The Week In News, But Shorter
February 2 – 8, 2026

A Weekly PropTech Newsletter bringing you industry updates from across the real estate spectrum

Modern Retail called Walmart “basically a tech company” this week, pointing to its Nasdaq move and its push into e-commerce, ads, and AI. The headline isn’t surprising. Nearly every retailer is leaning into tech now. Still, it’s a useful reminder for mall owners: the right technology should do more than drive growth. It should make you a better partner for tenants. As a property owner or operator, that can mean investing in tech that supports anonymized footfall and attribution analytics, omnichannel fulfillment, and retail media placements with closed-loop reporting. Those are a few plays worth taking from Walmart’s book. If you’re unsure where to start, we can help you build a roadmap that makes your assets feel “basically a tech company” too.

This week several other retailers flexed their “tech company” muscles, including both a vitamin and a hardware store, while others continued to lean into the analog of it all and expand in the “real world.” Speaking of the real world, we also took note of the list of retailers with the most planned openings and closings. As we toggled between digital and analog, meet us on LinkedIn while we patiently wait for the next conference. Where should we plan to head next?

Digital Meets Physical

Walmart is basically a tech company now [ModernRetail] After building up fast-growing e-commerce and advertising businesses, moving its stock to the Nasdaq, and crossing $1 trillion in valuation, Walmart is starting to look a lot more like a big tech company.

Amazon in Talks to Invest Up to $50 Billion in OpenAI [The Wall Street Journal] Amazon.com is in talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI in what would be a giant bet on the hot AI startup. The ChatGPT maker is seeking up to $100 billion in new capital from investors, a round that could value it at as much as $830 billion.

Lowe’s tests AI voice agents to handle customer calls across all stores [RetailBrew] Last year, Lowe’s started testing an AI-enabled voice agent in all its stores that has helped free up staff for more face-to-face interaction.

The Vitamin Shoppe opens AI-enabled store in NYC [RetailDive] The Vitamin Shoppe has opened an Innovation Store in New York City’s Upper East Side. The location is the first to offer its Shoppe Advisor tool. With the touchscreen, AI-driven tool, customers can receive product information, view wellness articles and videos, and check in-store and online inventory.

Costco takes Instacart partnership to Europe, starting with France and Spain [DigitalCommerce360] The initial rollout includes delivery from all Costco locations in France and Spain. Costco members in both countries can place orders directly through the retailer’s websites. The companies then fulfill and deliver from the store to consumers’ doors.

PropTalk

The founders of Uber and Habitas want to disrupt your apartment [Fast Company] Travis Kalanick has partnered with Oliver Ripley, founder of the luxury hospitality company Habitas, to launch Sekra, a bid to tackle the massive multifamily housing market with a firm that will focus on building and managing upscale rental apartments.

Amazon’s bid for big-box glory has some locals concerned it’s just another warehouse [RetailBrew] What exactly is being proposed remains uncertain as the company said the still-unnamed retail project is a “new concept” still under development. While the village board has already approved a 230,000-square-foot building at the site, the experimental nature of the project—as well as Amazon’s dubious track record with physical stores—has left some residents worried about what kind of facility is coming into their community.

In Proptech, Overpricing Is Now an Issue [Commercial Observer] Venture capitalists and other investors spend much of their time attempting to price proptech companies. Results vary, but whether pricing an investment into a startup or a more mature company, concerns about overpricing may be more relevant than ever these days.

Simon To Spend $250M Upgrading 3 Malls, Promises More Retail Transformations [BisNow] Interior and exterior renovations will begin this year at The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Denver and International Plaza in Tampa. The projects are part of a broader redevelopment strategy, with executives looking to create value in its existing portfolio across 2026.

Goodwill plans 100 new stores for 2026 after hitting record revenue in 2025 [ModernRetail] Goodwill is charging ahead on growth plans for 2026, especially as it courts new donors, new customers and even new corporate partners. “We expect 2026 to be our biggest year yet,” Eagles said. To help with this goal, Goodwill is planning some 100 new locations for 2026, especially larger-format ones.

Construction Companies See Promise in AI Agents [The Wall Street Journal] Construction-software firms are selling AI-powered tools that can assist site managers and foremen with work like analyzing sites for potential safety violations—tasks AI models can accomplish by searching through and synthesizing large amounts of data. And they are laying groundwork for AI that can one day reproduce the knowledge of an experienced leader or skilled worker.

Here are the retailers with the most store openings and closures planned for 2026 [CNBC] Store closures in the U.S. are expected to fall to the lowest level in the past three years, as the retail industry moves beyond a major wave of bankruptcies. Dollar General, Aldi and Tractor Supply top the list of retailers with the most planned store openings this year, as value-focused retail continues to attract consumers.