The Week In News, But Shorter
August 11 – 17, 2025

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

Technology outrunning human teams isn’t new, there’s always a fine line between riding the crest of innovation and getting pulled under by the next thing. AI is moving faster than anything we’ve seen, and as we noted in recent newsletters, the use cases are now too compelling to ignore. That speed creates pressure to adopt quickly, and as noted in this recent Propmodo article, skipping training and the human layer can backfire. When teams aren’t trained, tools sit idle, data loses credibility, and budgets get wasted. The question for owners and operators is simple, are you building training and integration into onboarding so the tech shows up in daily operations?

This week also gave us a reminder that slightly scary dolls can move real volume online and in stores, and that being the hottest topic can sometimes lift sales and other times depress foot traffic. In the same spirit of tension, some store-in-stores are winding down while new ones are just getting started. Follow us on LinkedIn for the running commentary and the items we’re watching next.

Digital Meets Physical

Dick’s Creates In-house Studio to Create Sports Films [WWD] Dick’s Sporting Goods is getting into the sports content business. The Pittsburgh-based retailer has launched Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios, an in-house content and production studio “dedicated to telling powerful, human-centered stories through the lens of sport,” the company said Thursday.

Amazon brings same-day perishable food delivery to 1K cities and towns [GroceryDive] Amazon has started offering same-day delivery of perishable groceries to customers in more than 1,000 cities and towns across the U.S., the retailer announced Wednesday. For Amazon Prime members, the service is free on orders of more than $25 and costs $2.99 for orders below that amount. Other shoppers can place an order for a $12.99 fee, with no order minimum.

Gen AI is coming for online checkout in seismic shift for internet shopping [CNBC] Use of generative AI such as ChatGPT for online checkout portends a seismic shift in online shopping. Gen AI search engine Perplexity recently signed a deal with PayPal to handle transactions inside its platform. Recent reports say OpenAI is working with partners including Shopify on checkout technology, though it has not confirmed the plans.

Over half of holiday shoppers plan to use AI to compare prices, search for products [RetailDive] Consumers are leveraging tech to shop this holiday season, according to a Klaviyo report. More than half of shoppers plan to use AI to compare prices, find products and get personalized recommendations during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend.

Inside Saks Global’s Personalization Strategy [Vogue Business] Saks Global details how it is using AI-enabled personalization—starting with the homepage—to tailor content based on shopper intent and behavior.

FAA Proposal Paves Way for BVLOS Drone Delivery at Scale [AP News] A new FAA proposal would simplify beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations, enabling operators like Zipline, Wing and Amazon to expand partnerships with retailers and delivery platforms in major metros.

How Instacart is upgrading smart carts to drive omnichannel shopping [GroceryDive] Instacart is finding that its Caper Carts smart carts are popular among consumers for an unexpected reason: having more control over their shopping budget.

How Digital Integration Is Reconfiguring Value Chains [Harvard Business Review] Advances in information technology have allowed companies to increasingly “unbundle” their operations and outsource discrete tasks to specialist firms. Now firms are pursuing that strategy on a much more intense—some might say transformative—level

Walmart starts selling Labubu, some for $200-plus, via StockX [ModernRetail] Walmart appears to be hopping on the Labubu hype train — through a partner known for previously broadening the retailer’s selection of rare sneakers. As of Monday, more than 50 Labubu dolls and other collectibles from Pop Mart’s The Monsters series appeared on Walmart’s third-party marketplace through sneaker platform StockX.

PropTalk

5 of Retail’s Most Impactful Deals in 2025 (H1) [Retail Dive] A concise review of the year’s deal flow so far, useful context for brand and landlord planning as consolidation and portfolio reshaping continue.

AI Is Changing Property Management Faster Than Most Teams Can Keep Up [Propmodo] Platforms like Yardi, MRI, and RealPage aren’t just adding features, they’re evolving monthly with AI agents, automation tools, and expansive integrations that touch everything from leasing to accounting to resident experience. The software is moving too fast, people can’t keep up. The real threat isn’t a lack of technology, but a lack of training.

JLL: Investment in retail real estate rose by 23% in 2025’s first half [Chain Store Age] The onslaught of store closures by the likes of Big Lots, Joann and Rite Aid had brands and real estate investors snapping up space at a quick pace in the first half of 2025. On average, new leases for vacated spaces were signed within seven months of closure — the shortest lag period in more than 20 years.

Simon Property Group Issuing $1.5B Of Senior Debt [Bisnow] Simon agreed to sell $1.5B in senior notes—$700M due 2030 at about 4.4% and $800M due 2035 at about 5.1%—and plans to use the proceeds to repay $1.1B of 3.5% notes maturing in September, which will lift interest costs versus the retiring debt.

The new American shopping mall is less Macy’s, more church, bowling, Barnes & Noble [CNBC] The bankruptcy of Claire’s is just the latest sign of how long-time retail mall anchors have fallen on hard times. But as mall tenants change, some are seeing as much as triple the revenue from former Sears or Macy’s locations from bookstores, grocery stores, and even churches that lease square footage. Visits to enclosed malls remain healthy, in part due to these new attractions.

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans campaign not ‘great’ for store traffic [Chain Store Age] Actress Sydney Sweeney’s controversial “great jeans” ad campaign from American Eagle sparked a brief surge in the company’s stock price and garnered lots of media attention. But the attention has not translated into a rise in store traffic. In fact, it’s been the opposite. For the week of Aug. 3 to Aug. 9, in-store visits to American Eagle were down 8.96% on year-over-year basis, according to retail analytics company Pass_by.

Stanton Optical Partners With Staples To Challenge Warby Parker’s Retail Expansion [Forbes] Stanton Optical and Warby Parker have long been on a quest to disrupt the optical retail market but operating in two distinct spheres – Stanton Optical in eyecare-focused retail and Warby Parker in online direct-to-consumer eyewear. But increasing their paths are converging into the hybrid space of in-store exams and affordable eyewear.

Ulta Beauty, Target to End Partnership [The Wall Street Journal] Ulta Beauty and Target are going their separate ways, four years after a partnership brought Ulta’s cosmetic products to Target’s stores and website. The companies said Thursday they have mutually agreed not to renew their affiliation when it ends in August 2026.