Mars branches out into savory snacks with $35.9 billion Kellanova acquisition: The deal—if approved—will enable the company to keep pace with consumers’ desire for healthier snacks, reach more Gen Zers and millennials, and unlock cost savings.
Neutrogena debuts product line on TikTok Shop in a bid to woo Gen Z skincare obsessives: The brand hopes to regain market share in the dermatological space after ceding ground to L’Oréal’s CeraVe and La Roche Posay.
Walmart sells the top-five private label brands: That’s a strong differentiator at a time when a sizable segment of consumers is trading down to store brands.
Small-format stores are gaining popularity among retailers trying to get closer to where consumers live and work. Some retailers, like Macy’s, are using small-format stores to reach consumers in more urban locations. But others, like Target, are going for a slightly different demographic—college students.
E.l.f. Beauty’s win streak continues as Gen Zers stock up on dupes: The company gained share for the 22nd-straight quarter, and outperformed its peers thanks to its strategic decision to stay away from China.
Prestige beauty outperformed mass brands in the first half of the year: While consumers are happy to pay more for premium products, the category is not immune to economic uncertainty.
European etailer Zalando’s Q2 earnings surge: The business broke a streak of flat quarters thanks to faster delivery times, a more relevant product assortment, and a focus on quality.
Uber and DoorDash report double-digit growth as customers prioritize convenience: Order frequency rose in Q2 thanks to both companies’ membership programs and growing selections of merchants.
Mars is in advanced talks to acquire Pringles parent Kellanova: The massive $30 billion deal would create a snacking giant, if it passes regulatory approval.
The FTC could probe grocery prices as higher costs frustrate shoppers: Chair Lina Khan says the commission would investigate why profits and prices remain high even as costs have come down.
AB InBev and Heineken’s investments in China go flat: Economic uncertainty in the world’s second-largest economy is hurting large brewers’ results.
The housing market is stuck: Wayfair’s sales fell 2% in Q2 due to an “unprecedented” slowdown in the home goods category that CEO Niraj Shah compared with the 2008 financial crisis.
Instacart launches new ad formats to help CPGs drive impulse purchases: The delivery platform will roll out shoppable recipes, occasions, and bundles to facilitate discovery and boost brand engagement.
L’Oréal’s Q2 performance weighed down by weak China sales: Strength in Europe and North America helped partially offset Chinese consumers’ low confidence and price-conscious behaviors
Starbucks’ North American sales declined over the last two quarters: While the company isn’t satisfied with its results, efforts to win back customers and make coffee shops more efficient are working.
P&G and Unilever appear to have turned a corner: Both CPG companies saw volumes tick up in their most recent quarters. But they aren’t out of the woods yet.
In today’s episode, host Bill Fisher is joined by Paul Briggs, Man-Chung Cheung, and Carina Perkins to discuss the longevity of subscription services and loyalty programs from both a client and corporate perspective. How many subscriptions can people afford, and how much can companies afford to give away as part of their loyalty programs?
McDonald’s sales fell for the first time since 2020: The company’s overreliance on price hikes led it to lose its “value leadership” positioning. Reestablishing that role is the key to its turnaround.
7-Eleven looks to give consumers a fresh reason to stop in: The company is adding more high-quality products to its stores.
“Amazon is in such a unique position to give us an idea of broader consumer sentiment because of their scale and reach,” our analyst Sarah Marzano said on an episode of the “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast. This year, nearly three-quarters (72.7%) of all US households will be Prime members, according to our July 2024 forecast. “If we examine the behaviors that emerge from Prime Day, we get a good sense of how consumers are feeling.”