Columbia House, famous for its ads promising 12 CDs for a penny and similar deals on cassettes or records, will soon be ceasing operations. Reports suggest it had been making as much as $1.4 billion in revenue at its peak in the mid-1990s (more).

A recent survey indicates that the brands scoring highest marks with Gen Z shoppers are Apple, Nike, Costco, Adidas, Samsung, Amazon, Lululemon, and CeraVe. Starbucks, Uniqlo, Dove, and Walmart followed close behind in the Rival Technologies poll (more).

American companies such as General Motors, Nike, and Starbucks are losing a significant amount of ground in the Chinese market due to local competition, a struggle to attain cultural relevance, and broader geopolitical concerns (more).

Amazon has committed $500 million toward cloud and AI training for university students under a new program titled Student Rewards, via AWS Builder Center. Verified students gain access to credits, premium content, and certification vouchers (more).

Walmart raised its full-year guidance as a strong second-quarter report card saw results which topped Wall Street projections. In addition, Walmart is using its roughly ~$2.9 billion in tariff rebates largely to lower prices for consumers, with the impact of that move likely being felt throughout Q3 (more).