Tag: Retail industry

Nike misses on revenue for first time in two years, but stock pops as earnings, margins beat

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Nike reported revenue Thursday that fell short of Wall Street’s sales expectations for the first time in two years, but it beat on earnings and gross margin estimates, sending its stock soaring in after-hours trading.

Here’s how the sneaker giant performed during its fiscal first quarter compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv:

  • Earnings per share: 94 cents vs. 75 cents expected
  • Revenue: $12.94 billion vs. $12.98 billion expected

The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended August 31 was $1.45 billion, or 94 cents per share, compared with $1.47 billion, or 93 cents per share, a year earlier.

Sales rose to $12.94 billion, up about 2% from $12.69 billion a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter was just shy of the $12.98 billion analysts had expected, according to LSEG.

Nike shares rose about 8% in extended trading Thursday.

The retailer maintained its full-year guidance of revenue growth in the mid-single digits and gross margin expansion of 1.4 to 1.6 percentage points.

“We’re closely monitoring the operating environment, including foreign currency exchange rates, consumer demand over the holiday season, and our second half wholesale order book,” said finance chief Matthew Friend on a call with analysts.

“We are cautiously planning for modest markdown improvements for the balance of the year, given the promotional environment,” he added.

For the second quarter, Nike expects revenue growth to be up slightly versus the prior year and gross margins to grow by about 1 percentage point versus the prior year.

Investors have been laser focused on Nike’s recovery in China, its relationship with its wholesale partners and how the resumption of student loan payments will impact sales. 

They’re also keen to see Nike’s margins recover after bloated inventories, high promotions and supply chain woes contributed to lower profits over the last few quarters. 

During the quarter, Nike’s gross margin fell about 0.1 percentage points to 44.2%, but it was higher than the 43.7% analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount. The company attributed the gross margin drop to higher product costs and currency exchange rates, but those trends were offset by price increases, which contributed to the earnings beat.

Sales in China grew by 5% compared to the year-ago period to $1.7 billion, which fell short of the $1.8 billion analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount.

During the previous quarter ended May 31, Nike saw China sales jump 16% compared to the year-ago period. But the numbers were against easy comparisons because the region was still under Covid-related lockdown orders during the prior year. 

While Nike remains bullish on China, the region’s economic recovery has so far been a mixed bag. Following a sluggish July, retail sales picked up during the month of August to rise 4.6% compared to the prior year, beating expectations of a 3% growth forecast by Reuters. 

“We feel good about the market there and our position,” said CEO John Donahoe, adding he’s traveled to China twice in the last four months. “Frankly, a couple things stand out. One, sport is back in China, you can just feel it, and that gives us great confidence about the future and the Chinese consumer in our segment, regardless of the macroeconomic outlook there.”

Nike saw sales jumps in every region besides North America, its largest market by revenue. Sales in North America fell 2% from the year-ago period to $5.42 billion, just above the $5.39 billion analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount.

In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, sales were up 8% at $3.61 billion. That compared with the $3.51 billion analysts had expected. Sales in its Latin America and Asia Pacific unit came in 2% higher at $1.57 billion, just shy of the $1.59 billion analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount.

The Converse brand, on the other hand, fell well short of expectations for a second quarter in a row. Sales came in at $588 million, down 9% compared to the year-ago period. Analysts had expected sales to be about $660 million, according to StreetAccount.

Nike’s direct channel, which includes its owned stores and its digital channel, led the retailer’s growth during the quarter and was up 6% compared to the prior year. In June, the company noticed that shoppers were shifting towards its stores over its digital channels, signaling consumers are getting closer to pre-pandemic shopping habits.

“We continue to see that consumers want to connect directly and personally with our brands and in fact, member engagement within our direct business is up double digits versus the prior year with increasing average order values,” said Friend.

“Our stores delivered an especially strong quarter with traffic up double digits from last year, and members driving an increasing share of our business as consumers shifted from our digital to physical channels… Our team was nimble in transitioning inventory to capture higher full-price sales across our entire store fleet,” he said.

