adidas vs Henkel

Zalando Announces New Festival for Fashion, Music, Culture

Zalando is expanding its brand and entertainment business with its own festival called "Access All Areas" (AAA), scheduled for April 24-25, 2027, at Station Berlin and Tempodrom. The company expects up to 40,000 visitors and will combine live music, fashion, beauty, sport, and brand activations. British singer-songwriter RAYE is announced as the first headliner. Initially, 14 brands are participating, including adidas, Calvin Klein, Nike, Asics, Dr. Martens, lululemon, New Balance, On, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, and Vans, as well as beauty brands Beauty of Joseon, Kérastase, and MAC. The festival will be closely tied to Zalando Plus, with members in participating markets able to receive free tickets. The exclusive presale is planned for January 2027. Zalando Plus has over 20 million members across 17 European markets. The festival is part of Zalando's strategy to position itself as an inspiration and entertainment platform, strengthening customer loyalty and offering brand partners new physical and digital touchpoints.

• Zalando announces new festival 'Access All Areas' (AAA) on April 24-25, 2027 in Berlin.
• Up to 40,000 visitors expected at Station Berlin and Tempodrom.
• RAYE announced as first headliner.

Nike Plans More Layoffs, Shares Fall

Nike CEO Elliott Hill announced a new cost-cutting program called 'Pace' aiming to save $2.5 billion by mid-2031. The plan includes further layoffs, supply chain modernization, a new campus in India, and organizational streamlining. Nike reported a 4% revenue decline to $11.2 billion in Q1, with a 26% drop in China. The company expects a high single-digit revenue decline for fiscal 2026/27, worse than expected. Shares fell 8.5% in after-hours trading. The announcement also negatively impacted competitors Adidas and Puma.

• Nike announced a new cost-cutting program 'Pace' targeting $2.5 billion in savings by mid-2031.
• Nike's Q1 revenue declined 4% to $11.2 billion, with a 26% drop in China.
• Nike expects a high single-digit revenue decline for fiscal 2026/27.

Shopify Opens Checkout to Browser-Based AI Agents

Shopify has extended its WebMCP support to the checkout process, enabling browser-based AI agents to complete purchases on merchant sites, including via Shop Pay. This extension is part of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) developed with Google, Etsy, Wayfair, and Walmart. Three new tools—get_checkout, update_checkout, and complete_checkout—allow agents to inspect, update, and finalize orders, with buyer authorization required. Existing customizations, business rules, and security checks remain intact. In benchmarks, WebMCP reduced average time per attempt from 27.4 to 10.3 seconds, cut costs by 58%, and achieved a 100% success rate (60/60) compared to 56/60 for traditional browser automation. Rolling out to all eligible merchants, Shopify positions itself as open infrastructure for agentic commerce, partnering directly with top agents like Muse and Instinct, in contrast to retailers like Amazon and Adidas that block AI agents.

• Shopify extends WebMCP support to checkout, including Shop Pay, for browser-based AI agents.
• Three new tools: get_checkout, update_checkout, and complete_checkout.
• WebMCP reduces average time per attempt from 27.4 to 10.3 seconds and cuts costs by 58%.

Henkel celebrates 150 years with employees around the world

Henkel marks its 150th anniversary on September 26, 2026. Anniversary events for employees take place around the world. Around 18,000 guests expected at an employee festival at the headquarters in Germany. Additional day of vacation for all employees and attractive benefits through Henkel’s employee share program. Henkel expands its global “Researchers’ World” education initiative and plans additional STEM learning opportunities.

AI Helps Henkel Manage Creator Commerce at Scale

During a Brandweek 2026 panel co-hosted with TikTok, marketing leaders from Henkel and Boost Engine discussed how AI and agentic workflows are helping brands manage creator-led commerce at scale. Henkel's Pravana brand generated around 60,000 pieces of content this year, far exceeding traditional production volumes. Boost Engine uses AI for creator discovery, content analysis, and compliance review, augmenting human capabilities. Henkel is exploring TikTok-first launches and seeing success with TikTok Shop, which also appears to drive incremental sales across other channels. The panel highlighted a shift from manual reporting to strategic decision-making, as AI automates repetitive tasks.

• Henkel's Pravana brand generated ~60,000 content pieces this year vs 300-400 traditionally.
• Boost Engine uses AI and agentic workflows for creator discovery, outreach, and compliance.
• Henkel is exploring TikTok-first launches for new products.

Henkel showcases solutions at ALUMINIUM 2026 and SICAM

Henkel Adhesive Technologies will showcase resource-efficient pretreatment and finishing solutions at ALUMINIUM 2026, and new adhesive solutions for furniture and component manufacturers at SICAM.