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For the past couple of months, I’ve been using a prerelease smartphone operating system that represents a significant design overhaul, with a greater focus on transparency and new visual elements that respond realistically to your touches and swipes. No, Im not talking about iOS 26, where Apple is seemingly changing its mind about the extent of its Liquid Glass design language with every subsequent beta. There are some great new features in thereand iPadOS 26 is huge for productivitybut Id recommend most iPhone users wait for it to cook a little longer before checking it out. Im talking about Googles Material 3 Expressive version of Android 16, which has been available on Pixel phones in beta form since May. Ive been running it on my Pixel 9 since it was first released to developer channels. Its flown under the radar somewhat, because although Android 16 has been publicly available for some time, this new accompanying redesign wasnt timed for the launchwhich made for an underwhelming update. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/multicore_logo.jpg","headline":"Multicore","description":"Multicore is about technology hardware and design. It's written from Tokyo by Sam Byford. To learn more visit multicore.blog","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.multicore.blog","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} Thats a shame, because Material 3 Expressive is actually really great which is good news for anyone thinking of picking up a new Pixel 10-series phone when they launch next month. Expressive Material 3 Expressive is kind of a convoluted name, building off the previous Material You language, which in turn was a spin on Material Design. But expressive is as good a word as any to encapsulate what Google is trying to do here. The software feels playful and interactive in a way that Android rarely has. It starts with how Google is handling physics and haptics throughout the operating system. There are countless new animations and effects that make it more fun and responsive to use. The volume slider now has an incredibly subtle haptic effect that makes you feel like youre sliding a scroll wheel back and forth, for example, while notifications or recent apps in the multitasking menu all react to each other in physically consistent ways. You know how it feels to finally loosen a book from a crammed shelf? Thats kind of what its like to dismiss a notification hereit looks and feels like youre squeezing it out of a stacked list. [Art: Material 3 Expressive] Material 3 Expressive backs up the haptic feedback with animations that give on-screen elements a more physical feel. Buttons shift shapes depending on their activation state, while neighboring items in lists react to what youve selected. This design approach is particularly well-suited to Wear OS, which is now solely deployed on circular smartwatches; crucial buttons dynamically shrink and expand to fill the round spaces at the edge of the screen depending on how far youve scrolled. Its the first time its really felt like a smartwatch user interface is a natural fit for a round display. Visual Overhaul Googles new take on Android also comes with a welcome visual overhaul. Its not immediately dramatic, but youll notice increased use of transparencies throughout the operating system, as well as bolder typography and brighter color schemes that adapt to your content and wallpapers. Essential UI elements like the battery indicator are now chunkier and more visible. The lock screen has received particular attention, with a larger clock design and a compact notification view that minimizes your alerts until you choose to unfurl them. The overall effect is much cleaner and feels more intentional. [Art: Material 3 Expressive] The quick settings menu, which appears above notifications when you swipe down from the top of the screen, is a particular highlight. Its always been a helpful Android feature, but this new version is more customizable than ever, even letting you edit the size of buttons in the layout. If you opt for a wider Bluetooth button, for example, the left side of the button can be used as an on/off toggle while the right side expands to show you a list of your connected devices. Googles Best Work Material 3 Expressive wont spur as much discussion or debate as Apples Liquid Glass, for better or worse. Google doesnt have the same clout to get hird-party app developers on board, and this particular flavor of Android will really only be seen on the companys own Pixel phones, which are not huge sellers in most major markets. But I really think this is some of the best design work Ive seen out of Google in recent years. While Ive always liked the Pixel version of Android, thats tended to be because of the unique functionality and the lack of bloat. Material 3 Expressive, however, feels genuinely fresh and appealing in its own right. Right now, I would say this is the most stylish and attractive software available on any phone, which might just be the first time Im able to say that about Googles own take on Android. The new Pixel 10 lineup is set to be unveiled on August 20th. They may not shoot up the smartphone sales charts, but assuming they ship with the Material 3 Expressive version of Android 16, itll be a good reason for the uninitiated to give them a closer look on launch. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/multicore_logo.jpg","headline":"Multicore","description":"Multicore is about technology hardware and design. It's written from Tokyo by Sam Byford. To learn more visit multicore.blog","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.multicore.blog","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
Category:
E-Commerce
Popular home furnishings retailer At Home has announced that it will close additional locations as it continues to work through bankruptcy proceedings. The store closures are part of the companys efforts to get its debt under control as its bottom line continues to face several negative headwinds. Heres what you need to know about At Homes bankruptcy and its latest round of store closures. Why is At Home filing for bankruptcy? In June, At Home Group announced that it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it struggled under $2 billion worth of debt and sales challenges. As Fast Company previously reported, At Home cited several factors leading to its increased debt load and declining sales. Those factors included inflationary pressures, reduced foot traffic, and tariff-related costs. Many of the factors are interlinked. Inflationary pressures lead to both higher prices in stores as well as a more cautious consumer, reluctant to spend their declining purchasing power on discretionary goods. The inflationary pressures arent helped by President Donald Trumps ongoing global tariff war. Trump’s tariffs, which are taxes