When it comes to its wholesale revenues, Nike’s relationship with those partners have been rocky. As the company has pivoted to a direct-to-consumer model, it has focused on driving sales online and in its stores at the expense of its wholesale accounts. 

However, as Nike grappled with excess inventories throughout 2023, it relied on those partners to move through that merchandise. It has now restored its relationship with both Macy’s and DSW – accounts that it previously cut in favor of its DTC strategy. 

Some analysts expected Nike’s wholesale revenue to be sluggish during the quarter because excess inventories have been a problem throughout the retail industry – and some wholesalers are being more particular in what they order to avoid another backlog. 

Wholesale revenue during the quarter was flat compared to the year-ago period at $7 billion.

Both Donahoe and Friend made it clear to analysts that Nike is ready to meet customers in all channels — including through wholesalers and directly. The retailer shouted out Dick’s Sporting Goods as one of its key partners and noted that it’s still in the process of resetting its business with Footlocker, which has seen two quarters in a row of plunging sales and profits.

Despite the shift in how it’s working with wholesalers, Nike insisted that direct sales will pave the way to its future growth.

“Ultimately, we have a segmented portfolio of strong partners across price points and channels. With no single partner representing more than a mid-single digit of Nike’s total business,” said Friend.

“While the ultimate landing spot of digital and direct isn’t as clear, we do believe we’re going to be a more direct and a more digital company, and a more profitable company,” he said. “And there’s a channel mix and channel profitability opportunity that comes with that as well.”

Meanwhile, inventories fell 10% to $8.7 billion. The drop was driven by a decrease in units but offset by product mix and higher manufacturing and production costs.

“On the whole, we’re very comfortable with the level of inventory in the marketplace in relation to the retail sales that we’re seeing as we begin increasing levels of wholesale sell in our second half,” said Friend.

Amid decades-high inflation rates, consumers have been pulling back on apparel and footwear. With the resumption of student loan payments looming ahead, some analysts expect those sectors to take an even greater hit. 

Jefferies conducted a survey on U.S. consumer spending and found 54% of respondents plan to spend less on apparel and accessories. Meanwhile, 46% plan to spend less on footwear, which doesn’t bode well for Nike. 

It’s still too early to gauge the impact of student loan payments on Nike. Its first quarter ended in late August, and payments aren’t set to resume until October.

During the quarter, footwear sales rose 4% to $8.4 billion, making up about 68% of Nike’s total sales. Apparel was down 1% at $3.4 billion.

Correction: Nike’s gross margin fell 0.1 percentage points. An earlier version of this story misstated that figure.

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The Investing Club’s top things to watch in the stock market Friday

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The Club’s top things to watch Friday, August 25

1. Stocks edge up in premarket trading Friday after coming under pressure Thursday. The market is looking to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at 10:05 a.m. ET. Investors expect Powell to argue interest rates will need to stay higher for longer in order to stamp out sticky inflation.

2. The Chinese government on Friday moves to ease its mortgage policies in order to boost China’s struggling property market, but it isn’t enough to generate a rally in Asian markets. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.6%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.4%.

3. Chipmaker Marvell Technology (MRVL) delivers a quarter and guidance in line with Wall Street’s expectations, as strength in artificial-intelligence applications is offset by continued weakness in some of its legacy businesses like storage. The stock fell more than 3% in premarket trading Friday. The company increases its outlook for AI, with the expectation to exit the year at a $200 million quarterly run rate, or $800 million annualized. That may not be enough upside for today given the tepid reaction to Club name Nvidia‘s (NVDA) huge upside guide Wednesday, but still a good long-term story.

4. Elsewhere in the the world of AI, Baird says next week’s Google Cloud Next conference could show how Club holding Alphabet (GOOGL) is leveraging AI capabilities. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer reiterates its thesis that Club name Microsoft (MSFT) will be the “operating system for AI.”

5. Retailer Nordstrom (JWN) beats on earnings but reiterates a cautious full-year outlook. The company also notes losses from theft are at a historical high. Shares fell over 4% in extended trading Thursday. More broadly, retail earnings this season have showed that American consumers are spending with value top of mind.

