Sole survivor

Allbirds

Allbirds will close all of its remaining full-price US stores by the end of February, a milestone that marks the end of a yearslong retreat from brick and mortar for the sustainable footwear brand.

Founded in 2015, the company once leaned heavily into physical retail to fuel growth, opening dozens of stores at its peak. But those locations have struggled to gain traction. Allbirds’s full-year net revenue fell 25.3% to $189.8 million in 2024, and its brick-and-mortar traffic has continued to dampen.

Some analysts say the brand simply expanded faster than demand could sustain. The latest round of closures completes a multiyear effort to scale back its US footprint and refocus on online sales and wholesale partnerships.

Keep reading here.—JS

From The Crew

Add to cart

What are shoppers buying into this year?

On Feb. 24, Retail Brew chats with Placer.ai to unpack the trends shaping how, where, and why consumers shop in 2026. From rising categories to shifting expectations, consider this your data-backed shopping list for retail strategy wins.

SUPPLY CHAIN

Sweet sorrow

Emily Parsons

Sweet treats this Valentine’s Day continue to come with the bitter reality of higher prices.

According to a recent report from LendingTree, across 39 Valentine’s Day chocolates, 82% had a higher price, with an average cost increase of nearly 12%.

A global shortage in 2024 caused cocoa prices to soar, hitting a record $13,000 per metric ton, but they’ve since eased to two-year lows of $3,700 per metric ton. Tariff pressures also remain for some—while the Trump administration lifted tariffs on cocoa in November, finished products coming from the European Union still face a 15% tax.

Some price relief could be coming by midyear, analysts told Bloomberg in December, but prices are still elevated as companies work through last year’s cocoa supply.

Keep reading here.—EC

MARKETING

Labor of love

Belitas/Getty Images

Consumers have cut back on plenty over the past year, and the latest casualty appears to be love itself. Or at least Valentine’s Day.

According to Omnisend’s latest report, Valentine’s Day-related marketing activity fell 52% YoY in 2026 as 1 in 4 shoppers pulled back on gifting.

While inboxes are typically overflowing with V-Day promos weeks in advance, brands sent about half as many emails tied to the holiday (3,072 between Jan. 2–Feb. 11, compared to 6,395 last year) That decline stands out because overall email volume actually surged 133% YoY, suggesting retailers stayed active…just not for Valentine’s Day.

Keep reading here.—JS

Together With StackAdapt

Relevance > reach. According to StackAdapt’s latest report, 82% of consumers discover products on social or content platforms. For retailers, that means reach is no longer the gold standard for turning attention into retail outcomes. See how brands can turn relevance into measurable growth.

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Billing charges: Instacart’s Q4 profits took a hit over a $60 million FTC settlement related to surveillance pricing. (the Wall Street Journal)

Special handling: UPS CEO on building beyond Amazon deliveries. (Bloomberg Businessweek)

No knockoffs: Estée Lauder has hit Walmart with a lawsuit for alleged sale of fake Estée Lauder beauty products including Tom Ford and La Mer. (CNBC)

Friday news quiz

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