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FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WSVN) — Buc-ee’s has submitted a proposal to open a new location in Fort Pierce. It would be massive. If approved by...

World Cup Lift: Goldman Forecasts Retailers' Potential Bounce From The 'Beautiful Game' Believe it or not, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is just five months away, spanning 11 stadiums across 11 U.S. metro areas. Expected foot traffic trends suggest meaningful pre-event demand for fan gear, such as jerseys, hats, and jackets, at nearby sporting goods retailers as the tournament kicks off in early June. Goldman Sachs Managing Director Kate McShane told clients on Tuesday that Academy Sports and Outdoors and Dick's Sporting Goods stores near the FIFA World Cup will likely see a tick up in foot traffic. "We found that ~14% of ASO stores are within 25 miles of the World Cup stadiums, compared to ~12% at DKS, while noting ASO has a relatively smaller store base concentrated in the Southeastern US," McShane said. McShane explained: ASO and DKS footprint analysis There are 11 FIFA World Cup stadiums in the US, with locations consisting of Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle. To assess the company footprint in each location, we looked at the number and percentage of stores within a 25-mile radius of each stadium using Placer. Additionally, to account for locals who might travel further to a stadium (versus tourists likely staying closer by), we also considered the company footprint within the CBSA (core-based statistical area) of each stadium. Of note, the store counts reflect locations available on Placer. For DKS, including both Dick's Sporting Goods and Dick's House of Sport, 11.8% of stores are within 25 miles of the stadiums, while 18.3% of stores are in the same CBSA as the stadiums. Looking to ASO, 13.6% of stores are within 25 miles of the stadiums, while 22.3% of stores are in the same CBSA as the stadiums. We would note that while the percentages are higher for ASO versus DKS, ASO's overall store footprint is smaller. What could this mean for sales? For ASO and DKS, we assume that stores within 25 miles of the World Cup stadiums see a +MSD sales lift in June and July, while the remainder of the fleet experiences a +LSD sales lift. For ASO, this could result in $15mn to $36mn of incremental sales in 2Q, or a ~1.0% to 2.3% comp lift. Looking at DKS (Dick's Sporting Goods, House of Sport), this could result in $26mn to $65mn of incremental sales in 2Q, or a ~0.7% to 1.8% comp lift. We are not including any uplift in comp from the possible uptick in team sports we could see at the end of Q2 into early Q3 if more people are inspired to play soccer as a result of the World Cup event. What could this mean for sales? For ASO and DKS, we assume that stores within 25 miles of the World Cup stadiums see a +MSD sales lift in June and July, while the remainder of the fleet experiences a +LSD sales lift. For ASO, this could result in $15mn to $36mn of incremental sales in 2Q, or a ~1.0% to 2.3% comp lift. Looking at DKS (Dick’s Sporting Goods, House of Sport), this could result in $26mn to $65mn of incremental sales in 2Q, or a ~0.7% to 1.8% comp lift. We are not including any uplift in comp from the possible uptick in team sports we could see at the end of Q2 into early Q3 if more people are inspired to play soccer as a result of the World Cup event. Company commentary ASO expects to see a material impact from the World Cup in 2Q, specifically in June and July, noting the company has 40+ games in its markets, and 20% of ASO's customers are Hispanic. That said, ASO cannot quantify the exact impact from the upcoming World Cup as its business was different the last time this happened. Per management, the question is how long the impact lasts and if you see an uptick in youth soccer, which they believe is likely. ASO noted that soccer balls and jerseys are selling now, while more soccer accessories are expected to be sold in the spring, and additional items with logos as you get closer to the games. The company expects to have the World Cup as…

