Mammoth Brands To Acquire Coterie, Walmart Integrates with ChatGPT's Instant Checkout, Ulta Launches Online Marketplace & More

Consumer VC Roundup #139 – Latest News in Emerging Consumer Brands, Tech & Commerce Enablement From the Week of October 20th

Oct 23, 2025

Hey everyone – I hope you had a great couple of weeks.

In case you weren’t there, we had a great time at the Consumer VC Live Summit in Austin, TX last week. We really appreciate the Austin consumer community coming out strong and supporting what we’re building. Also, thank you to all those who traveled for it. I really do hope it was worthwhile and would love and and all feedback on how we can make the next one better. Special shouts to my partners in crime, Marc Nathan and Lindsay Lightman. We’re going to be releasing a couple of the sessions from the summit on the Consumer VC podcast—so stay tuned. In the meantime, we had a number of updates across consumer. 👇

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This Week In Consumer

📰 Consumer News📰

California has become the first U.S. state to ban certain ultra-processed foods in schools, defining them as items with additives, high fat, sugar, or sodium, or containing artificial sweeteners. The law takes effect gradually, with specific foods identified by 2028 and full implementation by 2035. FD
Philadelphia has sued SC Johnson and Bimbo Bakeries, accusing them of misleading consumers about the recyclability of plastic packaging like Ziploc and bread bags. The city claims the products’ recycling symbols cause costly contamination issues and seeks marketing changes and civil penalties under its consumer protection ordinance. FD
Tyson Foods will pay $85 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it conspired with other meatpackers to raise pork prices by limiting supply through Agri Stats. It’s the largest payout in the ongoing pork price-fixing case, with similar suits also targeting turkey and beef producers. FD

