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Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow fast food got so expensiveSticker shock is making customers think twice about their favorite fast-food chains. McDonald's and Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, missed analyst estimates in their 2024 first-quarter earnings. The limited-service restaurant category saw prices rise more than 46% over the course of the past decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experts say that increasing labor costs are the primary driver.

Organizations: Yum Brands, KFC, Taco Bell, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCan Kraft Heinz manage a comeback? Food titan Kraft Heinz is still reeling from past mistakes stemming from its 2015 mega-merger as it seeks to transform itself into a stronger company. The packaged food conglomerate took down a lot of loses in 2019 forcing it to pivot, but has it course corrected enough to adapt to changing consumer tastes, high inflationary times and private labels?

Persons: Kraft Heinz

☆ The French have fallen in love with American fast food. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In France, a land of fine dining, Michelin stars and high standards for cuisine, there's a surprising favorite: American fast food. Expilly oversaw Popeyes' 2023 arrival in France while serving as COO of Popeyes France for French restaurant group Napaqaro. Burger King specifically has gone aggressively after the market "given the propensity for American quick service foods and concepts in France," Charles said. In 2024, McDonald's and Burger King hold more than 40% of the market, according to Euromonitor International, and now consider it their biggest one outside the U.S. French QSRs did take a hit in 2020, but the industry bounced back quickly, earning more profits in 2021 than before the pandemic, according to Euromonitor International.

Persons: Xavier Expilly, EXPM, Expilly, Popeyes, Burger, McDonald's, Andrew Charles, Cowen, Charles, Burger King, Joel Tissier, haven't, Tissier Organizations: Euromonitor, CNBC, Restaurant Brands, Canadian, Mac, Créteil, KFC, Euromonitor International, BK Locations: France, Europe, American, Burger, Paris, United States

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow American fast food companies won over FranceAmerican fast-food companies are doubling up on the French market as the country's appetite for brands like McDonald's, Five Guys, KFC and Burger King has grown rapidly in the past decade. Between 2013-2023, fast food sales increased 61%, bringing in 19 billion euros in 2023 alone. The multi-cultural French consumer base is increasing drawn to the more convenient and cheap food options. Krispy Kreme and Popeyes are the latest chains to move in, but many others are eyeing expansions, too.

Organizations: France American, KFC, Burger

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe surprising success of Monster Energy drinksMonster Beverage Corporation, also known as "Monster," is the best-performing stock in 30 years, even over tech giants Google, Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft. Its slow and steady growth can be attributed to strong leadership, a smart marketing strategy and a partnership with one of the biggest beverage distributors in the world, The Coca-Cola Company.

Organizations: Monster Energy, Monster Beverage Corporation, Google, Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Cola Company

☆ Why Monster Beverage is the best-performing stock of the last 30 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It's actually an energy drink company: Monster Beverage . Monster's stock has climbed for decades, along with sales, which have grown consistently for 31 years straight. Between Feb. 14, 1994, and Wednesday, Monster's stock appreciated by about 200,000%. Monster Beverage is a holding company composed of subsidiaries that produce and manufacture drinks including energy, alcohol, teas and coffees. The company attracted the attention of beverage giant Coca-Cola , which entered into a strategic partnership with the company now called Monster Beverage in 2015.

Persons: It's, Rodney Sacks, Hilton Schlosberg, Mark Astrachan, Sacks, Schlosberg, Monster, Nik Modi, Modi, Coke, Monster's, they've Organizations: Monster Beverage, South, Beverage, Energy, Natural Corporation, Capital Markets, Analysts, Nascar

☆ Las Vegas has invested billions into sports. The question is, will it pay off?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Once known mainly for gambling and debauchery, Las Vegas has gained professional sports teams with the National Football League, the National Hockey League, Women's National Basketball Association and the United Soccer League in under a decade. The $2 billion venue was built for the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders and opened in 2020. "It's not just that the NFL's here, which is fantastic and a recognition of the maturity of Las Vegas," said Hill. Allegiant Stadium brought 1.52 million incremental visitors to the area, according to the 2023 impact report by the Las Vegas Raiders, with 88% of those visitors saying it was "the primary reason for their visit." In 2023, 40.8 million visitors flocked to Las Vegas, up 5.2% from the prior year, though still not as high as pre-pandemic levels.

