European Postal Services Halt U.S. Shipments 📦

Walmart posted a strong second quarter, with profits rising to $7.03 billion and sales climbing nearly 5% to $177.4 billion, as cost-conscious shoppers turned to the retail giant for groceries and essentials.

Despite pressures from U.S. tariffs, the company also raised its full-year sales and profit outlook. Walmart said it rolled out over 7,400 price rollbacks last quarter to keep customers coming back, even as it braces for further import cost increases in the months ahead.

👏🏻 Wonderful Walmart: The company’s net income surged from $4.5 billion to $7.03 billion year-over-year, driven by solid grocery and health category performance. U.S. comparable sales rose 4.6%.

🌎 Global Growth: Global e-commerce sales climbed 25%, accelerating from 22% growth in Q1.

🛒 Rapid Fulfillment: Walmart said about one in three deliveries from its U.S. stores in recent weeks were for orders needing delivery within three hours, and impressively, 20% of those reached customers in under 30 minutes.

Multiple European postal services have suspended merchandise shipments to the U.S. after the expiration of the de minimis exemption, which previously allowed packages under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. The change—part of the Trump administration’s broader tariff crackdown—is causing widespread disruption and uncertainty for cross-border e-commerce.

⏸️ Postal Pause: Postal operators in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy paused shipments effective August 23, while France, Austria, and the UK are following suit in the days ahead.

❌ No Clarity: DHL, Europe’s largest parcel handler, also announced it would stop accepting business shipments containing goods for the U.S., citing a lack of clarity from U.S. Customs.

📋 Long list: Thailand has temporarily halted all international parcel shipments to the U.S., while South Korea, Singapore, and New Zealand have suspended most outbound deliveries. India has restricted U.S.-bound shipments to only letters, documents, and gifts under $100. Australia Post has also paused transit shipping services, which route goods from other countries through Australia to the U.S.

Keurig Dr Pepper has announced a $15.7 billion (€18.4 billion) all-cash acquisition of Dutch coffee giant JDE Peet’s, marking one of the year’s largest food and beverage mergers. The deal represents a 20% premium to JDE Peet’s market value and sent its shares soaring 18%.

The newly merged company plans to split its coffee and beverage divisions into two separate businesses as it looks to expand its global coffee footprint across more than 100 countries. The two resulting companies, "Beverage Co." and "Global Coffee Co.", will be listed in the United States and led by Keurig CEO Tim Cofer and CFO Sudhanshu Priyadarshi, respectively.

The acquisition brings together powerhouse brands like Dr Pepper, Snapple, and Green Mountain Coffee with European stalwarts such as Jacobs, L’Or, Douwe Egberts, and Tassimo. Both companies have recently flagged rising costs due to high coffee bean prices.

Guess Inc. has agreed to be taken private in a $1.4 billion deal led by Authentic Brands Group, alongside Guess co-founders Maurice and Paul Marciano and CEO Carlos Alberini. The deal, which includes debt, will give Authentic a 51% stake in Guess’ intellectual property, with the rest retained by existing shareholders.

As part of the agreement, shareholders will receive $16.75 per share in cash — a 26% premium over the previous day’s close. The buyout aims to give Guess more flexibility to navigate a challenging retail landscape, following a 38% drop in share value over the past year.

The move follows a rejected $13-per-share offer from WHP Global in March and comes amid a broader wave of retail M&A, including recent deals involving Skechers, Foot Locker, and Dockers. The deal is expected to close in Q4 of fiscal 2026, pending regulatory approval.

Rental car giant Hertz is partnering with Amazon to sell used vehicles directly to consumers through the e-commerce giant’s automotive marketplace. The rollout begins with pickup points in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle, with expansion planned to 45 locations across the U.S. This marks a strategic pivot for Hertz, which typically sells most of its decommissioned rental fleet through auctions or to dealers.

By going direct-to-consumer online, Hertz aims to tap into higher-margin sales—netting an additional $1,000 to $1,500 per car, according to analysts. The company is also ramping up digital offerings, including expanded “try before you buy” programs and listings on platforms like Carvana and Autotrader.

Amazon, meanwhile, has been inching further into auto retail, recently listing new Hyundai vehicles and now used cars through third-party dealers and partners like Hertz. The collaboration could reshape the used car buying experience by bringing it into the familiar Amazon ecosystem.

Bed Bath & Beyond is officially back from bankruptcy and plans to open 300 new stores across the U.S. over the next two years—but none will be in California. Executive chairman Marcus Lemonis said the decision to skip the state is a business call, not a political one, citing California’s “overregulated, expensive, and risky” environment.

