Grocery Value Shift: Bain & NielsenIQ say U.S. grocery unit growth kept sliding in early 2026, with shoppers trading down to lower-priced brands, buying fewer items, and leaning harder on coupons as prices stay elevated. Retail Demand Mix: Circana reports June retail sales rose modestly in dollars, but units fell across key categories—summer promos helped, yet it doesn’t look like a durable demand rebound. Consumer Sentiment: The University of Michigan’s index jumped to 54.4 as gas prices eased, though confidence remains below a year ago. Solar for Industry: Egypt’s “Industry Sun” plan targets rooftop solar on 7,000 factories to cut energy costs and ease grid pressure, starting with energy-heavy ceramics and sanitary ware. Telecom Competition: Nigeria’s NCC released draft MVNO business rules to clarify licensing and responsibilities and boost competition while protecting consumers. Solar Racking Deal: Unirac is buying Terrasmart’s solar racking assets to expand beyond flat-roof systems into ground-mount, tracker, and canopy markets. Food Supply Chain: Pacific Seafood acquired Ocean Beauty Seafoods’ distribution business, expanding its reach while keeping distribution operations focused on customer service. AI in Consumer Tech: A Chinese open-weight model, Kimi-K3, topped coding benchmarks on Arena.ai, adding fresh pressure to U.S. AI leaders. Local Business Hit by Construction: Downtown Paris roadwork (“Downtown Dig”) is dragging on foot traffic and sales for some shops. Flood Fraud Watch: Texas AG Ken Paxton warns of donation scams and illegal price gouging tied to flooding.