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

Brands and Retailers

• J.Crew launches lower-priced swimwear line aimed at millennials.  Fashionista
• Warby Parker shrunk its beloved frames to launch a kids line.  Fashionista
• Kroger sells convenience store holdings for nearly $2B.  Fortune
• Amazon wins holiday with 38% sales gain.  AdAge
• H&M fashions a plan for a comeback.  The Wall Street Journal
• Luxury in the age of digital Darwinism.  McKinsey
• H&M just saw its biggest profit dip in six years.  Fashionista
• Revlon’s CEO departing amid expected steep losses.  USA Today
• How Yoox’s mobile app is driving more than 50% of sales.  Glossy
• Tesla expands sales of solar gear at home depot.  Bloomberg
• Amazon reports nearly $2B in profit, blowing past Wall Street expectations for holiday quarter.  TechCrunch
• Five key takeaways from Amazon’s earnings.  Forbes
• Former Under Armour execs launch direct-to-consumer brand.  RetailDive
• What drew Amazon and Alibaba to bricks-and-mortar.  Bloomberg
• The NFL wants to be your favorite lifestyle brand.  Racked
• Ralph Lauren tumbles after posting weak holiday-season sales.  Business of Fashion 
• Estes Lauder extends streak on strength of online, holiday sales.  Business of Fashion 
• H&M is launching a new store ‘Afound’ to sell external brands.  Fortune
• Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan are joining forces to offer lower-cost health care to U.S. employees.  Inc

Marketing and Social Media

• Hot 100 retailers embrace video to connect with shoppers.  Internet Retailer
• Snapchat’s new Snap Store teases in-app commerce potential.  TechCrunch
• How social media is changing product development in beauty.  Glossy
• How personalization will evolve in 2018.  AdAge
• For influencers, Instagram is the clear-cut favorite. eMarketer
• Five trends you’ll see in Super Bowl ads on Sunday.  AdAge
• McDonald’s received the most social media exposure worldwide. Business Insider
• Unilever squeezes $700M out of ad production.  AdAge
• Forget the spokesmodel – companies want real people.  The Wall Street Journal
• Super Bowl ads 2018: what worked and what didn’t.  Entrepreneur

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Farfetched gears up for fashion store of the future.  Reuters
• Retail spending on AI to reach $7.3B by 2022.  RetailDive
• Bustle is raising roughly $30M to go on a shopping spree.  TechCrunch
• Google Home will now wake you up with your song of choice.  CNet
• Storyline lets you build and publish Alexa skills without coding.  TechCrunch
• Adidas Boost: the sneaker technology that changed a company’s fortunes.  GQ
• HP is making a bigger VR push for professionals.  Engadget
• Uber is piloting a bike-sharing service.  TechCrunch

International

• Fashion subscription service Le Tote ventures into China’s competitive luxury retail market.  TechCrunch
• Farfetched is touching down in the Middle East.  Fashionista
• WalMart plans to buy stake in Flipkart.  Business Today
• Alibaba market value tumbles $30B after margins decline.  Business of Fashion 
• JD.com to take on Amazon in Europe.  Seeking Alpha
• WalMart might be coming to Israel.  Bloomberg