Weekly Consumer News Roundup //January 9, 2024

Here's our weekly roundup of recent consumer and retail news. This week, Eli Lilly launches telehealth platform to sell weight loss drugs, Chipotle partners with Strava, and more. 

WORDS FOR THE WEEK

For more inspiration, visit @dailystoic and @dailyphilosopher on Instagram. 

M&A and INVESTMENTS

• Tropical Smoothie Cafe reportedly seeking $2B sale Restaurant Dive
  
• Danone to sell US organic dairy units to PE firm Platinum Equity Reuters
• J.M. Smucker completes sale of condiment brands to Treehouse Foods Seeking Alpha
• Firelight Capital Acquires Fromm International WWD
• Pinstripes goes public after merging with a SPAC Banyan Acquisition Corporation Restaurant Dive
• L’Occitane Buys Home Fragrance Brand Dr. Vranjes Firenze WWD
• Altamont Capital Backs Popular Mini Melts Ice-Cream Maker WSJ

INDUSTRY NEWS

CPG

Covid Slashed Consumer Choices. This Is Why They Aren’t Coming Back.

Retailers and suppliers say it didn’t pay to offer products for everyone, and customers didn’t care that much when they stopped. WSJ

Beer drinking in America falls to the lowest level in a generation

The past year saw the lowest level of beer consumed in the U.S. in a generation, according to industry group Beer Marketer’s Insights, as consumers shifted away from traditional favorites to other forms of alcohol — and in a growing number of cases, avoiding alcoholic beverages altogether. CNBC

Abercrombie’s 285% Surge in 2023 Beats Even Sizzling Nvidia

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has gained 285% this year, its best annual performance since going public in 1996. The rally has made the company the best performer in the S&P 1500 Index, even managing to beat out artificial intelligence darling Nvidia Corp.’s 239% gain. Yahoo

Food and beverage makers to be ‘more careful and strategic’ with M&A in 2024

Inflation and higher interest rates are among the challenges expected to weigh on deal-making in the new year. Food Dive

Carrefour pulls PepsiCo products over price hikes

Carrefour is telling customers in four European countries it will no longer sell products like Pepsi, Lay's crisps and 7up because they have become too costly, in the latest tug-of-war over prices between retailers and global food giants. Reuters

How Attacks in the Red Sea Could Increase Costs of Items from Clothing to Coffee

Attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea by the Houthi militia in Yemen are leading to increased freight costs and delivery times—and experts say the impact is soon going to hit consumers. Time

High Noon’s Hard Seltzer Is Now the Best Selling Spirit in the U.S.

Leading the charge in the RTD category, and overall, was High Noon, with 21.4 million cases sold last year, an impressive growth of more than 30 percent over the prior year equaling about $1.5 billion in retail value. Robb Report

RETAIL

Online retailer Zulily is shutting down

An official said Zulily’s leadership had “made the difficult but necessary decision to conduct an orderly wind-down of the business to maximize value for the companies’ creditors.” CNBC

Consumers could return $82.1B worth of holiday merchandise, survey finds

To address the rising cost of returns, 44% of retailers have increased return or restocking fees, according to CBRE and Optoro. Retail Dive

What to Watch: Can Department Stores Regain Relevance?

While continuing to show declines, Macy's, Nordstrom, JCPenney and Kohl's are hoping turnaround initiatives start to kick in and benefit the bottom line. WWD

Buy Now, Pay Later Plans Fuel Record Online Holiday Shopping

Plans that let US consumers pay over time helped generate a record $222.1 billion in online holiday sales Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, according to the latest Adobe Analytics report, up 4.9% from the same period in 2022. Bloomberg

The thirst for Stanley tumblers has reached a tipping point

Stylishly active fans have gone to great lengths to get ahold of the exclusive drinkware, one of many reusable water bottle obsessions in recent memory. Washington Post

Tiger Woods ends Nike partnership after 27 years

Tiger Woods has broken up with Nike after a protracted 27-year collaboration with the world’s largest sportwear company. CNN

