November 27, 2025

  • Bath & Body Works is launching a “comprehensive transformation plan” in order to bolster business following a less-than-stellar Q3 and sluggish start to its fourth quarter. The turnaround effort also includes plans to partner with Amazon, and expand into wholesale channels, to capture more market share. “Unnecessary complexity has reduced our speed, dampened our innovation, and we prioritized efforts that were not targeted to acquiring a new and younger consumer. Unlocking the next phase of growth requires decisive action,” said CEO Daniel Heaf (via Chain Store Age).
  • Puma shares trended upward in value by as much as 16% in early morning trading Nov. 27, with the increase being attributed to news that China’s Anta Sports — among other potential buyers — was considering purchasing the brand. Puma has been struggling with sales as of late, with share prices hitting their lowest point in more than a decade earlier this month (via CNBC).
  • Apple is expected to top Samsung in terms of smartphones shipped for the first time in more than 10 years, largely on the back of growing demand for its latest iPhone 17 product lineup. “Consumers who purchased smartphones during the COVID-19 boom are now entering their upgrade phase. Furthermore, 358 million second-hand iPhones were sold between 2023 and Q2 2025. These users are also likely to upgrade to a new iPhone in the coming years,” said senior analyst Yang Wang (via FOX Business).
  • Retail vacancy rates are expected to increase during the first half of 2026, according to CoStar data. And while retail construction starts have fallen off as costs continue to rise, store closures remain relatively elevated. “The U.S. retail market entered the final quarter of 2025 on firmer footing, following a turbulent first half marked by elevated store closures and negative net absorption,” said Brandon Svec, national director of retail analytics at CoStar Group (via Chain Store Age).
  • Campbell’s has dismissed former exec Martin Bally following the reveal of alleged remarks he had made referencing both the poor quality of Campbell’s products as well as the lower socioeconomic status of the brand’s consumers. “The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused. This behavior does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances,” the company stated (via Business Insider).