When Virginia Evans’s debut novel, The Correspondent, hit shelves in April 2025, it was just one new fiction title among many for the Barnes & Noble corporate team. But then individual booksellers started emailing the main office that customers were coming in and asking for the title. The bottom-up feedback led the company to approach the publisher and secure more copies of the book, which is now a bestseller.

This process may seem straightforward enough, but for the once-struggling book chain, this kind of smooth communication between corporate and store-level managers was no accident. After private equity firm Elliott Management took over in 2019 and hired James Daunt as CEO, Barnes & Noble started restructuring its business to put more power in the hands of individual stores. The success of this model is well-documented, and today the firm is even considering a return to public markets. But what is arguably less well understood is the distinctive corporate structure that helps mediate between the local, regional, and national levels of the business.

Keep reading here.—AV

If there’s one thing businesses today are afraid of—ahead of potentially losing customers—it’s cybersecurity.

Per a recent study from supply chain intelligence firm Zero100, over a third of businesses considered cyber incidents “the single biggest threat to continuity” in 2026, followed by geopolitical instability (20%), trade policy shocks (16%), and labor disruption (8%).

The findings, which were based on responses from COOs of companies with a more than $1 billion valuation, also found that cyber incidents were the “fastest-moving shock” businesses anticipated facing.

Keep reading here.—JS

On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Samantha Diamond is co-founder and CEO of Bird&Be, a wellness brand selling prenatal vitamins and at-home fertility tests that launched at Ulta Beauty last year.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? As CEO of a fast-growing health brand, my job is always a range of macro to micro. Working on the business—thinking about roadmap, capitalization, team structure—and working in the business to troubleshoot logistics or make packaging updates. At Bird&Be, we’re growing fast and still in the thick of building, which means there is very little down time and my calendar is generally packed. I move from product development discussions with our medical advisory board, to speaking at a fertility conference, to personally delivering a shipment to a clinic. What is always in demand is agility and resilience, and of course, stamina (which is why taking care of your own health is probably the most important thing you can do!)

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Public speaking makes me sweat.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? One of my favorites has been co-hosting events for physicians and clinic teams at medical fertility conferences alongside other women-led companies in our space. These events are rooted in collaboration and they’ve become one of the most joyful and impactful ways we build relationships and shift the culture of fertility care. They’re efficient, intentional, always a good time, and aligned with our mission: to increase access to education, support proactive reproductive health, and achieve better outcomes. Plus, when women come together to support one another and prioritize collaboration over competition, the result is always a win.

Keep reading here.—EC

As extended producer responsibility laws target plastic packaging, cosmetics giants like L’Oréal and Estée Lauder are rethinking design and recyclability. Here’s how beauty brands are preparing for stricter rules—and higher costs.