Welcome back, everyone—we missed you. If you’re still getting back in the swing of things, we have to warn you that this week’s edition might make you feel guilty…because a lot of people and businesses are already very busy, presumably tackling those new year’s resolutions.
Here’s what’s going on in retail this week.
In events: The National Retail Federation’s annual Big Show conference officially kicks off Saturday in New York City, and some heavy hitters will be in attendance. Magic Johnson is slated to give a keynote address on his business ventures beyond basketball, including Magic Johnson Enterprises, which focuses on diverse and underserved communities.
Other keynotes speakers will include Michelle Gass, president of Levi Strauss & Co.; Moët Hennessy CEO Philippe Schaus; and Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify.
As usual, Retail Brew will be on the ground bringing you coverage in our newsletters, so be on the lookout.
The Consumer Technology Association will host its annual CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, from tomorrow through Friday. The tech-centered event will feature a number of speakers from the retail world, including:
David McIntosh, VP and general manager of connected store at Instacart
Michelle Pacynski, VP of digital innovation at Ulta Beauty
Will Beery, VP and global CIO of Mars, Inc.
Jon Jenkins, VP of Amazon’s just walk out stores
Fiona Tan, chief technology officer at Wayfair
Sessions will explore topics like the impact of artificial intelligence on retail, shoppable video and frictionless checkout, and the future of grocery.
In earnings: On Tuesday, Albertsons will report earnings, but that’s almost secondary to what’s going on in the background, as the company looks to complete a nearly $25 billion merger with Kroger. In December, the Federal Trade Commission pushed back its decision on how to address the merger until this month.
Axios reported in September that the FTC was likely to challenge the deal, but that was before Kroger, at the start of December, told the commission it had met all the antitrust requirements needed for the deal to go through.
Some of those requirements included divesting 413 stores to one of Kroger’s wholesale partners, C&S, but a handful of lawmakers, including Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Cory Booker, wrote a letter to the FTC last month claiming there are still other issues with the merger that would harm employees, consumers, and the grocery industry.