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Analysts said the new cash may afford Bed Bath only a few quarters to revive its business, and a weakening economy would diminish any chance of a successful turnaround. Bed Bath declined to comment on Hudson Bay Capital's role in the share sale. "All is on hold," a maker of children's apparel said last week, adding that it had stopped shipping products to Bed Bath since early January. A shopping cart is seen at a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., June 29, 2022. Reuters reported late last month that Bed Bath had lined up liquidators to close additional stores unless a last-minute buyer emerged.

The U.S. food index, including meals eaten at home and in cafes and restaurants, increased 10.4% for the year ended in December. RETAILER PUSHBACKConsumer goods manufacturers - will continue to raise prices until they recover their profitability, said Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne. In December, the CEO of Walmart (WMT.N), the world's biggest retailer, warned that some "packaged goods suppliers are still pointing us towards more inflation next year on top of the mid-double digits this year". Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said last month he was hopeful inflation would peak by mid-2023 and then start to ebb. Barclays analyst Warren Ackerman said although food commodity prices on average were down 20% from March peaks, it will take time for this to reflect in companies' costs.

Hudson Bay Capital is unrelated to Canadian department store chain Hudson's Bay Co. Bed Bath & Beyond declined to comment earlier Tuesday on Hudson Bay Capital leading investment in the share sale. A shopping cart is seen at a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew KellyPrices on Bed Bath & Beyond bonds due in 2024 climbed to 24 cents on the dollar from around 5 cents, a level still indicating financial distress. Bed Bath shares rose 2.7% in extended trading, after closing down 49% on Tuesday.

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Bed Bath said it was planning to raise just over $1 billion through sales of preferred stock and warrants and from securities when the warrants are exercised. Bed Bath will receive a waiver on its recent bank default should the proposed offering succeed, the company said. Bed Bath & Beyond also appointed Holly Etlin, a bankruptcy expert, as interim chief financial officer. "It’s a similar situation in which a deeply financially distressed company is attempting to sell securities," said Lynn LoPucki, a professor at the University of Florida. Sources have told Reuters that Bed Bath & Beyond has lined up liquidators to close additional stores unless a last-minute buyer emerges.

The firm loaned Bed Bath & Beyond $375 million last year. The chain has said it is closing 87 Bed Bath & Beyond stores and five buybuy BABY stores, in addition to 150 closures announced last year. Bed Bath & Beyond said last week it defaulted on a loan, bringing it closer to bankruptcy. Sources have also told Reuters that Bed Bath & Beyond is considering skipping debt payments due on Feb. 1, a typical move that distressed companies take to conserve cash. Bed Bath & Beyond reported a loss of about $393 million after sales plunged 33% for the quarter ending Nov. 26.

☆ Organized retail thieves' most-wanted list: Survey reveals which items are most likely to be stolen from stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Organized retail crime has contributed to a $94.5 billion inventory-shrink problem for the retail industry. Retail criminals steal across many different product categories, per the National Retail Federation. Here are the most popular items targeted for organized retail crime as identified by the National Retail Federation, in no particular order. Shoshy Ciment/Business InsiderDesigner handbagsFashion and fine jewelryBeltsWatchesDesigner sunglassesBranded eyewearFootwearShoe retailers need to be wary of organized retail criminals. REUTERS/Jessica DinapoliInfant formulaInfant and toddler itemsChildren's toysOtherGift cards also aren't safe from organized retail crime.

Fourteen of the top 30 advertisers on Twitter stopped all advertising on the platform after Musk took charge on October 27, according to the Pathmatics estimates. Pathmatics said the previously unreported figures on Twitter advertising are estimates. read moreThe Pathmatics estimates show continued upheaval in Twitter's main revenue stream heading into 2023, led by a pullback from top consumer brands. Among consumer brands, Heinz ketchup maker Kraft Heinz Co(KHC.O) and Stouffers meal manufacturer Nestle SA (NESN.S) stopped all advertising, according to the Pathmatics estimates. Financial technology provider SmartAsset and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) said Pathmatics estimates showing an increase in advertising were inaccurate.

☆ P&G raises sales forecast on price hikes, sees volumes fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Tide detergent maker Procter & Gamble Co (PG.N) raised its full-year sales forecast on Thursday and said it plans to continue raising prices despite a drop in sales volumes, warning that high commodity costs were pressuring profits. While the price hikes have been met with less pushback compared to discretionary products, customers have still bought fewer of its products. P&G said organic sales in China, its second largest market, were down 7% due to COVID lockdowns and weaker consumer confidence. P&G said net sales fell 1% to $20.77 billion in the quarter, hurt by the impact of a stronger dollar on overseas revenue but beating Wall Street expectations. It's the first fall in quarterly net sales in a little over five years, according to Refinitiv data.

