ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

AP Retail Writer

D’Innocenzio writes about retail, trends, the consumer economy and hourly workers for The Associated Press.

Shown is a Walmart location in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Walmart rolled through 2024, but uncertainty about consumers and tariffs seep into year ahead

Walmart delivered another year of strong sales and profits with its competitive prices an increasingly strong magnet for inflation-weary shoppers, but this year appears to come with new challenges in an uncertain economic landscape.

Pedestrians pass a Target store near the Target Corporation's headquarters Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Daughters of Target’s late cofounder raise concern over company’s pullback on DEI efforts

The daughters of one of the cofounders of Target are expressing their alarm and shock at the discounter’s recent moves to roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion program.

A table is stacked with striped lounge sets in a Costco warehouse Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

US retail sales plunged along with temperatures in January after a bustling holiday season

U.S. retail sales dropped sharply last month, in part because cold weather kept more Americans indoors and dented sales at car dealers and most other stores.

Estee Lauder products are displayed at a store in Boston, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Estee Lauder to cut up to 7,000 jobs as sales slide

Estee Lauder said it’s expanding its restructuring plan to include job cuts anywhere from 5,800 to 7,000 by fiscal 2026 as the global beauty company tries to boost sales and profits.

A person heads into a Target store Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Lakewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Target is ending its diversity goals as a strong DEI opponent occupies the White House

Discount store chain Target says it’s joining rival Walmart and a number of other prominent American brands in scaling back corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

A cart wrangler gathers shopping carts outside a Costco warehouse in Sheridan, Colo., July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Costco successfully defends its diversity policies as other US companies scale theirs back

Costco has claimed victory in pushing back on a shareholder proposal that urges the wholesale club operator to conduct an evaluation of any business risks posed by its diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Shoppers pass displays of goods in a Costco warehouse Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Sheridan, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Nation’s largest trade group: holiday sales rose a better-than-expected 4%

Sales for the 2024 holiday shopping season turned out to be robust and better than expected, as easing inflation on merchandise drove shoppers to buy, according to the nation’s largest retail trade group.

A shopper looks at handbags at Macy's department store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio, File)

American shoppers wrap up the year in a spending mood, boding well for the U.S. economy

American consumers wrapped up the year in a spending mood, shopping for all sorts of merchandise from furniture to clothing, and eating out at restaurants, according to the latest government snapshot.

A Kohl's store is shown in Indianapolis, Thursday, April 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Kohl’s to close 27 stores by April as struggling department stores works to improve sales

Kohl’s is planning to close 27 underperforming stores in 15 states by April as the struggling department store chain aims to boost profitability and improve sagging sales.

This combination image shows signage of Chipotle restaurant Feb. 8, 2016, Walmart store, in Walpole, Mass., Sept. 3, 2019, McDonald's restaurant on April 29, 2024, in Albany, Ore., a Target store sign is shown in Amherst, N.Y., Aug. 18, 2009. (AP Photo)

Value-seekers drove 2024’s retail trends and dead ends

Value was in vogue in 2024. Shoppers and restaurant patrons in the U.S. were choosy about where and how to spend their money as they wrestled with high housing and food prices. Well-heeled shoppers traded down to Walmart and Aldi.

A shopper looks at handbags at Macy's department store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio, File)

Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices

New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries.

Storage bins from the Container Store are shown on Dec.13, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Cathy Bussewitz, File)

The Container Store, buffeted by rough housing market and competition, seeks bankruptcy protection

The Container Store has filed for bankruptcy protection, as the storage and organizational goods retailer with roots dating back to 1978 grapples with mounting losses and cash flow shortages.

A shopper leaves the Big Lots store on Dec. 4, 2012 in Berlin, Vt. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

Big Lots conducts going-out-of-business sales after sale of company falls through

Discount chain Big Lots is conducting going-out-of-business sales at its remaining locations after a sale of the company didn’t materialize.

This undated photo provided by Jess Druey shows a skinny artificial tree bought at Target that Druey decorated with retro big holiday ornament balls in primary colors in reds and blues. (Jess Druey via AP)

Younger generations swap tradition for self-expression with holiday decorations

Whether dressed in black, mimicking bare branches or decked out with enough bows for a Taylor Swift concert, the Christmas trees in some U.S. homes this year display an unconventional streak.

