Macy’s CEO says retailer will hike some prices as tariffs cut into profits

Macy’s beat Q1 earnings expectations but cut its full-year profit outlook due to rising tariffs, soft discretionary spending, and increased promotions. CEO Tony Spring said Macy’s will selectively raise prices, drop unprofitable items, and renegotiate vendor contracts to manage tariff pressures—especially as 20% of its merchandise comes from China. While Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury showed positive sales growth, Macy’s namesake stores continued to struggle, prompting the retailer to invest in upgrades across 125 locations and plan the closure of 150 underperforming stores by 2027.

CNBC

Walmart fined for shipping realistic toy guns to New York, violating state law

Walmart has been fined $16,000 after an investigation found that its online platform sold at least 46 realistic-looking toy guns to New York residents, violating state law that bans imitation firearms unless they are brightly colored or transparent. The New York Attorney General’s office stated that these toy guns pose a public safety risk and emphasized that Walmart failed to prevent its third-party sellers from making these illegal sales. As part of the settlement, Walmart must enhance its oversight of third-party listings and block repeat violators from selling imitation weapons to New York buyers.

CNBC

Kohl's annual forecasts in spotlight after leadership turmoil, tariff uncertainty
Kohl's is expected to withdraw its annual forecast when it reports earnings, following the sudden firing of CEO Ashley Buchanan over a conflict of interest involving a vendor relationship. The leadership shakeup comes as the retailer struggles with ongoing sales declines, tariff-related pressures, and the absence of a clear long-term strategy. Interim CEO Michael Bender is now tasked with stabilizing operations amid a challenging retail environment and heightened investor scrutiny.

Reuters

Empty boxes and missing parts: Shoppers are exploiting retail return policies
Retailers are facing a growing epidemic of return fraud, which cost the industry over $100 billion in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation. Scammers exploit lenient return policies with tactics like wardrobing, returning empty boxes, using fake receipts, or removing parts from electronics—all of which damage profit margins, disrupt inventory, and increase operational costs. While many retailers are investing in analytics and return management systems to detect and deter fraud, they continue to struggle with balancing fraud prevention and maintaining a customer-friendly shopping experience.

FOX Business

Victoria's Secret latest to be hit by security incident
Victoria's Secret has taken down its U.S. website and suspended some in-store services due to a security incident that disrupted operations starting May 26. The breach has affected digital systems, including employee email access and customer care, though the company’s 800+ physical stores remain open. While the nature of the breach remains undisclosed, the timing—shortly after the Memorial Day holiday—aligns with increased cybercriminal activity during low staffing periods. The incident underscores rising cybersecurity threats in retail, as multiple major brands face similar attacks, and Victoria's Secret continues efforts to restore full operations.

Retail Systems

Percentage of corporate executives using AI who say they trust its business advice over that of their colleagues

Source: SAP (Newtown Square, Pa.)

Thirteen alleged members of Armenian organized crime syndicates have been taken down in a massive federal sting — a major win for law enforcement and the retail industry.  The suspects are accused of violent crimes and orchestrating an $83 million theft scheme targeting Amazon shipments by posing as legitimate carriers. 

With armored vehicles, firearms, and stacks of cash seized, this takedown delivers a strong message: organized crime rings targeting U.S. retailers are being hunted, caught, and dismantled.

This case highlights the growing collaboration between federal agencies and retail partners to stop sophisticated cargo theft and fraud operations at the source. The industry has long called for action, and this is a powerful step forward in protecting supply chains, frontline workers, and consumer trust.

Tom Meehan, CEO CONTROLTEK
comments@talklpnews.com

Creepy or Cool? GeoSpy: The AI Tool That Can Pinpoint Your Location From a Single Photo

An AI tool that can unveil a person's whereabouts from a solitary image in mere moments has arisen. This development provokes urgent considerations about an already frayed digital privacy and personal security.

What is GeoSpy?

Created by Graylark Technologies from Boston, GeoSpy is an AI system working to analyze pictures to know their exact geolocation. Whereas traditional photo-analyzing methods depend on the kind of information you usually find in the photo's metadata or on GPS coordinates, GeoSpy's "brilliance" is in how it commands you to look at the kind of information a photograph visually presents.

The organization trained the system using millions of pictures from all over the globe. This lets the system identify unique geographic features and get location precision down to a couple of square miles in some instances and even tighter in others.

Originally Designed for Law Enforcement

As reported by Graylark Technologies, the primary development targets of GeoSpy were governmental agencies and law enforcement. For these entities, the provision of open-source intelligence (OSINT) is not new. What is new is the capability for these entities to provide a next-generation, empowering, mobile OSINT tool to their officers that does not require years of specialization to use.

