In the largest buyout offer in UPS history, the shipping provider last week sent more than 100,000 van drivers a letter offering voluntary severance packages worth $150,000. The letters came after a federal judge dismissed a request by the Teamsters to prohibit the buyout, which the union argued was in violation of its labor contract with UPS.

Now that the judge has cleared the way for the offering—which the Teamsters said 10,000 drivers would likely accept—the company can move forward with the final phase of a restructuring plan designed to right-size its business and wean it off an increasingly independent Amazon, which for the moment remains its biggest partner.

“Amazon is doing a lot of its own trucking these days, a lot of its own delivery,” Zachary S. Rogers, associate professor of supply chain management at Colorado State University, told Retail Brew. “And I think it’s clear to UPS that they need to get a little bit leaner, and this buyout seems to be the way they’re going about that.”

Keep reading here.—AV

Easter may be over a month away, but consumer interest in chocolate seems to be year-round.

A new study by Gourmet Gift Baskets suggests that America’s sweet tooth is only getting stronger, even as prices rise. Based on Google search data tracking chocolate-related keywords across all 50 states and compared with the US Producer Price Index for chocolate, the study found that interest in chocolate is growing significantly faster than costs.

Between January 2022 and December 2025, chocolate-related searches increased roughly 104%. Over the same period, the Chocolate Producer Price Index rose 64%. Unsurprisingly, December (aka, the holiday season) and Easter were key periods for chocolate searches as consumers showed significantly higher interest than the rest of the year.

Keep reading here.—JS

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Jackie Levy is chief financial and revenue officer at retail real estate developer Caruso.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? Despite the obvious, I don’t consider myself to be in the business of leasing and development; I am in the business of enriching lives. Metrics like sales per square foot and occupancy are part of my day to day, but what matters most is how to curate environments where people want to spend their time. When we focus on the guest experience, from having the right retail, food, and beverage destinations to creating enchanting mixed-use developments, the numbers follow. There’s a reason why Caruso has three of the top 10 performing retail properties in the US, including The Grove in LA and The Americana at Brand in Glendale, California.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I’m not tied to my desk. My job is to understand what’s happening at the property level, which means I’m in the field at least 50% of the time. Talking regularly to guests, residents, and our customers (tenants) give me critical insight into how our properties can evolve over time for generations of guests and communities. Our short-term leasing strategy, including pop-ups and events, relies heavily on trendspotting, so it’s important that I’m gathering empirical data in real life.

Keep reading here.—EC

Dealmakers are pursuing fewer but larger acquisitions, focusing on premium brands and core growth areas. Here’s how retailers are redefining what’s worth owning.