Shoppers pass by electric bicycles on display in a Cabela's sporting goods store Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Lone Tree, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Retail sales rose at healthy pace last month in latest sign of US economy’s health

Consumers stepped up their spending at retail stores last month, providing a boost to the economy in the early phases of the winter holiday shopping season. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that retail sales rose 0.7% in November.

People watch from inside as a Macy's float passes during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, Nov. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa, File)

Macy’s tightens financial controls after employee covered up what became a $151 million mistake

Macy’s is tightening financial accounting measures after completing a probe of a rogue employee who hid $151 million in delivery expenses over a span of nearly three years.

Black Friday shoppers at the Walden Galleria's Macy's in Buffalo, NY., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Activist investors urge Macy’s to create a real estate unit among other changes to boost stock

Activist investor Barington Capital Group is calling on department store retailer Macy’s to develop an internal real estate subsidiary, reduce capital expenditures, and explore strategic options for its Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury chains among other changes to boost its slumping stock, according

Construction crew members wait to pour concrete in a parking lot on Sept. 4, 2024, in Waukee, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

US added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdown

America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls.

An aerial view shows a packed parking lot at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, as early Black Friday shoppers arrive at the mall. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Retailers coax Black Friday shoppers into stores with big discounts and giveaways

Retailers in the U.S. have used giveaways and bigger-than expected discounts to reward shoppers who ventured out on Black Friday.

Shoppers pass a Christmas tree at the Bergdorf Goodman store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)

Why retailers still see Black Friday as the high point of the holiday shopping season

After weeks of plugging increasingly inviting discounts, retailers in the United States and several other countries are preparing for prime time.

FILE - Shoppers walk past holiday displays at a Kohl's store in Ramsey, N.J., Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Best Buy posts another quarterly sales drop while Kohl’s sees slump deepen

Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, reported another quarterly drop in sales as Americans continued to tighten their purse strings on appliances and gadgets to focus on essentials.

Walmart becomes latest - and biggest - company to roll back its DEI policies

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining a growing list of major corporations that have done the same after coming under attack by conservative activists.

Kohl’s names Michaels CEO Ashley Buchanan to assume top job, effective Jan. 15

Department store retailer Kohl’s Inc. says Michaels CEO and retail veteran Ashley Buchanan will take over its top job, effective January 15.

FILE - People walk towards a Target store in Clifton, N.J., on December 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

A tale of two retailers: Target reports sluggish spending while Walmart has a stellar quarter

Target has reported sluggish sales and slumping profits in the fiscal third quarter as inflation-weary customers curtailed their spending on apparel and other non-essential items.

FILE - People walk by the Walmart booth during the CES tech show on Jan. 9, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Walmart heads into official start of holiday season with strong momentum after robust 3Q results

Walmart ratcheted up sales and profits again in the third quarter with its comparatively low prices proving a powerful draw for shoppers seeking to cut spending where they could. The nation’s largest retailer raised its outlook for the year as well.

Frozen whole turkey breast is displayed at a Walmart store in Milford, Conn., on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

Grocery chains vie for a place on Thanksgiving tables with turkey dinner deals and store brands

With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, food retailers are trying to tempt Americans who haven’t recovered from recent price inflation.

FILE - Shoppers peruse merchandise at a Kohl's department store in Ramsey, N.J., Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Retail sales up solidly in October as Americans showed continued willingness to spend

Americans stepped up their spending at retailers last month in the latest sign that healthy consumer spending is driving the economy’s steady growth.

Steve Madden to cut goods imported from China by up to 45% as it prepares for Trump’s tariff pledge

Shoe brand Steve Madden will be cutting the goods that it imports from China by as much as 45% next year as it prepares for the return of President-elect Donald Trump who has pledged to slap steep tariffs across the board on imports from other countries.

FILE - Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus appears on "Cavuto: Coast to Coast," with anchor Neil Cavuto, on the Fox Business Network, in New York, June 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Bernie Marcus, The Home Depot co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, dies at 95

Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, a billionaire philanthropist, and a big Republican donor, has died. He was 95. Marcus died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by family, according to a Home Depot spokesperson.

A 98-inch TCL QM-8 Q-Class Mini-LED QLED 4K HDR Smart TV is displayed at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular event, in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A TV as big as a bed? With the holidays approaching, stores stock more supersize sets

For some television viewers, size apparently does matter. Forget the 65-inch TVs that were considered bigger than average just a few years ago.