Retail and consumers
Every Sainteur story on retail and consumers, newest first.
Burberry's comparable retail sales rise 4%, extending its growth streak to five quarters
Burberry Group plc ($BRBY) said comparable retail sales rose 4% in the first half and second quarter, a fifth consecutive quarter of growth, in what Chief Executive Joshua Schulman called an uncertain environment. H1 revenue rose 6%, and adjusted operating profit was £62 million.
YETI cuts its 2026 adjusted sales outlook to about 6%
Chief Executive Matt Reintjes said a cautious consumer environment is expected to put pressure on fourth-quarter demand. The company also lowered its adjusted earnings outlook.
Costco declares a $30-per-share special cash dividend of about $13.3 billion
Costco ($COST) declared a $30-per-share special cash dividend of about $13.3 billion, payable December 4 to holders of record November 24. It reauthorized a buyback of up to $4 billion through November 2030, replacing a 2023 program under which $3.1 billion had been purchased.
Fossil returns to a quarterly profit and sales growth, and raises 2026 guidance
Net sales were $271.2 million, up 0.4%, and net income was $11.7 million, or $0.19 a share. The company raised 2026 sales guidance to $980 million to $990 million.
CVS Health plans to split into two companies, separating its pharmacies from Aetna
CVS Health plans to separate its roughly 9,000 drugstores from Aetna and Caremark, the Wall Street Journal reported, with the split planned for the first half of 2028.
DoorDash agrees to pay $65 a share for Instacart in a $17 billion deal
The deal is at least 75% cash and values Instacart at about $17 billion. Closing isn't expected until the end of 2027 or the first half of 2028.
Amazon's cloud has its fastest growth in nearly five years, but the company still misses estimates
AWS grew 39%, but Amazon fell short on earnings and revenue. Sandisk beat and announced an 8-for-1 split, and Starbucks' U.S. comparable sales topped estimates while its revenue missed.
Joshua Kushner's Thrive Holdings agrees to acquire ADT for $7.6 billion in cash
ADT holders would get $10.00 a share in cash. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, and ADT can seek rival offers until Nov. 28.
Frontier's 71% fare jump shows what 'budget' means once Spirit is gone
Frontier's fare revenue per passenger jumped from $39.74 to $67.82 and passengers still rose 18%. Fuel is a real excuse, but the quarter shows a budget airline finding pricing power.
Nelson Peltz's Trian offers to buy Wendy's for $1.4 billion, the Journal reports
The report comes after Reuters said in August that Trian, a longtime holder of about 16% of the burger chain, had no plans to bid at the time.
Whirlpool fixes falling demand with its favorite appliance: the price increase
Whirlpool now expects a full-year 2026 GAAP loss of $4.95 a share, down from August's guidance of $2.25 to $2.75 a share in GAAP earnings. Its plan: a 7% price increase in North America and up to 10% in Latin America.
Consumer confidence jumps to 91.7, but the long-term trend is still down, Conference Board says
The Conference Board's index rose 7.5 points to 91.7, well above the 81.0 economists expected, per investingLive. The figures are preliminary, and September was revised up.
Walmart and McDonald's insist AI doesn't decide what you pay
Walmart's CEO says it won't charge shoppers more based on who they are. McDonald's says franchisees, not AI, set menu prices, while it fights a federal lawsuit over its pricing tool.
Trusts tied to GoPro's founder lent it $20 million in July. Its sale would repay them and cash out their warrants
GoPro's merger proxy says the $1.14-a-share deal repays notes held by trusts tied to CEO Nicholas Woodman and cashes out their warrants, estimated at $21.9 million. His votes alone can approve it.
Family health coverage through work now costs $28,303 a year, and what workers pay is rising faster
KFF's annual survey shows the average employer family premium rose 5% in 2026, while workers' $7,471 contribution rose 9%, faster than wages or inflation.
Western Digital and Bloom Energy beat estimates, Deckers cut its sales outlook, and all four stocks fell
All four reported after Thursday's close. Deckers raised its EPS outlook while cutting its sales forecast, and Newmont's sales rose even as it sold less gold.
Alibaba slides as China's market regulator leans on online platforms over product quality
China's market regulator pressed Taobao's parent and its rivals to act as product-quality "gatekeepers." It outlined no immediate measures, but Alibaba's Hong Kong shares had their steepest intraday drop in two months, Investing.com reported.