GameStop Closures
~470
First 2 weeks of January
GameStop FY2024
590
Full year closures
Aldi Target
3,200
Stores by 2028
Saks Global Debt
$3.4B
Filed Chapter 11
Walmart Drone Sites
270
By 2027 (coast-to-coast)
Drone Delivery Access
40M
Americans by year end
Sources: Company announcements, SEC filings, court documents (January 2026). GameStop closures based on community-tracked data.
On Sunday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stood before 40,000 retail executives at NRF 2026 and announced something that changes how people will buy things: direct checkout inside Google Search and Gemini. The same week, Microsoft launched the same capability in Copilot. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a bankruptcy judge in Houston approved $400 million in emergency financing for Saks Global, which filed with $3.4 billion in debt. Amazon objected, claiming its $475 million equity stake was now "worthless."
Two signals from one week: the future of retail commerce is being built in real time, and the restructuring of what came before is accelerating. This edition tracks both movements, plus the economic data that frames where consumers actually stand heading into 2026.
ECONOMIC PULSE (Week of Jan 15, 2026)
Redbook Index: +5.7% YoY (week ending Jan 10) down from 7.1% prior week
Consumer Confidence: 89.1 (December) fifth consecutive decline
Michigan Sentiment: 54.0 (January preliminary) up from 52.9 December
CPI: 2.7% YoY headline, 2.6% core (December)
Gas Prices: $2.84/gal national average (lowest start to year since March 2021)
Sources: FRED, Conference Board, University of Michigan, BLS, AAA. Redbook decline reflects post-holiday cooling.
AI Checkout Arrives
The shift from AI as recommendation engine to AI as transaction layer happened this week. Google announced direct checkout capabilities in AI Mode for Search and its Gemini app, with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart among the launch partners. Checkout uses Google Pay with saved credentials from Google Wallet. The underlying technology is an open standard called Universal Commerce Protocol, co-developed with Shopify and endorsed by over 20 companies including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Best Buy, and The Home Depot.
Microsoft launched similar capabilities in Copilot the same week, with PayPal, Shopify, Stripe, and Etsy as early partners. OpenAI's ChatGPT had debuted checkout functionality in early January. Three major AI platforms now offer direct purchasing within their interfaces.
The NVIDIA State of AI in Retail survey, released this week, provides context: 58% of retail and CPG firms are now actively deploying AI, up from 42% a year ago. Nine in ten plan to increase AI budgets in 2026. Perhaps most significant: 47% are using or assessing agentic AI, with 20% already having AI agents operating in production.
What this means: The customer journey no longer requires a visit to a retailer's website. Search queries like "best running shoes for flat feet under $150" can now complete the entire transaction within the search interface. For site selection, this accelerates the shift toward stores as fulfillment nodes and experience destinations rather than primary transaction points.
Walmart's AI Declaration
Daniel Danker, Walmart's SVP of Retail AI Platform, made a bold prediction at NRF 2026: by this time next year, customers will look back and realize just how much has changed about the shopping experience. His phrasing was specific: "This is the year that AI tinkering becomes transformation."
The evidence backs the claim. Walmart announced expansion of drone delivery to an additional 150 stores in 2026, reaching 270 locations by 2027 and covering Los Angeles to Miami. An estimated 40 million Americans (12% of the U.S. population) will have drone delivery access by year end. The partnership with Wing (Google's drone delivery company) is moving from pilot to infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Kroger deepened its Google partnership, launching an AI-powered personal shopping assistant through Google Gemini and expanding its internal AI platform Sage for associates. The gap between AI-forward grocers and those still evaluating is widening.
What this means: Technology capability is becoming a tenant quality signal for portfolio evaluation. Retailers with sophisticated AI and fulfillment infrastructure can extract more value from each location. For site selection, understanding a retailer's technology roadmap matters alongside their financial statements.
Amazon's 229,000 Square Foot Experiment
Amazon is planning its first large-format retail store, and the ambition is unmistakable. The proposed 229,000 square foot location in Orland Park, Illinois would sell groceries alongside general merchandise, combining Whole Foods categories with the everything-store breadth that defines Amazon online. The store would feature app and kiosk ordering for fulfillment from back-of-house operations.
The site (35 acres at 159th Street and LaGrange Road) is under review by the village planning commission. If approved, construction could begin later in 2026. The format directly challenges Walmart's superstore dominance in suburban markets.
Context matters: Amazon also debuted portable Just Walk Out units this week, RFID-based checkout systems that can be installed in hours rather than weeks. The company added 150 JWO deployments in 2025 (50% of all deployments ever) as costs dropped more than 50% in 18 months.
What this means: Amazon is probing multiple physical retail formats simultaneously. The Orland Park concept could signal suburban expansion strategy if performance meets targets. For CRE professionals, watch this location as a leading indicator of Amazon's appetite for large-format suburban retail.
