Here is your recap of industry news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Happy Monday.

Brands and Retailers

• Wal-Mart is simplifying its sprawling US store operations. Bloomberg
• Spring and eBay join forces to gain edge over Amazon. Glossy
• How Kirkland Signature became one of Costco’s biggest success stores. The Wall Street Journal
• There will be more retail stores opening than closing in 2017. Forbes
• Neiman Marcus is shrinking the store its building in Manhattan. New York Post
• How Nike is fighting off bots and counterfeiters. Recode
• Toys R Us is preparing for possible bankruptcy filing. Fortune
• Neiman Marcus is closing more than 25% of its outlet stores. Fortune
• Topshop drops its high-priced line. Fashionista
• Footwear retailer Aerosoles files for bankruptcy. Reuters
• Hermes first half profit hits record levels. Business of Fashion
• Nike introduces Flyleather, its latest ‘super material,’ Business of Fashion

Marketing and Social Media

• Samsung is working with banks to roll out retail pop-ups. Digiday
• Pinterest crosses 200 million monthly active users. Techcrunch
• Lululemon woos men with first campaign. AdAge
• Facebook moves to block ads on fake news, offensive videos. Bloomberg
• Canada Goose rolls out direct-to-consumer strategy. AdAge
• Marie Claire, Mastercard open pop-up store. AdAge

Startup and Emerging Tech

• Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2 was built with the US audience in mind. Forbes
• Visual search products like Google Lens could revolutionize online shopping. Venture Beat
• Samsung promises foldable phones by 2018. Mashable
• IBM Watson-powered augmented intelligence seeks an edge in travel marketing. Skift
• Softbank to invest in Slack. Recode
• Two ex-Googlers want to kill your bodega. Fortune
• Nike and the NBA unveil connected jerseys. Techcrunch
• Nestle acquires a majority stake in Blue Bottle Coffee at a valuation north of $700M. TechCrunch

International

• Amazon is testing one-hour delivery at London Fashion Week. Fortune
• com and Thai retailer Central Group form $500M ecommerce joint venture. Reuters
• Alibaba partners with New York Fashion Week to introduce designers to China. Quartz
• Google is launching a payment service in India. Seeking Alpha
• By going online in India, Zara can reach fashion-forward shoppers outside metros. Quartz
• Inside Yoho! China’s streetwear empire. Business of Fashion
• Ikea to invest 90M Euros to open first store in Slovenia. Reuters
• New EU plan to tax digital giants. Seeking Alpha
• Amazon plans mega-warehouse for Mexico growth spurt. Reuters