Introducing the Modern Retail+ Big-Box Briefing

Big-Box Briefing // July 30, 2026 Introducing the Modern Retail+ Big-Box Briefing By Modern Retail Staff Ivy Liu This is the latest installment of the Big-Box Briefing, a weekly Modern Retail+ column about the strategies of major retailers.

More from the series → Here at Modern Retail, we like to say that we cover the transformation of the retail industry with honesty and authority. And if you want to understand how the retail industry is changing, you first need to understand how some of the industry’s biggest companies like Walmart, Target and Best Buy are shifting their business models.

These days, being a successful retailer involves more than just carrying the right product at the right price. Today’s top retailers are now tasked with finding new ways of monetizing their existing audiences, like through marketplaces or advertising businesses.

They have to navigate near-term challenges, like inflation, while also preparing for future shifts in shopping behavior. That’s why, starting today, we’re launching a new weekly briefing for Modern Retail+ subscribers called the Big-Box Briefing.

Helmed by reporter Mitchell Parton, the Big-Box Briefing will be delivered exclusively to the inboxes of Modern Retail+ subscribers on Thursday morning at 10 a. m. ET. The Big-Box Briefing will replace our Marketplace Briefing.

Here’s more from Parton on the big themes he plans to cover in the Modern Retail Big-Box Briefing: While the term “big-box retailer” has historically referred to stores that carry a wide variety of products in one large space, the businesses behind these stores have become increasingly complex.

Companies that were historically major brick-and-mortar retailers are now rapidly growing their advertising and media businesses, selling first-party data through analytics divisions or racing to get the fastest delivery speeds in the nation.

These include Walmart and Target, but also grocers like Kroger and Albertsons, wholesale clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club, and specialty retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Best Buy. Importantly, artificial intelligence is on track to reshape both how these retailers operate internally and how they interface with consumers.

Many will point to a future where consumers don’t even have to ask an agent to restock their groceries, and instead items they need are delivered automatically when they need them. Each week in the Big-Box Briefing, I’ll focus on the biggest developments in the evolution of these companies, with exclusive angles and executive interviews.

Topics will include initiatives spanning from AI to retail media, data science, supply chain and e-commerce. I will also include some of the most interesting data points and quotes pointing to change at these companies, as well as stories from Modern Retail and elsewhere that you should be paying attention to.

We’re excited for you to read all the stories we have in store for our new Big-Box Briefing. You can subscribe to the briefing by becoming a Modern Retail+ member; right now, we’re offering 40% off a three-month subscription if you click here. And you can read our first story here.