The Week In News, But Shorter
May 19 – 25, 2025

We hope our U.S.-based readers enjoyed a long Memorial Day Weekend!

AI isn’t just changing how people shop—it’s reshaping what retail spaces need to do. A recent Wall Street Journal piece spotlighted the rise of AI-powered shopping assistants, and it’s clear consumers are embracing tools that make buying smarter, faster, and more personal. That shift doesn’t just affect brands—it changes the game for landlords, too. If shoppers are showing up with algorithmic co-pilots, tenants will need environments that can keep up. Think: high-speed connectivity, modular layouts, and infrastructure that supports tech-first formats. In other words, yesterday’s “good bones” might not cut it. The takeaway? As retailers double down on AI and tech-enabled experiences, they’ll prioritize locations that can keep pace. Properties that don’t evolve may find themselves slipping off the shortlist.

In case you missed our LinkedIn post, we recently got back from ICSC where David joined a panel discussion exploring alternative revenue streams for retail property owners, and where we met so many friends old and new. Did we have a missed connection there? Send us a message and let’s chat! In the meantime, check out the other top headlines from the week below.

Digital Meets Physical

Google will let you ‘try on’ clothes with AI [The Verge] Google is taking its virtual try-on feature to a new level. Instead of seeing what a piece of clothing might look like on a wide range of models, it’s now testing a feature that lets you upload a photo of yourself to see how it might look on you.

How Amazon manages drone deliveries [Chain Store Age] Amazon is now providing drone-based delivery of more than 60,000 items to customers in eligible areas. The online giant, which recently received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to deliver several new categories of items let customers select the drone delivery option when they check out if they are in an eligible area and the item in their cart is five pounds or less.

Roblox brings the mall to the metaverse, and vice versa [RetailDive] Roblox is further blurring the line between digital and physical worlds with new capabilities that will enable creators to sell physical items through the gaming platform and for items purchased in the real world to unlock value in the digital space. Creators and brands can now add physical goods for purchase within existing virtual stores through a partnership with Shopify, where products previously had only been available for digital avatars.

Meet My Favorite Shopping Companion Ever: AI [The Wall Street Journal] I now have access to the always-on, always-informed, always-enthusiastic shopping support that I have long dreamed about. AI is there to make sure I buy the right stuff, and it never complains that its feet are tired. Artificial-intelligence tools have transformed my shopping experience—making it (with a few tweaks and a few caveats) more fun, focused and efficient.

David’s Bridal Debuts New Tech-Driven Store Format [Retail Touchpoints] David’s Bridal is leveraging a range of technologies in its new “Diamonds & Pearls” store format, including interactive touchscreens powered by Shopify POS that provide shoppers with “endless aisle” access to David’s full inventory.

Wingstop’s Smart Kitchen Slashes Wait Times, Lifts Satisfaction, and Could Be Key to Driving $3M AUV [QSR] For years, the fast casual has sought to grow its awareness. Compared to similarly sized national brands, there’s an over 20 percent gap. Even with same-store sales growing by almost 40 percent over the past two years, Wingstop has only moved awareness by a few percentage points. Meaning, as much as the chain has expanded the opportunity ahead is still significant.

Urban Outfitters’ in-store experiential concept goes after Gen Z — first with Nike [RetailDive] Urban Outfitters announced a new store concept dubbed On Rotation. Featuring “lounge-style” in-store installations, the retailer is partnering with brands to foster discovery, specifically for Gen Z. Nike is the first On Rotation partner. A curated assortment of over 150 apparel and footwear items from the brand will be in-store and online. Future partnerships will focus on fashion, lifestyle and design.

PropTalk

Wayfair to Enter NYC Market with 2027 Large-Format Store Opening in Yonkers [Retail Touchpoints] Wayfair will seek to replicate the success of its first large-format store, which opened in May 2024 in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Ill., with a new 114,000-square-foot location in Yonkers, N.Y., scheduled to open in early 2027. In March 2025 Wayfair announced that its second large-format store would open in Atlanta in 2026.

Target is heading to small towns across America. They’ve been waiting [ModernRetail] Target’s list of upcoming store openings on its website — which doesn’t specify when each store will open — includes a range of towns quite far from dense areas, from Chubbuck, Idaho, to Indian Land, South Carolina. For some, it’s their first Target store.

Retail’s Looming Inventory Problem [Business of Fashion] As of Monday, brands were able to immediately resume production they had halted in the wake of Trump’s 145 percent tariffs on Chinese-made goods. But their supply challenges are far from over. The risks are high: Play it too safe and miss out on sales, or overestimate demand and drag down profits with an inventory glut.

JLL’s new formula for mixed-use properties [Chain Store Age] In the latter half of the 20th Century, top retail brands left bustling downtowns and took up shop in mega-malls that drew demographically divergent customers from 10 to 20 miles away. Thriving mall developers were able to rely on building plans and tenant curations that worked as well in Boston or Los Angeles as they did in Grand Rapids or Knoxville.

Defying Industry Slump, New IKEA Stores Are Popping Up All Over. What Gives? [Forbes] Tariffs, inflation, and wary consumers have deflated the U.S. home furnishings business, but IKEA sees an opportunity to outflank the competition.