Retail & Consumer Goods

Miami – October 21, 2026 -- JIS Fall 2026 drew more than 11,000 jewelry professionals to the Miami Beach Convention Center on October 16–19, a 12% increase in attendance year over year.

Buyers from the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean source holiday stock

The four-day show brought together jewelry retailers, manufacturers and industry professionals from across the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. Buyers could purchase inventory for immediate delivery or place future orders ahead of the holiday season.

The show floor covered fine and fashion jewelry, gemstones and accessories, as buyers built their assortments for the coming months.

Organizer calls attendance record-breaking

Sara McDonough, Event Director of JIS, described the edition as one of the strongest in the event's history, citing record-breaking attendance, and said the connections made would continue well beyond the show.

New York – October 19, 2026 -- Swiss sports supplement brand KA-EX has appointed Aaron Heidebreicht as CEO North America, as its US distribution passes 4,000 points of sale following a national launch across 2,200 GNC stores in August 2026.

Heidebreicht to lead US strategy from Nashville

Heidebreicht brings more than 20 years of sports nutrition leadership. He is a former professional baseball player who held positions at GNC and Nutrabolt. At KAGED he served as Chief Commercial Officer, and most recently he ran Applied Nutrition's North American business as CEO.

At KA-EX, he is responsible for US commercial strategy, retail expansion and building out the North American team from Nashville, Tennessee. Founder and CEO Pedro Schmidt called North America the company's most important growth market and said KA-EX is investing in a dedicated US team.

Global – October 19, 2026 -- About 62% of security breaches still involve the human element, according to the 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. That figure is pushing retail and hospitality security teams to replace annual compliance videos with human risk management (HRM), which aims to change how employees respond to attacks in real time.

Scattered Spider uses AI voice cloning to turn help desk calls into footholds

Threat groups such as Scattered Spider scrape professional networks like LinkedIn to map organization charts and identify help desk staff and executives to impersonate. They then place high-pressure calls with AI-cloned voices, posing as locked-out employees. The goal is to get agents to reset a password and enroll multi-factor authentication (MFA) on a device the attacker controls.

Global – October 19, 2026 -- SupplyOne is offering beverage producers in-house digital label printing with order quantities starting at a single label, targeting brands that need faster launches without tying up capital in label inventory.

Digital printing cuts turnaround from weeks to days

Traditional flexographic printing stays efficient for long runs with stable artwork, but plate creation and setup slow frequent design changes and smaller batches. Digital systems skip plates and apply ink directly to the substrate. Turnaround is often days instead of weeks, and artwork changes and versioning add no setup time.

Short runs and micro-launches become economical, according to the source. Output matches traditional methods, with sharp edges and consistent color. Brands can also vary imagery, text or codes from can to can within the same run, which suits limited releases, seasonal SKUs, regional variants and collaborations.

Guangzhou – October 18, 2026 -- The Canton Fair launched its Buyers Alliance with 58 founding member companies from 32 countries and regions across five continents, as the 140th edition opened and the fair marked its 70th anniversary.

More than 140 overseas buyers attend the October 15 launch

The alliance was officially launched on October 15 at the Canton Fair Complex. More than 140 overseas buyers attended the ceremony.

Luís Vilariça, CEO of Joinco, Import & Export, Ltd., spoke about his company's long relationship with the fair. He said cooperation with Chinese suppliers had created growth opportunities for his business, and he pointed to the fair's role in supporting international business development.

Representatives of five member companies read a joint declaration in their native languages. Other members sent video congratulatory messages.

Downers Grove – October 16, 2026 -- Midwest grocer Fresh Thyme Market has placed five employees on Progressive Grocer's 2026 GenNext list, which recognizes emerging leaders in the grocery industry.

Honorees span category management, store operations and IT

The five honorees are Joe Sanchez, Deli Category Manager; Zachary Robbins, Store Director in Newport, Kentucky; Bri Chin, Natural Living Category Manager; Jared Anderson, Vegetable Category Manager; and Manny Perez, IT Network & Systems Infrastructure Manager.

Three of the five hold merchandising roles across deli, natural living and vegetables. The remaining two cover store-level leadership and technology infrastructure.

Jackson, Miss. – October 16, 2026 -- Newk's Eatery, a fast-casual brand with nearly 100 locations, has taken the No. 244 spot on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, which ranks the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales.

Top 400 systems generated $784 billion in 2025 sales, up 4.3%

According to Franchise Times, the 400 largest U.S.-based franchise systems generated $784 billion in global sales in 2025, a 4.3% increase over the previous year. The ranking draws on company-reported data, franchise disclosure documents and other financial information.

Newk's also ranks No. 25 on Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers

Newk's was separately named No. 25 on the 2026 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list. The brand, founded in 2004, operates nearly 100 locations and sells sandwiches, salads, soups and pizzas.

Portland – October 16, 2026 -- The Green Sports Alliance has released its Sustainable Apparel Playbook, a guide that shows sports organizations how to cut environmental impact across the full apparel lifecycle while supporting revenue growth, cultural influence and customer satisfaction.

Case studies cover procurement, end-of-life and fan marketing

The playbook draws on professional and collegiate sports examples across product procurement, end-of-life solutions, community engagement and impact marketing. The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix worked with its local school district on a sustainable fashion contest that reimagined outdated race suits as fashion pieces. Oakland Roots' Upcycled Fashion Project teamed with local students to create pieces from outdated jerseys and other upcycled items.

High Point, N.C. – October 16, 2026 -- LG Electronics USA is bringing three LG SIGNATURE laundry and garment-care products into Broad Hall at High Point Market (October 17–26, 2026) through a partnership with the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), targeting interior designers, architects and specifiers.

The activation, titled "Designer Closet and Hidden Laundry," is designed in collaboration with Barbour Spangle Design. It positions garment care inside custom dressing rooms, luxury closets and residential wellness spaces rather than in a conventional laundry room. LG cites OpenBrand MarketShare data (AHAM Core 6, 2024-2026) in describing itself as the number one appliance brand in the US.

Three LG SIGNATURE products anchor the Broad Hall display

The showcase features the following models:

ORLANDO – October 16, 2026 -- Jeremiah's Italian Ice moved up four spots to No. 375 on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, up from No. 379 in 2025, in the annual ranking of the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales.

The Franchise Times list is the result of a five-month research and reporting process covering franchise brands across industries.

Jeremiah's reports 175+ locations open or in development nationwide

The frozen dessert brand was founded in 1996 and began franchising in 2019. It has built its footprint across the Southern United States. The company says its pipeline of open and in-development units stands at more than 175 locations.

CEO Michael Keller said the ranking reflects system growth and that the company is focused on building a sustainable brand that creates opportunity for franchisees.