October 9, 2025
- Lowe’s has completed its stated acquisition of Foundation Building Materials, a building materials distribution company boasting ~370 existing locations in the U.S. and Canada. The deal is reportedly worth approximately $8.8 billion (via Chain Store Age).
- Frontline retail workers are benefiting from the deployment of AI tech at the store level, UKG data suggests. Of the retail workers surveyed, those who were using AI in their operations were less likely to report burnout (41%) versus those who did not engage with the tech (54%) (via UKG).
- PepsiCo beat Wall Street projections tied to its Q3 revenue and profit metrics, with U.S.-based interest in its healthier drinks and core demand for its traditional inventory internationally being cited as bolstering sales (via Reuters).
- Ferrero North America is preparing to spend more than $100 million on ad campaigns tied to the Super Bowl and World Cup in 2026. The push comes as its parent company seeks to established a more expansive foothold stateside (via CNBC).
- Amazon is sticking with its own internal AI tool, Rufus, while Walmart and Target are buying in with ChatGPT. It remains to be seen which business move will be hailed as the “correct” choice (via Forbes).
- Love’s Travel Stops announced the creation of a “first-of-its-kind” RMN targeting professional drivers and everyday travelers. “We’re uniquely positioned at the intersection of mobility, loyalty and commerce. With our nationwide footprint and deep relationships with both professional drivers and travelers on the road, we can offer advertisers something no one else can – direct access to a high-volume, high-intent audience in motion,” said CMO Patrick McLean (via press release).