Carhartt is expanding its trade-in program to 35 of its retail locations and will begin accepting items by mail later this year. "The program, called Carhartt Reworked, began as a pilot in six of its in-store locations in partnership with Trove, a resale platform that has also partnered with Canada Goose, Lululemon and others," per Retail Dive. "Since the pilot’s launch in March, the program has extended the life of 9,000 garments and kept more than 40,000 products out of landfills."

General Motors' decision to discontinue availability of wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto in its upcoming electric vehicles resulted in a negative outcry. But it's not so much a money grab as a need for better integration between the vehicle and its systems. "While this kind of deep integration with other systems matters less for ICE (internal combustion engine) cars, it’s critical for EVs – especially when it comes to charging and route planning," per Tech Radar. "Take Tesla for example. Without support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, you have to use the infotainment system for navigation. Thankfully, it’s …

Amazon One, a palm-scanning payment technology, will be in use at all 500-plus Whole Foods stores by the end of the year. "Amazon One works by the user scanning their palm above a reader—in other words, it’s another form of contactless biometric authentication, like Apple’s Face ID," per Fast Company. "But instead of reading your face, Amazon One reads the lines and ridges of your palm and the unique vein patterns beneath it. This reading of deeper subcutaneous features means that someone can’t just photograph your palm and start loading up on costly cheeses at Whole Foods at …

When celebrity Kim Kardashian first launched Skims four years ago, it was seen as a competitor to Spanx. "Skims exclusively sold shapewear to its customers at first but has ventured out into a wide variety of apparel like swimsuits and loungewear," per USA Today. "They have plans to sell men’s clothing come fall. The company also plans on opening physical stores in Los Angeles and New York City sometime next year."

American bank account balances are 10% to 15% higher than in 2019, new data shows. "However, households are rapidly spending down that extra cash they’d socked away during the pandemic," per the Washington Post. "The data helps explain the big mystery behind how the U.S. economy has managed to avoid a recession that many economists had forecast: Consumers, supported by a strong labor market, have been able to keep spending despite inflation and a sharp rise in borrowing costs."

California-based Rivian, which produces its luxury EVs in  Normal, Illinois, is planning to open its first showroom in Chicago. The upstart "has leased a 5,160-square-foot space at 871 N. Rush St. in the Gold Coast, called Space, where consumers and the EV-curious can kick the tires on the automaker’s inaugural R1T and R1S models," per the Chicago Tribune. 

Recent backlash against Bud Light, Target, Walt Disney and Walgreen's could result in other companies taking a more cautious approach to their marketing. "The last few years have been a bit of an outlier, and there’s been enough companies now that have had serious issues: Disney, Walgreens, Target, BlackRock. There’s a whole list of them. In some cases, the campaigns against them may have worked, and in some cases, they may have not worked — Disney may prevail against DeSantis in the end. But I think you will see retrenchment of CEOs taking positions on polarizing issues," political scientist and management scholar …

Sprite has launched pilot program in London with the goal of helping Gen Z to cool down. Themed "Heat Happens," the effort is aimed at commuters contending with all the annoyances of slogging back and forth to the office in high summer. "Together with WPP OpenX, the brand has created a Sprite vending machine that will drop ice-cold Sprite [for free] when things get heated," per Little Black Book. "The pilot has launched at London’s King’s Cross Station, and will roll out across Europe over the summer and beyond."

Lululemon is laying off 100 employees from its Lululemon Studio business (the arm that includes Mirror). Employees were “offered ongoing roles to support the future vision of Lululemon Studio,” a spokesperson said. "The layoffs were mentioned by several employees on LinkedIn with roles in social media, talent acquisition and content strategy," per Retail Dive."The athletics brand acquired the at-home fitness platform Mirror — known for its premium fitness technology device — for $500 million in 2020, initially allowing it to operate as a stand-alone company. Lululemon released Lululemon Studio, its replacement for Mirror’s subscription program, in September 2022."

Younger travelers are discovering the economy and convenience of cruise ship travel. "Interest among younger generations who have never cruised is higher than ever, with 73% of millennials and Gen X travelers considering a cruise vacation, according to a survey conducted by Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s trade group," per The New York Times. "Out of the 4,500 respondents who took their first cruise, 88% of millennials and 86% of Gen X said they would do it again, according to CLIA. The association projects cruise tourism to reach 106% of 2019 passenger volume in 2023."