Such systems could be of great value in truly identifying missing persons, sorting out evidence in criminal investigations, and in general pathfinding and truthfinding. They could do so in some cases on a dramatically reduced timeframe, with dramatically reduced expert effort, and in general with potentially much better citizen agency.

Watch out for these scams targeting Joann closing sales, experts warn

USA Today

Retail’s new line of defense – Here's how smarter tools are helping protect teams against rising crime

Retail crime is rising at an alarming rate. There were almost 492,000 theft incidents in England and Wales in the 12 months to September last year, the highest figure since recording practices began back in 2003.

And the BRC believes this figure to be grossly underestimated, since it only considers the incidents recorded by the police.

Criminals are more brazenly committing shoplifting acts with little fear of the consequences.

Increasingly, they are working in groups, using distraction techniques to divert the attention of colleagues on the shop-floor before carrying out offences.

 RTIH

Retailers plug in AI to optimize costs as economic pressures mount

 CIO DIVE

Reduce shrink and improve customer experiences with OpenEye’s intelligent and aware cloud video platform that lets you manage your business from wherever you are.

From creating better customer experiences to helping reduce shrink, OpenEye gives you a single platform that keeps you focused on being more profitable.

• Loss Prevention: POS data combined with video verification makes it easier to investigate returns fraud, coupon manipulation, voids and under ringing at the point of sale.
• Remote Monitoring: Keep an eye on things from any location, such as a late open or when restricted areas are accessed with custom alerts sent to your phone or email.
• Enhanced Experiences: Easily monitor store operations, customer journeys, and trends for a better customer experience that ultimately leads to stronger profits. [keep reading]

These emerging technologies will revolutionize retail

Retailers are facing a particularly challenging moment in time.

Economic pressures, rising sustainability concerns, and consumers’ growing exhaustion with screens are all forcing retailers to adopt new strategies to deliver more effortless customer experiences, improve sustainability, and support interactions that feel more authentic and consistent.

Forward-thinking brands are turning these challenges into opportunities by embracing cutting-edge technologies, both for customer-facing and behind-the-scenes use cases.

The Drum

VAR-style cameras let shoplifters watch themselves steal

Retailers are deploying “VAR-style” cameras at self-service registers in a bid to combat a record-breaking surge in shoplifting.

Borrowing from football’s Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, the technology records checkout activity in real time and replays moments where an item may have been missed, scanned incorrectly, or bypassed altogether.

The goal: to make would-be shoplifters confront their actions in the moment — often literally watching themselves steal.

Retail Insight Network

Retail cyberattacks: AI making threats ‘more advanced and personalized’

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) by perpetrators of cyberattacks is increasing the threat to retailers and their customers, according to a cybersecurity industry leader.

Speaking on an episode of GlobalData’s Instant Insights podcast, Charlotte Wilson, head of enterprise sales at cybersecurity company Check Point Software, said that while the form that cyberattacks take has not changed a great deal, AI is being used to make them more effective.

Retail Insight Network

Enhancing Productivity and Compliance in Multi-Site Businesses

March Networks Operations Audit: Revolutionizing Business Oversight

March Networks’ Operations Audit is an advanced video surveillance auditing solution designed to streamline and enhance your operational oversight, helping you achieve improved productivity and compliance.

Video is the best method of acquiring operational information since it captures activity that would otherwise go unseen. It allows you to see your operation as your customers see it, unfiltered, and the way it occurs when no authority figure is present. Video surveillance systems that integrate with POS transaction data can help reduce shrink by immediately alerting retailers to suspicious transactions and activities that can be a sign of internal theft, such as an unusual number of returns, voids, discounts, or under-rings.

Bipartisan proposal would make looting a felony during disasters

A new bipartisan bill aims to crack down on looting during natural disasters by making theft a felony in areas under federal disaster declaration.

The Law On Offender Transgressions during Emergencies and Recovery (LOOTER) Act — drafted by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) — would make petty larceny during a natural disaster punishable by up to one year in prison, while grand larceny would be punishable by up to five years.

This bill ensures accountability for those who take advantage of disaster and ensures justice for those who might fall victim to these low-life crimes,” he added.

The Hill

CVS Is Closing Hundreds of Stores By End of Year

CVS is one of the top pharmacy chains in the country, but several locations are set to close under a company-wide shift.

According to Newsweek, CVS announced in its annual report that it will be closing 271 retail stores this year.

The closures are coming as part of an "enterprise-wide restructuring plan intended to streamline and simplify the organization."

Hundreds of stores are set to close this year, following the roughly 900 locations that have closed between 2022 and 2024.

CVS tells Newsweek that the closures will allow the company to optimize the existing locations.

Men's Journal

Advertise in the Retail Rundown