Happy October! Sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

• West Elm plans to launch its own boutique hotels. Link
• WalMart in talks to invest up to $1B in India’s Flipkart. Link
• Old Navy names Chief Marketing Officer. Link
• American Eagle names Bob Madore Chief Financial Officer. Link
• Starbucks to continue profitable expansion in low-income neighborhoods. Link
• The rise and fall of Aeropostale. Link
• Amazon finds grocers are hard to kill. Link
• Uber is rocking the suburbs. Link
• What to millennials actually use Venmo for? Link
• Everlane responds to lower global cashmere costs by charging less for sweaters. Link
• Facebook launches a Craigslist competitor for buying and selling used items. Link
• Aritzia rises 16% in Toronto stock exchange after IPO. Link
• H&M third quarter earnings miss estimates on discounts. Link
• Rebel teens are killing America’s clothing giants. Link
• New Adidas CEO sets off in pursuit of Nike. Link
• Sears, Claire’s at high risk in study of retail failures. Link
• Luxury stores add more amenities in tougher market. Link
• Madewell teaming up with Sezane again in latest French girl collection. Link
• Sarah Jessica Parker launches line of dresses. Link
• Bass Pro Shop buys Cabela’s for $4.5B. Link

Marketing/Social

• Snapchat users spending average of 78 seconds playing Under Armour’s Cam Newton game. Link
• Location tracking and the trouble with opting in. Link
• Patagonia launches a beer that’s good for the planet. Link
• eBay dips its toes in fashion with Project Runway partnership. Link
• WhatsApp races to internationalize Snapchat’s overlaid creative tools. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

• Best Buy to open at midnight to launch PlayStation’s new VR headset. Link
• WalmartLabs open sources the application platform that powers Walmart.com. Link
• H&M and Sephora nab early entry into Kik’s fashion bot shop. Link
• Google quietly expands ride sharing service. Link
• IBM Watson will power inspection drones that can spot damage on cell towers. Link

International

• Office Depot agrees to sell European business to Aurelius Group. Link
• Amazon raises stake as retailers battle for customers online in Canada. Link
• Uniqlo dips its toes in Canada’s cutthroat retail sector. Link
• Amazon bets on Diwali to take title as India’s top web retailer. Link
• Singapore’s Golden Week courts China’s tourists as retail falls. Link
• Even Chanel and Hermes are susceptible to current global climate. Link