This Week in Retail #112
Welcome to 2026: Why accountability, execution, and fundamentals now matter more than ever
Some upcoming retail centric events:
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - Jan. 6-9, Las Vegas, NV
NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show – Jan. 11-13, 2026, New York, NY
EuroShop 2026 – Feb. 22-26, 2026, Dusseldorf, Germany. Major international retail trade show with technology and store design innovations.
Shoptalk Luxe - Jan. 28-29, Abu Dhabi
Happy New Year TWIR fam! I’m excited to start this new year with you. If the past year brought clarity, this one is bringing accountability. The headlines we are walking into make one thing clear fast. Retail is done debating what might matter and is being judged on what actually works. From AI moving into the background as infrastructure, to brands expanding carefully, to legacy players running out of financial levers, this year is shaping up to reward discipline and expose weakness early.
2025 was the year AI stopped being theoretical in retail. Headlines were everywhere, but the most meaningful progress happened quietly. Retailers moved from pilots to production, using AI to improve pricing accuracy, demand forecasting, fraud prevention, customer service automation, and content generation. The conversation shifted from “Can this work?” to “Where does this actually move the needle?”
The key lesson heading into 2026 is that AI advantage will compound. Retailers that embedded AI into daily decision-making now operate faster and with better margins. Those that treated AI as a marketing story are already behind. Next year, AI will feel less like innovation and more like basic infrastructure, similar to cloud or e-commerce a decade ago.
CES 2026, kicks off this week and will spotlight practical, AI‑driven technology across consumer and enterprise sectors. Expect AI to move from concept to backbone, powering smarter devices, digital health tools, robotics, and next‑generation displays. Innovations will emphasize real‑world applications, from smarter homes and workplaces to connected energy and mobility solutions, showing how technology will tangibly impact daily life and business operations in 2026.
NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show begins this weekend, and will emphasize how technology, data, and customer experience are shaping the next era of retail. Expect a heavy focus on AI in action, with retailers sharing real use cases in pricing, personalization, inventory, and fulfillment. The conference will also explore trends in loyalty, supply chain resilience, store innovation, and omnichannel engagement, making it a key moment for industry leaders to benchmark strategy and connect on what’s working now and what matters most in 2026.
Without further ado, let’s get into our first installment for the year…….
According to Newsweek, a growing number of U.S. companies are entering 2026 with planned workforce reductions, according to a Newsweek roundup of WARN notices tied to layoffs scheduled for January. The list spans more than 100 employers across retail, logistics, technology, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, including well known names like Amazon, FedEx, Nike, H&M, Nordstrom, Verizon, and Wells Fargo. The breadth of industries involved suggests this is not a sector specific downturn, but a continuation of a broader labor reset that began in 2024 and accelerated through 2025. Companies are recalibrating headcount after years of expansion, automation investment, and shifting demand patterns, prioritizing efficiency and profitability over growth. While headline employment data has remained relatively stable, these filings point to deeper structural adjustments that are likely to remain part of the 2026 economic narrative.
