Rabbit, rabbit! A new month, a new quarter for some of us and hopefully the start of actual Spring weather soon. Here is a recap of industry news from the last week.  As always, sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brands + Retailers

• • Office Depot has to pay the FTC $35M for fake malware scans.  Fast Company
  • Ecommerce and men’s spurred growth for Lululemon.  The Wall Street Journal
  • Amazon looks to payments to connect shopping channels.  Digiday
  • NBCU wades into ecommerce with new golf shop.  The Wall Street Journal
  • Whole Foods opens a bodega-like shop in Chelsea.  Eater
  • Walgreens to clear shelf space for CBD products in 1500 stores.  Fortune
  • JCPenney to close 27 stores.  Today
  • Amazon and Whole Foods slash prices.  CNN
  • Luxury brands turn to airports for store growth.  The Wall Street Journal
  • Ecommerce fuels Williams-Sonoma’s strong Q4. Seeking Alpha
  • Wayfair to open a brick-and-mortar store.  The Boston Globe
  • Tommy Hilfiger closes New York flagship.  WWD
  • WOW airlines ceases operations.  AdAge
  • Drew Barrymore and Walmart unveil home goods line.  WWD
  • H&M turnaround gains traction.  Retail Dive
  • Burger King to launch meat-less Impossible burger. Fortune
  • Restoration Hardware’s radical approach is paying off.  Forbes

Social Media + Marketing

• • TikTok: How we hang out at work together online now.  The New York Times
  • Generation Z: Who they are, in their own words.  The New York Times
  • Sephora picks 24 influencers for its coveted #SephoraSquad program.  Fast Company
  • Instagram tests fast forward feature for videos.  Engadget
    Instagram and the $1.7B influencer economy.  Vogue
  • Facebook launches searchable transparency library of all active ads.  TechCrunch
  • Ralph Lauren looks to establish more diverse image.  Glossy
  • Why beauty brands are investing in Pinterest.  Glossy
  • Unilever launches ‘trusted publisher’ list to vet digital players.  AdAge
  • U.S. Government charges Facebook with discrimination based on ad targeting practices.  AdWeek
  • How brands can build successful relationships with influencers.  Harvard Business Review

Start-ups + Acquisitions + Emerging Tech

• • 7 things to know about Lyft’s IPO.  Fast Company
  • New wellness startup Feals brings the DTC treatment to CBD.  Fashionista
  • 1stDibs nabs $76B Series D funding.  TechCrunch
  • You can soon order Domino’s Pizza via your car’s touchscreen. Engadget
  • LVMH turns to blockchain for authentication.  Glossy
  • Pandora to test interactive voice ads later this year.  TechCrunch
  • Why Apple had to cancel its airpower charging pad.  Fortune

International

• • Alibaba has acquired Teambiton, a China-based Trello and Asana rival in its enterprise push.  TechCrunch
  • Amazon to roll out 100 kiosks in malls across India.  The Economic Times