Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits has agreed to acquire Anheuser-Busch's distribution arm in New York City, with the transaction expected to close this year. The deal will form Southern Glazer's Beverage Company of New York, which will maintain operations from the Bronx facility, ensuring a seamless transition and uninterrupted distribution operations, as both companies collaborate to integrate the new division and support the continued growth of Anheuser-Busch brands in the region.

Major US retailers are issuing mixed forecasts for the upcoming holiday season, with some companies signaling caution amid economic uncertainty and volatile consumer demand. Many are planning conservatively and expecting softer sales due to inflation and tariff-driven cost increases, indicating that the traditional holiday sales surge may be less pronounced this year.

Global mergers and acquisitions activity climbed 11% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025, reflecting a strong rebound fueled by steady economic growth and heightened attention to supply chain resilience. Supply chain-related M&A transactions accounted for $61 billion of the $438 billion in the quarter. Companies are increasingly targeting localized and technology-driven supply chain solutions to address risks from geopolitical tensions, regulatory changes and labor shortages.

US brands dominate the global logistics industry, holding five of the top 10 spots in Brand Finance's Logistics 25 2025 report. UPS remains the most valuable brand, followed by FedEx. Japanese brand JR has risen to third, driven by tourism recovery and technological innovation. Hyundai Glovis is the fastest-growing brand, while DP World has debuted as the top brand in the Middle East.

Digital transformation initiatives can fail due to a lack of tangible business value, goal misalignment, and poor leadership. Security Compass Chief Product Officer Trevor Young suggests regular assessments and feedback sessions to detect issues early. IBM's Aparna Achanta recommends aligning transformation goals with business vision and rolling out tools gradually, while Smith and Howard CTO Karthik Krishnamurthy emphasizes the importance of strong executive sponsorship to maintain momentum.

The success of agentic AI systems depends on groups integrating structured and unstructured data in real time to build trust in AI outcomes and increase productivity, writes Rahul Auradkar of Salesforce. "Organizations are hesitant to trust the conclusions and actions of AI and often question the reliability of its outputs" without a comprehensive data platform as its foundation, he says.

B2B marketers are significantly increasing content output without a corresponding boost in budgets, according to a 10Fold report. Marketers are using AI to bridge this gap, with 67% using AI for content creation and design. Despite the rise of AI, 88% of marketers still rely on agencies, preferring a hybrid model that combines internal and external resources.

The Trump administration has initiated the first major overhaul to the Federal Acquisition Regulation in over forty years, with the Office of Federal Procurement Policy leading efforts to streamline procurement. The reforms will consolidate requirements, centralize supply chain security policies and eliminate outdated processes like paper-based pricing lists. These actions are intended to make procurement more efficient and accessible for contractors.

US companies are planning to slow hiring in the second half of 2025, with 20% of employers indicating a hiring slowdown, nearly double the rate from last year, according to a Conference Board survey. Companies such as Novo Nordisk, Meta Platforms and Paycom are pausing hiring or reconsidering backfilling positions, citing economic and policy uncertainty.

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