The Week In News, But Shorter
June 30 – July 6, 2025

Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend for our readers in the U.S.—July 4 on a Friday doesn’t come around often, and we’re all for a little extra summer reset! But now that we’re back at it, here are the stories we’re watching this week across retail, real estate, and everything in between.

The customer journey is being rewritten in real time—and AI is holding the pen. This week, Google launched Doppl, an app that creates an AI-generated version of you to virtually try on clothes. Mango debuted its own AI stylist, offering shoppers curated outfits tailored to mood, occasion, and personal style. These tools aren’t just about efficiency—they’re about reimagining how people discover, explore, and connect with brands. Is this the final shape of the shopping experience? Definitely not. But what’s clear is that AI is opening doors to new kinds of engagement—ones that blend personalization, play, and convenience in ways we haven’t seen before. Some ideas will stick, others won’t. But staying on the sidelines isn’t an option. Let’s talk about how your spaces can support what’s next—even if we’re still figuring out exactly what that is. Find us over on LinkedIn.

While the virtual shopping journey evolves, physical retail remains as important as ever. Dossier, an online only fragrance shop opened its first storefront, Staples leaned further into service-based foot traffic, and Wegmans tested smart carts to reimagine the grocery run.

Digital Meets Physical

Google’s new AI app Doppl lets you try on outfits virtually [Engadget] Google Labs is making virtual outfit try ons available to all with a new experimental AI app called Doppl, the company announced in a blog post. You can upload a photo of yourself and any outfit to see how it will look on you and can even create an AI-generated video of yourself and the clothing in motion.

Online fragrance house Dossier opens its first physical store [Chain Store Age] Dossier, which describes itself as the perfume house for the “next generation,” has opened its first-ever brick and mortar location.

How Staples is angling for ‘new relevance’ with services on top of office supplies [ModernRetail] Rather than pens and computer paper, business retailer Staples these days derives foot traffic from its services like printing, shipping and passports. Most recently, that includes a pilot with Verizon to sell phones and devices in-store, plus business-specific services like internet and phone plans.

Amazon Is on the Cusp of Using More Robots Than Humans in Its Warehouses [The Wall Street Journal] The automation of Amazon.com facilities is approaching a new milestone: There will soon be as many robots as humans. The e-commerce giant has deployed more than one million robots in those workplaces. That is the most it has ever had and near the count of human workers at the facilities.

Wegmans tests smart carts [GroceryDive] Wegmans is testing smart carts from two providers at four stores in Upstate New York. The test at Wegmans Dewitt store in Syracuse is of Instacart’s smart carts, marking the grocer’s first deployment of Caper Carts.

How Investors Fell Back in Love With Fashion Tech [Business of Fashion] With the rise of AI, Silicon Valley is going all in on a new generation of startups that promise to radically change how products are made and sold. This time, they’re backing founders with tech chops and are more patient in helping them grow.

Mango Introduces AI-powered Stylist for Personalization [WWD] Mango, the Barcelona-based global fashion chain, is broadening its use of AI with the launch of “Mango Stylist,” a virtual fashion assistant for shoppers. The tool, powered by generative artificial intelligence, is designed to make shopping the Mango website easier, faster and more personalized.

PropTalk

Simon Pays $512M for Remaining Stake in Miami Mall [Commercial Property Executive] Simon Property Group Inc. has acquired the remaining interest in the 500,000-square-foot retail and parking component of Brickell City Centre in Miami. Swire Properties Inc. sold the majority 75 percent stake in the property for $512 million, according to Yardi research data.

Amazon Offering Free Fulfillment Tours to the Public [Progressive Grocer] E-commerce giant Amazon is expanding its free in-person tours at fulfillment centers worldwide. Amazon Tours allows customers to go behind the scenes to meet associates and see the innovation behind the retailer’s delivery process.

Placer.ai: Back-to-school traffic expected to be strong [Chain Store Age] Retail traffic has remained steady this year, which bodes well for retailers ahead of back-to-school shopping. That’s according to a new report from Placer.ai, which found that overall retail traffic in 2025 has remained generally on par with 2024 levels.

Supply Chain 101: What Are Dark Stores and How Do They Work? [SupplyChain247] Dark stores have become a hot topic in retail and supply chain discussions as companies look for faster and more flexible ways to meet the surge in online orders. But what exactly are dark stores, and why are they playing an increasingly important role in modern supply chains?

Sephora Takes On Prime Day Shopping With Lyft Partnership [Forbes] Sephora U.S. announced its first-ever Delivered to Beauty activation, in partnership with Lyft Media, designed to deliver beauty consumers in select cities across the U.S. to Sephora’s free-standing locations for the ultimate beauty offerings, expertise, and shopping experience.