AGP Executive Report

Food & Price Relief: India’s Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare says there’s no onion shortage, as the government starts retail onion sales at Rs 35/kg via NCCF/NAFED outlets and mobile vans to curb spikes ahead of festive demand. Retail Real Estate: Canada’s Rose Corporation cleared key steps for a 27.3-acre Oakville master-planned community, with remaining “heavy lifting” on subdivision, site plan, permits, and servicing. UK High Street Politics: Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley attacks Andy Burnham’s high-street revival plan as “populist” and argues the government isn’t tackling cost-of-living drivers like business rates. Fashion Retail Tech: Zara owner Inditex launches cut-price Lefties in the UK with in-store robotics for checkout, hanger sorting, and behind-the-scenes returns/processing. Consumer Goods Reformulation: General Mills removes artificial “certified colors” from all U.S. cereals, aiming for full portfolio completion by end-2027. Retail Operations & Expansion: Visible launches Visible One, bundling mobile and fiber internet on one bill; Build-A-Bear reports weaker Q2 results and trims its FY outlook. Global Disruption: Russian drones hit electronics retailer Comfy’s Kyiv distribution center, while stores and online channels keep operating.

Retail Backlash & Brand Safety: Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy pulled Good Good Golf merchandise after a video showed a man shoving a woman; Golf Channel also postponed a sponsored show premiere. Sports Sponsorships: Sprite signed as official soft drink partner of Australia’s NBL/WNBL, while Posca Hydrate became founding hydration partner of the Edinburgh Castle Rockers ahead of the European T20 Premier League. Retail Expansion & Omnichannel: Singapore Airlines’ KrisShop launched in Australia with local delivery and KrisFlyer miles earn/redeem; RC Hobbies in New Zealand highlighted steady growth in RC cars and parts demand. Logistics & Holiday Costs: USPS requested temporary holiday shipping price hikes starting Oct. 4 through Jan. 17, 2027 for key parcel services. Food Prices Pressure: Onion prices in Karnataka jumped to ₹70–₹80/kg with fears of crossing ₹100 as monsoon damage tightens supply. Market Watch (Retail Stocks): Wesfarmers’ FY26 update spotlighted Bunnings/Kmart “everyday low prices,” while Coles’ latest results emphasized resilient supermarkets plus online grocery momentum. Retail Real Estate: Rutland plaza redevelopment talks in the US gained traction as owners appear more open to discussing the Walmart space.

Fuel Prices: Malaysia’s MOF set a 5 sen/litre increase for RON97, unsubsidised RON95 and unsubsidised diesel for Aug 27–Sept 2, while BUDI MADANI subsidised rates stay unchanged, as Brent stays above US$90 amid Strait of Hormuz supply constraints. Retail Demand Watch: UK retailers reported softer August sales volumes and worsening sentiment, with price pressure rising and firms expecting inflation to accelerate. Consumer Spending Puzzle: Mecklenburg County’s sales-tax collections are basically flat despite Charlotte’s booming growth story, hinting at a slowdown in local consumer spend. Energy Cost Control: A Cebu commercial tower locked in a fixed electricity rate for two years via retail power competition, aiming for more predictable costs and better efficiency using load data. Store Openings & Expansion: Wren opened a new Bromborough showroom (16 jobs) with VR design suites; Iolla teased its first Aberdeen showroom ahead of an Aug 29 opening; Lidl NI launched 30 new local artisan products under its Kickstart programme. Retail Crime & Compliance: A man was jailed after probation revocation for Farm & Fleet chainsaw theft; UK police reported a Peterborough burglary spree targeting multiple retailers. AI in Shopping: NMI found shoppers want AI to help them start shopping, but only 11% use it to complete purchases—most still want a human at checkout. Target Backlash: Target pulled an “offensive” Halloween costume after racist minstrel-caricature criticism and issued an apology. Food Price Relief: India’s government begins subsidised onion sales at Rs 35/kg in Delhi via Nafed, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar outlets to cool retail rates. Travel Retail & Brand Moves: Armaf is pushing travel retail with new Club de Nuit launches and a global ambassador campaign. Tech for Retail Finance: Bridge launched a $500M direct lending fund to finance retail suppliers’ purchase orders for major U.S. retailers.