The Restructuring Accelerates
Saks Global filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on January 14 with $3.4 billion in debt. A bankruptcy judge approved $400 million in rescue financing on Wednesday, the first tranche of a $1.75 billion package. The company named former Neiman Marcus Group CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck as its new chief executive, bringing a fresh leadership slate into the restructuring.
The Amazon objection adds an unusual wrinkle. Amazon invested $475 million for a stake in Saks Global and built the "Saks on Amazon" e-commerce partnership. In court filings, Amazon argued that the rescue financing improperly claims Saks Fifth Avenue's flagship Manhattan store as collateral, when up to $900 million owed to Amazon under the partnership already has claims on that property. The judge approved the financing despite the objection, but the dispute signals complex negotiations ahead.
GameStop's store closure pace is accelerating beyond initial forecasts. Community-tracked data shows approximately 470 U.S. stores closed in the first two weeks of January, with 296 confirmed closures and more being discovered daily. Many employees learned of closures via signs posted on doors. For context, GameStop closed 590 stores in all of fiscal 2024.
Macy's announced 14 additional store closures for 2026, part of its Bold New Chapter strategy to shutter 150 underperforming locations by year end. Liquidation sales begin mid-January. The retailer is simultaneously investing in 125 "Reimagine" stores and reported stronger performance from its luxury banners Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury.
What this means: The restructuring creates both vacancy risk and repositioning opportunity. Saks Global's path through bankruptcy will determine the future of several flagship retail properties. GameStop's accelerated closures put hundreds of small-format mall locations into play. Understanding the timeline and terms of these transitions matters for portfolio planning.
Expansion Continues for Discounters
The contraction story has a counterpart. Aldi announced plans to open more than 180 stores in 2026 as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in the U.S. The additions will bring total store count to nearly 2,800 by year end. The expansion is part of a $9 billion U.S. investment through 2028, with a goal of 3,200 stores. Aldi also announced three new distribution centers in Colorado, Florida, and Arizona by 2029.
Uniqlo is entering Miami and expanding in Texas this fall with new stores in Austin and at Houston Galleria. The apparel retailer only entered Texas in 2024, so the rapid expansion reflects strong initial performance. Format experimentation continues across the industry: Zales' "The Edit" concept targets Gen Z, Whole Foods' "Daily Shop" small-format launched in Hoboken, and Urban Outfitters' "On Rotation" concept features rotating brand partners.
What this means: Discount and specialty formats continue gaining share while mid-market struggles. Location strategy increasingly requires picking a lane. The bifurcation between expanding and contracting retailers creates opportunities for landlords who can match vacancies with the right expansion-stage tenants.
The Economic Picture
The Redbook Index dropped to 5.7% year-over-year for the week ending January 10, down from 7.1% the prior week. The decline reflects typical post-holiday cooling, not demand weakness. Consumer confidence remains at 89.1 (Conference Board December reading), marking five consecutive months of decline, the lowest since April 2025.
Michigan Sentiment ticked up to 54.0 in the January preliminary reading, the highest since September 2025 but still roughly 25% below year-ago levels. The divergence between sentiment surveys and actual spending behavior continues: consumers report pessimism while maintaining purchasing activity, at least for now.
December CPI came in at 2.7% headline (unchanged from November) and 2.6% core (down from 2.7%), the lowest core reading since March 2021. However, food prices accelerated to 3.1%, the highest since August. Gas prices at $2.84 per gallon nationally represent the lowest start to a year since March 2021.
Hiring outlook shows caution. Deloitte projects "modestly negative" job growth in Q1 as tariff uncertainty, weaker immigration, and elevated interest rates restrain demand. The ADP report showed private payrolls growing just 41,000 in December versus 48,000 expected. Retail and construction bucked the trend with job openings trending higher.
What this means: The economic backdrop remains mixed but not alarming. Low gas prices provide consumer tailwind. Core inflation at 2.6% suggests the Fed's hiking cycle is complete. The persistent confidence-spending gap suggests consumers have adapted to uncertainty while maintaining purchasing behavior. For site selection, trade area employment trends and income composition matter more than national sentiment figures.
Looking Ahead
This week marked an inflection point. AI checkout going live across Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI platforms is not incremental improvement. It changes how discovery converts to purchase. The retailers investing in transformation (Walmart, Kroger, Amazon) are building infrastructure while others restructure out of positions built for a different era.
Key dates ahead: Conference Board Consumer Confidence releases Tuesday, January 27. Q4 earnings season kicks off, with major retailers reporting through February. The delayed BEA Personal Income & Outlays data (combined October-November) arrives January 22.
For retail executives and CRE professionals, the week's data points to a clear division. The companies investing in AI, fulfillment infrastructure, and format innovation are positioning for where retail is going. The companies restructuring through bankruptcy courts are dealing with where retail was. Understanding which side of that line tenants and markets fall on is increasingly central to portfolio decisions.