The Week In News, But Shorter
August 17 – 23, 2026

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

Both Amazon and Uber announced expansion of their drone delivery programs – Amazon expanding to 500 cities, and Uber seeking to reach 1 million daily deliveries. Drones have been on our radar for quite some time now, and we’re curious to see if maybe we’ve finally reached the moment when these promises become realities. If these programs continue to grow, it will have implications for property owners, in the retail space and otherwise. How will your property need to evolve to accommodate drone pickup and drop off? The most successful properties need a plan in place now to ensure they don’t get left behind – in the near or distant future.

Also this week, how ecommerce and AI are impacting in-store sales, why the retail parking lot can be a source of both fear and revenue, and how rising construction costs and labor shortages are impacting retail development. As usual, we’re over on LinkedIn and hope you’ll follow us there in addition to these newsletters!

Digital Meets Physical

Walmart’s stores have ‘evolved’ as e-commerce grows [RetailDive] Walmart’s transactions and average ticket grew over 1% year over year for its U.S. business in the second quarter, with e-commerce sales growing 24%. E-commerce sales now represent over 23% of the company’s mix in Walmart U.S. — double what it was from five years ago.

Amazon to expand drone service to nearly 500 cities after targeting 1 million deliveries this year [CNBC] Amazon is planning to offer drone deliveries in nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns this year. The company has quietly expanded to more metro areas in recent months after receiving a key regulatory greenlight enabling longer-range deliveries.

David’s Bridal is using AI to say it’s not just about dress shopping [RetailBrew] David’s Bridal wants to do more than just introduce brides to a wedding dress; it wants to help manage all the stress that comes with planning a wedding. The legacy retailer known for its wedding gowns is using AI as a tool to help build the future of bridal retail for its core customer.

Uber seeks 1 million daily drone deliveries via Zipline partnership [Chain Store Age] Uber Technologies Inc. is making another investment in drone delivery and setting its sights on an aggressive ultrafast delivery goal. The parent company of the UberEats on-demand delivery platform is collaborating with Zipline, an American robotics company that designs, manufactures and operates what it says is the world’s largest autonomous delivery system, in an effort to scale drone delivery across the U.S.

Walmart equipping a store with Symbotic fulfillment system [Chain Store Age] Automation technology company Symbotic recently began installation of its first SymMicro system for e-commerce fulfillment in the back of a Walmart store, advancing a pact announced last year between the two companies.

Albertsons Says Its Shoppers Are Buying More thanks to AI [The Wall Street Journal] Average order value is higher for online shoppers when they use AI-powered online shopping assistants, helping the company nab a small win in the tricky world of AI economics.

IBM partners with OpenAI to bolster enterprise AI push [TechCrunch] OpenAI enlisted IBM to help with its integration among enterprise customers, opening another avenue for OpenAI to connect with some of the world’s largest companies through IBM’s global consulting business. It’s a reminder of how difficult many enterprises are finding L.L.M.s and agentic A.I. adoption.

PropTalk

America’s Largest Mall Tests Revenue From Underused Surface Parking [Propmodo] Mall of America will screen three drive-in movies in its North Lot between August and October, charging $25 per vehicle for up to six people. Movies at the Star will show Top Gun: Maverick, The Mighty Ducks, and Hocus Pocus on weekend evenings, with food trucks and pre-show entertainment included.

Survey: Consumers fear retail parking lots after dark [Chain Store Age] Retail center owners and operators have room for improvement when it comes to parking lot safety. That’s according to a new survey which revealed that more than half (52%) of American women, along with 41% of men, would avoid large, open-air retail parking lots after dark due to personal safety concerns.

Nike is quietly closing its localized neighborhood stores [RetailDive] Nike is quietly closing its neighborhood local stores across the country. Launched as Nike Live in 2018, the concept debuted in Los Angeles as a neighborhood-based, hyperlocalized format.

Walmart+ adds new in-store perks [RetailDive] Walmart added new in-store perks to its Walmart+ paid membership program. The mass retailer is letting members get 25 free 4×6 photo prints every month at the photo centers in Walmart stores. Members can also access a fee-free money service transaction at store Money Centers.

Preparing retail buildings for severe weather [Chain Store Age] Preparing for severe weather starts with identifying vulnerabilities before they become costly failures. Routine maintenance, business continuity planning, and employee preparedness can reduce property damage, minimize business interruption, and help stores reopen more quickly after a storm.

Retail construction hits record lows, making it hard to find space [ModernRetail] Retail construction completions fell to 5.7 million square feet in the second quarter, setting record lows for both quarterly and rolling four-quarter totals, according to CBRE. The commercial real estate firm cited rising construction costs and labor shortages.