01
What changed in retail regulation and policy this week?
Government decisions, new rules and policy shifts reported this week.
02
Five US House members have called for an investigation into 7-Eleven and Circle K following a Guardian report alleging frequent price discrepancies between shelf labels and register charges.
Read at theguardian.com ↗03
Logistics and haulage groups in the UK are urging the government to provide fuel cost support after diesel prices exceeded £2 per litre on 30 September 2026.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗04
Starting October 1, 2026, the UK government will impose a new duty of £2.20 per 10ml on all vaping liquids, nearly doubling the price of some products.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗05
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.6 per cent on September 29, 2026, marking the fourth hike of the year and the highest level since 2011.
Read at insideretail.com.au ↗06
The Reserve Bank of Australia is removing the ability for businesses to apply card surcharges on designated networks, including EFTPOS, Mastercard, and Visa, effective October 1, 2026.
Read at startupdaily.net ↗07
The EU's Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) officially entered into application on September 27, 2026.
Read at esgtoday.com ↗08
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a two-month extension of their trade truce during a meeting in Washington last week.
Read at freightwaves.com ↗8 of 26 regulation and policy events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in retail this week?
The week’s notable investments, financing rounds, acquisitions and strategic deals.
09
The skincare brand The Outset, co-founded by Scarlett Johansson and Kate Foster Lengyel in 2022, has officially ceased operations and closed its online store.
Read at thestreet.com ↗10
The Samsonite Group acquired an 85 percent stake in the luggage brand Béis, valuing the company at $210 million.
Read at insideretail.com.au ↗11
Leslie's Pools has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas as of October 2026.
Read at thestreet.com ↗12
Poundland's management team, led by Andy Bond and Barry Williams, is preparing a buyout bid for the UK-based discount retailer.
Read at retail-systems.com ↗13
Publix Super Markets acquired the Airpark Plaza retail center in Miami, Florida, for $83.25 million from First Washington Realty.
Read at commercialobserver.com ↗14
The beverage chain Swig plans to acquire drive-through locations from a bankrupt competitor to accelerate its expansion.
Read at inc.com ↗15
Brixmor Property Group and Everview Partners have agreed to acquire Slate Grocery REIT for a total of $2.34 billion.
Read at commercialobserver.com ↗16
Chilean retailer SMU has filed a request with the Fiscalía Nacional Económica (FNE) to acquire the hard-discount chain Ahorra Food Depot.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗8 of 10 funding and m&a events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What products launched in retail this week?
Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.
17
British fashion brand Ted Baker is reopening a stand-alone store in London at 155 Fenchurch Street on October 2, 2026.
Read at thestreet.com ↗18
Kroger has launched the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard in partnership with fintech company Imprint and Mastercard.
Read at digitalcommerce360.com ↗19
SCAN Health Plan has announced its 2027 Medicare Advantage product lineup, featuring a new co-branded HMO plan with Costco available in 17 California and two Nevada counties.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗20
Aldi has announced the locations of 24 new stores scheduled to open in the UK by Christmas 2026.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗21
Gucci has introduced new sneaker models, including the 'Drip' model, which are manufactured in China rather than Italy.
Read at insideretail.com.au ↗22
Lidl Ireland is launching its new mobile phone service, Lidl Connect, across Ireland on 5 October 2026.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗23
Toast has launched a new feature called Toast Fuel, which integrates gas payments into its existing retail platform.
Read at cstoredive.com ↗24
At the unBoxed event in San Francisco on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Amazon announced a major overhaul of its advertising technology, rebranding its DSP console to Amazon Ads Agent.
Read at adexchanger.com ↗8 of 35 product launches events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What financial results were reported in retail this week?
Earnings, guidance and other financial results reported this week.
25
Nike CEO Elliott Hill announced a strategic shift to restore the Jordan brand's exclusivity by reducing the frequency of Retro product launches.
Read at thestreet.com ↗26
Nike announced plans to cut jobs as part of a turnaround strategy following a forecast of declining revenue for the upcoming year.
Read at ft.com ↗27
Greggs reported a 3.4% like-for-like sales growth for the 13-week period ending September 26, 2026, and upgraded its annual profit guidance.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗28
Pepco Group raised its full-year net profit growth forecast to exceed 60% for the financial year ending October 1, 2026, up from previous guidance of 50%.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗29
UK discount retailer Poundland is working to reassure suppliers after credit insurers stopped providing coverage for the chain.
Read at retail-systems.com ↗30
McDonald's has launched the McDonald's Media Network with a target of reaching $1 billion in advertising revenue.
Read at exchangewire.com ↗31
Lidl reported an 8.3% increase in international sales to €102.6 billion for the 2025/26 fiscal year ending February 28.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗32
Aldi announced a record £900m investment for 2027, which includes opening 40 new stores and expanding its distribution network in the UK.
Read at thegrocer.co.uk ↗8 of 29 financial results events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What court rulings and legal actions hit retail this week?
Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.
33
The owners of nearly 30 Lukoil PJSC filling stations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have been cleared to proceed with a lawsuit against the company.
Read at bloomberg.com ↗34
The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled on September 28, 2026, that a consumer lawsuit against Apple and Amazon can proceed regarding marketplace sales.
Read at retail-systems.com ↗35
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into Pasta Evangelists Limited regarding its compliance with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
Read at gov.uk ↗36
Federal authorities have charged store clerk Yahya Mohamed Mosleh and his son Islam Yahya Mosleh with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance in Oxford, Mississippi.
Read at theguardian.com ↗What research was published in retail this week?
New research findings and studies published this week.
37
A global study by amp analyzed 100 grocery brands across six continents, revealing that most UK supermarket chains rank in the lower half for effective sound usage.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗38
A study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Grocery TV, titled 'In-Store Retail Media’s Full-Funnel Opportunity,' surveyed 100 retail media buyers regarding their use of in-store media.
Read at supermarketnews.com ↗39
A study led by Miguel Gómez and Pei Zhou at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business analyzed nearly 150,000 food and beverage products launched in the United States over the past decade.
Read at cornell.edu ↗40
Kroger, Vidmob, and MMA Global released a study on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, demonstrating that predictive creative scoring can forecast ecommerce conversion rates.
Read at supermarketnews.com ↗41
A study by the Consumer Goods Retail Research Institute (IELKA) published in August 2026 indicates that Greek grocery prices remain among the most affordable in Europe.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗What incidents and outages hit retail this week?
Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.
42
Todd's Seeds LLC, based in Cookeville, Tennessee, is recalling 37,481 units of sprouting seeds due to potential contamination with Salmonella and E. coli.
Read at foodsafetynews.com ↗43
Star Meat Delivery Inc. has initiated a recall of 167,639 pounds of beef, pork, and goat products.
Read at forbes.com ↗44
G. L. Mezzetta Inc. has initiated a recall of its 32-ounce Mezzetta Golden Greek Peperoncini Medium Heat due to a consumer report of a pest found in a jar.
Read at foodsafetynews.com ↗45
Sterling Pharmaceutical Services LLC initiated a recall of over 500,000 Walgreens-branded eye-drop products on August 20, 2026, due to sterility concerns.
Read at foxbusiness.com ↗4 of 8 incidents and safety events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.