You might expect brands to be ambivalent at best about Tulu, the self-described “tech-enabled amenity” app that lets apartment building and dorm residents rent products including vacuums and gaming consoles stored inside their buildings. After all, residents taking the elevator down to the lobby to rent vacuums are not buying vacuums.

Yet brands including Phillips, Ikea, and Bosch are joining the 5-year-old startup as partners, and are providing their products gratis. If that seems like a head-scratcher, this will really get you lathering up the Selsun Blue: Those brands weren’t pitched the idea, but approached Tulu themselves. All of Tulu’s brand partnerships, and a few in the works, have been “100% inbound,” according to Yael Shemer, who cofounded the company and serves as its CCO.

“They give us the items, and in return, they get consumer insights,” Shemer told Retail Brew.

Those insights, it turns out, are about as good as the brands could get short of piggybacking on apartment dwellers while they steam clean their couches or don their VR headsets.

Keep reading here.—AAN

In just over five years, ear piercing studio Rowan has grown its footprint (earprint?) tremendously. Last month, the company opened its 100th location in Memphis, Tennessee, and is projecting $150 million in revenue run rate for 2025. It was founded in 2017 as a concierge ear piercing service and launched on New York City’s Upper East Side in 2020.

The idea behind Rowan came from CEO and founder Louisa Schneider’s search for a safe and sterile place to take her daughter to get her ears pierced. That led her to her family of doctors to see if any of their offices were equipped to perform the service.

“They all said, ‘we have been asked to pierce ears in the past at different occasions working in pediatricians’ offices, and it’s not a particularly difficult procedure,’” Schneider recalled.

While other chains like Claire’s and Studs were already established players in the ear piercing space, Rowan offered what it believed was a key point of differentiation: licensed nurses to perform the piercings.

Keep reading here on Revenue Brew.—LI

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

Christina Ritter is head of brand marketing at fruit bar brand That’s It.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I help more people eat real fruit. Only 1 in 12 Americans get their daily servings, so my job is to make fruit easy and exciting—through snacks you can grab anywhere, from the grocery store to your kid’s lunchbox.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Mom of two toddlers! Avid roadtripper/RVer.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? My favorite project has been building our registered dietitian program. It connects us with thousands of health professionals who genuinely care about helping people eat better—and they love our brand because it’s simple, real, and actually delivers on what it promises. Seeing their passion and how they bring our products to families, hospitals, and schools makes the work feel really meaningful.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I’m excited about how retailers are leaning into real ingredient transparency and functional wellness. Shoppers are paying closer attention to what’s actually in their food, and retailers are responding by giving space to brands that deliver on that promise.

Keep reading here.—EC

Urban Outfitters has long understood that the best marketing feels like culture, not an ad. From social-first storytelling to community-driven campaigns that live online and in-store, the brand creates moments consumers want to be part of. Cyntia Leo, head of brand marketing, will share how Urban Outfitters balances trend-led creativity with data to drive relevance, engagement, and long-term loyalty. Grab a ticket and join the conversation.