Costco will open a total of 27 new stores this fiscal year, including 15 in the US, three relocations and the warehouse retailer's first stores in Sweden and New Zealand, which opened in the fiscal first quarter, Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti said. Also in the first quarter, Costco reported increased spending among affluent shoppers, reduced its excess inventory and booked same-store sales growth of 7.1%.

Lowe's is working to achieve growth by expanding its omnichannel presence, beefing up its product assortment and growing its base of professional customers, CEO Marvin Ellison said. The home improvement retailer plans to offer expanded installation services to entice millennials buying their first homes and baby boomers reconfiguring their homes.

Lululemon reported a 22% jump in third-quarter same-store sales from the year-ago period and beat sales and earnings forecasts. The workout wear retailer also kicked off the holiday shopping season with record Black Friday sales and shopper traffic, CEO Calvin McDonald said.

Walgreens will be hosting its virtual Localization Summit event to give diverse vendors an opportunity to showcase their products before the merchandising team, with the ultimate goal of establishing a supplier relationship with the retailer. "When our shelves reflect the communities we serve, we can better live out our purpose of more joyful lives through better health," said Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Luke Rauch.

Discount supermarkets and warehouse grocers like ALDI, Grocery Outlet and BJ's Wholesale Club saw increased foot traffic and significantly expanded their store footprints in 2022. ALDI especially upped its presence in the Southeast with new stores in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, while Grocery Outlet expanded in the East with locations in Pennsylvania and Maryland and BJ's opened its first Indiana store.

A collaborative collection with menswear brand Brooklyn Circus is one way Lee Jeans, which is owned by Kontoor Brands, is working to energize the brand and attract younger consumers. "It's really looking at the brand through a modern lens, but without losing sight of who we are, and what really makes the brand so strong and so iconic," said Chris Waldeck, Kontoor's co-chief operating officer.

Macy's has turned space in 35 of its stores into semi-automated distribution centers while Ulta Beauty is shipping orders from 116 of its stores, part of a growing trend of retailers using stores for online order fulfillment. The strategy allows retailers to serve customers from closer locations and take advantage of in-store stock without spending to build additional distribution centers.

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November ports are projected at 1.85 million TEU. Source: NRF/Hackett Associates Global Port Tracker.

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Restaurant Brands International faced a learning curve after it expanded Canadian chain Tim Hortons to the US and discovered that the large-scale approach it took at home wasn't quite right, RBI CEO Jose Cil said. Since then, the company has tailored its US approach with smaller stores and streamlined menus focused on coffee, breakfast sandwiches and baked goods.