Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

February 06, 2026

Hi, it’s Friday, and Amazon really doesn’t want to fall behind in the AI race. The company will shell out $200 billion to build data centers and more to serve the massive computing needs of AI. It seems scaling fast and training better AI models is getting expensive. Who knew?

In today’s edition:

—Alex Vuocolo, Erin Cabrey, Tricia Crimmins

STORES

Down for the discount

Bob’s Discount Furniture

Bob’s Discount Furniture debuted on the New York Stock exchange on Thursday, and despite barely budging above its opening price, some experts see the offering as a sign of strength in the beleaguered home goods category—especially at the low-end of the price spectrum.

“You always have winners and losers, and in the furniture industry, similar to other sectors, the companies at the value end of the price spectrum tend to do well,” Richard Baum, managing partner of Consumer Growth Partners, an investment and advisory firm specializing in discretionary consumer products, told Retail Brew.

Bob’s is well-positioned at the lower end of the price curve, Baum added, and has done well as other higher-end furniture retailers such as Williams Sonoma and Ethan Allen have struggled coming off of the pandemic-era home goods boom.

Crucially for investors, Baum noted that Bob’s also has growth potential. The company plans to open 500 stores in the existing format by 2035, according to an SEC filing, with a focus on markets where there are existing furniture stores, in order “to optimize capture of qualified customers.” The expansion would more than double the chain’s footprint, which currently stands at more than 200 showrooms across the US.

Keep reading here.—AV

Presented By NHS Concept to Commerce

Retail sourcing’s going…going…gone global

Retail pros, take note: NHS Concept to Commerce hits Las Vegas March 31–April 2.

NHS is where entire retail teams—product development, private label, sourcing, procurement, and merchandising—gather together for cross-functional programming and floor experiences designed to evaluate global opportunities side by side.

And don’t forget to attend the “Expert Talks” program for practical, retail-led perspectives on sourcing strategy, developing products, managing private brand growth, and navigating margin and supply chain risk.

NHS moves beyond category-based booth browsing, organizing the floor around suppliers, capabilities, and inputs that influence cost, speed, and scalability.

All you have to do? Use code NHSBREW for a free exhibit hall ticket.

MARKETING

On the ball

Mars

On Sunday, you can find us tackling a table full of snacks as we watch Sunday’s main event: the commercials.

“Buy now” categories, particularly CPG, have taken over Super Bowl advertising in recent years, per TV ad measurement company iSpot, with food and beverage accounting for 36% of ad time last year, its highest level since 2013. And CPG companies, including a number of beauty and personal care brands, aren’t fumbling the marketing opportunity this year either.

Here are the CPG ads to watch:

Food & Bev

PepsiCo said this week it’ll cut prices by up to ~15% across Super Bowl staple snacks like Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, and Tostitos, and will highlight Lay’s with not one, but two ads during the Big Game. One will focus on its farmer partnerships and the other a product giveaway to fans. It’s also airing an ad for Pepsi Zero Sugar starring a polar bear, and a Poppi spot featuring Charli XCX.
Svedka’s Super Bowl debut will be the game’s first-ever vodka ad, and, even more notably, the first that’s largely AI-generated, starring a Fembot character last featured in its ads 12 years ago.
Liquid I.V.’s Big Game debut, which it’s been teasing on social media, features a “bold public service announcement,” CMO Stacey Andrade-Wells told Marketing Brew.
In its first Super Bowl ad under Mars’s ownership, Pringles’s spot depicts Sabrina Carpenter building her soulmate out of the salty snack. Mars-owned Skittles will also do a live commercial starring Elijah Wood in partnership with Gopuff.
Kinder Bueno tapped Armageddon actor William Fichtner and Summer House star Paige DeSorbo for its inaugural Super Bowl ad, supporting its new “Yes Bueno” campaign.
Mayonnaise maker Hellmann’s ad centers on Andy Samberg as “Meal Diamond,” singing a condiment-themed song to the tune of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”
Answering the question of why William Shatner has been recently snapped by paparazzi carrying a box of Raisin Bran, the Star Trek star is headlining the cereal’s Big Game ad.
Anheuser Busch is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Budweiser with an ad featuring—you guessed it—Clydesdales, alongside a bald eagle.

Keep reading here.—EC

OPERATIONS

Without an air in the world

James Malley

In an era when nearly a fifth of retail sales come from e-commerce, many online shoppers have gotten used to receiving their purchases in packaging that is far too large for the item inside. Tubes of lip gloss are being shipped in boxes that could hold at least a dozen of them, meaning retailers are paying not only to send products, but also the air that accompanies them inside oversized packaging.

Paccurate, a software company, helps companies solve that problem by figuring out how they can ship their products in more suitably sized packaging that cuts down on excess waste. Morning Brew spoke with Paccurate’s co-founder and CEO, James Malley, about the software’s special sauce and the specific problems it’s able to solve in the e-commerce industry.

Keep reading here.—TC

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.

Legal limits: Amazon was fined in Germany for using tools that filter third-party seller listings based on pricing, which regulators say violates competition law. (the Wall Street Journal)

Stuck pedaling: Peloton shares plunged after weak holiday quarter results and a sluggish forecast. (Bloomberg)

Trade war hit: Estée Lauder expects tariffs to cut $100 million from its annual profits. (CNBC)

One show, all the insights: NHS is where entire retail teams gather together for cross-functional programming designed to evaluate global opportunities side by side. Use code NHSBREW for a free ticket.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

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Written by Alex Vuocolo, Erin Cabrey, and Tricia Crimmins

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