1. Apple and Target retail guru Ron Johnson: Commerce at home will change the way we shop. As we start to look beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear to me that the way we shop will never be the same. A recent  survey found that 75% of U.S. consumers have tried new shopping behaviors during the pandemic. This heralds a sea change for the retail sector. – Read More on Fortune

2. Luxury Retail Evolution Requires Seamless Blending of Digital and Physical: Digital is expected to become the main channel for luxury purchases by 2025. Therefore, it is not surprising that physical stores are shifting from transactional to experiential. – Read More on Chain Store Age 

3. China’s Secondhand Business Is Booming: Instead of spending at the mall, shoppers are increasingly buying and selling the secondhand stuff piling up in their closets and drawers. In the first half of 2021, about 202 million users bought and sold secondhand goods via China’s online platforms, up from 183 million for all of last year. – Read More on Bloomberg

4. U.S. retail industry seeks 90-day lead time on COVID-19 rules: The Retail Industry Leaders Association and the National Retail Federation strongly encouraged OSHA “to provide a 90-day implementation timeline to allow retailers and other employers to create the systems necessary.” – Read More on Reuters

5. RELATED READ: Brands Face Legal, Logistical Questions and Potential PR Impacts in Light of Biden Vaccine Mandate. A survey revealed that roughly 1 in 3 consumers (34 percent) would be “more likely to buy products from companies that adhere to Biden’s plan, compared with 12 percent who said they would be less likely to purchase from those businesses.” – Read More on TFL