This Week in Retail: Groceryship and Costco earnings

Groceryshop hits Las Vegas this week, and Retail Brew is dropping in to track all the biggest trends at grocers. The big themes on the agenda this year include the AI-powered shopping experience, unified commerce and omnichannel marketing strategies, and retail media opportunities and challenges. On deck to speak are industry leaders such as Instacart CEO Chris Rogers, Kroger Chief Digital Officer Yael Cosset, and Sam’s Club Chief Merchant Myron Frazier, to name just three of the 150 executives and experts in attendance.

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

In earnings: Reporting well after its big box peers, Costco Wholesale is releasing its latest quarterly earnings on Thursday. The membership store’s Q3 showed 11.6% growth in net sales, and 9.8% in comparable sales. Last week, the company also announced that it’s expanding its partnership with Uber to 47 states, up from 17, with nearly 600 locations offering delivery through the service.

In showcases: The Toy Insider is hosting its Holiday of Play event in Manhattan. The toy industry resource will unwrap its holiday gift guide, discuss the latest holiday toy trends, and showcase the “must-have” products this season. More than 30 toymakers will be in attendance, with displays highlighting their holiday lineups.

In webinars: Retail Week is hosting a 40-minute webinar on how retailers can use AI to “strengthen resilience, minimize disruption, and protect consumer trust.” Experts from IBM, Palo Alto Networks, and Northstar Intelligence will speak on the evolving cyber-threat landscape, how to leverage automation and autonomous security, and how AI is accelerating both cyber threats and cyber defense.