placed on companies importing goods into America, are raising expenses for those companies, which leads to decreased profits and more debt. As profits decline and companies take on more debt, some may feel that they have little choice but to file for bankruptcy in order to get a handle on their finances. Trump’s tariffs have hit major home goods, furniture, and other retailers particularly hard, as those businesses typically import a significant amount of their goods from overseas. Announcing the bankruptcy in June, At Home CEO Brad Weston said, “[We] are operating against the backdrop of an increasingly dynamic and rapidly evolving trade environment as we navigate the impact of tariffs. At Home is now taking steps to “improve our ability to compete in the marketplace in the face of continued volatility and increase the resilience of our business for the long term,” Weston added. After At Home announced its bankruptcy filing, the company also said it would shutter over two dozen locations. Now, more have been added to that list. At Home stores closing update August 2025 In June, At Home announced it would be closing 26 of its stores as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. At the time, At Home said it operated 260 stores in 40 states. The closures represented 10% of its physical locations. Fast Company has previously reported the full list of 26 locations, which spanned 12 states. Original list: 26 closing At Home stores But now, At Home has announced that it will close an additional six locations, each in a different state. Those locations are: 3271 Market Place Drive, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501 101 Randall Road, Lake in the Hills, Illinois 60156 3175 West 3rd Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47404 3100 Washtenaw Avenue, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197 2341 State Route 66, Ocean Township, New Jersey 07712 190 South 500 West, West Bountiful, Utah 84010 At Home did not specify when these locations would close, but Fast Company previously reported that closing locations are expected to shutter by September 30. The newly announced closing stores will continue to accept gift cards, gift certificates, and loyalty and credit card rewards through August 14. Announcing the latest round of closures, At Home said, The sales are expected to run until all merchandise, fixtures, and store equipment at the affected locations are sold.
Category:
E-Commerce
Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. There are some brands that customers patronize for convenience and some they frequent out of fandom. Raising Canes has managed to be both practical and beloved, a potent combo that has fueled the chicken chains impressive growth. The privately held company posted sales of $5.1 billion in 2024, up 33% from a year earlier, with same-store sales climbing 15%. I asked co-CEO AJ Kumaran, who joined Raising Canes in 2014, to explain why people queue up for the restaurants relatively limited menu of chicken fingers, crinkle fries, Texas toast, Canes Sauce, and slaw. He attributes much of the brands cult-like following to its focus on community. We don’t just serve food. We serve our neighborhood, Kumaran explains. And thats not just corporate speak. That is truly what we believe in. AJ Kumaran [Photo: Courtesy of Raising Cane’s] Home sweet homage While other restaurant chains might festoon their locations with sports memorabilia from a big-league teama Cowboys flag in Dallas, a Royals hat in Kansas City, KansasCane’s takes a different approach. Each restaurants decor is assembled by a team that researches and acquires items specific to that community, like the local high schools football jerseys, patches and helmets from the fire department, and even the cover of a hometown musicians latest album. The grand opening of a restaurant in Fall River, Massachusetts, this week will feature iced coffee from locally-owned New York Bagel Co. and music from Mayson Branco, a TikTok star and DJ raised in the town. The result is a place that feels like a neighborhood jointKumaran says customers typically visit two to three times a monthwith the revenue of a national chain: Raising Canes says its average unit volume (AUV), an industry metric that represents average sales per restaurant, is $6.6 million, second only to rival cult brand Chick-fil-A, which reportedly boasts an AUV of $7.5 million across all its domestic locations. That local feel extends to the structure of the company. Small clusters of restaurants have their own directors of marketing, training, recruiting, employee relations, and operations and facilities based in the area. We dont have a corporate office; we have a support office, Kumaran says. Within this company of 950 restaurants, were running about 200 or 250 small companies. Raising Canes also requires its restaurant leaders to live in the communities where they work. Coincidentally, Chick-fil-A operators are expected to do the same. Scale, but stay cool The challenge for Raising Canes, which was started in 1996 by founder and owner Todd Graves (and named for Gravess yellow Labrador retriever), is to maintain its cult-brand status as it expands. The company, which owns and operates almost all of its nearly 1,000 restaurants, aspires to reach $10 billion in sales with average unit volumes of $8 million by the end of the decade. Still, scale and fandom dont have to be at odds with each other. Grocery chain Trader Joes, so beloved that consumers camped out to buy its shopping bags, reportedly has annual sales of about $17 billion. Luxury fashion house Herms, one of the most obsessed-over brands in the world, last year reported more than $16 billion in revenue. And building community isnt just for consumer brands. Two years ago, I attended a user conference hosted by HubSpot, the maker of marketing, sales, and customer service software, and saw how the company fostered a sense of kinship through meetups and a dedicated space for Black and Latino customers. Ill be watching to see if Canva, the design software company, can maintain its earnest DIY vibe as it expands from the consumer space to serving enterprise customers. As co-CEO, Kumaran says he feels the need to earn his customers loyalty with every single meal. Its not easy, he says. It takes a relentless amount of effort, hard work, focus, and energy. How does your business court fandom? Does your company have hard-core fans? How did you nurture love for your brandand how do you make sure that it endures? Send your stories to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. Id love to dedicate a future newsletter to advice on wooing and winning dedicated customers. Read and watch more: cult brands Does Trader Joes deserve its cult-like following? Inside the evolution of Chick-fil-A How Glossier got its glow back
Category:
E-Commerce
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