Carter's Rebrands for a New Generation, Costco Supersizes Uber Eats & JCPenney Downsizes Out of a Dying Mall

Hello, everyone. This is OmniTalk Retail. I'm Chris Walton, and you are listening to the Retail Daily Minute, your quickest, fastest breakdown of all the day's top retail news. Today's podcast is brought to you once again with the help and support of R&S Logistics. Are you looking for a fulfillment and distribution partner? That's just right. Well, RNS Logistics is small enough to provide custom solutions and that personal touch, while also still boasting 2 million square feet across 10 locations in the Southeast. With technology that can scale your growing e-commerce operations, visit rswarehousingsolutions.com and get your quote today. And I'm also pleased to introduce Zenline AI because you have likely heard about AI agents a thousand times this year, but are also probably wondering what they can do for you as a retailer. Visit tryzenline.ai to book a call and see how agents can bring you more margin. today is september 17th 2026 and this morning we've got news on costco dramatically widening its ubereats delivery footprint and jc penny's move out of a crumbling chicago mall but we begin today with carter's attempt to reinvent itself for a new generation of parents the 161 year old children's clothing company unveiled a new logo and marketing campaign today with the goal according to chief marketing officer sarah crockett of tapping into the values that parents are bringing into the household This rebrand comes on the heels of a rough stretch. Carter's stock has fallen more than 50% over the past three years, and adjusted net income for fiscal 2025 came in at just over $126 million, which was down sharply from $210 million the year before. New CEO Sharon Price-John, who joined from Build-A-Bear workshop back in May, told CNBC that company's struggles were simply a quote, "...natural evolution," end quote, "...of running a business at scale." I'll give credit where it's due. The first quarter comps were up double digits and the company says it's picking up new Gen Z parents at a mid-teens clip. But it also flagged that a good chunk of this year's improved profitability is coming from roughly $128 million in one-time tariff refunds, not from the underlying business getting healthier on its own. A new logo and a social-savvy marketing push might resonate with Gen Z parents, sure, but it doesn't erase 150 shutter stores and 15% corporate layoffs from last year. Whether Carters can turn a brand refresh into durable sales growth, that's the real test here, not the logo. That is asking a lot of a logo.

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All right, we are back, and our next story has to do with Costco significantly widening its online delivery reach through Uber Eats. The membership warehouse giant is now offering delivery via Uber Eats in 47 states, up from just 17, with nearly 600 Costco locations now available for on-demand and scheduled orders. Costco is