Persons: that's, We're, Steve Hill, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, It's, Eric Fernwood Organizations: National Football League, National Hockey League, National Basketball Association, United Soccer League, Major League Baseball, Las Vegas Convention, Visitors, Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant, Estate Investment Locations: Vegas, Sin City, United States, Las Vegas

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailLas Vegas has invested billions to become a sports and entertainment hubLas Vegas has slowly transformed into more than just a gambling stopover. With a massive investment into professional sports and an entertainment scene, Sin City has become a global destination hub. Its latest offerings include a new entertainment arena, the Sphere; Allegiant Stadium, which hosts the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders; F1; and other major professional sports teams. Now it's hosting Super Bowl 58.

Organizations: Vegas, Las Vegas Raiders Locations: Vegas, Sin City

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Axe Body Spray plans to make a comeback in the U.S.Unilever's Axe used humor and irony in its early 2000s advertising campaigns to win over the American teenage boy. The brand's estimated U.S. sales reached nearly $500 million by 2012, but sales began to decline over the next five years as the brand lost sight of its core product offering. In 2023, Axe released a new line of product aiming to compete with high-end fragrances.

Locations: U.S, American

☆ Clothing rental service Nuuly reaches profitability, beating rival Rent the Runway to the benchmark
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The milestone marks the first time Nuuly has earned money since its launch in 2019, a goal for the company from the beginning as it looked to prove it could run a clothing rental business profitably. While there is wide demand for clothing rental services, particularly among younger consumers, the logistics of rental have made it difficult to make money, threatening the platforms' viability. watch nowNuuly and Rent's services are similar in that they both offer clothing for rent on a monthly basis for all sorts of occasions. The clothing rental market is still a budding industry. As brands look to convince consumers to rent instead of buy, offering a wide-ranging assortment has proven critical.

Persons: Natalie Rice, Nuuly, David Hayne, we've, Gen Z, Jenn Hyman, Rent, Hayne, Urban's, Richard Hayne Organizations: Natalie Rice Urban Outfitters, CNBC

☆ How Urban Outfitters’ Nuuly is outsmarting Rent the Runway
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Urban Outfitters Inc., or URBN, has been quietly building a new segment near its headquarters in Philadelphia. Launched in 2019, Nuuly is a clothing rental subscription service that features the company's brands Urban Outfitters, Free People and Anthropologie, as well as more than 400 other brands and designers. Nuuly is set to reach profitability in its third or fourth fiscal quarter of 2023. "Most of the timeframes that we've set up until now, we've been running ahead of," Hayne said. Though Nuuly isn't the first rental service on the market, analysts said there's a lot of opportunity in the nascent space.

Persons: Dave Hayne, Nuuly, Adrienne Yih, we've, " Hayne, Hayne, Yih, Vince Camuto Organizations: Urban Outfitters Inc, Urban Outfitters, Free, Barclays, McKinsey & Company, Analysts, Banana Locations: Philadelphia, URBN's, Kansas City , Missouri, Kansas, Banana Republic

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow soaring demand for Ozempic and Wegovy have led to Novo Nordisk's meteoric riseNovo Nordisk has experienced astounding growth in the past few years with its new diabetes and obesity care drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy. Besides what they've done to transform the company's financials, the drugs also boast the potential to help solve the obesity crisis along with aiding in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Analysts say the drugs could be worth up to $300 billion annually in the near future.

Organizations: Novo Nordisk

☆ How Ozempic and Wegovy turned Novo Nordisk into a $400 billion company
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has entered a new chapter in its 100-year history — thanks to its newfound success with two products: Ozempic and Wegovy. Their skyrocketing popularity has boosted Novo Nordisk to new heights. Novo Nordisk's share price has more than quadrupled in the past five years, making it Europe's most valuable company by market cap. "It's clear that nobody had expected that it would be taking off this quickly," said Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen in August. In 2018, the first full year with Ozempic on the market, Novo Nordisk's net sales were 111.8 billion Danish krone, or $17.7 billion, using an average exchange rate at the time.

Persons: Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, Ozempic, Jared Holz, Semaglutide, Eli Lilly, Mounjaro Organizations: Nordisk, Novo Nordisk, Nordisk's, Novo Nordisk's, Trilliant Health, Mizuho, Pfizer, Food and Drug Administration

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHere's why Constellation Brands bet big on Modelo. And won against Bud LightConstellation Brands, which owns the U.S. licensing rights to Mexican beers like Modelo, Corona, Victoria and Pacifico is on fire. For the first time in 22 years, Modelo Especial beat out Bud Light as the country's top-selling beer in May. Constellation reported revenue of $2.5 billion in the quarter ending May 31, a 6.4% increase from the same quarter last year. The company's beer business delivered double-digit net sales growth of 11%.

