Lululemon storefront in Taipei (Getty Images)

LAST LEGGING

Lululemon accuses Costco of selling bargain dupes of its luxury athleisure

The activewear giant, famed for its $100-plus yoga pants, has struggled with slowing demand and rising competition for some time. Now, it’s facing tariffs and affordable knockoffs.

Millie Giles

7/1/25 11:58AM

Weeks after cutting its full-year profit guidance, leading to the stock’s worst day in over five years, Lululemon shares are still looking exhausted, with the stock down more than 36% year to date.

But one way that the Canadian athletic apparel retailer is trying to gain back some strength is by exercising control over “unauthorized” versions of its renowned yoga pants, hoodies, and jackets.

As reported by CNN, Lululemon has filed a lawsuit against Costco, accusing the wholesale giant of infringing on its intellectual property and “unlawfully” trading on its “reputation, goodwill and sweat equity” by selling knockoff versions of its products in Costco’s Kirkland range.

When life gives you lemons...

The 49-page lawsuit details several alleged similarities in design, as well as stark price differences in products —including Lululemon’s Scuba hoodie, which retails at $118, compared with the version from Costco that’s priced at just under $8.

One of the alleged Costco “dupes” — Screenshot from Lululemon vs. Costco, Case Number: 2:25-cv-5864

Having notched seemingly unstoppable sales growth after launching its first store in 2000, with revenue growing by 34% on average per year for the last 20 years, the company’s sales have stagnated in recent quarters. Since the end of 2022, LULU’s sales growth has fallen flat in North America — its biggest market, accounting for ~75% of revenue in FY 24.

Lululemon Americas sales growth — Sherwood News

While headline revenue growth for the US and Canada was still just about in the green (up 3%) in Lululemon’s first-quarter results for FY 25, comparable sales decreased by 2%, with executives citing consumers remaining “cautious” and the impact of tariffs in the earnings call.

Though LULU has pushed on with price hikes and layoffs as a way to mitigate tariffs squeezing margins, mounting competition in the athleisure space from buzzy rivals like Alo and Vuori was already threatening its position as America’s go-to for quality workout gear… let alone replicas available for ~7% of the original’s price tag.

Same difference

The “dupe” economy has become big business, especially among Gen Z consumers — 71% of which said they would at least sometimes buy knockoff products, per a 2023 Business Insider survey — as counterfeit versions of all sorts of viral items, from Labubu dolls to Birkin bags, keep flying off shelves.

Lululemon itself previously sued exercise equipment company Peloton for ripping off its clothes in 2022… before announcing a five-year partnership with the brand only a year later.

Tom Jones6/24/26

Prime Day is here again and Amazon’s subscription service has never been more popular

Well, it’s that time of year again: many have made their wish lists, people are scraping together the money they’ve saved to pick out a perfect gift, some are presumably leaving out refreshments for the weary delivery drivers and, more and more, drones.

It’s Amazon Prime Day — meaning that it’s the second day of the four-day promotional event that Amazon still calls Prime Day — of course, and it’s even come early this year, with the company bringing the period into late June from July, when it’s been traditionally held for the last five years.

The Prime Age

Alongside the eyes and endless clicks that the arbitrary stream of listicles on “The Best Prime Day Deals” that almost every media outlet pours into, Amazon will also be cheering the fact that there’s now more Prime users than ever before to devour the retailer and its sellers’ sometimes-contested “discounts.” Indeed, according to the latest annual estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), there were just over 200 million American shoppers using Amazon’s massive subscription service at the end of 2025.

Max Knoblauch6/15/26

Electronic Arts launches a platform to put more ads in its games

Video game publishing giant EA launched a new platform on Monday designed to make the process of selling immersive ad space in its popular games easier.

The company says the platform, called EA Advertising, allows brands to “integrate directly into gameplay through dynamic, real-time placements, from stadium signage to custom in-game content.”

More so than other studios, EA has incorporated advertising into its most popular titles. As Kotaku points out, the company’s ad efforts stretch as far back as 2006. Several of its sports franchises already feature partnerships with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and PepsiCo.

In-game advertising hasn’t exactly been embraced by fans, but industry experts expect it to ramp up as companies seek more revenue to offset higher games budgets and surging memory costs. EA rival Take-Two has taken a different approach, with CEO Strauss Zelnick recently saying the company was “not at risk of doing brand partnerships” in the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI,” and that ads in full-price games seems “unfair.”

The $55 billion deal to take EA private, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is set to close at the end of this month. Being the largest leveraged buyout in history, EA will likely look for more ways to boost revenue to cover interest payments.

Electronic Arts Makes Push for Ad Dollars Tied to Sports

Millie Giles6/11/26

JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, the company sold $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”