Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

STORES

Half life

A pile of books with the one called history sporting a sold stickker

Illustration: Anna Kim, Photo: Adobe Stock

While some may have predicted that the rise of e-books and e-readers would spell the death of physical books, the real story has been a page-turner in every sense.

Sales of physical books have risen from 689.5 million units in 2019 to 782.7 million in 2024, a 13.5% increase, according to Circana Bookscan data cited by Publishers Weekly. In the first three quarters of 2025, sales of ye olde paperbacks and hardcovers were down just 0.9% from the same period last year.

Among those who remain bullish about Americans’ fondness for the physical artifact of a book is Half Price Books (HPB), a 53-year-old family-owned bookstore chain which has been on a roll this year:

Sales were up 6.9% YoY in Q1, 8.9% in Q2, and 7.7% in Q3, with HPB projecting gains for Q4 as well, according to the company.

In an interview with Retail Brew, Kathy Doyle Thomas, who was hired by the company 36 years ago and today serves as its president, said that with HPB’s emphasis on selling new books at a discount and used books alongside them, it’s a draw for consumers who feel stretched by tariffs and rising grocery prices.

“We’re a value brand,’” Thomas said. “Value brands do better when people are struggling.”

Keep reading here.—AAN

Presented By Instacart Ads

Eggs, flour, sugar, bacon, bread, and…AI?

Grocery retailers, it’s time to update your shopping list because AI is on the menu.

Instacart just launched Instacart’s AI Solutions, a new suite of enterprise offerings designed to help grocers of all sizes compete in an AI-first world.

Built specifically for the complexity of grocery, these solutions extend Instacart’s technology leadership across online storefronts, store shelves, and shopping carts. This helps retailers deliver smarter, more personalized shopping experiences through AI.

These new capabilities leverage over a decade of grocery-specific data and insights—spanning more than 1.5 billion orders—along with AI expertise, proprietary technology, and strategic partnerships to make cutting-edge AI accessible to every grocer, driving both growth and customer loyalty.

Hope you saved room. There’s more to learn here.

STORES

Tech giant…Walmart?

A collage of different steps of the Walmart supply chain process: a crane loading goods onto a truck, the facade of the Walmart office building in Silicon Valley, and a person looking at logistics on an iPad.

Illustration: Morning Brew Design, Photos: Adobe Stock

When you think of Walmart, what comes to mind? While many might picture bright fluorescent lights, the infamous “yodeling kid” viral video, or the interesting fellow shopper one might have encountered on a late-night shopping run, far fewer will likely think about elaborate IT operations powering an extensive supply-chain network, paired with constant plans for tech innovation.

With close to $569 billion in US sales just last year, Walmart has a reputation for competitive pricing. It has also used that revenue to quietly build up a robust IT infrastructure to support its operations, propelling itself to the forefront of conversations about GenAI and innovative e-commerce technology.

Has Walmart graduated from a retailer to a sophisticated tech company comparable to the likes of its arch-rival Amazon? IT Brew caught up with several retail tech experts to discuss the retailer’s tech strategy and if it has outgrown its sole retailer identity.

Keep reading here.—BM

COMMUNITY

Coworking with Keri Hanson

A portrait of Keri Hanson, Director of Retail & Attractions at Datafy

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

Keri Hanson is director of retail and attractions at data analytics platform Datafy.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I help retailers make sense of their numbers. This means digging into what’s selling (and what’s not), who’s buying, and how fast products are moving. I keep an eye on the competition too, so retailers know how they stack up—whether it’s total sales, number of transactions, or how much shoppers are spending.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I’m used to working at full speed all the time. Nights, weekends, you name it—I’ve always been glued to my inbox. So when I started my current role at a company that truly values work/life balance, it honestly threw me for a loop. Taking real weekends, clocking out at a reasonable hour felt…wrong. Fast forward six months, and I’m really embracing this new style of work and the lifestyle changes that come with it—so much so that I’ve picked up a new hobby: solo travel. I just came back from an off-the-grid solo trek through Iceland, and am already plotting my next adventure.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? I got to work on some amazing projects during my time at Macy’s—launching the brand in China with a live stream from Macy’s Herald Square during the Thanksgiving Day Parade comes to mind—but my absolute favorite has to be our work for Stonewall 50 — WorldPride NYC in 2019. We created a series featuring LGBTQ+ shoppers sharing their personal stories through clothing, which was such a meaningful way to celebrate individuality and self expression. I met incredible people, helped tell stories that mattered, and got to showcase Macy’s commitment to being a safe, inclusive space. It’s a project that still sticks with me today.

Keep reading here.—EC

Together With Fulfil

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SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

On the spend: US consumer spending jumped 7.7% to $44.2 billion during Cyber Week, according to Adobe Analytics. (Reuters)

Rival of the fittest: Prada has officially closed its nearly $1.4 billion acquisition of rival Versace. (AP)

Catch you later: More shoppers have turned to BNPL options like Klarna and Affirm this holiday shopping season, especially during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend. (the Washington Post)

Taste of new tech: Instacart just launched Instacart’s AI Solutions, a new suite of enterprise offerings designed to help grocers of all sizes compete in an AI-first world. Learn more about what this means for grocery retailers.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

FROM THE CREW

Fast fashion forever

From Zara to Shein and Temu, we look back at the key moments in fast fashion over the past 25 years.

Romain Costaseca/Getty Images

Zara, H&M, Shein: three brands that rewrote the rules of retail. Fast fashion’s 25-year evolution has fueled profits, controversy, and a new wave of conscious consumers. Here’s how the race to make and sell faster is reshaping fashion again.

Check it out

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