Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

May 13, 2026

It’s Wednesday, and if the customer journey were a straight line, this would be easy. It’s not. On June 3, hear how leaders from Lowe’s, Mastercard, Tecovas, and more are actually navigating the chaos—sharing what’s working, what’s not, and what retail gets wrong about “omnichannel.” Get tickets today.

In today’s edition:

—Alex Vuocolo, Layla Ilchi, Erin Cabrey

STORES

Book, line, and sinker

Moravian University

When Moravian University took over America’s oldest bookstore in 2018, the retail experience was closer to a knickknack shop than anything else. Managed by the Moravian Church to provide pension revenue for ministers, the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, had taken an eclectic turn that wasn’t great for business.

“They had cooking pots and pans. They had penny candy. It was anything under the sun, and people loved it, because it was like grandma’s attic,” Moravian University President Bryon Grigsby told Retail Brew. “But not everybody was buying.”

So after the university took over the location, it partnered with Barnes & Noble Education—which spun off from Barnes & Noble in 2015—to help stabilize its finances. That process involved removing items from the store that weren’t selling and bringing fresh inventory that would attract buyers. The combination of local leadership and corporate expertise ultimately allowed a shop founded in 1745 to get a new lease on life.

Now, after eight years as a typical university bookstore with a combination of student merchandise, trade books, and best-sellers, the store is going independent again at another crucial juncture in its 300-plus-year history.

Keep reading here.—AV

Sponsored By 4AllPromos

Your brand swag shouldn’t ghost you

4AllPromos gets that a late shipment or wrong logo on 500 tote bags isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a whole situation. That’s why they’ve built their entire operation around the thing most promo vendors treat as an afterthought: execution.

From custom apparel and drinkware to tech accessories, onboarding kits, and corporate gifts, their catalog covers every moment your brand needs to show up—trade show floors, new hires on day 1, client appreciation drops, you name it.

The merch is great. But the real flex? Knowing your order arrives on time, on brand, and exactly as promised. Because nothing kills the vibe of a company milestone like a box that shows up wrong.

Get your brand moving.

OPERATIONS

Bagging rights

Bogg Bag

Sustaining a business focused on one hero product—the Burberry trench coat and Levi’s 501 jeans, for example—is no small feat. It’s an even bigger feat when that singular product spurs consistent year over year growth (and $100 million in revenue in 2024). But that’s the story for Bogg Bag, the lifestyle brand known for its perforated rubber bags made from EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate).

“For some of our customers, it’s aspirational. For some of our customers, it’s attainable,” said founder and CEO Kim Vaccarella. “They want to make life a little bit easier, so Bogg Bag is the perfect vehicle for that.”

Keep reading here on Revenue Brew.—LI

COMMUNITY

Coworking with Ratna Rao

Ratna Rao

On Wednesdays, we ~~wear pink~~ spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Ratna Rao is founder and CEO of RK Beauty and CPG consultancy RK Ventures.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I help founders in the CPG space launch and grow their brand. This includes creating a pitch deck, determining the actual cost of making the product, predicting future expenses, planning when and where to make products, finalizing the sale price, reviewing where to sell (their own website, retailers like Sephora, Amazon, etc.) and even how best to use AI to help them out! Basically I support them in anything and everything related to launching their brand. It’s very broad intentionally because I focus on indie brands that need a whole spectrum of support.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Because my job is to create clarity from chaos, I have to zoom in and out constantly. I need to be able to see the forest from the trees separately and together at the same time.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? I’m currently working on a favorite project! I’m working with female founders to support the launch of their beauty brand. It’s very fulfilling while making me grow so much simultaneously.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I’m most excited at how indie brands are getting more moments to shine. I love the underdog, and working with them directly has made me appreciate them so much more.

Keep reading here.—EC

Sponsored By Lebesgue

On target. In a market where ad spend can make or break your paid ads, you can’t risk targeting repeat customers. We teamed up with Lebesgue to learn how brands can understand their performance across AI traffic and paid channels so they can reach new customers. Learn more.

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

GameStopped: Ebay turned down GameStop’s $56 billion acquisition bid due to questions about funding and “executive incentives,” dubbing the offer “neither credible nor attractive.” (CNN)

Money back: US Customs and Border Protection has validated more than $35 billion in tariff refunds, with several companies reporting they started receiving refunds this week. (CNBC)

Another round: After its potential tie-up with Pernod Ricard fizzled last month, Jack Daniel’s parent Brown-Forman rejected a $15 billion takeover bid by Fireball maker Sazerac. (the Wall Street Journal)

Show up: 4AllPromos delivers custom apparel, drinkware, gifts, and more—on time and on brand, every time. Because execution isn’t optional.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

AI in retail

The_burtons/Getty Images

Brands are plugging AI anywhere they can to make work more efficient and the in-store experience more productive. Here’s what you need to know about the use of AI in retail.

Check it out

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