🧃Consumer Brands👚

Mammoth Brands, the parent company of Harry’s, has acquired baby care brand Coterie in a deal that could value the company at over $1 billion. Coterie’s leadership team will remain in place, and the brand will continue operating independently under Mammoth, whose portfolio also includes Flamingo, Lume, and Mando. RD
Lowe’s has completed its $8.8 billion acquisition of Foundation Building Materials, a distributor with 370 locations across the U.S. and Canada. The deal strengthens Lowe’s position with professional customers and supports its “Total Home” strategy to expand in the $250 billion Pro market. RD
Oushq, founded by “Real Housewives of New York City” star Jessel Taank, has relaunched in partnership with the CFDA, shifting from traditional South Asian couture to contemporary, casual designs by South Asian and Middle Eastern creators. BOF
Ikea parent company Ingka Group has acquired U.S.-based logistics tech firm Locus through its investment arm, Ingka Investments. The deal gives Ikea access to an AI-powered logistics platform with route optimization, real-time tracking and smarter resource use to improve capacity management and last-mile delivery. RTP
Kenvue is reportedly considering selling its beauty division amid falling demand and market pressure following unverified claims by President Trump linking Tylenol to autism. BOF
REI Co-op will close three stores in 2026, including its SoHo flagship in New York City, as well as locations in Boston and Paramus, New Jersey. The Paramus store will close in early 2026, followed by the SoHo and Boston stores later in the year. RTP
Grimes’ co-creative director has launched Hyrular Beauty, a sci-fi-inspired cosmetics brand debuting Wednesday and aimed at the fashionable gamer community. BOF
Aldi is rebranding its entire private label lineup, introducing its first-ever namesake brand and adding “an ALDI Original” label to other products. The move aims to make Aldi’s private label goods more recognizable and strengthen the connection between its name and its extensive product range. FD
Amazon has launched Amazon Grocery, a new private label brand replacing Amazon Fresh and Happy Belly. Covering over 1,000 grocery items priced mostly under $5, the move streamlines Amazon’s private label food portfolio under one unified name. FD
Orvis will close 36 stores by early 2026 as part of a major restructuring to focus on its core fly fishing and wingshooting businesses, with President Simon Perkins citing tariffs as a key factor behind the decision. RTP
Powerade is launching Power Water, its first new product in five years, entering the functional water market with a flavored drink containing 50% more electrolytes than competitors. Set to debut nationwide in 2026, it will come in four flavors following Coca-Cola’s 2023 Powerade rebrand. FD
Walmart has opened its first “Auto Care Center of the Future” in Fayetteville, Arkansas, offering a contactless self-service experience through its mobile app, where customers can schedule appointments, drop off keys via locker, and track and pay for services digitally. RTP
General Mills will close three Missouri plants—a pizza crust site and two pet food facilities—as part of a multiyear supply chain restructuring effort. The move, following its 2024 Whitebridge Pet Brands acquisition, will incur $82 million in restructuring costs. FD
Ross Stores has opened 40 new locations since September—36 Ross Dress for Less and four dd’s Discounts—completing its goal of 90 new stores for fiscal 2025. The retailer now operates 2,273 stores across 44 states, D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico. RTP
Hormel Foods has ended bacon production at its Tucker, Georgia plant as part of efforts to optimize its manufacturing footprint. The company cited aging equipment and high investment costs as reasons for the move, shifting production to other facilities instead. The change is among about 90 projects completed in the third quarter under Hormel’s multiyear supply chain transformation initiative. FD
After closing all its U.S. stores in 2024, The Body Shop is making a comeback in the U.S. through Amazon and its own website, marking a digital relaunch following its entry into administration earlier this year. RTP
Nordstrom is returning to San Francisco with a new 1,750-square-foot Local store on Fillmore Street, its first in Northern California. The merchandise-free location focuses on services like pickups, returns, alterations, and styling, and will partner with local businesses to offer free treats on weekends. RD
Walmart is joining Shopify, Etsy and Salesforce in integrating with ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout, allowing customers to browse and purchase Walmart and Sam’s Club products directly within ChatGPT. The integration, launching later this fall, supports Walmart’s push toward AI-first, frictionless shopping experiences. RTP
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. announced plans to launch a nationwide franchise system within six months, offering store formats like home, kitchen, and holiday shops with 20% localized merchandise. Franchisees may also gain a share of BedBathandBeyond.com’s economics and access blockchain-based asset tokenization through tZero, potentially replacing traditional small business financing options. RD
CVS Health plans to open nearly 100 community-focused pharmacies this year, including over 60 former Rite Aid locations in the Pacific Northwest. The move follows a survey showing 80% of patients prefer in-person pharmacy care, and includes expanding its small-format store model of under 5,000 square feet. RTP
Dollar Tree is building a 1.25-million-square-foot distribution center near Phoenix, Arizona, set to open in spring 2026. The facility will serve stores across Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, strengthening the retailer’s Southwest supply chain and creating about 400 jobs. RD
Walmart has added Stadium Goods to its marketplace, offering exclusive sneaker styles from brands like Nike, Jordan, On, and Ugg ahead of the holidays. The move expands Walmart’s collectibles and premium resale offerings through its third-party marketplace. RD
Wayfair will close its Erlanger, Kentucky, plant by September 2026 as part of a logistics network overhaul, affecting 215 employees who will be laid off in phases starting January 1. The decision follows the company’s choice not to renew its lease and reflects ongoing efforts to optimize operations. RD
Mattel is expanding its partnership with Roblox, launching a new Monster High experience this week that lets players explore, customize pets, and craft elixirs. The toy maker will also bring Hot Wheels, Barbie, Uno, and Masters of the Universe to the platform as part of its continued focus on growing its entertainment and IP presence. RD
Five Below is expanding to the Pacific Northwest with eight new stores opening in Washington and Oregon this November, part of its plan for 150 new locations this year. Some stores will occupy former Party City sites and feature grand opening events with giveaways on Nov. 8. RD
After more than 10 years online, DTC sock brand Bombas is opening its first retail stores, starting with New York City’s West Village, followed by Boca Raton, Florida, and Austin, Texas. The move marks a new phase for the brand as it expands beyond wholesale partners like Nordstrom and Target. RD
Solura, the nature-powered skincare brand founded on principles of regenerative farming, launches DTC channel. Their debut line includes handcrafted formulas made with nutrient-dense ingredients from small ranches and farms.
L’Oréal has signed a $4 billion deal with Kering to acquire luxury fragrance brand Creed and secure 50-year beauty and fragrance licenses for Gucci, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta. The partnership also includes a 50/50 joint venture focused on wellness and longevity initiatives. RD
Toys R Us is expanding across the U.S. with over 30 new flagship and seasonal holiday stores, marking what the company calls a major milestone in its growth. Additional store openings will be announced later in the season. RD

