The Indicator | April 4th, 2025

By Sonal Gandhi
Chief Content Officer at The Lead

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Price conscious consumers are switching away from brands to private label products, according to the EY Future Consumer index report. Brands will have to get creative to get them back – case in point, Kate Spade will have a large collection at Target with more than half of the items being priced at $15 or less. Meanwhile, bids for TikTok are rolling in, including one from Amazon, even as retailers likely QVC deepen their partnerships with the platform.

'INNOVATION MOVES'

  • QVC Group is deepening its partnership with the social and e-commerce platform, TikTok, with 24/7 shoppable livestream content and a larger swath of brands and products. QVC initially launched on TikTok Shop in August 2024. (WWD) 

  • Cardi B is joining forces with Revolve Group in an exclusive multi-category venture. The partnership marks the artist’s first owned apparel and beauty brands — and Revolve’s expansion into beauty. (WWD)
  • Amazon has put in a last-minute bid to acquire all of TikTok, the popular video app, as it approaches an April deadline to be separated from its Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States. (NY Times)

  • Ulta Beauty is doubling down on in-person events for 2025 with 70,000 events planned across stores. Ulta’s event cadence is up from 50,000 in-person branded events held in stores last year. The retailer’s 2025 experiential investment also includes the addition of the retailer’s largest-ever out-of-home consumer event, Ulta Beauty World, and more activations around cultural events like festivals and sporting events. (Glossy) 

  • Uniqlo introduced Uniqlo Coffee at its Fifth Avenue flagship in New York City. The cafe serves a curated selection of high-quality Japanese coffee blends, as well as matcha drinks, tapping into the growing global obsession with matcha. Uniqlo Coffee is part of a broader trend of fashion brands blending retail with lifestyle offerings to enhance customer engagement. (Glossy) 

  • Target is partnering with Kate Spade on a limited-edition collaboration spanning women’s and children’s apparel, handbags and home accessories. With more than 300 items, Kate Spade New York x Target will be one of the mass merchant’s largest limited collections. More than half of the products are being priced at $15 or less. (Retail Dive) 

  • The digitally native, Gen Z-centric fashion brand, Edikted is opening stores at five Simon centers across the country in 2025, more than doubling its brick and mortar presence. Founded in 2020 and heavily influenced by the latest styles, Edikted has grown rapidly through largely organic promotion on social media platforms such as TikTok. (Chain Store Age) 

'Financial Moves'

  • Business leaders are determining how to manage newly-implemented tariffs on foreign imported goods and their impact on their businesses, supply chain and consumers. 

  • Consumer spending slows over worries over sticky inflation and anticipation over the impact that increased Tariffs will have on prices, reports the NRF. Retail sales during 2025 anticipated to grow between 2.7% to 3.7% per the NRF.

  • Higher living expenses and intensive economic challenges are causing customers to discount brand loyalty in favor of cost concerns, reports the EY Future Consumer index report.

  • The Hershey Company announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire LesserEvil.

  • Kering acquired eyewear companies Viscard (100%) and Mistral.

  • Unilever has acquired British sustainable deodorant brand Wild for an undisclosed sum.

  • Fairly Made® (traceability platform) raises $16.2M from venture funds.

  • True Classic (menswear) received strategic investment from David Wertheimer’s fund 1686 Partners.

  • Gente Beauty raised capital from Webster Capital.

  • Elvie (women’s health brand) was acquired by Willow.

  • Nature’s Table (restaurant chain) was acquired by DIA Equity Partners.

  • Mela Water (watermelon water) was acquired by King Juice Holdings.

  • LYS Beauty raised a Series A from Encore Consumer Capital.

  • Covision Media (AI fashion) raised a €5M seed round from CDP Venture Capital SGR.

Financial Moves Powered by MMG Advisors

'Career Moves'

Career Moves Powered by JPSearch 

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