Known for its Birds Eye, Chef Boyardee and Slim Jim brands, Conagra is increasing some of its prices in its current fiscal 2023 third quarter. "We don't currently have any plans to take additional pricing beyond that," Connolly said, noting the plans could change if inflation persists. The price of groceries eaten at home rose an estimated 11%-12% in 2022, versus a 7%-8% increase in restaurant menu prices, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "If you're going to spend your day at home instead of in the office, odds are the breakfast and the lunch that you're going to have is going to be a product like a Healthy Choice Power Bowl," Connolly said. "We've now moved it to just about everything we sell in our frozen meals business," he said.

NEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Conagra Brands Inc (CAG.N) Chief Executive Officer Sean Connolly said in a Reuters Newsmaker interview on Tuesday that he sees double-digit inflation in fiscal 2023, although protein costs are moderating. The company, known for its brands Birds Eye and Chef Boyardee, raised its full-year forecasts last week, after beating quarterly results, helped mainly by higher prices for its snacks and ready-to-eat meals. Its share price rose 12% in 2022 and shot up further after the improved forecasts. Packaged food makers have undergone several rounds of price increases in the past year to shield their profit margins from higher costs, which people have accepted as they find eating out far more expensive than cooking at home. Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli and Hilary Russ in New York Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (BBBY.O) on Thursday said it was exploring options including a bankruptcy filing to address the U.S. home goods retailer's plunging sales, dwindling cash and debt load, sending its shares tumbling. Bed Bath & Beyond said it expects to report a third-quarter loss of $385.5 million after sales plunged 33%. The stock was one of the most active on the Nasdaq, with nearly 9.4 million shares traded as of 09:37 ET. Bed Bath & Beyond's fortunes dwindled and its stock collapsed in value after it pursued a strategy focused on its own private-label goods. Activist investor Ryan Cohen, the chairman of GameStop Corp (GME.N), took a stake in Bed Bath & Beyond, which he later sold, sending shares crashing.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond exploring options including bankruptcy, shares fall 13%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (BBBY.O) on Thursday said it was exploring options including a bankruptcy filing to address the U.S. home goods retailer's plunging sales, dwindling cash and debt load, sending its shares tumbling. Bed Bath & Beyond's fortunes dwindled and its stock collapsed in value after it pursued a strategy focused on its own private-label goods. The company became a meme stock last year when its shares soared more than 400%. Activist investor Ryan Cohen, the chairman of GameStop Corp (GME.N), took a stake in Bed Bath & Beyond, which he later sold, sending shares crashing. Bed Bath & Beyond in its prior financial update in the fall said it had liquidity of $850 million but had burned through $325 million in the quarter.

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 16 (Reuters) - PepsiCo plans to roll out 100 heavy-duty Tesla Semis in 2023, when it will start using the electric trucks to make deliveries to customers like Walmart and Kroger, the soda maker's top fleet official told Reuters on Friday. PepsiCo is the first company to experiment with the battery-powered Tesla Semis as a way of cutting its environmental impact. When Tesla starts building them, PepsiCo "will rotate those up" into its fleet, he said. PepsiCo declined to share details on the price of the trucks, a figure that Tesla has kept quiet. O'Connell said that a 425-mile (684-km) trip carrying Frito-Lay products brings the Semi's battery down to roughly 20%, and recharging it takes around 35 to 45 minutes.

PepsiCo, which ordered the Semis in 2017, is the first company to experiment with them as a way of cutting its environmental impact. PepsiCo is deploying 36 electric trucks from Tesla, with 15 in Modesto and 21 in Sacramento, so far. When Tesla starts building them, PepsiCo "will rotate those up" into its fleet, he said. PepsiCo declined to share details on the price of the trucks, a figure that Tesla has kept quiet. O'Connell said that a 425-mile (684-km) trip carrying Frito-Lay products brings the Semi's battery down to roughly 20%, and recharging it takes around 35 to 45 minutes.

LONDON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Unilever said on Thursday that its litigation with the independent board of Ben & Jerry's over the sale of its Israeli ice cream business has "been resolved". The next month, Ben & Jerry's filed a lawsuit against a Unilever subsidiary to try to block the sale. In an updated lawsuit filed in September, Ben & Jerry's said it was seeking damages and wanted the trademarks returned. Ben & Jerry's declined to comment and Ben & Jerry's independent board did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "I am pleased that the litigation between Unilever and the independent Board of Ben & Jerrys has been resolved," Avi Zinger said in a statement on Thursday.

In a filing on Friday afternoon in Manhattan federal court, Unilever said Ben & Jerry's board "is no ordinary board." Ben & Jerry's could not immediately be reached for comment. In August, a judge rejected Ben & Jerry's bid to immediately halt such sales. Last month, Ben & Jerry's board renounced the sale of its ice cream by Zinger, saying his products "should not be confused with the products" made by Ben & Jerry's. "The sale of products bearing any Ben & Jerry's insignia in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is against our values," the board said.

