Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

March 31, 2026

It’s Tuesday, and some ace candy thieves are sitting on a pile of more than 400,000 KitKat bars stolen from a truck in northern Italy. Thankfully no one was hurt in the chocolate heist, and Nestlé is asking anyone with information to alert the company. So the next time someone gives you a break, maybe ask them where they got their piece of that KitKat bar.

In today’s edition:

—Alex Vuocolo, Andrew Adam Newman, Erin Cabrey

SUPPLY CHAIN

Overnight success

Jon Tetzlaff/Getty Images

In a marketplace where speed is everything, the conversation “lumbered on” for eight years, Bill Catania, CEO of OneRail, told Retail Brew.

The last-mile delivery network and logistics platform, founded in 2018, had been pitching FedEx on the idea of partnering so the carrier service could offer same-day delivery to its 2.3 million active customers. But it wasn’t until 2025 that FedEx got serious about same-day delivery, Catania said, and that’s when things “accelerated dramatically.”

Now that vision is a reality with the launch of FedEx SameDay. Through its partnership with OneRail, FedEx is connected to a national network of 1,000 delivery partners providing two-hour and end-of-day service as well as real-time tracking, proof of delivery, and predictive ETAs to customers.

“The OneRail team offers a great opportunity to—I don’t want to say flip a switch—but effectively unlock that capability nationwide,” Jason Brenner, SVP of digital portfolio at FedEx, told Retail Brew. “This is a good opportunity for us to go to market quickly.”

So why did FedEx wait until now to roll out same-day delivery, when companies such as Amazon have been offering it for more than a decade? For OneRail, which is ultimately enabling that ability, the answer comes down to how hard it is to build a reliable nationwide network that a company like FedEx could trust to meet its standards.

Keep reading here.—AV

Presented By Klaviyo

Keeping up with customer service trends

According to Klaviyo’s 2025 Al Shopping Index, 68% of consumers surveyed prefer instant AI responses over human ones. Yet nearly half of companies surveyed say customer distrust is the #1 barrier to adopting AI.

Something doesn’t add up.

Klaviyo’s 2026 State of Customer Service Report surveyed 500+ service decision-makers across e-commerce, retail, and hospitality to find out what’s actually happening—and what the fastest-growing brands are doing differently.

This report explores:

why AI adoption is lagging despite strong results
how top brands are turning service into a revenue driver
what a connected service-marketing stack actually looks like in practice

Get the report here.

STORES

April fuels

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Rising fuel prices resulting from the US-Israeli war with Iran could spell bad news for retail sales, according to new analysis from Coresight Research.

Coresight’s latest monthly report predicts that rising gas prices resulting from the conflict will have an “upward pressure” on grocery prices, and that items with a short shelf life “will be the first to feel the impacts of the energy spike.” Consumers also will be “limiting non-essential trips to stores” to conserve gas, the report predicts.

It will surprise no one that Coresight predicts lower-income consumers will feel the most pinched, as gas and groceries demand an outsized portion of their disposable income. But even affluent consumers could tighten the purse springs as a result of stock market volatility caused by the Middle East conflict, per Coresight.

Keep reading here.—AAN

OPERATIONS

Let it role

Scott Olson/Getty Images

While we’re still awaiting news of Lululemon’s new chief exec amid the increasingly contentious search, many other retailers landed on C-suite decisions this month. Here are the ones to know:

A week before reports claimed the company was mulling a merger with Estée Lauder, Puig appointed Jose Manuel Albesa, its deputy CEO and beauty and fashion president, as its new CEO, taking over for Marc Puig, who shifted to executive chair.
Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos is stepping down from his role on January 1, and Ahold Delhaize USA CEO JJ Fleeman will exit his position in June with plans to fill Vasos’s role. Ahold Delhazie USA also promoted Abby Cook, VP of US strategy and portfolio, to SVP of Own Brands.
David Simon, president and CEO of retail real estate giant Simon Property Group since 1995, died at age 64. His son, Eli Simon, was named to succeed him.
Swiss sneaker company On announced its five-year CEO Martin Hoffmann will be replaced by co-CEOS David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti on May 1 as the company enters its “next growth phase.”

Keep reading here.—EC

Together With Genimex

Beat the product development bottleneck. Too many approvals, siloed teams, and slow engineering can really slow down your product launches. We teamed up with Genimex to show how established and growing brands simplify product development, speed up product launches, and cut complexity. Read the full article.

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Back to business: CVS is set to expand its footprint in 2026, opening more stores than it closes amid the ongoing turnaround of its business. (Bloomberg)

Quit yer wining: Restaurants are cutting certain champagne and cremant brands from their wine menus as tariffs hit the imports. (Reuters)

Meal deal: Ninety-four-year-old Nathan Kirsh just sold Jetro Restaurant Depot for $29 billion. Here’s how he built his food empire. (the Wall Street Journal)

Smart service stats: Klayviyo found that two-thirds of brands are increasing their service tech budgets. Great service is now a growth driver, not a cost center. See the data when you download their report here.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

JOBS

Tired of one-size-fits-all job boards? CollabWORK highlights roles that reflect your interests and goals—delivered through communities like Retail Brew. Click here to explore the full job board.

SHARE THE BREW

Share the Brew, watch your referral count climb, and unlock brag-worthy swag.

Your friends get smarter. You get rewarded. Win-win.

Your referral count: 0

Click to Share

Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
retailbrew.com/r/?kid=6b35f7e7

ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP // FAQ

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe .
View our privacy policy .

Copyright © 2026 Morning Brew Inc. All rights reserved.
22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011

☕ Fast and present