Walmart

Walmart has pledged it will not use customer data to set personalized prices, stating plainly: 'We won't do it.' The commitment addresses growing consumer concern that retailers could charge different customers different prices based on their shopping habits, location or perceived spending power. The statement comes amid wider scrutiny of how major retailers collect and use shopper data.

Walmart's grocery business is increasingly being positioned as the retailer's answer to Amazon Prime, according to a new report. By building loyalty through everyday food shopping, Walmart appears to be turning its largest category into the foundation of a membership-style ecosystem that can compete with Amazon's subscription model for customer retention and spending.

Walmart and Ulta Beauty are competing more aggressively in the beauty category, with analysts asking whether the beauty aisle is becoming retail's next major battleground. The question centers on how Walmart's expanding beauty offerings and Ulta's specialist positioning will shape market share in a high-margin category that both retailers see as a growth driver.

Retail traders rotated into defensive consumer staples this week, with Costco, Dollar General and Walmart leading weekly gains in the sector. The move signals growing appetite for safer, defensive bets as investors weigh economic uncertainty. Stocktwits' retail coverage highlighted the shift, noting staples outperforming more cyclical names as cautious positioning takes hold among small traders.