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This Week in Retail: CEO Forum, Apple earnings

Plus, new personal income data set to release.

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Pascal Deloche/Getty Images

less than 3 min read

The Retail Industry Leaders Association CEO Forum is convening in Naples, Florida, today, giving executives an opportunity to talk shop in a small group setting. Obviously this lowly retail reporter was not invited, but they should have plenty to talk about, with forest fires, an uncertain economic outlook, and a new Trump administration to contend with.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In earnings: Earnings season is still reeving up, but there are some big names reporting their results this week. First up is Starbucks on Tuesday with its Q1 report, the first since the coffee chain’s CEO said, “It is clear we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers,” after three consecutive quarters of sales declines. That was the first earnings call from new CEO Brian Niccol, who outlined a number of changes such as speeding transaction times and bringing back condiment bars.

Next up is Apple on Thursday. The tech giant had a better-than-expected Q4, with revenue rising 6% on the back of the success of the iPhone 16. It also started rolling out the AI-powered Apple Intelligence around that time, and this report could provide an update on how that roll out is faring. 

In webinars: Shoptalk Spring is taking place in Las Vegas in March, and well ahead of the conference organizers will host a webinar on Friday to discuss key industry trends and how they shaped the show’s agenda. It will also provide guidance on how attendees can get the most out of the conference.

In data: While inflation numbers and retail sales are arguably the biggest economic measures for retailers to track, personal income is another important one to keep on your radar. The Bureau of Economic Analysis is releasing the December numbers on Friday, following a slight 0.3% MoM gain in November.

Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.

Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.