S. issued a host of new levies, including on imports from Canada and Brazil. Then, supply chain disruptions related to the Iran war spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea, sending the price of oil over $100 per barrel, the highest in weeks. That day, the average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. once again topped $4, according to AAA’s tracker.
