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

Brands + Retailers

• New York’s lost department stores.  The New York Times 
• Patagonia’s CEO on how saving the planet has been good for business.  Fashionista
• Boosting mall revenues through advanced analytics.  McKinsey
• Net-a-porter launches kidswear.  Vogue
• Netflix stock tanks despite record Q4 subscriber growth.  Fast Company 
• Tesla is laying off 7% of its full-time employees.  Fast Company
• Rihanna said to be readying luxury house with LVMH.  WWD
• Amazon rewrites book industry by marching into publishing.  The Wall Street Journal
• Fossil to sell smartwatch IP to Google for $40M.  ZDNet
• Walmart adds four grocery delivery partners.  TechCrunch
• Target is making a bigger bet on baby.  CNBC
• Chico’s will close at least 250 stores to better compete in the age of Amazon.  USA Today
• Gymboree files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection again. The Wall Street Journal
• L’occitane adds Elemis for $900M as luxury skincare booms.  Bloomberg
• The Fenty effect comes to skincare.  Business of Fashion
• How WeWork’s CEO also acts as a landlord for his company.  Inc
• Comfy shoes helped Allbirds become a $1.4B company but it’s never been just about shoes.  Inc

Marketing + Social Media

• Facebook is secretly building LOL, a cringe teen meme hub.  TechCrunch
• Facebook launches petition feature, its next battlefield.  TechCrunch
• Consumers say brands shouldn’t bring politics to the Super Bowl.  The Wall Street Journal
• Luke Wilson gets close in Colgate’s Super Bowl ad.  AdWeek
• Pew published a study of how Facebook users feel about targeting.  Pew
• Snap’s user growth still seems to be sputtering.  Fast Company 
• Amazon is a looming giant in influencer marketing.  Digiday
• Fortnite’s digital goods are a key to the future of global trade.  Bloomberg

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Walmart and VC firms see two paths for DTC brands.  Retail Dive
• Nike’s big bet on the future of connected shoes.  Fast Company 
• Investment dollars continue to pour into DTC brands.  AdAge
• Squad is the new screen-sharing chat app everyone will copy.  TechCrunch
• How three legacy brands are using tech to personalize beauty.  AdWeek

International

• Google gets a $57M fine from France for GDPR violations.  AdAge