Tap-to-pay Rollout: Walmart is expanding contactless tap-to-pay across U.S. stores and Sam’s Club, with fuel stations next, as it leans harder into “price, speed and convenience.” Payments Momentum (India): UPI marks a decade milestone, now powering the bulk of India’s digital payments and adding hundreds of banks to the network. Grocery & Retail Demand (South Korea): July retail sales rose 6.4% year-on-year, led by online grocery and services, while offline luxury and department stores also gained. Food & Price Controls (India): The government ramps up onion supply via “Kanda Express” trains to cool retail prices, while beef tariffs get a temporary reprieve in the U.S. Product Launches (India): Fortune expands its edible oil lineup with Fortune Yellow Mustard Oil, targeting traditional taste and health-minded shoppers. Retail Expansion (India): Mehul Telecom opens a new store in Mundra, adding to its local footprint. Corporate Moves: Kohl’s reshuffles leadership by promoting its chief digital officer to a new chief customer officer role. Fashion IPO Watch: Shein launches its Hong Kong public offering, with investors focused on how ESG scrutiny could affect valuation. Retail Real Estate: Waterways Leisure Tourism’s 10:1 share split takes effect to broaden access and improve liquidity for retail investors.

Retail Performance Watch: India’s retail market grew 8% year-on-year in July 2026, led by apparel (+12%) and footwear (+13%), with fashion demand strengthening after a softer first quarter and shoppers increasingly mixing physical stores with digital and quick commerce. Store Openings & Expansion: Levi’s hit its 500th India store at Phoenix Marketcity Bengaluru, while Ben Sherman is launching its first India physical store in Surat with seven more planned across Q3–Q4 2026. Retail Leadership Moves: Brookshire Grocery Co. named Jerry LeClair CEO, effective immediately, after serving as interim CEO since February. UK Store Closures: Poundland confirmed closures for two sites in Darlington and Medway, citing lease issues and directing shoppers to nearby branches. Controversy & Brand Safety: Target pulled a children’s Halloween costume after backlash over racist imagery, issuing a public apology and removing the item from sale. Food Price Relief: India’s government will sell onions at Rs 35/kg in Delhi via “Kanda Express” (800 tonnes arriving Wednesday) as retail prices stay elevated. Tech for Retail: URLgenius launched Adaptive QR Codes to route scans to the right language and market experience, aiming to reduce misdirected customer journeys. Convenience Food Trends: A new c-store report says Gen Z visits more often and buys more prepared food, with promotions like BOGO and combo pricing driving choice.

Retail Design & Culture: A new home-design report says Japandi is now mainstream in Western interiors, while critics warn that “wabi-sabi” and other Japanese terms are being used loosely in marketing. Legal & IP: A New York judge dismissed a suit tied to a Pelé photo after settlement, a reminder that retail merchandising still faces copyright risk. Grocery Cost Pressure: Sugar price spikes are pushing retailers and online platforms to impose purchase limits ahead of the festive season. Consumer Demand Signals: South Korea’s food delivery payments hit a record in July, with Baemin leading by users and payments. Food Rescue Partnerships: A French bakery in Chattanooga is partnering with the local food bank to pack and donate unsold surplus. Tech in Retail Ops: China’s humanoid-robot push is moving from demos to logistics and retail sorting, even as Unitree’s post-IPO share slump raises “bubble” concerns. Retail Real Estate: A Goleta retail center sold for $11.3M, and Greenville’s $1B downtown redevelopment is nearing vertical construction with major retail leases. Retail Media: IKEA’s parent Ingka is pitching its global media account for a new agency partnership. Crypto & Retail Finance: Standard Chartered becomes the first bank authorized to distribute Hong Kong’s HKDAP stablecoin, aiming to bring tokenized settlement into regulated banking channels.

