TRENDS
Ozempic is spoiling the food industry’s bottomless brunch
Investors fear the rise of weight-loss drugs eating into their profits. But companies from Nestle to PepsiCo aren’t panicking yet
BUSINESS
Amazon Prime Day flashes warning for US retailers
Independent credit card transaction data paints a muted sales picture, with Amazon making slight gains and the broader US retail industry falling behind. The lacklustre spending is a troubling signal for the sector, which was hoping for a rebound after a year of sluggish consumer spending
BUSINESS
Ozempic cuts alcohol cravings. Liquor companies aren’t ready
GLP1 drugs are poised to reshape the weight-loss market and US waistlines. There are implications for booze companies, too
BUSINESS
Subway's $10 billion price tag is tough to swallow
Subway's growth-at-any-cost model where it even pipped McDonald's at one point in number of restaurant outlets is coming back to hurt. Subway doesn’t own any of its outlets, which means that to increase profits it either has to add new franchisees or raise fees charged to those franchisees
BUSINESS
The sneaker bubble is bursting around Nike
Consumers are being more discriminating when it comes to spending, and expensive athletic footwear is pretty low on the list of priorities
BUSINESS
What the Dollar stores’ stumbles say about the US economy
Dollar stores which generally serve low-income households, are cutting their earnings outlooks, anticipating a challenging year. It suggests economic pain coming out of the pandemic among low-income households, where wage gains haven’t kept pace. The US economy may escapes a recession off the back of the resilient middle- and upper-income consumers but what about widening inequalities?
WORLD
Walmart's grocery business success is breeding too many copycats
Inflation is driving consumers to cut back on extras. But everyone needs to eat and Walmart has written the playbook on drawing shoppers with lower-margin grocery goods, and then nudge them to buy a few extras
BUSINESS
A market for gender neutral dressing slowly comes of age
For many nonbinary people clothes are more than a necessity or self-expression — they are a kind of armor. Mainstream retail is waking up to their needs
BUSINESS
In the US, the question isn’t whether to shop, it’s where
Data last week showed back-to-back declines for retail sales at primarily brick-and-mortar stores, while spending grew online. Year-on-year online prices have been falling for seven consecutive months, drawing shoppers
BUSINESS
As Walmart, US's biggest employer, plans an automated future, concerns about job losses rise
Walmart envisions dramatically changing the nature of retail work as it deploys robots to take on more, and more complex, tasks. As a bellwether for the industry, what Walmart does has ramifications for everyone else
BUSINESS
Can't figure out what to buy? Try asking your shopping cart
In the US, shoppers at grocery stores are being greeted by a new fleet of souped-up smart carts that promise to help with everything from seamless checkout to dinner suggestions and best deals. But will people use them?
BUSINESS
Revenge spending continues. American shoppers are on a cut-price binge
With wage and jobs growth still strong and inflation slightly lower, people have money in their pockets. Department stores are no longer bleeding as badly as they did during the pandemic
