Cosmetics brands that have relied on department stores to sell products are suffering along with retailers, which are closing stores and facing bankruptcies. So such companies as Estee Lauder, Amorepacific and Kao "are  looking to manage risk and diversify how their products are sold," per the Wall Street Journal. "Estée Lauder, which saw 46% of its North American net sales come through department stores for the quarter ended March 31, has made a bigger push for online sales during the pandemic."

"Large food retailers such as Kroger, Albertsons, Whole Foods Market (owned by Amazon) and others have phased out temporary pay raises or bonuses — dubbed 'hero pay' or 'appreciation pay' — even as more areas of the country are grappling with a higher incidence of the virus," per Convenience Store News. Many -- including United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International President Marc Perrone and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, in an op-ed on CNN -- are calling on retailers to reinstate such pay for grocery workers, "since they remain exposed to the disease in performing their daily tasks."

"Even before the pandemic, the whole fashion industry had started to unravel," begins this (very long) story for the New York Times Sunday magazine. "What happens now that no one has a reason to dress up?" Is it really "Sweatpants Forever" -- the headline for this post? Maybe so. While fashion designer Marc Jacobs says he's "in the process of grief right now,” for the luxury fashion biz, basic activewear brand Entireworld, says March sales "were up 662 percent over March the previous year."

"About 59% of young Americans say the pandemic has derailed their goal of becoming financially independent from family or other support," per a USA Today study that surveyed 2,002 Americans ages 15 to 29.That means young millennials and Gen Zers are hurting.

"As customers saw things shutting down, there was a surge in demand for products with longer shelf life," notes Land O’Lakes CEO in this Fast Company post where top execs from major food manufacturers and retailers "talk about how the pandemic has changed our relationship to food." Interesting stuff.

"Anthony Levandowski, the engineer at the center of a yearslong legal battle between Google’s self-driving unit and Uber Technologies Inc., was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison on one count of stealing trade secrets," per The Wall Street Journal. Jail time was temporarily suspended because of the pandemic.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is reportedly investigating the circumstances around Eastman Kodak’s announcement of a $765 million government loan to make drugs at its U.S. factories. News of the loan last week caused Kodak’s shares to rise as high as $60, briefly producing a potential windfall for company executives. The investigation is at an early stage and might not produce allegations of wrongdoing by the company or any individuals. At a White House briefing Tuesday night, President Trump distanced himself from the Kodak deal, saying he wasn’t involved.

"Amazon, Publix Super Markets, Wegmans Food Markets, Costco Wholesale and The Kroger Co. finished in the top 10 of the 2020 Axios Harris Poll 100" which ranks the reputations of "the most visible" U.S. companies, per Supermarket News. Responding "decisively" to the pandemic was a major criterion for their excellent rankings. Rounding out the top 10 in the poll, which spanned a range of industry sectors, were The Clorox Co. at No. 1, The Hershey Co. at No. 2, General Mills at No. 5, Procter & Gamble at No. 8 and UPS at No. 10.

Greg Joswiak, previously Apple's head of product marketing, will become senior vice president of worldwide marketing, replacing Phil Schiller, longtime marketing head. "Marketing is a huge role inside of Apple that goes beyond simply advertising products, so this marks a significant change within the company," per The Verge. Schiller, who's faced some criticism for such issues as "the company’s often confusing App Store rules," will remain in charge of the App Store and Apple Events.

7-Eleven is inking a $21 billion deal with Marathon Petroleum Corp. to acquire 3,900 Speedway locations in 25 states, resulting in a network of 14,000 stores. The acquisition is the largest in company history. “Following the transaction, 7-Eleven will have a presence in 47 of the top 50 most populated metro areas in the U.S., positioning the company as a clear industry leader in a fragmented industry with favorable macroeconomic trends,” according to Supermarket News.