The company, now renamed Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc., has just launched its first new store in Nashville and will leverage its partnership with Kirkland’s (recently rebranded as The Brand House Collective) to manage retail operations. Together, the companies will rebrand existing Kirkland’s Home stores into Bed Bath & Beyond Home outlets.

The new rollout comes after Beyond Inc. (formerly Overstock.com) acquired BB&B’s intellectual property in 2023.

The U.S. beauty industry generated $50.6 billion in sales during the first half of 2025, with both mass and prestige segments growing amid a shift in consumer behavior, according to Circana. Shoppers are increasingly blending categories — buying more affordable prestige items and premium versions of mass products — as they search for value and efficacy.

Fragrance and hair care were standout categories. Mass fragrance sales surged 17%, while prestige gained 6%, driven largely by new launches and mini-size products. Hair products in both segments posted solid gains, especially in prestige, where all subcategories grew.

Meanwhile, skincare saw a divergence: mass skincare rose 4%, but prestige fell 1% due to weaker facial care sales in physical stores. In makeup, growth was minimal, with lip products — particularly liners and mascaras — being the few bright spots across both channels.

Chinese toy maker Pop Mart reported a staggering 400% surge in net profit, driven by global demand for its flagship “Labubu” doll line. CEO Wang Ning said the company is on track to hit $4.18 billion in revenue this year — well above its initial 20 billion yuan ($2.78 billion) target.

The company is now planning aggressive international expansion, including 10 new U.S. store openings by year-end and deeper forays into the Middle East, Central Europe, and Latin America.

In the first half of 2025, Pop Mart’s “The Monsters” series alone raked in nearly $670 million, accounting for over a third of total revenue. Other top-performing lines like “Molly” and “Crybaby” also crossed the $140 million mark.

Coca-Cola is exploring a potential sale of its British coffee chain Costa, which it acquired in 2018 for over $5 billion, according to Reuters.

The soft drinks giant has hired investment bank Lazard to evaluate options, and has reportedly begun early talks with select private equity bidders, though a deal is not guaranteed.

CEO James Quincey recently acknowledged Costa’s underperformance, suggesting Coca-Cola is rethinking its strategy in the coffee category. The potential divestment comes amid a broader wave of food and beverage dealmaking and evolving consumer preferences for healthier products, especially in the U.S., where Coca-Cola has agreed to switch to real cane sugar under a new health initiative.

Private equity firm Ames Watson has agreed to acquire Claire’s North America operations in a $140 million deal, halting the retailer’s planned liquidation and mass store closures. The agreement—disclosed in U.S. court filings—includes $104 million in cash, a $36 million seller note, and the assumption of liabilities like rent and payroll.

Claire’s, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, had warned it could close all 1,500 stores in the North American region after announcing plans to shutter 700 locations. The deal secures at least 795 stores, with potential expansion to 950, and preserves most in-store and headquarters jobs.

The acquisition allows Claire’s to fully repay its asset-based loan and gives Ames Watson—known for investments in Lids, Champion, and Fanatics—a new retail turnaround project.

Pattern Inc., one of the largest third-party sellers on Amazon’s U.S. marketplace, is preparing to file for an IPO before September, aiming to raise around $400 million, according to news reports. The Utah-based firm has hired Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Evercore, and Jefferies to lead the offering.

Founded in 2013, Pattern built its business helping brands manage inventory, fulfillment, marketing, and logistics across platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Macy’s. It last raised $225 million in 2021 in a Knox Lane-led round, which valued the company at roughly $2 billion.

The IPO move follows a strong first half of 2025, during which Pattern reported a 35% jump in revenue to $1.14 billion and net income of $47 million — up from $841 million and $35 million, respectively, a year earlier. More than 90% of its revenue last year came from consumer product sales on Amazon.

H&M has launched its first physical store in Brazil, marking a major step in its Latin American expansion strategy. The store, located in an upscale shopping mall in São Paulo, focuses on women’s fashion, with a second store set to offer a broader range of products, including men's and children's wear.

The Swedish fast-fashion giant has also begun producing select items—like shoes, beachwear, and jeans—locally, aiming to scale domestic manufacturing over time. H&M executives emphasized that their pricing strategy will remain “inclusive,” while competing with both local brands and global players like Shein.

The company is operating a 25,000-square-meter distribution center in Minas Gerais, with expansion capacity up to 40,000 square meters, to support both brick-and-mortar and online operations.