CNBC

Lowe’s CEO says the housing market is under pressure, even as the retailer’s sales jump more than 10%. Lowe’s beat Wall Street’s expectations for revenue and earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter. For the current fiscal year, the retailer said it expects total sales to range between $92 billion and $94 billion and adjusted earnings per share to be between $12.25 and $12.75. In an interview with CNBC, CEO Marvin Ellison said the home improvement retailer is “still dealing with a housing market that does not have a lot of tailwind.”

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Walmart reports strong holiday growth, but earnings outlook falls short of estimates. Walmart topped fourth-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, but its current fiscal-year earnings outlook fell short of Wall Street’s expectations. Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey told CNBC the company again had strong gains in e-commerce and online pickup and delivery orders, particularly among higher-income consumers. The earnings report is Walmart’s first since John Furner took over as CEO on Feb. 1.

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Amazon surpasses Walmart in annual revenue for first time, as both chase AI-fueled growth. Amazon has dethroned Walmart as the company with the largest annual revenue. The shuffle, while largely symbolic, underscores the retail rivalry between the companies, particularly as Walmart riffs off Amazon’s playbook by chasing alternate revenue streams like advertising. The two companies have competing approaches with artificial intelligence, with Amazon significantly stepping up AI investments and Walmart leaning on tech partnerships.

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Small furniture retailers face existential tariff threat, regardless of Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court could make a decision on President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” as soon as this week, but new duties on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities will remain in place regardless of the ruling. Higher costs on imports is the latest blow to the furniture industry, which had been buckling under high interest rates and a sluggish housing market well before tariffs came into the picture. Small businesses are feeling the impact most acutely while larger retailers have been taking market share.

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Instacart stock pops 14% on revenue beat, optimistic guidance. Instacart topped Wall Street’s fourth-quarter revenue estimates and issued strong guidance as more customers turn to the grocery delivery platform. Instacart said it had its strongest quarter of gross transaction value in three years as its enterprise platform gains momentum. The grocery space is getting increasingly competitive, with Doordash and Uber Eats adding more retailers and AI features.

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Target steps up investment in store staffing, cuts about 500 other roles to help fix customer experience. Target said in an email to employees obtained by CNBC that it will invest more in store labor and cut about 500 other roles at distribution centers and regional offices. The big-box retailer is trying to win back shoppers who have complained about sloppier stores, out-of-stock items and longer checkout lines. CEO Michael Fiddelke, who stepped into the top role this month, is trying to get the company back to growth after four years of roughly flat annual sales.

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