Forever 21 has partnered with 7-Eleven for a "limited-time, online-only collection of merchandise themed around the convenience store chain's popular Slurpee and Big Gulp drinks," per Chain Store Age. Cropped and regular T-shirts, hoodies and fleece items "features nostalgic renditions of the convenience store retailer's most iconic logos on backgrounds of various colors."

"Even as the city has contained the virus and slowly reopens, there are ominous signs that some national brands are starting to abandon New York," according to TheNew York Times. Chains such as  J.C. Penney, Kate Spade, Subway and Le Pain Quotidien "have shuttered branches for good," while others like the Gap, "have kept their high-profile locations closed in Manhattan, while reopening in other states." Why? There's no shopping or restaurant traffic from office workers or tourists, and many residents are “a little loath to go out.”

"This is Samsung’s first set of open-type earbuds, and in a world of AirPods knockoffs everywhere you look, the company wanted to get a little bold," writes The Verge in an interview with the designer of the new product. "The company has been encouraged by early reviews, so the bean form factor might be here to stay."

Jake “Body by Jake” Steinfeld, star of his own fitness TV show, has developed  Don’t Quit!, a line of nutrition shakes and meal supplements that counts Keurig Dr Pepper and L.A. Liberations as investors.

Convenience stores, facing enhanced competition from Amazon and lack of store traffic due to COVID-19, are taking steps to evolve. For one, "Circle K is opening what’s believed to be the world’s first convenience store retrofitted with AI technology for autonomous checkout in Tempe, Arizona," according to Fast Company. And "Wawa revealed plans for its first-ever freestanding drive-through, which will be built in suburban Philadelphia."

Discount department store chain Stein Mart has filed for bankruptcy protection. "it's permanently closing a 'significant portion, if not all' of its brick-and-mortar stores with liquidation sales beginning immediately," according to CNN Business. That's nearly 300 locations across 30 states.

The last-ever Blockbuster, in Bend, Oregon, has been offering curbside pick-up during the pandemic, to the gratitude of customers who say they "couldn't flip through Netflix one more time," per Mashable. In appreciation, store owners are allowing local residents to "rent a stay at the store starting August 17 for just $4 on September 18, 19, and 20. That's just a penny more than a movie rental. Guests will have the entire place to themselves, it'll be cleaned according to COVID-19 standards, and the candy is up for grabs."

Muriel F. Gonzalez joins as executive vice president, chief merchandising and marketing officer, effective immediately. "Gonzalez has a four-decades long career in senior roles at Macy's, Bergdorf Goodman, Estée Lauder, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Ann Taylor," per Convenience Store News. She's expected to lead "The Vitamin Shoppe's "ongoing reinvention as the industry's premiere health and wellness lifestyle retailer,”  says the company.

Despite forecasts that the pandemic would lead to a swift end of many tech start-ups, "those doomsday warnings have not translated into the drastic shakeout that many had expected," according to The New York Times. "Funding for young companies has stayed robust, particularly for the larger start-ups."

Contrary to today's sad retail trend of closings and bankruptcies, Dick’s Sporting Goods will open 11 new stores this month. That will be four namesake locations and one combination Dick’s and Golf Galaxy store, plus five Dick’s Sporting Goods Warehouse Sale clearance outlets and one Overtime by Dick’s Sporting Goods locations.  The latter format "will offer an expansive assortment of apparel, footwear and equipment from familiar name brands, at up to 90% off regular prices," according to Convenience Store News. "The Warehouse Sale store clearance locations are pop-ups that will offer deep discounts off original prices on customer-favorite footwear and apparel brands." …