1. Slowdown beckons as euro zone retail sales drop more than expected: “Respondents see almost a 60% chance of the euro zone following the U.S. into technical recession in the next 12 months,” according to the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat. – Read More on Reuters
2. Surging Retail Inventories Are Swamping U.S. Warehouses: Persistent supply-chain bottlenecks have also led many retailers to stretch out buying cycles, bringing in goods early to ensure shelves are stocked during the critical fall sales season. – Read More on the WSJ
3. Luxury Brands Gucci, Tiffany Dive Into NFTs Despite Slump: Kering SA’s Gucci and LVMH’s Tiffany & Co. this week added to the throng of high-end brands diving further into the cryptosphere, launching NFT-related projects. – Read More on Bloomberg
4. Metaverse – The next e-commerce revolution: The Metaverse will change the e-commerce experience by making the virtual experience more personal, more real, and more immersive, and brands that provide a winning personal experience would be entitled to charge a price premium. – Read More on Flow
5. Tod’s Founding Family to Take Luxury-Loafer Maker Private: Luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE currently holds 10% of Tod’s shares, and would continue to own a 10th of the company after a proposed delisting from the Milan Stock Exchange. – Read More on the WSJ