Retail Expansion & Real Estate: Westcliff Management bought Edmonton’s Kingsway Mall, a 880,000 sq ft super-regional center with 160+ tenants and about 7M visitors a year, signaling renewed confidence in Canadian retail destinations. Omnichannel Fashion: SNITCH added five new stores across India (Kolkata, Pune, Nashik, Patiala, Noida) to reach 131 locations, pairing offline growth with its online catalog. Store Refresh: Pull&Bear reopened its Mall of Cyprus store with a digital-first, modular “rooms” concept and assisted checkout. Cold-Chain Logistics JV: Reitar and Smart Pointer Logistics formed a five-year joint venture to build cold-chain warehousing and digital fulfillment, valued around HK$120M. Retail Media/Entertainment: Prime Video and Vinted teamed with Banijay’s Electric Robin for “Live Better for Less,” a pan-European AI-localized lifestyle format launching in September. Food & Consumer Goods: CAULIPOWER rolled out its High Protein Supreme Pizza nationwide at Walmart, while Current Cannabis launched free delivery in four South St. Louis County zip codes. Pricing Pressure: India’s sugar and onion spikes kept political heat on; the Centre started moving onion buffer stocks via “Kanda Express,” and ISMA insisted there’s no sugar shortage as retail prices are expected to ease. Tech & Payments: Revolut hit 75M customers and targets 100M by mid-2027, and a new study flags price/promo/markdown optimization software converging into unified AI platforms. Security/Operations: Ukraine’s drone strikes hit multiple Ozon warehouses, disrupting fulfillment and weighing on shares.

Retail Data Watch (New Zealand): Stats NZ says seasonally adjusted retail sales volumes fell 0.5% in the June 2026 quarter, the first drop since late 2024, with higher fuel prices lifting sales values but fuel volumes down sharply. Fuel & Cost Pressure: A separate NZ report links weaker consumer spending to the US-Iran war and the resulting fuel-price surge. Grocery Affordability Push (New Zealand): A not-for-profit online supermarket proposal asks government funding to challenge the Foodstuffs/Woolworths duopoly, aiming to pass through wholesale prices to households. Food Safety Crackdown (India): Delhi’s FSSAI suspended Marche Retail’s licence and ordered SDP Industries to stop selling ghee variants after hygiene/training lapses. Fuel Tax Enforcement (Philippines): BIR sealed dispensing pumps at nearly 40% of inspected Luzon stations in an anti-tax evasion drive using the fuel marking program. Market & Retail Finance (Nigeria): NGX trading value jumped 38% in July to N2.37tn on stronger domestic participation, while the SEC proposed new fees and capital rules for digital asset providers. Retail Sector Moves (South Africa): The Foschini Group (TFG) started Section 189A consultations that could lead to head-office retrenchments, while stores are said to be unaffected.

Retail Real Estate: South Ayrshire Council has approved plans to convert a long-vacant Ayr town-centre retail unit into a studio flat, aiming to tackle persistent vacancy and boost rental supply. High-Street Restructuring: Wales’ TG Jones (formerly WH Smith) is set to close its Cardigan store at the end of September as the retailer moves to shut up to 150 shops nationwide amid weak spending and online competition. Food Safety Crackdown: India’s FSSAI suspended Delhi retailer Marche Retail’s licence for 30 days and issued a prohibition order against Daman’s SDP Industries over serious ghee and hygiene violations. Consumer Alerts: A U.S. FDA update links alfalfa sprouts to 55 illnesses across 15 states, with Minnesota and Wisconsin hit hardest, prompting renewed attention for shoppers and retailers. Fuel Prices: Nigeria’s petrol depot prices rose in major markets as crude neared $95 and Hormuz supply worries intensified, with Dangote refinery also adjusting prices. Corporate Bonds Access: SEBI proposed a mutual-fund-style distribution framework to widen retail participation in corporate bonds via channel partners and online platforms. Tech & Retail Timing: Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro launch is set for Sept. 9, a date that can reshape carrier marketing and retail demand ahead of competitors’ launches.

