Here is some of the industry’s news over the last week. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

• Lands’ End plans to open 40-50 brick-and-mortar stores over the next five years. Women’s Wear Daily
• Target’s plan to pump $7B into its stores really paid off over the holidays. Fortune
• Target plans private-label denim line. Women’s Wear Daily
• As Amazon and Walmart duke it out, niche retail can thrive. Fast Company
• Wal-Mart raises US hourly wage to $11 in wake of tax overhaul. Bloomberg
• With Nyden, H&M tests a brand designed to attract millennials. Glossy
• A tough agenda faces Neman Marcus’ new CEO. Forbes
• Yoox Net-a-Porter group’s sales hit yet another milestone in 2017. Fashionista
• Why Nike sees social responsibility as an opportunity to innovate. Fast Company
• Supreme Court could rule whether e-retailers pay state sales tax. Retail Dive
• New Look working with Deloitte on store closure plan. Telegraph
• Beauty’s future will be more about technology, quality, formulation and individualization. CNBC
• Department stores’ deepest woes remain in spite of upbeat holiday sales. CNBC
• Get to know commodity, the gender-neutral beauty company taking Sephora by storm. Fashionista
• If retailers want to compete with Amazon, they should use their tax savings to raise wages. Harvard Business Review

Marketing and Social Media

• Ad buyers prefer Instagram to Snapchat. Fast Company
• Facebook to change algorithm to favor posts from family and friends. AdAge
• CVS vows to stop altering beauty images in its marketing. Wall Street Journal
• Gimlet Media is one step closer to becoming the HBO of audio. Fast Company
• America’s love-hate relationship with social media, quantified. Recode
• Digital-only magazine covers are bringing media brands into the digital age. Fashionista

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Try-at-home gets a tech update with sensor suits. Glossy
• Apple is the only place you can buy Colgate’s new artificially intelligent toothbrush. Business Insider
• Kroger and rivals in talks to buy wholesales startup Boxed for up to $500M. Forbes
• Peloton wants to strike gold again with a $4K connected treadmill. Fast Company
• Lenovo Mirage Solo is Google’s bet on the future of VR. CNN
• Pay by fingerprint? Visa’s new card marks it possible. Fast Company
• Bots are about to get better at customer support than humans. Wired
• Amazon’s Alexa could start giving out opinions. Retail Dive

International

• How ASOS became a top beauty retailer in the UK. Glossy
• Apple and Tencent reach deal to let WeChat users dole out tips. Wall Street Journal
• Sales of lipsticks for kids grew six-fold last year in South Korea. Quartz