Hi! Long time, no post.  Over the last two weeks I’ve been on-the-go with lots of travel which means my “weekly” brief hasn’t quite been weekly!  Here is a recap of the industry news with sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

• Target cuts innovation initiatives including secretive Goldfish start-up. Link
• Neiman Marcus to trial plus-size departments at Last Call. Link
• H&M’s new conscious exclusive collection turns plastic into evening gowns. Link
• Todd Snyder opens a menswear paradise for the modern man. Link
• Nordstrom drops Ivanka Trump products based on brand’s performance. Link
• Ralph Lauren CEO is leaving after clash with founder. Link
• Ralph Lauren hires newly created Chief Marketing Officer role. Link
• Kate Spade to explore strategic options amid investor pressure. Link
• Etsy Studio is ready to turn your side hustle into a real business. Link
• Crew continues to lean on athleisure as it rebuilds its brand. Link
• BCBG is filing for possible Chapter 11. Link
• As Tiffany’s comes off a sluggish decade, it turns to “self-purchasing” women to save it. Link
• Wal-Mart to make buying operations omni-channel. Link
• Macy’s takeover rumors include HBC, owner of Saks and Lord and Taylor. Link
• Michael Kors to expand buy online, pick up in store. Link
• Levi’s is radically redefining sustainability. Link
• Amazon’s living lab: re-imagining retail on Seattle streets. Link
• American Eagle is luring teens with fancy drinks. Link
• How Nike became a fashion powerhouse. Link
• Nastygal to lay off employees, close stores. Link
• Reports: Digital, especially mobile, driving trillions in offline retail spending. Link
• Walmart snaps up another online retailer with focus on outdoor adventure. Link
• Canada Goose said to have filed for dual-listed IPO. Link
• Amazon takes aim at the lingerie industry with own line. Link
• Amazon lowers free shipping threshold for non-Prime members. Link

Marketing/Social

• Snap starts selling Spectacles online. Link
• WhatsApp launches Status, an encrypted Snapchat Stories clone. Link
• Pinterest adds visual search for elements in images through your camera. Link
• How brands used Snapchat in 2016. Link
• These five fashionable brands have mastered content that sells. Link
• Influencers turn out for Rebecca Minkoff’s see-now-buy-now runway show in LA. Link
• Gap debuts 90s-inspired ads starring the children of its former campaign stars. Link
• Proenza Schouler chooses digital over print for spring campaign. Link
• Pinterest rolls out search ads. Link
• What is the real cost of Instagram’s influence? Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

• Reformation’s high-tech store re-imagines clothes shopping from the ground up. Link
• Amazon takes on Microsoft, Cisco in videoconferencing. Link
• Ford invests $1B in Pittsburgh-based AI company to build self-driving cars by 2021. Link
• Why Home Depot is one of the most innovative companies of 2017. Link
• Target adds mini-accelerator for health-related start-ups. Link
• Amazon just patented a package-packer bot to add to its fleet of 45,000 robots. Link
• Visa and IBM Watson commit to putting payments inside cars and wearables. Link

International

• Digital shifts can help India’s retailers boost sales. Link
• Apple quickly losing market share in China. Link
• Saks appoints Aditya Birla to open first Indian outlet. Link
• Retailers object to EU plan for stricter online security. Link
• Alibaba teams up with traditional retailer. Link
• Alibaba expands presence in Australia and New Zealand. Link