💻Consumer Software💻

Renew raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Haymaker Ventures to scale its AI-powered rental retention platform and launch the industry’s first Resident Referral Network, helping property operators boost renewals, cut vacancy losses, and improve renter satisfaction. PRN
Basis Theory raised $33 million in Series B funding led by Costanoa to expand its payments infrastructure and support agentic commerce, helping merchants securely manage and control payment data across providers while simplifying compliance and scaling globally. PRN
Reducto raised $75 million in a Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz, bringing total funding to $108 million. The AI document intelligence platform combines OCR and Vision-Language Models to enhance document understanding and recently launched the industry’s first AI document editing API. PRN
Kihealth raised $5 million in an oversubscribed seed round to launch its first diagnostic test detecting early markers of diabetes through beta cell apoptosis biomarkers, offering new insights into insulin resistance and metabolic health. BW
Veylan launched new features for its fully integrated AI-native advertising platform, uniting strategy, creative, media buying, and optimization in one system to streamline and accelerate campaign execution. BW
Oath Surgical raised $24 million in an oversubscribed Series A led by FPV Ventures to expand into oncology, grow its network of surgeon-owned surgical centers, and advance OathOS, its AI-powered surgical platform. BW
Instacart has deepened its integration with TikTok, allowing select CPG advertisers to use Instacart’s first-party retail media data within TikTok Ads Manager. The update enables better targeting through Instacart audience segments, shoppable Smart+ campaigns, and real-time performance tracking using Instacart conversion data to measure and optimize ad results. RTP

🛒eCommerce & Retail Tech🛒

Ulta Beauty has launched its own online marketplace to boost e-commerce growth and compete with Amazon’s expanding beauty dominance. BOF
Gap Inc. has launched a new creator platform connecting influencers across its brands—Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta—offering access to product launches, seeding, exclusive promotions, and collaboration opportunities, while enabling amplified content across paid and owned channels. RTP
Smartlens raised $5.2 million in a bridge round led by Ambit Health Ventures to advance FDA clearance and prepare for the commercial launch of its miLens glaucoma management device. PRN
Yendo raised $50 million in Series B funding from investors including Autotech Ventures, FPV Ventures, and Mark Cuban to expand its AI-powered credit platform and build a digital bank for underserved Americans. The company’s vehicle-secured credit cards unlock $4 trillion in trapped equity from cars and homes, with new product launches planned for late 2025. BW
Google has expanded its virtual try-on tool to include shoes, using AI to show how footwear looks on users’ feet. The company also plans to roll out the feature in Australia, Japan, and Canada in the coming weeks. RD

💰Funds Raising Funds💰

Anheuser-Busch is investing $7.4 million to expand Michelob Ultra production at its Los Angeles brewery as part of its $300 million Brewing Futures initiative. The move supports growing demand for Michelob Ultra, now the top-selling U.S. beer. FD
J.M. Smucker is investing over $120 million to expand its Hostess plant in Columbus, Georgia, adding a new building, renovations, and new equipment. Construction is underway and expected to finish by early 2027, creating at least 48 new jobs. The move comes two years after Smucker’s $5.6 billion acquisition of Hostess, as demand has slowed due to inflation and increased use of GLP-1 drugs. FD

Thanks for reading!

Consumer VC