6. Loop Capital on Friday upgrades Netflix (NFLX) to buy, from hold, while raising its price target to $500 a share, up from $425. The firm cites improving fundamentals, while noting the shares have corrected 15% from Netflix stock’s recent gains. Upgrading at this juncture is the right way to look at a sell-off in a high-quality company.

7. More ESPN partnerships on the way? Club holding Amazon (AMZN) is reportedly in talks with fellow Club name Walt Disney (DIS) about developing an ESPN streaming service, according to The Information. Disney currently owns 80% of the sports network.

8. Realty Income Corp (O) on Friday announces a $950 million investment in the real-estate assets of The Bellagio Las Vegas, acquiring a 21.9% indirect interest from Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) that values the property at $5.1 billion.

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Weight loss drugs boost sales at retail pharmacies, but they may not help profits much

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A pharmacist displays boxes of Ozempic, a semaglutide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes made by Novo Nordisk, at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S. March 29, 2023. 

George Frey | Reuters

Drugmakers aren’t the only ones feeling the impact of the weight loss industry gold rush. 

Retailers with pharmacy businesses, such as Walmart, Kroger and Rite Aid, said increased demand for prescription weight loss drugs helped boost sales for the second quarter. 

But analysts note that those blockbuster treatments are minimally profitable for retail pharmacies – and may even come with margin headwinds.

“More recently, you’re starting to hear retailers talk about these drugs. But I wouldn’t say they’re necessarily beneficiaries of the increased popularity,” Arun Sundaram, an analyst at CFRA Research, told CNBC. “They’re really not making much of a profit on the drugs. So it’s really just a traffic driver and not really a profit pool for retailers.” 

Buzzy drugs like Novo Nordisk‘s obesity injection Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic have skyrocketed in popularity over the last year, with high-profile names like billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk among recent users.

Those treatments are known as GLP-1s, a class of drugs that mimic a hormone produced in the gut to suppress a person’s appetite. 

Other drugmakers, such as Eli Lilly and Pfizer, are developing their own GLP-1s in a bid to capitalize on a weight loss drug market that some analysts project could be worth $200 billion by 2030. An estimated 40% of U.S. adults are obese, making successful treatments a massive opportunity for drugmakers. 

But the boom in demand for GLP-1s is also being felt in other parts of the drug supply chain, including the pharmacies that dispense the prescription drugs to patients. 

Are weight loss drugs profitable? 

On an earnings call Thursday, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said the company expects weight loss drugs to help drive sales for the rest of the year: “We still expect food, consumables, and health and wellness, primarily due to the popularity of some GLP-1 drugs, to grow as a percent total in the back half.” 

In June, likewise, Rite Aid CFO Matthew Schroeder said a jump in pharmacy revenue and the company’s decision to hike its full-year revenue guidance was “due to the increase in sales volume in Ozempic and other high-dollar GLP-1s.” Schroeder was referring to the hefty price tags of GLP-1s, which range from around $900 to $1,300 in the U.S. 

He said those drugs have high sales amounts per prescription, but emphasized that the increased volume of GLP-1s has a “minimal impact” on Rite Aid’s gross profit. 

Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen similarly said during an earnings call in June that GLP-1 drug “sales dollars are a lot bigger than the margin dollars.” 

“We would expect the GLP-1 type drugs to continue but remember, the impact on profitability is pretty narrow,” he said.

That’s because GLP-1s like Wegovy and Ozempic are branded drugs with “very, very low gross margins,” according to CFRA Research’s Sundaram. 

He said retail pharmacies generate high sales for each GLP-1 prescription they dispense but rake in low profits, which is having a slight negative impact on the overall gross margins of retailers like Walmart and Kroger. 

UBS analyst Michael Lasser similarly highlighted in a recent note that gross margins for Walmart’s U.S. business “would have looked even better had it not been for the contribution of the GLP-1 drugs since these carry very low profit rates.”

A selection of injector pens for the Saxenda weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 31, 2023. 