Retail Expansion: New Zealand chocolatier Baron Hasselhoff is seeking $600,000 to move into the former Red Square site in Wellington, aiming to scale from a small DTC base to wider supermarket distribution and lift revenue from $550k to $3.5m. Awards & Finance: Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB) won two Global Business and Finance Magazine Awards for Shariah-compliant product innovation and corporate Islamic banking. Food Authenticity & Consumer Trust: UK honey shoppers are being warned after tests found widespread adulteration, with reports citing unauthorised additives in many supermarket brands. Regulation Crackdown: Karnataka has banned analogue “paneer” made with vegetable fats/oils from being marketed as paneer for one year, targeting harmful lookalikes and labelling violations. Disaster Relief in Retail: South Korea’s GS Retail is delivering food and essentials to Geoje after record heavy rain, using its convenience and supermarket logistics network. Retail Courts: South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld an antitrust fine against GS Retail over improper returns and promotional cost pass-through. Trade & Pricing Pressure: Trump’s tariff-free ground beef import plan faces pushback from cattle groups as US-Canada talks collapse and 50% tariffs hit Canadian goods. Local Retail Growth: GS25 starts selling fresh sweet potatoes from Haenam and Naju earlier than usual, citing harvest timing and rising demand. Real Estate & Mixed-Use: Chattanooga’s Urban Story Ventures unveiled a $350m riverfront retail-and-residential district, targeting construction in 2027.

Tariff pressure meets retail price cuts: Walmart is rolling back prices on 11,000+ products using a $2.9B tariff refund, as U.S. shoppers get more selective and comparable sales growth slows. Consumer protection on pricing: The FTC is pushing for retailers to disclose when prices are personalized using consumer data, while Rhode Island bills aimed at stronger rules stalled. Big-box hardware gets pricier: Amazon raised prices across Echo, Kindle, Fire TV and eero after memory/storage costs jumped. Luxury footprint shrinks: An iconic luxury brand is exiting an entire market and closing stores as it refocuses on higher-performing locations. Wholesale expansion in the Philippines: Makro Philippines secured four long-term land lease deals with Ayala Land to open new wholesale sites across Mega Manila and Southern Luzon. Food affordability headlines: U.S. Agriculture Secretary defended allowing more imported ground beef to lower grocery bills, while Iowa farm groups warned it could hurt domestic producers. Local retail disruption: A former DW Sports gym site in Warrington is seeing activity ahead of demolition and possible redevelopment for 240 affordable homes. Scam watch: The BBB logged a retail-business scam report in North Sioux City with $4,815 in losses. Gaming retail tie-in: Costco is selling a full-scale Pokémon pinball machine for $4,999.99.

Retail Payments & Policy: India’s Parliament rewrote rules around charging for UPI, but for now no fees are imposed—raising fresh debate about whether even future charges could hit the smallest, lowest-income merchant payments hardest. Walmart Payments Upgrade: Walmart finally rolled out Apple Pay and other tap-to-pay options at select U.S. stores (and Sam’s Club), ending years of resistance and aligning with broader NFC adoption. Sugar Price Shock: India’s government rejected claims that ethanol diversion drove sugar spikes, pointing instead to low output, festive demand, hoarding, and stock limits; retail prices in some markets jumped toward Rs 70/kg. Retail Crime & Loss Prevention: A Chicago man allegedly used GPS-tracked stolen Lululemon items to get caught on a Green Line train, highlighting how retailers are tightening enforcement. Store & Property Moves: Agana Shopping Center says it spent $12M on a new Cost.U.Less build but is suing over unpaid rent, while a former Geelong bank landmark sold for $4.1M. Consumer Tech & Shopping: AndaSeat promoted back-to-school workstation setups as student tech gets more device-dense, and Spirit Halloween is opening a new temporary store in Sterling. Cross-Border Trade: Malaysia’s MATRADE reported RM186M in sales from an export mission to Cambodia, driven by B2B meetings with major retail and distribution buyers.

Payments Upgrade: Walmart will start accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay via Tap to Pay at select stores and Sam’s Club from Aug. 24, aiming for full rollout by year-end and later expansion to fuel stations. Retail Demand Watch: Canada’s retail sales rose 0.6% in June to C$74.3B, but an advance estimate points to a 0.8% drop in July—fuel and grocery were key drags. Consumer Safety: The FDA upgraded a recall of nearly 1.6 million dozen eggs to Class I over Salmonella risk, with specific egg codes and dates flagged for shoppers. Off-Price Momentum: Ross Stores jumped after a blowout Q2, with comparable sales up 10% and strong earnings, while the broader retail tape showed more mixed signals. Automation in Foodservice: California Pizza Kitchen plans up to 1,000 automated kiosk machines with T-ROC Global over three years, targeting high-traffic locations where full restaurants don’t fit. Digital Commerce Payments: Russia’s Wildberries and Ozon plan to add digital ruble payments starting Sept. 1 as CBDC rules roll forward. Retail Real Estate & Community: Fairbanks’ Polaris Commons proposal would bring mixed affordable housing plus ground-floor retail and community space to the Lacey Street site. Retail Tech for Quality: Medical Care Technologies’ StrainScan Pro positions AI vision as a portable enterprise standard for multi-location retail and agriculture.

