Happy Monday! Here is a quick rundown of industry news from the last week.  As always, sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

• Farfetch files for IPO on NYSE.  CNBC
• Everlane is launching clean silk in move toward greater sustainability.  Fashionista
• Beyond procurement: transforming indirect spending in retail.  McKinsey
• Walmart’s ecommerce tactics against Amazon look to be paying off.  Forbes
• US retail sales rose in July.  The Wall Street Journal
• Sears CEO offers to buy Kenmore brand for $400M.  USA Today
• Google is poised to open its first permanent retail store.  AdAge
• McDonald’s reveals new tech-focused flagship store in Chicago.  MarketingDive
• J.C. Penney outlines plan to boost sales amid poor results.  CNN Money
• Big tech companies are finding new ways to warn of overuse.  The Wall Street Journal

Marketing and Social Media

• Google created a fake pizza brand to test out creative strategies for YouTube ads.  TechCrunch
• You now have a chance to help run an Old Spice marketing meeting.  AdWeek
• HSN and QVC get an image makeover to appeal to younger audience.  Reuters
• Is the Museum of Ice Cream the future of retail?  Bloomberg
• The New York Post partnered with Supreme for special edition.  AdWeek 
• Ad-supported Netflix could be around the corner.  AdAge
• Amazon reportedly wants to buy a movie theater chain.  Engadget
• Google outgrows its youthful ideals.  The Wall Street Journal
• How Buzzfeed’s experiment in Tasty turned into a stand-alone star.  AdWeek

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Thread raises $20M for its luxury goods boutique that exists only in messaging apps.  TechCrunch
• Best Buy to acquire Jitterbug parent Great Call for $800M.  The Wall Street Journal
• Amazon is working on a recorder for live TV.  Fast Company
• Smart speaker sales on pace to increase 50% by 2019.  TechCrunch
• Amazon researchers develop complex voice recognition models that work offline.  VentureBeat
• Facebook buys Vidpresso’s team and tech to make video interactive.  TechCrunch
• PepsiCo buys SodaStream for $3.2B.  AdAge
• Walmart eyes virtual reality shopping system. AdAge
• FitBit wants to get in your bed.  Fast Company
• Facebook wants to use AI to speed up MRI scans.  MIT Technology Review

International

• Walmart completes its $16B acquisition of Flipkart.  TechCrunch
• Kroger to start selling on Alibaba in China.  The Wall Street Journal
• Why Western digital firms have failed in China.  Harvard Business Review
• Athleisure is crushing it in China.  Here’s what you need to know.  Azoya Group
• eBay changes its strategy in India.  Seeking Alpha