STORES

Morning Brew Inc, Photos: Adobe Stock

Once upon a time, an air of exclusivity enveloped the sale of prestige beauty products.

At the turn of the 21st century, department stores existed as the destination for high-end beauty, with kiosks helmed by salespeople ready to color match a foundation or spritz a perfume. Then, in the early 2000s, Sephora’s open-sell concept quickly gained momentum, while Ulta Beauty’s high-low strategy made inroads with consumers in the 2010s, leading to the continual decline of department stores. Mass retailers and drugstore chains, meanwhile, continued to play within lower-priced beauty as they had for decades.

But with the rise of premium beauty on TikTok Shop and Amazon, “discovery happens everywhere now,” Jacqueline Flam Stokes, managing director of beauty & health at NielsenIQ, told Retail Brew. Shoppers have become “channel agnostic,” and, seeing the opportunity within the booming beauty industry, retailers and brands increasingly have, too.

Keep reading here.—EC

      

Sponsored By Anrok

Hoist those sails, retail pros. There’s some choppy waters in store as you scale your e-commerce brand.

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It’s all-hands-on-deck when it comes to sales tax. Get the platform that helps you run the full e-commerce life cycle, including those tricky tax calculations.

E-COMMERCE

Copper.

So dedicated to her gas stove was Julia Child that she vowed she’d “take it to [her] grave,” although it ended up in the Smithsonian instead. But while gas stoves were once non-negotiable for serious cooks, their flames may be flickering amid concerns about their impact on indoor air quality and the environment. New York state has enacted a ban on the installation of gas stoves in most new buildings, as have dozens of cities in the US.

Induction stoves heat food up quickly without turning kitchens into cauldrons, and have gained traction with foodies. But most full-size induction ranges require a 240-volt outlet that many homes and apartments lack—and that can be expensive, or impractical, to install.

Now startup Copper has a workaround: The Charlie, an induction range with an internal battery that allows it to plug into a standard 120-volt outlet. The outlet recharges the battery, which supplies the power used for cooking.

The range scored a sizzling endorsement from the New York Times’s Wirecutter, which called it the “Tesla of induction stoves” in 2025. Copper has sold what the brand called “a few thousand” units through DTC and to rental-building operators.

Now the Charlie is making its debut in retail.

Keep reading here.—AAN

      

Sponsored By Snapchat

Influence is moving beyond the feed. Discovery may still happen in feeds, but trust deepens in conversations, replies, and more personal spaces—the environments where influence is more likely to turn into action. Snapchat has both the wide reach and the intimate spaces to help these conversations and conversions thrive. Read their take on creator marketing.

COMMUNITY

Danny Rosenoff

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

Danny Rosenoff is CEO of XCCommerce, which works with retailers like LL Bean and Ann Taylor to execute omnichannel promotion strategies.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I am lucky to work closely with a very talented team to help retailers manage and execute personalized incentives, promotions, coupons, and loyalty offers for their customers, ensuring those experiences are consistent across stores and digital channels.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I sit on the XCCommerce board alongside three people who were part of the company that hired me out of college.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Building out a client advisory board with leaders from some of North America’s largest retailers across softlines, hardlines, and grocery has been especially fulfilling. It’s been a great way to bring different perspectives together and learn from one another.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? AI is obviously getting a lot of attention, for good reason. What’s most interesting to me is the opportunity it creates to move beyond mass marketing and focus more on individual customer behavior.

Keep reading here.—EC

      

Sponsored By Shoptalk

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swapping skus

Today’s top retail reads.

Supplemental business: Nestle is selling its vitamins and supplements arm, which includes brands like Nature’s Bounty, to a private equity firm for $1 billion. (Bloomberg)

In the bag: Gap is making the move into accessories, launching new handbags with the help of a former Coach designer. (the Wall Street Journal)

Talking shop: Amazon debuted a new Alexa for Shopping feature that sends consumers notifications about new items they might want to purchase. (TechCrunch)

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Claire’s

After 131 million ear piercings, Claire’s is giving the experience a Gen Alpha makeover. Think interactive “inspiration bars” and selfie-ready setups across ~900 stores—one of the brand’s biggest operational bets in decades.