Retail & Consumer Goods Industry

Atlanta – September 13, 2026 -- Apparel brand Comfrt attracted more than 2.3 times its projected number of college athlete participants in a recent marketing campaign run through NIL Club, the largest team-based NIL platform in college sports, reaching capacity faster than either company anticipated.

Athletes signed up faster than Comfrt or NIL Club forecast, filling the campaign ahead of schedule

Participating athletes selected a Comfrt hoodie and sweatpants set, produced an Instagram Reel depicting a real moment from their day, and received reimbursement for the apparel plus a 10 percent commission on every sale generated by their content.

Carlsbad, Calif. – September 13, 2026 -- NAMM has opened registration for The 2027 NAMM Show, a five-day gathering expected to draw more than 60,000 industry professionals from 122 countries and representing $9.8 billion in buying power. The event runs January 26–30, 2027, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

Exhibition floors open for three days of product launches and business meetings

The main show floors will be open January 28–30, offering brand experiences, product demonstrations and creator engagement across the global music products sector. Education sessions, professional development programming, networking events and industry gatherings begin two days earlier, on Tuesday, January 26.

Los Angeles – September 13, 2026 -- BLAZE has launched the BLAZE E-Commerce API, a headless commerce solution giving licensed cannabis dispensaries and multi-state operators full creative and technical control over their online storefronts while retaining compliance, inventory, and payment infrastructure required in regulated retail.

API grants developers full access to product, cart, order, and compliance data

The BLAZE E-Commerce API allows teams to build fully custom websites or in-store kiosks. It connects natively with BLAZE Retail POS, syncing inventory, pricing, and order data between a dispensary's physical and digital storefronts with minimal maintenance.

London – September 12, 2026 -- Pick n Pay Clothing has won the 'Excellence in Customer Loyalty – South Africa' title at the Global Brand Awards 2026, an accolade organised by UK-based Global Brands Magazine.

Retailer's 421-store network drives recognition for affordable fashion strategy

The award recognises Pick n Pay Clothing's transformation from a supermarket clothing category into one of South Africa's leading apparel retailers, now operating more than 421 stores across multiple retail formats. The brand has expanded its digital footprint through online channels and the Pick n Pay asap! platform, positioning itself under the tagline 'Great value. Good living.'

Beijing – September 12, 2026 -- Chinese jewellery brand Laopu Gold outsold the jewellery division of Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont Group in the Chinese market in 2025, a milestone that has drawn scrutiny from European luxury researchers.

Laopu Gold ranks first globally in store sales efficiency

Industry data cited by Professor Stéphane JG Girod of IMD business school shows Laopu Gold ranked first globally among luxury brands in both single-store sales efficiency and floor-area efficiency in 2025 and from January to June 2026. Within the jewellery category, its per-store performance was several times higher than that of other international jewellery brands. The company is currently the only Chinese brand present in the high jewellery segment of the luxury market.

Houston – September 12, 2026 -- Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI) has priced $1.25 billion in senior unsecured notes to fund its acquisition of Hennessy Automobile Companies' dealership assets and real estate.

Group 1 splits offering into two tranches maturing in 2032 and 2035

The Fortune 250 automotive retailer priced $625.0 million of 6.250% senior unsecured notes due 2032 and $625.0 million of 6.625% senior unsecured notes due 2035. The private placement, sold under Rule 144A and Regulation S exemptions, is expected to close on September 22, 2026, subject to customary conditions.

Mooresville, N.C. – September 12, 2026 -- Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) confirmed that Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Marvin R. Ellison will participate in a fireside chat at the Goldman Sachs Global Consumer and Retail Conference.

Lowe's CEO to address investors at major retail industry event

The appearance places Ellison in front of institutional investors and analysts tracking the home improvement retail sector at a closely watched Wall Street gathering.

Announcement follows fiscal 2025 sales exceeding $86 billion

Lowe's, a FORTUNE 100 company, reported more than $86 billion in total sales for fiscal 2025. The company operates over 1,750 stores, 540 branches and 120 distribution centers with approximately 300,000 associates.

New York – September 12, 2026 -- Moonshot AI, the autonomous eCommerce website optimization platform founded in 2023, has rebranded as Shuttlebase after a naming collision with the China-based Moonshot AI, developer of the Kimi AI models, created market confusion during that company's global expansion.

Name collision with Chinese AI firm forces New York startup to rebrand

Co-founders Aviv Frenkel and Evyatar Segal said the switch was not planned but became necessary once the unrelated Chinese firm's expansion began overlapping with their brand identity in the market. "We didn't plan on changing our name, but the collision forced us to think about what we're actually building," said Frenkel, Co-Founder and CEO. "Shuttlebase captures that vision. We want to build the launchpad that allows eCommerce brands to continuously improve and move faster."

New York – September 12, 2026 -- Wella Company will place four haircare brands -- Wella Professionals, Sebastian Professional, Nioxin and Briogeo -- into Target Beauty Studio, a new prestige beauty retail concept launching September 10 across more than 600 stores and on Target.com.

Target Beauty Studio debuts with 90 curated brands and 1,600 products

The retail format spans skincare, makeup, haircare, fragrance, bath and body, and nails, combining specialty-level merchandising with dedicated Beauty Advisors and Target Circle promotional offers. Wella's four brands enter as part of this curated prestige and emerging-brand assortment.

San Diego – September 12, 2026 -- Sun Home Saunas rang the Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell on Aug. 11, 2026, after posting 1,715% revenue growth from 2022 to 2025, securing its second consecutive Inc. 5000 ranking at No. 198. Co-founders and co-CEOs Tyler Fish and Adam Fischer represented the San Diego-based company at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, where Inc. editor-in-chief Mike Hofman rang the bell to launch the 2026 list.

Sun Home climbs the Inc. 5000 for a second straight year

Inc.'s ranking measures percentage revenue growth over three years among U.S.-based, privately held companies. Sun Home placed No. 198 on the 2026 list, down from No. 20 in 2025, when it was the top-ranked consumer services company. The company also ranked No. 7 on Inc.'s 2026 Inc. Regionals: Pacific list.