August 18, 2025

  • U.S. consumer sentiment dipped slightly in August, falling by about 5% thus far. This represents the first time in four months that consumer sentiment has fallen in the United States (via University of Michigan).
  • Dick’s Sporting Goods announced the launch of an in-house film production capability. Cookie Jar & a Dream Studios will tell “powerful, human-centered stories through the lens of sport,” per the retailer (via Chain Store Age).
  • Made In cookware is expanding its reach via a partnership with Crate and Barrel. The move comes after a long credibility-building campaign leveraging pro chefs and social media content (via Forbes).
  • Tesla promises that its long-awaited Model Y L is “coming soon,” sharing a sneak peek at the six-seater on Chinese social media platform Weibo (via Reuters).
  • Instacart has initiated a ’90s-inspired promotion in conjunction with rock band Third Eye Blind. On Sept. 4, the band will play Terminal 5 in NYC, with the event venue and vendors on-hand being curated by Instacart (via Chain Store Age).
  • Walmart and Target engaged in significant front-loading to get ahead of tariffs, according to ImportGenius data. The front-loading of containers nearly doubled the growth of the pre-pandemic period (via CNBC).
  • Pawn shops are being targeted by parents as back-to-school shopping destinations. On a related note, pawn shops are seeing a surge of customers pawning gold as the precious metal hovers near all-time highs (via CNN Business).
  • Can-Am‘s latest ATV, the Outlander Electric, offers up to 47 horsepower and 53 lb-ft of torque. The equates to about 1,830 pounds of towing capacity, more than any existing all-terrain vehicle (via Engadget).
  • Ace Hardware has initiated its own retail media network (RMN). RedVest Media will be launched in partnership with Epsilon Retail Media (via Chain Store Age).