Happy Monday! Hope many of you are enjoying or got to enjoy some R&R on Spring Break with your fam. In the meantime, here is a recap of industry news from the last two weeks – was too caught up in the busy week to post last week!! Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brands + Retailers

• Netflix to open a production hub in New York City and invest up to $100M in the city.  TechCrunch
• Ikea is helping New Yorkers make the most of tiny spaces.  Fortune
• Everlane is rolling out a new sustainable sneaker brand called Tread.  AdWeek
• Tindr becomes the top-grossing, non-game app in Q1 2019, ending Netflix’s reign.  TechCrunch
• Wayfair to launch live streaming service on Way Day.  Retail Dive
• Martha Stewart brand to be sold.  Forbes
• To woo shoppers, stores like Nordstrom and Walgreens acceptation competitors’ returns.  The Wall Street Journal
• Walmart is launching its first subscription box for apparel and it’s for kids.  CNBC
• Google & Amazon reach an agreement to bring their streaming video apps to each others’ platforms.  TechCrunch
• Amazon launches free music streaming service.  AdAge
• Hanky Panky, famous for its ‘one-size fits all’ underwear, relaunches with more inclusive sizing and menswear.  AdWeek
• Converse’s plot to take back basketball with help from Nike. Fast Company
• Bed Bath & Beyond to shutter 40 stores this year.  CNN
• Venmo’s latest effort to turn a profit: credit cards. The Wall Street Journal
• How Kroger plans to keep up in the digital age.  The Wall Street Journal
• American Eagle says spinoff for Aerie could happen but not now.  Bloomberg
• Why subscription boxes are here to stay.  Forbes
• The ever-changing store: taking an agile, customer-centric approach to format redesign.  McKinsey
• Macy’s puts Story in 36 of its stores.  CNBC
• Offering shoppers new experiences isn’t helping as malls see story closures and falling traffic.  NBC

Marketing + Social Media

• Adidas used Airdrop to surprise Coachella attendees with free sneakers.  PSFK
• IPO day for Pinterest and Zoom ends with shares sharply higher.  The New York Times 
• How Sephora is cultivating its own team of influencers.  Glossy
• Lush leaves social media in UK. BBC
• Generation Z Americans will be the ultimate cannabis consumers.  AdAge
• Inside the purpose-driven branding of Sweetgreen.  AdWeek
• Instagram hides Like count in leaked design prototype.  TechCrunch
• Kids love these YouTube channels. Who creates them is a mystery.  The Wall Street Journal
• Netflix creates Wide, a print magazine explaining its content.  The Drum
• The new era of high fashion and video game collabs: Inside Moschino and The Sims partnership.  Fortune
• Samsung to delay launch of foldable phone.  AdAge

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Apple make take on Tile with item-tracking tags.  Fast Company
• Venture capital is putting its money into astrology.  The New York Times
• Uber’s self-driving car unit just raised another $1B.  Fast Company
• L’Oreal ups AI investment with La Roche-Posay spot-scanning tech.  The Drum
• The fascinating ways PepsiCo uses AI and machine learning to deliver success.  Forbes
• JCPenney explains why it dropped Apple Pay.  TechCrunch
• VCs bet on cannabis vaping, ED meds and mobile fertility clinics.  TechCrunch
• Serena Williams announces her VC firm via Instagram.  AdAge
• From lab-grown meat to fermented fungus, here’s what corporate food VS’s are serving up.  TechCrunch

International

• Amazon gives up on challenging Alibaba and JD.com in China.  Motley Fool
• Amazon to sharpen focus on India after running into China wall.  LiveMint

And a bonus this week because it’s funny…and I’m sure relevant to many of our jobs! Who’s been asked about their TikTok strategy? via Marketoonist