Despite Mass Protests, UK Approves Controversial Chinese Mega-Embassy In London Authored by Evgenia Filimianova via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Despite a weekend protest, the UK has approved plans for a new, significantly expanded Chinese embassy in central London, ending a planning dispute and overriding objections from local authorities and lawmakers who raised national security concerns. An exterior view of the proposed site for the new Chinese Embassy, near Tower Bridge in London on June 23, 2023. Hannah McKay/Reuters The Chinese communist regime purchased the Royal Mint Court site in 2018 and plans to convert it into a much larger embassy than its existing building in London. The site is located in the City of London, the capital’s financial district. Tower Hamlets Council rejected China’s initial planning application in 2022, citing concerns about security, scale, and local impact. A revised application was submitted in July 2024, shortly after the Labour Party entered government. The site for the proposed embassy lies close to major data cables and financial infrastructure that underpin the UK’s banking and communications systems, a factor that featured heavily in parliamentary objections Approval was granted on Jan. 20 by Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed. The UK’s domestic and foreign intelligence agencies said security risks linked to the new embassy could not be fully eliminated, but could be managed through mitigation measures. In a joint letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum and GCHQ’s Director Anne Keast-Butler said it was “not realistic to expect to be able wholly to eliminate each and every potential risk.” The intelligence chiefs added that the work to develop a package of national security mitigations for the Royal Mint Court site had been proportionate. Reed said in a Jan. 20 statement that the decision is final unless overturned by a court challenge. He said the approval was based on the recommendation of an independent planning inspector who held a public inquiry between Feb. 11 and Feb. 19, 2025. Political Backlash Opposition lawmakers from across the political spectrum criticized the approval. Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Cleverly from the Conservative Party described it as “a disgraceful act.” The Conservative Party’s shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport, Nigel Huddleston, said in a Jan. 20 post on X that there were multiple reasons to oppose the project, including heritage concerns, citing historical sites the new embassy will sit atop, including the Royal Mint and a medieval Cistercian abbey. The Liberal Democrats said on Jan. 20 that allowing the embassy to proceed was Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s biggest mistake yet. The party’s foreign affairs spokesman, Calum Miller, said the decision “will amplify China’s surveillance efforts here in the UK and endanger the security of our data.” Protesters outside a proposed site for a new Chinese Embassy in London on Jan. 17, 2026. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images A Reform UK spokesman said the decision to grant the new Chinese embassy planning permission “represents a serious threat to national security.” Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws, a co-chair of the cross-party Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said British lawmakers should take a firmer stance toward Beijing. “Whilst British parliamentarians, like myself, remain unjustly sanctioned and British citizen Jimmy Lai remains imprisoned on political charges, the UK must take a principled stand,” she said. “We cannot reinforce the dangerous notion that Britain will continue to make concessions – such as granting a mega-embassy – without reciprocity or regard for the rule of law.” A UK government spokesperson said on Jan. 20 that intelligence agencies had been involved throughout the process and that national security remained the…

De Beers Cuts Diamond Prices, Botswana Warns Of Prolonged Slump De Beers, the world's largest diamond mining company, has warned of a prolonged downturn in the gem industry after cutting prices for the first time since 2024. Botswana is the epicenter of De Beers' diamond production, and declining output alongside falling prices is set to put significant pressure on the southern African nation's finances. On Monday, Bloomberg News reported that De Beers cut its diamond prices for the first time in over a year, abandoning efforts to prop up the market amid faltering demand. A combination of soft Chinese luxury spending, expanding market share for lab-grown stones, and added pressure from US tariffs on India has pressured the world's largest diamond exporter. The Diamond Standard Index, a benchmark price measure for investment-grade natural diamonds, has fallen by more than half since peaking in early 2022. The index is now at a record low, with data going back to 2002. As for Botswana, the Finance Ministry warned that diamond income could fall to 10.3 billion pula ($744 million) in FY2025-26, less than half the historical average of 25.3 billion pula, and that revenues may never fully recover. "The recovery in mineral revenue is expected to be prolonged," the Finance Ministry wrote in a report ahead of the annual budget next month. "The shortfall is likely to persist over the medium to long term with a possibility of a non-recovery." Bloomberg wasn't clear about the size of the price discount De Beers offered buyers for diamonds. Tyler Durden Wed, 01/21/2026 - 05:45