Quick Take — USA: Target appoints its first Chief AI Officer

Target has 2,000 superstores and 400,000 employees. It is the eighth-largest retailer in the United States by turnover. Source:

Furthermore: The annual net sales growth forecast has risen to around 5 per cent from around 4 per cent.

Second-quarter profit received a boost of around $1 billion from tariff refunds.

Like-for-like sales rose by 3.8 per cent, with footfall up by 3.6 per cent.

Shares are up 5% in pre-market trading and are up 56% so far this year.

This was Target’s third consecutive quarter of growth, and the results suggest that new CEO Michael Fiddelke’s turnaround plan is taking root ahead of the crucial Christmas shopping season, even as high fuel prices put pressure on household budgets. Reuters

Written on 14 August, updated on 20 August 2026

The factors that have exacerbated Brexit

There is the ever-contentious issue of inflation, but on closer inspection, it becomes clear that leaving the EU has not led to greater equality within the country; it has slowed down the provision of healthcare services, worsened court proceedings and increased immigration from outside the EU, and consequently heightened racial tensions

Quick Take — Are retail sales stagnating? Advertising is on the rise at Walmart

Next Thursday, Walmart is expected to provide an update on its sales and profitability figures, with like-for-like sales growth below 4 per cent for the first time since 2024, mainly due to petrol prices (To cope with these challenging times, Walmart has reduced the prices of 7,000 items in its range).

Bucking the trend, Walmart Connect’s advertising revenue is up by 44 per cent; whilst this represents an infinitesimal fraction of total turnover ($713 billion), it accounts for a third of operating profit (EBIT).

Walmart has identified AI as the next phase of growth for Walmart Connect, as more and more consumers use AI chatbots to search for deals. The retailer has begun testing adverts within its AI shopping assistant, Sparky

Almost a third of consumer searches now originate from AI models, according to data from digital commerce consultancy Flywheel…

Amazon is further ahead in transforming its proprietary chatbot, now called Alexa for Shopping, into a new advertising channel, but Walmart’s 2024 acquisition of smart-TV manufacturer Vizio has enabled it to expand Connect beyond its website and into its television streaming services.

The disparity in growth between Walmart’s retail and advertising sales is evident in this Reuters table

Drafted on 18 August, updated on 19 August 2026

Quick Take — Albertsons launches the Safeway shopping plugin powered by ChatGPT

A new tool allows shoppers at Safeway, a brand within the group, to create shopping lists, edit their trolleys, find savings and more… 

The Safeway plugin, which went live this week, offers shoppers a conversational way to reorder regulars, search for offers, plan meals or shop directly from a recipe, photo or list. Customers type their requests in plain language, and the plugin matches them to Safeway products before routing them through the shopping basket and checkout. The plugin also allows customers to compare, adjust or remove items from their basket before the Safeway platform takes over at the checkout…

At one point, Safeway had Dominick’s among its brands.

Quick Take — Kroger launches its AI shopping assistant for meal planning

Shoppers can plan a week’s worth of meals, browse recipes and put together a shopping basket that fits a set budget or dietary restriction.

They can also take a photo of a handwritten shopping list or recipe card, or simply paste in a URL, and the tool will find the corresponding products and build a shopping basket in seconds.

The assistant also offers personalised product suggestions and ready-made shopping lists for occasions beyond the everyday, such as birthdays or tailgate parties…

[RELATED: 70% of US shoppers already use AI for shopping and plan to use it more – Report]

Kroger is a supermarket chain and the fourth-largest retailer of consumer goods in the US, after Walmart, Costco and Amazon