Retail Media Hits $71 Billion in 2026, and the Real Fight Is Who Can Run It
US retail media ad spend is on pace to hit $71.09 billion in 2026, up roughly 18% from last year, and almost all of the …
Aisha Williams
Ocado H1 revenue jumps 54% on Kroger payout: underlying sales up just 1%
Ocado Group’s first-half revenue rose 54% to £1.04bn, but a one-off Kroger termination fee accounted for almost all of the jump as underlying sales grew just 1%. The results confirmed a new Asda partnership, a return to profit at Ocado Retail, and a pledge to turn cash flow positive in the second half.
Why warehouse automation is likely to headline retail’s Q2 2026 earnings: 3 capex signals
Fulfillment-automation capex is on track to be the defining margin story of retail’s Q2 2026 earnings season, which opens with Amazon on July 30 and runs through Walmart on August 20. Three fresh signals suggest robotics-driven unit-cost gains, not pricing, will carry the quarter.
Why the EU’s €2 parcel handling fee is likely to slip past November: 3 signals
Prediction: the EU-wide €2 parcel handling fee likely misses its provisional November 1, 2026 start and slips into 2027, while the €3 duty stays live. Three recent signals point to a delay, with national fees fragmenting the bloc in the gap.
PepsiCo Q2 revenue beats as US snacking cools: 2026 guidance held
PepsiCo’s second-quarter revenue topped Wall Street forecasts at about $24.2 billion, but flat North America volumes and softer US snack and soda demand tempered the result. The company held its full-year guidance and lifted its dividend for a 54th year, even as shares slipped in premarket trading.
Ocado’s Tim Steiner to step down as CEO: founder era winds down
Ocado Group has confirmed that co-founder Tim Steiner will step down as chief executive by the start of its 2028 financial year, moving into a founder role through 2029. The July 6 filing opens a formal succession process at the London-listed grocery-technology group, with no successor yet named.
China retail sales drop 0.6%: first decline since 2022 unsettles brands
China’s May retail sales fell 0.6% year on year, the first decline since December 2022, as a fading auto trade-in subsidy hit big-ticket demand. The miss raises pressure on Beijing and softens the base for global brands and marketplaces.
Why the Visa-Mastercard $200bn swipe-fee settlement is unlikely to hold: 3 interchange signals
A US judge gave the $200bn Visa-Mastercard swipe-fee settlement preliminary approval, but top retailers are fighting it. Signals point to a contested fall with little merchant relief before year-end 2026.
Why a major retailer is likely to launch agentic checkout before holiday 2026: 3 executive-move signals
Two agentic-commerce C-suite hires in two days, plus a crossover into traditional retail, point to a first named, generally available agentic-checkout launch before the 2026 holiday peak. The pattern is grounded but the timing carries real risk.
Why Instacart’s re-rating as grocery-tech infrastructure is likely before year-end: 3 signals
Three recent signals point to Instacart re-rating as a grocery-technology and advertising platform rather than a delivery app. The shift likely becomes the dominant valuation narrative by its Q3 2026 report in early November.