Here is your industry brief of news I’ve collected from around the web over the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

• Jet’s hipster shoppers get a taste of Wal-Mart in-house brands. Link
• Sources say Sycamore Partners wins bankruptcy auction for The Limited. Link
• Macy’s plans to stay afloat by making major changes to stores. Link
• Wall Street worries over Victoria’s Secret weakness. Link
• Celine to finally offer ecommerce. Link
• Amazon nabs the top spot for online cosmetic sales. Link
• Wal-Mart outperforms Amazon as the competition heats up. Link
• C. Penney is closing up to 140 stores as turnaround stalls. Link
• TJX is planning a new chain that could deliver another blow to department stores. Link
• How operators are giving new life to aging malls. Link
• The one brand rushing into the mall while others flee. Link
• Airbnb buys Tilt, signaling its growing interest in group travel. Link
• Reformation boutique brings ecommerce ease to SF shop. Link
• Is Airbnb on an acquisition spree? Link
• How Neiman Marcus is turning technology innovation into a ‘core value.’ Link
• BCBG prepares for bankruptcy. Link
• Gap CEO insists the company is neither sick nor dying. Link

Marketing/Social

• After 51 years, Vans is finally explaining what ‘Off the Wall’ means. Link
• Glossier uses Oscars as launchpad. Link
• Facebook’s virtual reality ambitions could be threatened by court order. Link
• Twitter debuts custom profiles for businesses’ agents, so people don’t think they’re talking to bots. Link
• How the subscription economy will change the price we pay. Link
• In four years, YouTube has gone from 100M hours of video viewed a day to 1B. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

• UPS tests drone delivery. Link
• JackThreads lays off employees and puts self for sale. Link
• Wendy’s to install self-ordering machines in 1,000 stores. Link
• For IBM’s CTO for Watson, not a lot of value in replicating the human mind in a computer. Link
• AI can make us all dress better. SO why isn’t the fashion industry using it more? Link
• How Nordstrom’s new incubator will support young designers. Link
• Consumers don’t want robots to help them shop. Link
• How a former Vogue assistant created the first fashion search engine. Link
• Why payment companies are flocking to messaging apps. Link

International

• Australia’s General Pants Co. to open second US store. Link
• Flipkart-owned Myntra wins rights to be sole distributor for Mango in India. Link
• Xiaomi courts US interest while flirting with expansion. Link
• Inside India’s booming sportswear market. Link
• Why online retail growth in the UAE is different than the rest of the world. Link