July 17, 2025

  • 7-Eleven parent Seven & i’s deal with Alimentation Couche-Tard has fallen through. Alimentation Couche-Tard cited a lack of constructive engagement from the Japanese side of negotiations for the failure of the ~$47 billion buyout deal (via CNN Business).
  • U.S. retail sales rebounded by 0.6% in June, per Commerce Department figures, following a significant 0.9% fall in May. Spending increased across categories, most notably at car dealerships, which saw sales increase 1.2% last month (via CNN Business).
  • PepsiCo reported a Q2 earnings and revenue beat which saw shares trend upward in morning trading. EPS came in at $2.12 adjusted versus $2.03 expected, and revenue at $22.73 billion against $22.27 billion expected (via CNBC).
  • Walmart is planning to restructure a number of store support and training roles, per an internal memo. The market coordinator position is set to be erased, and training focus will be shifted to higher volume locations, with in-person training being prioritized (via Reuters).
  • Uber and Lucid, in partnership with autonomous vehicle tech startup Nuro, are working together to build a premium robotaxi service. The early details of the deal suggest Uber will invest $300 million in Lucid and separately buy at least 20,000 Gravity SUVs from the automaker (via TechCrunch).
  • Maverik is continuing its rebrand of Iowa and Nebraska Kum & Go c-stores apace. A total of eight stores in Nebraska are slated to have complete rebranding in the coming days, as well as 34 Iowa stores by mid-October (via C-Store Dive).
  • Coca-Cola could be reintroducing cane sugar in its U.S. beverages. According to a Truth Social post from President Trump, the company has agreed to do so, although details remain scarce (via FOX Business).
  • Little Caesars is expanding its Canadian operations via a partnership with North Sun Energy. A further 18 c-stores and gas stations under North Sun Energy will play host to Little Caesars in Canada’s northeast region (via Chain Store Age).
  • Copper prices are hitting record highs due to tariffs, and there may be no end in sight for the metal’s price hikes. “There isn’t really a good way for businesses or consumers to avoid these higher costs,” said analyst Brandon Parsons (via CNN Business).
  • Amazon Prime Day also scored wins on less obvious key metrics, per Pacvue data. The event saw YoY total brand average sales increase by 34% versus 2024, and total ad spend was up by 46%. Average daily sales fell 33%, attributed to the length of the sale, and average daily spend dipped 26% (via Chain Store Age).