Wholesale inflation measure was unchanged in June

The U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand stayed flat in June, falling short of expectations for a 0.2% rise. While goods prices ticked up by 0.3%, services slipped by 0.1%, offering mixed signals on inflation. This cooling at the wholesale level may indicate easing inflationary pressure, but the path forward remains uncertain. If supply chain costs or commodity prices rise again, it could reignite pricing pressure for consumers.

CNBC

Rise in retail violence concerns requires a full range of threat preparedness

The increase in violent incidents in retail stores is pushing the industry to rethink threat preparedness. From verbal altercations to active assailants, retailers need comprehensive strategies that go far beyond traditional security measures. This article emphasizes the need for collaborative planning across departments, integrating threat assessment, mental health awareness, and staff training. It's not just about reacting—it’s about being ready.

NRF

Artificial Intelligence: Changing the Landscape of Retail

AI is no longer a buzzword in retail—it’s a game changer. From inventory management and customer engagement to fraud detection and workforce planning, artificial intelligence is reshaping how retailers operate. The article highlights real-world applications and explains how businesses that embrace AI are gaining a competitive edge. Retailers who fail to adopt these innovations risk falling behind in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Retail Tech Insights

Victims of gift-card scam sue Target, allege Minneapolis retailer profited from fraud

A group of scam victims is suing Target, claiming the retailer turned a blind eye while profiting from fraudulent gift card transactions. The lawsuit alleges that Target failed to implement adequate safeguards, allowing scammers to exploit customers and siphon off thousands of dollars. The case could set a precedent for retailer responsibility in consumer fraud. At its core, it raises big questions about trust, liability, and digital payment ethics.

Star Tribune

Trucking Industry Pushes Congress for Solutions to Skyrocketing Cargo Theft

With cargo theft reaching alarming levels, the trucking industry is urging Congress to step in. Criminal networks are becoming more organized and tech-savvy, targeting goods in transit with increasing precision. Industry leaders are calling for federal coordination, tougher penalties, and better tracking technology. As supply chain pressure mounts, securing the movement of goods is becoming just as critical as delivering them.

ATA

What the Pandemic Tried to Teach Us - and What We Forgot

Kristen Ziman

Keynote Speaker, Author & Organizational Disruptor

In March 2020, the world pressed pause.

One day we were complaining about our commutes, crowded calendars, and overpriced lattes. The next, we were locked inside, wiping down Amazon boxes like they were ticking bombs and panic-buying toilet paper like it was currency. Life didn’t stop—it just stopped making sense.

We lost the rhythm of being human.

Graduations became glitchy Zoom slideshows. Weddings were canceled. Funerals were livestreamed to empty rooms. Babies were born without grandparents in the waiting room. Everything meaningful to someone was suddenly just… gone.

My daughter’s summer abroad in Taiwan—something she’d worked her ass off to earn—was one of those things. Canceled without ceremony. She was devastated. Like so many, she had done everything right, only to have it vanish without warning and no one to blame.

At the time, we told ourselves we’d never forget. That we’d come out of it more grateful. More present. More united. We finally understood how fragile it all is—our health, our routines, our systems. We swore we’d stop taking the small things for granted.

Like hugging. Sitting next to someone without flinching. Breathing the same air without fear.

But here we are.

Active Shooter: Man arrested after firing gun, barricading himself in liquor store

A man who barricaded himself inside a Smyrna business Tuesday after firing at least one round through a window of the business was arrested without incident, according to the Smyrna Police Department.

Smyrna police reported an active shooter situation early Tuesday afternoon, before updating the status to a barricaded suspect.

Police from local, county and state agencies swarmed Lee Victory Parkway, surrounding Legacy Wine & Spirits as they worked to resolve the situation without casualties.

News5 Nashville

Ashley Moody wants to enact Florida approach to retail theft on national level

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is increasing calls for tougher federal laws to tamp down retail theft across America.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on organized retail theft, Moody advocated the use of emerging technology to help beef up federal stipulations that could break massive retail crime rings.

It’s the same approach she used as Florida Attorney General before she was appointed to the Senate seat this year to replace Marco Rubio.

In Florida, Moody said she was able to develop partnerships along with utilizing new technology in order to crack down on retail crime.

Florida Politics

10-year-old arrested in connection with Walmart fire

WTMJ News

[WEBINAR] From Surveillance to Strategy: Unlocking Retail Intelligence with Video Analytics

Brought to you by OpenEye

Video surveillance is a treasure trove of data; however, most of that valuable intelligence goes unused. With the addition of AI-based video analytics, retail businesses can uncover new insights from their video security systems, transforming the processes their organization uses across departments, including optimizations for loss prevention, operations, marketing, and security teams.

Watch the on-demand webinar to hear from Ocean State Job Lot and Ben Hopkins of OpenEye. Together, they’ll discuss:

• How to transform retail business’ video security from reactive to proactive.
• The various benefits of AI-based video analytics for different teams.
• Ocean State Job Lot’s experience using video analytics to improve their business’ operations.

Regulatory productivity:
Is there an answer to the rising cost of compliance?

Regulatory expectations have increased for all financial services institutions (FSIs). Even as penalties are levied for non-compliance with existing rules, new rules continue to be released. And one thing is clear: The cost of compliance is a heavy burden. 

The cost of compliance and risk mitigation over the last eight years has jettisoned almost all discretionary funding available to firms.

Compared to pre-financial crisis spending levels, operating costs spent on compliance have increased by over 60 percent for retail and corporate banks.

Deloitte

'Uncertainty Reigns' at U.S. Ports as Retailers Navigate Tariff Turmoil

Despite seeing record volumes in June, the Port of LA is expecting a "bumpy ride ahead" for U.S. businesses in the face of shifting tariff deadlines and mounting pressure on global supply chains.

The Port of LA reported an 8% year-over-year increase in cargo volumes in June, with imports jumping 32% from May, when many shippers had paused orders in response to growing trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

After the two countries agreed to a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, retailers rushed to move goods into the U.S. to take advantage of the reprieve.

SC Brain

Senate hearing shines light on organized retail theft

Lawmakers are sounding the alarm over a surge in organized retail crime, warning that criminal enterprises, not petty shoplifters, are driving a wave of thefts that’s devastating businesses across the country.

Videos of mobs smashing displays and making off with thousands of dollars in merchandise have become increasingly common, but senators say the root of the problem runs deeper.

“We’ve all seen videos of mobs ransacking stores of thousands of dollars of goods and doing it in a very short period of time,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.).

DC News Now

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