Block's AI Cuts, More Store Closures & The Ozsale Comeback

In Episode 127 of This Week in Ecommerce, Mal Chia and Alex Ross break down the biggest retail news in Australia, from store closures and collapsing margins to AI-driven job cuts and the escalating beauty wars between major players.If you’re a retailer, founder, marketer or ecommerce operator, this is what you need to know right now.🔎 In This Episode:Accent Group shuts down Glue Store after an $8.6M loss — is mid-market retail officially dead?Maggie Beer Holdings returns to profit by focusing on operational efficiency instead of expansion.Ozsale relaunches under its original founder — can flash-sale marketplaces survive in 2026?Adore Beauty grows revenue 8.7% but sees profit drop 70% — can physical retail fix a margin problem?Sephora racks up $78M in Australian losses under LVMH — why is Australia so tough to crack?Block (owner of Square and Afterpay) cuts 40% of its workforce, explicitly citing AI efficiency.📈 Key Themes:Margin pressure in ecommerceThe collapse of mid-market retailBeauty industry competition in AustraliaAI replacing knowledge workersMarketplace viability in a discount-heavy worldRetail strategy in 2026Subscribe for weekly breakdowns of the biggest ecommerce and retail news affecting Australian brands.#Ecommerce #RetailNews #AustralianRetail #BeautyIndustry #AIinBusiness #Afterpay #Sephora #AdoreBeauty #Ozsale #RetailStrategy