While no one is really sure what Super Bowl will look like in 2021 or if it will even happen, companies are still going ahead with their Super Bowl plans. Pepsi, the NFL and Roc Nation announced Grammy Award-winning artist The Weeknd as the headlining musical talent in the half-time show on Feb. 7 in Tampa. Talent agency Roc Nation is also serving as the strategic entertainment advisor of the live performance.

Venerable denim brand Wrangler has partnered with the sci-fi cartoon "Rick and Morty" for a collection of merchandise in anticipation of the Adult Swim Festival, taking place Nov. 13-14. The collection was inspired by the season four finale of the show, which featured a gigantic laser that was fictionally “sponsored by Wrangler.” The collection features two pieces, a T-shirt and a denim jacket, available now via the Wrangler website.

An effective COVID-19 vaccine could mean life could begin to resemble normal by March or April. “This provides theater owners and Hollywood studios clarity for the first time as to when moviegoing might resume in earnest,” according to The Hollywood Reporter -- and movie theater owners agree. “Pfizer said it is a game changer in terms of public health issues. And I think the vaccine is a game changer in terms of the movie industry. No one had a time frame before. The announcement puts bookends on in," says Imax CEO Richard Gelfond.

Levi’s was already in the process of remaking itself long before the coronavirus hit and decimated the retail sector. A move toward D2C has been in the works for more than five years, says Brady Stewart, senior vice president and managing director of the company’s direct-to-consumer business. What enabled the legacy denim brand to “really accelerate through Covid” was a “very strong sense for what our consumers need,” Stewart tells Sourcing Journal.

Disneyland and Disney California Adventure is once again furloughing workers it had prematurely called back to work, anticipating reopening. In a memo to employees, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock blamed the state’s coronavirus protocols for keeping the reopening timeline for the theme parks — which have been shut since mid-March — in “limbo,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Disney representatives declined to say how many employees are being furloughed.

Lucid Motors is opening 20 retail centers in upscale markets ahead of its launch next spring of the Lucid Air, a high-performance luxury sedan that costs upwards of $169,000. “The plan makes sense because this is not an inexpensive car,” per MediaVillage. “Customers will be able to get into a model of the Air interior, don 4K VR goggles, see the car in many different iterations, and be ‘transported’ to a variety of destinations—including the beach in Monterey.”

Timberland’s parent company has acquired Supreme, a streetwear brand with 12 stores, for $2.1 billion. VF Corp. also owns The North Face, Vans and Dickies. “Supreme was founded in 1994 as a skatewear brand with a store in downtown Manhattan, and has since evolved into a global business that sells apparel, accessories and footwear under its namesake brand through direct-to-consumer channels, primarily digital,” per Chain Store Age. “Customers are known to line up outside its 12 stores for hours to buy its newest releases. Supreme also has entered into collaborations with such luxury brands as Louis Vuitton.”

The outdoor dining program that allowed more than 10,000 restaurants to set out tables on New York City’s sidewalks is here to stay, according to the city’s mayor and city council. “In the general calamity, it’s been easy to overlook the enormous implications this move will have for restaurants, streets and neighborhoods,” according to The New York Times. “It’s not too soon to start making a few predictions about a city whose character will be shaped as much by the umbrellas and chairs at ground level as it is by the lights and spires of its skyline.”

With COVID-19 cases spiking across the nation, some grocery stores are once again limiting certain items including toilet paper. Kroger told USA Today it has "proactively and temporarily set purchase limits to two per customer" on items including toilet paper, paper towels, disinfecting wipes and hand soap. H-E-B imposed limits as of Oct. 31 on toilet paper and paper towels to stores in Central Texas, Gulf Coast and San Antonio regions.

JLab Audio and Major League Soccer have signed a multiyear extension of their sponsorship deal that began in 2018. The Carlsbad, Calif.-based company will remain the league’s official audio and microphone sponsor and also will receive the same designation for the eMLS platform. The deal also features branded integrations across digital platforms, video and in-stadium. JLab will activate its MLS relationship at tentpole events, including MLS Cup and during the eMLS season.