Rent the Runway to Cut About 10% of Corporate Jobs, Lose Operating Chief

The fashion subscription company on Tuesday said the turnaround plan comes with the resignation of Anushka Salinas as operating chief and president, effective Jan. 31. WSJ

MEDIA & TECH

Americans Are Canceling More of Their Streaming Services

Hulu, Netflix and other streamers are turning to bundles, discounts and ad-supported plans as customer defections rise. WSJ

Why fashion brands are inching into the gaming arena

The gaming market is now a multibillion-dollar industry with global recognition and a large young audience. Brands are increasingly recognizing the potential of the gaming industry to connect with people in an immersive way and potentially foster technological innovations. Modern Retail

Peloton shares jump as it partners with TikTok to offer short-form fitness classes, other content

The partnership will create a new fitness hub on the social media platform dubbed ”#TikTokFitness Powered by Peloton. CNBC

Eli Lilly launches home delivery of obesity drug Zepbound — but warns against its use for cosmetic weight loss

The platform, called LillyDirect, joins a growing field of websites offering telehealth prescriptions for weight loss drugs. NBC

Apple Vision Pro headset launches in U.S. on Feb. 2, preorders begin Jan. 19

Apple Inc.’s first major new product in nine years arrives on Feb. 2, setting the stage for what the company hopes is a new era after the iPhone. CNBC

TikTok Eyes $17.5 Billion Shopping Business on Amazon’s Turf

TikTok aims to grow its TikTok Shop US business tenfold to $17.5B in 2024, report claims. Bloomberg

RESTAURANTS & HOSPITALITY

American fast-food companies find China's 1.4 billion population too delicious to resist

Some of the world's biggest brands are weighing a manufacturing shift away from China, but some major American fast-food chains, like KFC, McDonald's, and Starbucks have announced plans for major investment in China. Business Insider

Starbucks reusable cups now accepted at drive-thru, mobile orders

The coffee giant said it's a step in reducing waste by 50% by 2030 and part of a "larger cultural movement" to shift toward reusables and away from single-use plastics. Axios

Chipotle teams up for mobile challenges, rewards

Chipotle is partnering with a leading fitness community app to promote active lifestyles to kick off the new year. The quick-serve restaurant company has built customized challenge segments on Strava, a digital community for athletes with more than 120 million hikers, cyclists and runners, along with giving users the opportunity to win free food. Chain Store Age

TGI Fridays closing 36 U.S. locations, sells 8 restaurants to former CEO

Casual-dining brand agrees to deal with Ray Blanchette as it shutters underperforming locations. NRN

Blank Street Coffee bets on subscription program to win over daily coffee drinkers

The upstart chain aims to attract even more consumers who want to slash their coffee budgets through a subscription program, The Blank Street Regulars program. CNBC

COMINGS & GOINGS

• Bark’s chief technology officer to exit Retail Dive
  
• Conair Names Kristie Juster New President and CEO Happi
• Kosé America Taps Chinae Kim as Vice President WWD
• USA Pickleball Appoints VP of Competition SGB Media
• Marie Donoghue, Who Helped Amazon Break Into Sports, Exits Variety
• Frédéric Arnault Named CEO of LVMH Watches WWD
• Nissin Foods USA appoints CPG veteran as CEO Food Dive
• John Miller Returns to Adidas as New President of North America WWD
• Biologique Recherche Names Jean-Guillaume Trottier as CEO BoF
• Fila Holdings Promotes Todd Klein to Global Brand President SGB Media
• L’Occitane Group Names New CEO WWD
• Chico’s CEO out as brands join Sycamore holding company Retail Dive
• Urban Outfitters names new President for North America SGB Media
• Body Shop CEO exits after sale completion Fashion Network

GOOD READS 

• "A landmark generation": Introducing Gen Alpha Axios
• What comes after the Year of the Girl? Fortune
• Retailtainment and the Experience Culture Robin Report