Goldman Sachs views Kohl's Q4 as a story where the headline earnings number flatters the underlying business. Below-the-line items offset decelerating comp momentum and a sales miss, according to the firm's research note. In other words, expense cuts, favorable tax treatment, and one-time items helped deliver a profit beat that doesn't reflect the health of the core retail operation.
The Cincinnati-based supermarket company has been shuttering locations since June of last year, when it announced a footprint optimization plan that would result in the closure of about 60 stores. According to a Fast Company review of local media reports and online review platforms like Yelp, Kroger could be more than halfway through that process.
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Costco sells its products with very little markup, choosing instead to make most of its money from membership sales. This business model makes sense: The better deals it has, the more likely people are to want a membership. Memberships at Costco are booming. In the fiscal first quarter of 2026, overall memberships were up 5% year over year to 146 million. And its higher-priced executive memberships were up a stronger 9%.
Under the agreement, Lands' End contributes its intellectual property, including trademarks and existing license agreements, to a new 50/50 joint venture. WHP Global will pay $300 million in cash for a 50% controlling stake. Lands' End will then enter a long-term license agreement with the JV to operate its core direct-to-consumer and B2B businesses, with the license exclusive for core products and non-exclusive for other categories.
After spending a large part of 2025 with its back to the wall, Target is intent on turning things around. The retail giant is heading into 2026 led by a new CEO who has ambitious plans, driven by a sharp focus on three areas: style and design, elevated customer experience, and better use of technology to improve speed and efficiency through the business.
The outlook for 2026 I'm watching 2026 with equal parts optimism and urgency. Optimism because consumer demand is still there. Retail sales have remained resilient in recent data. Urgency because the operating environment is only getting tighter. Coming out of FY2025, large retailers demonstrated resilience amid inflation pressure, shifting consumer behavior, and global supply-chain complexity. Walmart raised its outlook and leaned further into a model that blends physical stores, e-commerce scale, and execution discipline.