Retail Cybersecurity: A new warning says AI rollouts without matching security spend can turn AI into a liability, since data, cloud, APIs and connected services expand the attack surface. China Market Exit: Fidelity International is reportedly planning to exit its wholly owned China fund unit, citing competition, leadership churn and scale struggles—another sign of pressure on foreign retail finance. India Consumer Lending: PNB is extending a P1bn secured credit facility to BillEase using the PPSR, giving the bank first-rank claims over loan receivables—fuel for more retail credit. Gold Loan Push: Aditya Birla Capital’s NBFC enters gold loans, targeting up to 1,000 branches in three years as secured lending demand rises. Walmart Pressure: Walmart shares slid after a rare comparable sales miss, with fuel costs squeezing shoppers and prompting price cuts on 11,000 items. Plant-Based Value: Dutch supermarkets show plant-based baskets up to 30% cheaper than meat and dairy, driven by targeted pricing and private labels. Retail Theft Crackdown: Burbank police arrested 17 people in a “Summer Blitz” targeting organized retail theft with retailers including Walmart, Target and Nordstrom Rack. Fashion Expansion: Musinsa plans its first Vietnam store rollout, using local partners to grow offline presence across major cities. Convenience Retail Tech: Analysts argue convenience stores face a make-or-break moment where data infrastructure and AI decide winners and losers.

Retail Policy & Pricing: The FTC proposed rules for personalized pricing disclosures, warning firms to clearly explain when individualized prices surprise shoppers and what data drives them. Big-Box & Value: Walmart says it’s using $2.9B in tariff refunds to push lower prices, even as it reported the slowest U.S. same-store sales growth since 2020. Retail Media & Growth: BPMS launched Bloom, a marketplace growth accelerator bundling marketplace ops, retail media, creative, analytics, and off-platform demand for brands. Store Footprint Shifts: Nike is closing 14+ neighborhood concept stores across 13 states as it streamlines its physical retail footprint. Beauty Retail Expansion: THOME brings its ultrasound skincare devices to Sephora in 580+ stores. Consumer Sentiment: The BRC-Opinium tracker shows UK consumer expectations and retail spending improving, though the cost-of-living squeeze remains a concern. New Openings & Local Retail: Knoops opens its first U.S. store in Salt Lake City, kicking off a planned national rollout. Real Estate & Retail Development: East Lothian Council approved a Dunbar-area retail expansion with stores including Lidl, B&M, and M&S Food, with conditions tied to town-centre promotion. Security & Payments Risk: Researchers unveiled a “Zombie Card” attack that can revive expired Visa contactless cards in-store under certain conditions.

Food Prices Watch: The Philippines’ PSA says early-August rice prices rose to P49.61/kg (regular milled) and cooking oil jumped to P200.04/l, with El Niño-linked risks to the coming palay harvest adding pressure. Retail Earnings & Demand: Australia’s Super Retail Group reported $4.2bn sales (+3.2%) and $774m operating profit (+2.1%), with Rebel Sport still growing as fitness spend holds up despite rates and a Middle East fuel crisis. Big-Box Health Offer: Costco is partnering with SCAN to roll out jointly branded Medicare Advantage and supplemental plans in select states, aiming to make benefits easier for seniors. Retail Real Estate Shake-Up: A $1bn-plus privately held Australian retail portfolio is hitting the market, including Spencer Outlet Centre and Market City, with a September EOI campaign. Security & Theft Policy: West Hollywood approved new self-checkout rules that require staffing standards to curb retail theft. Brand & Product Moves: 7-Eleven expands its private-label beverage push with a new 7-Select Soda line, while MILKLAB launches Lactose Free into Woolworths. Governance Update: Dusk Group lodged an updated corporate governance statement with the ASX, focusing on oversight and accountability.