[1/3] Mead Johnson's product Enfamil baby formula are displayed on a store shelf in New York City, U.S., February 10, 2017. Panicked parents had earlier this year emptied the baby formula aisles at supermarkets after former top U.S. manufacturer Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) in February recalled dozens of types of its Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas. Since the Abbott recall, share of Reckitt in the infant formula market has skyrocketed, making it the No.1 supplier in the United States. Companies normally bid for state contracts to be the sole provider of baby formula for low-income families under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programme. Reckitt has said its formula factories are operating 24/7, and it was feeding more than 40% of all low-income WIC infants.

☆ Environmentalists ask SEC to examine P&G's wood pulp supply chain claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The advocacy group wrote that P&G's claims could be materially misleading to investors because the company sources from pristine forests and from areas that are habitats for caribou. P&G annually purchases more than one million metric tons of wood pulp, which comes from trees, to makes Charmin toilet paper, Bounty paper towels and Puffs tissues. NRDC wants the SEC, the main U.S. markets regulator, to consider appropriate enforcement action or require P&G to update its statements to investors. The environmental group also said that P&G's claims are concerning because some investors take into consideration how the company ranks compared to its peers on its environment-related actions. NRDC also said that P&G is overly reliant on third-party certifications for the sustainability of its wood pulp supply chain.

Reuters GraphicsMelissa Benhaim, a 32-year old publicist in Miami, started her holiday shopping slightly later than usual this year. A Saturday shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year gives shoppers extra time to hold out for better bargains. Holiday shopping is expected to slow broadly. Reuters GraphicsBut toy prices, even with discounts, are up about 2.4%, DataWeave found. Shoppers are paying $16.99 for the toy this year at Kohl's, after discounts, compared to $11.54 last year, according to DataWeave.

☆ First TVs, now tortillas: U.S. companies set minimum prices to halt discounting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

read moreFor many years manufacturers set the lowest price at which retailers could advertise certain big-ticket items like TVs. read more As a result, consumers have struggled to find a lower advertised price anywhere else. This compels brands that sell huge volumes of goods on Amazon to set, and then enforce, a minimum price. "We have no role in creating them or in their continued adoption," the Amazon spokesperson said when asked about minimum advertised pricing policies. Amazon said in response that it does not prevent sellers from offering lower prices elsewhere.

Nestle and P&G both raised prices by less than 9.5% in the same period, having roughly matched one another since mid-2021. Unilever said price rises vary by category and market and not all consumers were experiencing the 12.5% hikes. Unilever has high exposure to regions and countries with high inflation including Latin America, Turkey and Russia, while P&G is more U.S.-focused, Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne said. "These countries have high inflation, linked to weak foreign exchange. "We are still absorbing significant cost, which has led to a notable decline in our gross profit margin," a Nestle spokesperson said.

☆ Oreo maker Mondelez pulls ads off Twitter, citing hate speech -CEO
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"What we’ve seen recently since the change on Twitter has been announced, is the amount of hate speech increase significantly," Van de Put said. Twitter last week laid off half its workforce as advertisers pulled spending amid concerns about content moderation. Twitter, which has lost many members of its communications team, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Van de Put added that Mondelez, which makes Cadbury and Milka chocolates, is expecting a strong holiday season. Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Baby formula maker Perrigo buying Nestle's Good Start brand, Wisconsin plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Infant formula manufacturer Perrigo Company Plc (PRGO.N) said on Tuesday it is buying the Good Start brand and a Wisconsin plant that makes the product from Nestle SA (NESN.S), as U.S. retailers recover from shortages of the good. The deal is part of a $170 million investment that Perrigo is making in its U.S. infant formula manufacturing. The investment includes $60 million to expand the plant's capacity by roughly 100 million eight-ounce bottles each year. Nestle has sent cans of specialized Alfamino formula and NAN from Europe to help try to alleviate the shortage earlier this year. Perrigo will supply Nestle with Good Start formula so the company can fulfill its contracts with the Women, Infants and Children program, which helps poor families afford the item.

Along with other consumer goods companies, Unilever has faced a surge in labor, freight and ingredients costs. Billionaire Peltz in recent weeks met two possible contenders to replace Jope, one of the sources said. FLORIDA TALKSEven before Jope announced his departure, Peltz met with a former consumer goods CEO in Florida, one of the sources said. In the last month, Peltz and his team also approached another former consumer packaged goods CEO about the Unilever job, the source said. Peltz supports Unilever's sustainability strategy, including a plan to decarbonize the company's business units, Unilever has said.

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