In honor of Earth Day on Tuesday, a number of retailers are offering discounts and promotions, and some are even keeping in the spirit of the holiday. Now through May 16, Apple is offering 10% off eligible accessories for customers who bring in an old device for recycling.
Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:
In conferences: Starting this Sunday, the Retail Industry Leaders Association is hosting its annual Retail Asset Protection Conference in Washington, DC. The event brings together industry professionals for a series of panels and workshops focused on sharing best practices around asset protection, security, and operations. Topics on the agenda include how to handle theft and violence in stores; breakthroughs in occupational safety; new technology designed to help asset protection; and innovations in inventory management. At last year’s conference, Amazon, Gap Inc., Nordstrom, and Family Dollar, to name a few, sent representatives.
On shelves: Time magazine just put out its 2025 Time100 list of the world’s most influential people, and this week it’s hosting both a summit and a gala for the honorees in New York City. Included on the list, alongside Donald Trump, Joe Rogan, and Serena Williams— to give you a sense of the list’s scope—is Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. The magazine gave the retail executive high praise, crediting him with “reviving the brick-and-mortar with an eye to improving the in-store experience while investing in e-commerce, replicating the successful ‘everyday low prices’ U.S. model globally, and rebuilding the talent base in the company for the future.” In addition to his business acumen, the magazine wrote, he has a “deep sense of purpose” and “views his associates as the key performance drivers and treats them with respect.”
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In earnings: Q1 earnings season is just getting started, and most of the big retailers and brands are still weeks out from reporting. But leading the pack is Pepsico with a report on Thursday. In Q5, the CPG brand reported its fifth consecutive decline in demand for both drinks and snacks in North America, while worldwide demand for those categories was up 1% respectively. The company didn’t address tariffs in its last earnings call, but the topic could come up this week as new trade restrictions take effect.
In promotions: In non-Earth Day related promotions, Chipotle is celebrating the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a buy-one, get-one entree deal for customers who wear their hockey jersey into the restaurant after 3pm today. The deal is a part of the fast casual chain’s multiyear partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America.