Persons: Bud, Bud Light Organizations: Constellation Brands, Modelo, Bud Light Constellation Brands, Pacifico, Modelo Especial, Constellation Locations: Corona, Victoria

☆ How Modelo dethroned Bud Light to become the top-selling U.S. beer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

1 beer in America due to a competitor's moves is not accurate," said Jim Sabia, executive vice president and managing director of Constellation Brands ' beer division. Bud Light's sales slump changed that. The data shows that on the four weeks ended on May 20, Modelo's share of total beer sales grew to 10.7%, while Bud Light's fell to 9.6%. "Modelo has been on a rise and Bud Light's been on a decline as we've seen overall shifts in the beer market in the last 10 years." But when it comes to success in the Mexican beer market, Constellation is relatively untouchable.

Persons: Jim Sabia, We've, Sabia, Bud Light's, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Bart Watson, Gerald Pascarelli, There's, Greg Gallagher, we've Organizations: Modelo Especial's U.S, Constellation Brands, Modelo, Modelo Especial, Nielsen, Wedbush Securities, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Brewers Association, Beer Institute Locations: America, U.S, Corona, Pacifico, Mexico, United States, Circana

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAmerica's $2 billion peanut butter industryPeanut butter is a $2 billion dollar industry in the U.S. and has continued to increase profits yearly as purchases grow and prices rise, though peanut butter's price has remained low. Peanut butter has has a 90% household penetration rate, meaning it is seen in most American households. With that legacy, it's a delicate balance for top brands to innovate while still being consistent with expectations. Three brands hold the top market share — Jif, Skippy and Peter Pan.

Persons: Skippy, Peter Pan Locations: U.S

☆ Why Americans are obsessed with peanut butter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Skippy was the leading peanut butter brand in the U.S. until 1980, a title that now belongs to Jif. Pond, that became the first brand to commercially develop peanut butter in 1920, sparking the way we eat peanut butter today. "We've launched certain innovations specifically in Asian markets to help enable that type of cooking use for peanut butter. Domestically, Americans eat an average of 4.25 pounds of peanut butter per capita, a figure that increased temporarily during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the National Peanut Board. As the family came together in the middle of the day, we saw that it introduced this love and affection for peanut butter to children who will hopefully carry that love and affection for peanut butter into [their] lifetime," he added.

Persons: Skippy, Joseph Rosefield, Peter Pan, Matt Smith, Circana, Costco's Kirkland, Smucker's, Jif, Smith, Rebecca Scheidler, they've, Ryan Christofferson, Christofferson, aren't, they're, Bob Parker, It's, it's, We've, Parker, Domestically, —, Scheidler Organizations: Equity Research, Stifel Financial Corp, Hormel Foods Corp, Post, Holdings, Foods, Hormel Foods, Spam, Unilever, Peanut Board, FDA, Hormel, National Peanut Board Locations: Jif, U.S, Chicago, Smucker, Uncrustables, Longmont , Colorado, McCalla , Alabama, Mexico, Canada, China

☆ How luxury giant LVMH built a recession-proof empire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, more commonly known as LVMH , has grown into a $500 billion powerhouse conglomerate of 75 distinguished brands, or "maisons," rooted in six different sectors — with no plans to slow down. The company recorded revenue of 79.2 billion euros, or about $86.3 billion, last year, an increase of 23% from 2021 revenue. Though managed by LVMH, each maison has creative control over its own brand, with its own C-suite executives and mission. LVMH consistently collaborates with celebrities, fashion icons and influencers in order to stay relevant for the younger luxury crowd. Remaining relevant is key to longevity in luxury — and LVMH's strategy in building a brand that not only endures but continues to excel.

☆ How LVMH built a $500 billion luxury empire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow LVMH built a $500 billion luxury empireLuxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has built a massive 75-brand portfolio, cementing its legacy for decades to come. Its Chairman and CEO, Bernard Arnault has masterminded some of its biggest acquisitions, including, most recently Tiffany & Co. in 2021, after a bitter price dispute during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The company has been hailed for posting record revenue year after year, this year becoming the first European company to surpass $500 billion in market value.

☆ How luxury giant LVHM built a recession-proof empire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Natalie Rice | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The company recorded revenue of 79.2 billion euros, or about $86.3 billion, last year, an increase of 23% from 2021 revenue. Some experts have long-hailed the company as "recession-proof," able to sustain itself through economic downturns and boasting products that uniquely appreciate over time. Though managed by LVMH, each maison has creative control over its own brand, with its own C-suite executives and mission. LVMH consistently collaborates with celebrities, fashion icons and influencers in order to stay relevant for the younger luxury crowd. Remaining relevant is key to longevity in luxury — and LVMH's strategy in building a brand that not only endures but continues to excel.

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