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On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of January. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Analyst Arielle Feger and Senior Analyst Sara Lebow will defend their list against Senior Analyst Zak Stambor and Analyst Rachel Wolff, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

鈥淭丑别 grocery landscape in North Texas is hyper-competitive, and Kroger is working hard to stand out.鈥�. This was originally featured in the Retail Daily newsletter. For more retail insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.

The pandemic was a turning point, as the platform became a go-to destination for groceries and agricultural products during lockdowns. This shift helped PDD shed its early reputation and gain traction in China's wealthy urban centers. Its numbers tell the story.

I just stood in back of someone writing a paper check the other day at the grocery store, so this isn't going to really disappear that quick.

The grocery delivery service sees the Big Game as an unmatched opportunity to boost brand recognition, notes CMO Laura Jones. After sitting out for three years, Taco Bell plans to make a Super Bowl splash with an interactive campaign that encourages customer participation.

Private labels make up nearly a quarter (23.8%) of total grocery units sold, according to July 2024 data from Numerator. While Aldi is the No. 1 private label retailer in the US, with private label representing 80% of its total units sold, Kroger鈥檚 Smart Way is the fastest-growing private label, increasing its unit volume 135% YoY, per Numerator.

While Amazon dominates, Walmart and Temu are growing faster, and more retailers across sectors鈥攆rom department stores to grocery to specialty retailers鈥攁re setting up their own marketplaces. As marketplaces compete for sellers, their operators will strive to provide customer data and tools that can drive sales. Mobile is critical to supporting cross-channel engagement.

Yeah, leaving my Walmart apartment to go to my Walmart grocery store to work at my Walmart job. Rachel Wolff (08:59):. The modern day company town. Sara Lebow (09:00):. Well, it almost makes sense when you think about post-COVID migration patterns. You have people moving out of cities into suburbs.

Groceries and snacks are at the bottom of the list, though 45% of consumers are still open to the idea. What it means: Consumers are generally ready to let AI do the hard work for them, especially when it comes to travel-related purchases. But for other categories, particularly food and medicine, they may want more control over the purchase process.

Food costs are projected to rise 1.6% following the recent measures, and overall by 2.8%, reflecting a full year鈥檚 worth of grocery inflation. Produce, in particular, is expected to see increases between 2.2% and 4.0%, underscoring the widespread impact on daily expenses. The 鈥淟iberation Day鈥� tariffs are sparking rapid, uneven shifts in global supply chains.

Amazon will need to become more competitive in these categories, particularly in perishable grocery deliveries and beauty. Amazon is losing share in certain categories as sales shift from low-cost to big-ticket items. Amazon鈥檚 home improvement sales benefited hugely from the DIY boom.

They鈥檙e thought of as a channel to drive sales to other parts of the business, such as to drugstores or grocery stores. Many are now finding it difficult to justify medical clinics as worthy investments given the broader headwinds their physical stores are facing. Retail clinics were a go-to destination for COVID-19-related services, such as tests and vaccines.

I need five meals out of five ingredients, and then create the grocery list. Jacob Bourne (02:25):. And I've heard that's actually a popular use case. It seems like a lot of people are using it that way with meal planning. Lauren Ashcraft (02:31):. It's really good to know. Rob Rubin (02:32):. Yeah, we have so much to cover today on this topic.

JD.com鈥檚 revenues rose 5.1% YoY, slightly ahead of expectations, which CEO Sandy Xu credited to the trade-in program鈥檚 success as well as strong demand for its supermarket offerings. The company鈥檚 retail business grew by a healthy 6.1% YoY, helped by an uptick in active customers and order frequency. By contrast, Alibaba鈥檚 domestic growth was tepid: Taobao and Tmall Group grew just 1% YoY.

In addition to a proposed ban on price gouging, the Vice President said she would heighten scrutiny of mergers like Kroger-Albertsons and Mars-Kellanova that could result in higher grocery prices.