Retail News

Nestle has signaled an exit from the ice cream business, indicating it was seeking to sell its remaining business to joint venture partner Froneri. In its full-year earnings, Nestle suggested a refocus on four core categories of coffee, nutrition, pet care, and snacks and beverages (via CNN Business).

Ace Hardware notched both record fourth-quarter and full-year revenue, with fiscal 2025 coming in at $10 billion and Q4 at $2.5 billion. Net income, however, for both of those time frames fell versus year-prior levels (via Chain Store Age).

Toyota’s new C-HR is drawing mixed reviews from analysts, with critics suggesting it’s fun to drive but not as practical as hoped. Positives include AWD, 338 horsepower, and a unique but aggressive design — but range concerns, space issues, and overall practicality counterbalanced the good news (via Edmunds).

Etsy shares rose after news that it had sold Depop to eBay for $1.2 billion. Claiming a return to its core business, and having bought Depop just five years ago for ~$1.62 billion, Etsy recommitted to its fundamental product offering in statements offered (via CNBC).

Walmart delivered strong Q4 results, but Wall Street was seemingly unimpressed by guidance. U.S. comp sales (excluding fuel) improved by 4.6%, and global e-comm business soared by 24%. However, guidance of 3.5%-4.5% net growth and operating income growth of 6%-8% did little to impress Wall Street, with the bar being set high (via Axios).

Big-ticket home items are taking a back seat to smaller purchases and home improvement repairs in 2026. Experts suggest that belt-tightening will continue this year, with discretionary spending in the home improvement category continuing to show weakness (via Chain Store Age).

Target, Walmart, and other retailers could soon hike prices by as much as 10%. Issues such as inflation, tariffs, and ongoing supply chain strains are largely the basis for these planned price increases, according to experts (via WWLP).

Buffalo Wild Wings may continue to call its boneless wings exactly that after a U.S. district judge dismissed a lawsuit over the matter. The plaintiff had alleged “[boneless wings are just] slices of chicken breast meat deep-fried like wings,” and had indicated that consumers, including himself, would balk at purchasing them if this was made plain (via FOX Business).

Ford has unveiled plans to release an EV truck at a much more affordable price point starting at $30,000. “It’s built around affordability to be able to make long-range electric vehicle travel affordable to more people,” said Ford’s skunkworks team lead Alan Clarke (via TechCrunch).

Amazon has shelved, at least temporarily, its Blue Jay warehouse robot implementation. Sources familiar with the matter cited high cost of deployment, implementation challenges, and complexities tied to manufacturing as instrumental in the decision (via Business Insider).