There we were on a recent Friday morning, in a DHL delivery truck, driving through the chaos of 38th Street in midtown Manhattan. But it was so quiet inside that when you spoke, you half-expected a librarian to shush you.

We were in a Ford Transit 350 cargo van, but this one had been souped-up (souped-down?) by Lightning eMotors, which installs battery power under the hoods in place of rumbling gas engines.

It’s one of 51 fully electric vehicles in DHL’s last-mile delivery fleet in Manhattan, with another 45 being hybrid-electric. Manhattan, it turns out, with 53.1% of its delivery fleet fully electric, is nearly a microcosm of DHL’s ambitious global plans for electrifying its delivery fleet.

• DHL has stated that by 2030, 60% (a total of more than 80,000) of its last-mile global fleet will be fully electric.
• By comparison, the USPS announced this year only 10% of the 50,000 last-mile trucks it was purchasing would be electric; now it says it will purchase 50%.

Tony Grimila has been delivering for DHL for almost seven years. We tagged along because we wondered, as carriers electrify their fleets, whether these EVs are up to the task. And if people like Grimila who are driving them day in and day out think that they—in every sense of the word—deliver.

“You just charge, you know?” Grimila said as he stopped for a light at 9th Avenue. “There’s not that many gas stations in Manhattan…so it could be a 40-minute, 45-minute wait. Electric, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Charging ahead: The dashboard indicated that the fully charged truck had another 66 miles. And for a delivery truck in Gotham, that’s plenty.

Keep reading here.—AAN

Gorpcore—a trend you’ve probably participated in, even if you haven’t heard of it—is alive and well among Gen Z and other young shoppers. The term “gorpcore,” coined by the Cut in 2017, refers to wearing apparel traditionally designed for outdoor activities, like hiking or climbing, as streetwear.

And the trend may just be getting started, providing opportunity for both rugged outdoor retailers and luxury designers alike to reach new audiences.

Swasti Sarna, global director of data insights at Pinterest, said searches for “gorpcore” started to rise on the platform last year, but really took off in June, and are now 17 times greater than last year. Top trends in the Shop Tab on Pinterest include “gorpcore fashion,” “cream cargo pants outfit,” “tech fleece,” and “puffer vest outfit,” Sarna told Retail Brew via email.

Now, cargo pants and hiking boots don’t traditionally scream “luxury,” but that hasn’t stopped luxury brands from jumping on the gorpcore bandwagon: from Gucci’s collaboration with The North Face to Fenty’s collections with Puma.

While the intersection of high-end apparel and the rugged world of outdoor sports may be niche, it’s one of the fastest-growing areas within the luxury apparel business, said Mario Ortelli, managing partner at luxury advisory firm Ortelli & Co.

“Basically, you’ve got a macro trend in which the most sophisticated consumers are taking a lot of action in wellness, in sports,” Ortelli told Retail Brew. “There is a premiumization of these segments.” And the more the trend grows, the more it draws the attention of major players in the luxury space, he added.

No sign of slowing: It’s not just “sophisticated” consumers, to use Ortelli’s words, that are all in on the trend. Luxury outdoor wear is also flying high on the resale market, according to data from Poshmark.

Keep reading here.—MA

“The already beleaguered US supply chain is teetering on the edge of catastrophe, with a potential strike by rail workers back on the menu,” writes CFO Brew’s Drew Adamek:

Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division last week rejected the White House-brokered labor contract with the railroad companies over concerns about working conditions and time off, resurrecting the possibility of a national railroad strike.

If railroads and labor can’t come to an agreement, the disruption to rail traffic would lead to critical supplies of many essential consumer goods suddenly becoming scarce.

But even if companies can’t get goods delivered because of a railroad shutdown, there are a limited number of strategies that companies can employ to cope.

Read the whole story here on CFO Brew.

Today’s top retail reads.

Hey, watch it: How three watchmakers joined forces in a quaint little shop on the streets of Paris to create a unique watch-repair collective. (the New York Times)

More is more: While corporate jobs have attracted plenty of young talent, retail jobs will need to amp up their perks to lure in Gen Z talent. (Business of Fashion)

Freight or flight: The peak shipping season is not living up to expectations as retailers are overstocked, demand is shrinking, and there are concerns a deeper downturn is on the horizon. (the Wall Street Journal)

Your brand, our voice: Ahem (*clears voice*). We take pride in what we put out into the world, and that includes crafting custom branded content for our beloved partners. Tell your brand’s story in new and exciting ways with the Morning Brew Creative Studio.

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Happy Friday, retail pros! We wanted to let you all know about one of our biggest discount offers yet on the last Friday before The SKU: A Retail Brew Summit!

The event is only days away and we could not be more excited to see top retail brands and seasoned retail professionals come together for an action-packed day of networking and professional development.

To thank you for being apart of our Retail Brew community, we’re doing a Final Call Friday sale for 40% off tickets to The SKU! Just use code: FinalCall at checkout and you’ll be on the way to The SKU for 40 percent off!

There are only a limited amount of tickets left, so use this opportunity to secure your spot before it's too late!

Three of the stories below are real...and one is most definitely not. Can you spot the fake?

1. A British tabloid set up a webcam on a store-bought head of lettuce topped with a blond wig to see if it would outlast Liz Truss’s time in office.
2. Burger King is offering its loyal members a chance to check their house for ghosts through an app-based ghost detector.
3. An Italian luxury brand is selling pants laced with actual cactus thorns that can be used for self-defense.
4. As part of an event called Avogeddon, a nonprofit is giving away 200,000 avocados for free to anyone who shows up to its event.

Keep reading for the answer.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• How The North Face created its latest circular-design product
• Klarna introduces new search tools for customers
• Startup, legacy delivery companies try to solve the last-mile puzzle