🕔 Retail Daily Minute | EU Bans Destroying Unsold Clothes, Congress Tackles Penny Rounding & Grocery Outlet Deploys Facial Recognition

Hello Omni Talk Fans! Call me crazy, but it feels like more and more that regulations are starting to permeate the headlines.

In today’s Retail Daily Minute:

The European Union’s new Ecodesign regulation bans large fashion brands from destroying or landfilling unsold clothing and footwear, squeezing luxury houses’ scarcity playbook.
The House passes the Common Cents Act, setting nationwide rules for rounding cash transactions as the U.S. Mint halts penny production.
Grocery Outlet rolls out SAFR Guard facial recognition cameras in four Bay Area stores, reigniting privacy concerns after Rite Aid’s FTC ban.

Plus, our insightful 5-minute interview with Simbe’s Caitlin Allen on all the new ways retailers can use shelf intelligence data, and a quote from Honest Abe himself.

👇 Listen now

Today’s Top Headlines

1. EU’s Ban on Destroying Unsold Clothing and Shoes Takes Effect

The EU’s new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, effective July 19, bans large companies from destroying or landfilling unsold clothing, footwear and accessories. Firms with over 250 employees and €50 million-plus turnover must favor donation, repair or reuse. Medium firms join in 2030; exemptions require proof. (Read More)

2. House Passes Common Cents Act, Sets Rules for Penny Rounding

The House passed the Common Cents Act, setting formal rules for retailers to round cash transactions to the nearest 5 cents as the U.S. phases out the penny. A Senate version awaits committee action. Retail and banking trade groups back the bill, citing legal risk and a confusing state-by-state patchwork. (Read More)

3. Grocery Outlet Deploys Facial Recognition at Its Bay Area Stores

Grocery Outlet has begun using SAFR Guard facial recognition software at several Bay Area stores, including San Francisco, Concord and Pleasant Hill, to flag shoppers on a shared shoplifting watchlist. Signs alert customers entering. SAFR says it doesn’t work with law enforcement, though privacy advocates warn of surveillance risks. (Read More)

4. Instacart Acquires Arpalus to Boost AI Shelf-Inventory Scanning

Instacart has acquired Arpalus, an AI startup whose smartphone app lets workers record shelf inventory via computer vision, hitting about 95% avg item accuracy. The tech will integrate with Instacart’s app and Caper Cart smart carts, helping its 600,000 in-store workers track availability and cut unnoticed out-of-stocks. (Read More)

5. QVC Group Wins Court Approval for Bankruptcy Restructuring

QVC Group, owner of HSN and QVC, won court approval for its prepackaged restructuring plan, cutting debt from about $6.6 billion to $1.3 billion as it exits Chapter 11. Vendors will be paid in full. The company gets a new $600 million credit line and plans to relist publicly under ticker QVCG, focusing on live social shopping. (Read More)

The Shelf & Its Data Never Lie