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

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

Everyone is doing their best to make sense of the rapidly evolving world of generative and agentic AI in retail, and we see really smart thinking on the topic in the articles we cover each week. However beyond reading articles and doing our own deep research and analysis, we are also honored to have an established partnership with Coresight Research, a data-driven retail insights firm focused on accelerating innovation. This week some of their insights and takeaways were featured in articles below, so you too can benefit from their smarts. If you’re looking to benefit on a more regular basis however, let’s chat about our CoreRivet partnership and how it can give you a leg up.

Have you checked out LinkedIn this week? If not, you might have missed that we’ve welcomed Jameson Valone as a new Partner! Jameson brings 20 years of deep proptech experience and we are thrilled to welcome him on board – give him a welcome over on our post. And check out some of the other headlines from the week below including the ongoing confusion around tariffs, and a new AI assistant coming to fast food.

Digital Meets Physical

AI unleashed: The future of retail [Mass Market Retailers] For years, digital retail innovation followed a familiar arc. First came websites, then mobile apps, then personalization layers and retail media networks designed to influence shoppers once they arrived. In 2026, that entire sequence is being upended by a new force: artificial intelligence that doesn’t just recommend products, but actively shops on a consumer’s behalf.

Retail executives say gen AI will weaken brand loyalty [eMarketer] Ket Stat: 44% of retail executives worldwide expect gen AI to weaken brand loyalty by shifting consumer choice toward value and fit over brand recognition by 2026, according to a January report from Deloitte.

Walmart expands digital shelf labels to all US stores [RetailDive] After introducing digital shelf labels to about 2,300 locations, Walmart is expanding the technology to all of its locations. The system allows the retailer to easily update product prices, reduce errors and eliminate the need for paper labels.

Meta starts testing its AI shopping assistant [Engadget] Meta has started rolling out an experimental AI shopping tool to some users in the US. At the moment, it’s reportedly only showing up on desktop browsers when select users visit Meta AI on the web.

Tariff court ruling brings uncertainty, big questions for retail industry [Retail Customer Experience] The Supreme Court decision on Feb. 20 striking down the Trump administration’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose across-the-board tariffs is delivering certainty or uncertainty for the retail industry.

Burger King equips associates with ‘Patty’ AI voice assistant [Chain Store Age] A leading fast-food hamburger chain is bringing real-time, voice-enabled intelligence to its restaurant employees. Burger King said it is unveiling a new AI-based store operations platform called BK Assistant, which is designed to unify POS, kitchen equipment, inventory, and digital ordering into one command center.

PropTalk

Speed and Clarity Are The Next Steps for Target [StoreBrands] With Fiddelke in charge and making changes, the question now is what this will mean for Target in the near and long term. Store Brands spoke with Sujeet Naik, an analyst with Coresight Research, to gain insights into how the retailer’s new management will impact the company.

Exploring Bloomingdale’s 59th Street Flagship and Its Transformation [WWD] This is Bloomingdale’s moment. The upscale department store is riding a string of quarterly comparable-store gains, has stepped up investments in renovations, and is capitalizing on disruption in the industry.

Mickey Drexler Wants to Build the Antidote to Big American Retail [Vogue Business] Mickey Drexler’s storied retail career, with executive roles at companies like Ann Taylor, Gap Inc., and J.Crew, was defined by a bullish leadership style and a move-fast, get-results attitude that helped catapult those businesses into American retail mammoths. But when he joined Alex Mill as chairman in 2019 — the New York brand founded by his son, Alex, in 2012 — Mickey had to be patient.

Wayfair sets opening date for its second large-format store [Chain Store Age] Wayfair Inc. continues to expand in brick-and-mortar. The online home furnishings giant will open its second large-format Wayfair store on March 31, at The District at Howell Mill in Atlanta.

This obscure legal clause is holding back US malls. Simon Property Group got Saks Global to forfeit it. [RetailDive] At dozens of its properties, Simon Property Group has wriggled out of a situation plaguing traditional malls across America. According to the real estate investment trust’s CEO, at nearly 60 of its shopping centers it’s now free of legal provisions that allow anchor tenants to veto renovations large and small.

Study: Movie theater visits decreased 10% in 2025 [Chain Store Age] Movie theater visits are decreasing, although independently-operated theaters appear to be weathering the storm better than chains. New data from location intelligence provider Kalibrate reveals that U.S. movie theater visits fell by at least 10% year over year in 2025, comparing second- and third-quarter data from 2024 with the same periods last year.