Luxury retailers selling on online marketplaces was always a tricky tradeoff, given the wildly contrasting nature of the two worlds.

However, the recent Saks-Amazon fallout went beyond fashion issues. Amazon’s investor layer made the partnership a bit contentious when Saks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And Amazon alleged that the luxury retailer mismanaged the business. Amazon made a $475 million investment in the company in 2024, with Saks agreeing to sell on Amazon’s online store and pay the e-commerce giant at least $900 million over eight years.

Regardless of the financial turmoil, the breakup does pose a question: Is this the end of the road for luxury brands selling on third-party marketplaces? Two experts who spoke with Retail Brew remained divided on the issue. Luxury, which has been in a state of upheaval, has been quietly retreating from e-commerce platforms to sell direct, or more specifically in stores, where they control the vibe, the neighbors, and the relationship.

Keep reading here.—VC

With the Winter Olympics underway, Consumer Reports staged its own competition—albeit with less aerodynamic uniforms—to determine the least and most expensive supermarkets in the US.

Working with the Strategic Resource Group, a retail consultancy, the publication compared prices for a grocery haul of dozens of items across six metro areas over the same 48-hour period.

Since Walmart is, as the article states, “the largest and most ubiquitous grocery retailer in the US,” the comparison used prices at Walmart as a baseline. Other supermarkets were ranked by how much cheaper or more expensive they were than Walmart.

Among the 31 supermarkets it ranked nationally, the most expensive—you’ll never guess—was Whole Foods, with a basket that averaged 39.7% higher than Walmart’s. The next most expensive was Shaw’s, which was 31.9% higher than Walmart, followed by El Rancho (+30.1%) and Jewel-Osco (+29.7%).

Keep reading here.—AAN

Calling all who celebrate Lunar New Year! Gather your family, friends, red envelopes, and…brands?

The Year of the Fire Horse is officially upon us, and in honor of the holiday celebrated across Asian diasporas, a plethora of companies—from beauty brands like Lush Cosmetics to drinkware brands like Stanley 1913 to luxury fashion brands like Burberry, Staud, and Dior—have rolled out dedicated product lines and marketing campaigns targeted toward the Lunar New Year, with brands across industries embracing the color red, interpretive horse designs, and other festive nods.

Some brands have celebrated the cultural holiday for many years, especially in Asian markets, but some creators and marketers told us they have noticed an uptick in Western brand participation.

Keep reading here on Marketing Brew.—JN

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