The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC: February 7, 2025 edition

Welcome to The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights.

Target just officially unveiled a new “design-forward look” for its private-label Up&Up brand (styled as up&up), with a focus on clarity, durability and utility, Fast Company’s Hunter Schwarz reports. Three years in the making, the relaunch includes not only updates to branding and packaging, but also “reformulated products, reduced plastic usage and hundreds of new items,” Schwarz notes. Now with more vivid colors, a larger logo, improved ergonomics and durability, the new Up&Up packaging spans the label’s more than 2,000 products — from aluminum foil to diapers to a nighttime sleep aid.

Previously: “Target announces additions to its Up&Up line and launches Dealworthy,” from the Feb. 16, 2024 edition of The Week in Retail.

Ace Hardware just launched a new subscription service called Ace YardRx that’s designed “to deliver personalized yard care solutions directly to customers’ homes,” per a brand announcement. The new service utilizes local Ace “YardRx-perts,” who offer personalized yard-care plans based on customers’ region, grass type, yard size and preferences, with product recommendations for seeding, fertilizer, weed and insect control, and more. Customers can access the service and receive their own customized seasonal treatment plan — with products delivered free from a local Ace Hardware store — by entering their address in their Ace Rewards account online.

More commerce operations and expansions:

• “Kroger Health adds nutrition coaching to Kroger Plus loyalty program” (Drug Store News)
• “J.C. Penney launches business-to-business website for bulk orders” (Retail Dive)
• “Amazon lets business customers sell used goods in new partnership” (Chain Store Age)
• “Janie and Jack Aims to Become One-Stop Kids’ Shop with Addition of Third-Party Marketplace” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Tubi Brings Shoppable to the Super Bowl” (Adweek)
• “Albertsons Adds Valentine’s Day Items To Own Brands Assortment” (Store Brands)

That’s the amount that Walmart just paid in an all-cash transaction to buy Monroeville Mall near Pittsburgh from CBL Properties, per CNBC. Sitting on 186 acres, the mall currently includes tenants such as Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle and a Cinemark movie theater. CNBC notes that so far Walmart has declined to share its plans for the property.

More retail investments:

• “Beyond, Inc. Acquires BuyBuy Baby, Lays Out Tech-Focused Plan for Brand’s Future” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Simon Property Group turns to ‘B’ malls for growth” (Retail Dive)
• ICYMI: “Report: Rents are stabilizing, and retail expansion continues apace” (Chain Store Age)
• ICYMI: “Shein marks $15M for product testing; to open polyester recycling hub” (Chain Store Age)

Allbirds just unveiled its latest innovation: M0.0NSHOT Zero, “world’s first net zero carbon shoe,” per a brand announcement. With a unisex style that combines Allbirds’ “minimalist design principles with regenerative farming practices,” M0.0NSHOT Zero was created using carbon-negative, regenerative wool from New Zealand’s Lake Hawea Station, a farm known for “sequestering more carbon than it emits” using practices such as native plantings and protecting regenerating forests. Allbirds is releasing a limited run of 500 pairs of the $200 shoe through its brick-and-mortar stores in New York, London, Dubai, Seoul and Tokyo.

Previously: “Allbirds partners with Uber Eats for on-demand shoe delivery,” from the Oct. 11, 2024 edition of this column.

Foot Locker just unveiled its first “reimagined” Kids Foot Locker in the Bronx borough of New York City, Retail Dive’s Cara Salpini reports. At 3,300 square feet of space, the location is 60% larger than the average kids’ location and is modeled off Foot Locker’s revamped 34th Street NYC flagship (which we covered in the Aug. 23, 2024 edition of this column). The new Kids Foot Locker includes “a communal try-on area with an activity table and smaller fixtures for young shoppers,” Salpini reports, as well as a sneaker customization area and a “Drop Zone” for showcasing upcoming releases.

Previously: “Foot Locker debuts revamped loyalty program following a successful pilot,” from the June 28 edition of The Week in Retail.

More brick-and-mortar news: “Build-A-Bear and Sanrio on Their First Licensed Retail Location” (License Global)

Brand partnerships and collabs:

• “Actress Gabrielle Union Curates IPSY’s February Icon Box for Black History Month” (Happi)
• “Shenseea named as first ambassador for hair brand The Mane Choice” (Cosmetics Business)
• “EBay, Willy Chavarria partner during Paris Men’s Fashion Week” (Fashion Dive)
• “Roc Nation and NFL Unveil First-Ever Super Bowl Collaboration” (Hypebeast)
• ICYMI: “Dick’s Sporting Goods Named Official Retailer for Texas Longhorns in Multi-Year Sponsorship Deal” (Footwear News)
• ICYMI: “Netflix expands toy business with ‘Stranger Things’ licensing deal” (Reuters)