Jim Vondruska | Reuters

Gross margins for branded medications are 3.5% on average for pharmacies, according to a 2017 study from USC’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. That suggests it may take years before a branded drug significantly contributes to a pharmacy’s bottom line.

In contrast, gross margins for generic drugs – the cheaper equivalents of branded medications – are 42.7% on average for pharmacies. 

There are several reasons for the lower margins of branded drugs. For one, branded drugs don’t directly compete with other medications because they have patent protections. That gives drug manufacturers more power when they negotiate drug discounts with wholesalers, which purchase medications and distribute them to pharmacies. 

As a result, there is “little room for wholesalers and pharmacies to capture large margins due to their relative lack of negotiating power,” according to the Association for Accessible Medicines, a trade association representing the manufacturers and distributors of generic prescription drugs. 

What other impacts do retailers face?

But there are also other impacts of GLP-1s to consider beyond a retailer’s pharmacy business.

For companies like Walmart and Kroger, GLP-1 drugs may be indirectly impacting other business categories in a positive way.

That makes some analysts less worried about margin headwinds in pharmacy: “The gross margin headwind is less of a risk overall for Walmart because any footstep in the door often ends up with multiple items in a basket,” KeyBanc analyst Bradley Thomas told CNBC. 

“Walmart is generally not a quick store that you just pop in on the way home,” he said. “They’re going to make multiple purchases, and I think we’re seeing a lot of discretionary categories actually see a lift from some of this incremental traffic they’ve been getting lately.” 

Thomas added that GLP-1 drugs only fall under one part of Walmart’s business: “If you’re listing off the most important things that are driving Walmart’s strong sales performance right now, it’s probably not making the top 10,” he said. 

It’s a slightly different situation for Rite-Aid and similar companies like CVS Health and Walgreens.

Those companies have retail pharmacies but also other business segments that are directly affected in different ways by the boom in GLP-1 drugs.

For example, CVS also operates a health insurer and pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, which maintains formularies and negotiates drug discounts with manufacturers on behalf of insurers and large employers.

The increased demand for GLP-1 drugs is likely more of a headwind for health insurers since they have to cover the costly drugs for beneficiaries, but CVS says “the risk is manageable” in that business division.

Meanwhile, PBMs may benefit more from the increase in GLP-1 use since they negotiate significant discounts on drugs and drive competition between manufacturers – but they often don’t pass along all of the savings to insurers.

“Each of the businesses kind of has GLP-1 in them and they are impacting them in a variety of different ways,” CVS CEO Karen Lynch said during an earnings call last month.

Correction: The Association for Accessible Medicines is a trade association representing the manufacturers and distributors of generic prescription drugs. An earlier version misstated its name.

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Jim Cramer’s top 10 things to watch in the stock market Monday

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My top 10 things to watch Monday, August 14

1. It’s a big week of retail earnings. Is Target (TGT) undervalued? Is Walmart (WMT) overvalued? Is Club name TJX Companies (TJX) going to start with its usual up two points and then cascade down two? That’s what you need to be ready for. TJX and Target report second-quarter results on Wednesday, while Walmart reports on Thursday.

2. Morgan Stanly on Monday names Club holding Nvidia (NVDA) a top pick, while predicting a beat and raise when the company reports second-quarter results on Aug. 23. But I really want to warn people that I don’t think it’s ready to be bought.

3. Mizuho on Monday raises its price target on Amgen (AMGN), a very low-risk pharmaceuticals company, to $223 a share from $214, while maintaining a neutral rating on the stock. Elsewhere, Jefferies raises its price target on Amgen to $310 a share, up from $275, and reiterates a buy rating.

4. U.S. Steel (X) rejects an unsolicited takeover bid from rival Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) that would have valued the former at roughly $7 billion. Cliffs is willing to buy anything. But why would the Federal Trade Commission ever allow this? U.S. Steel said Sunday it’s reviewing its strategic options.

5. Citigroup on Monday downgrades Urban Outfitters (URBN) to neutral from buy ahead of the clothing retailer’s second-quarter earnings on Aug. 22, while raising its price target to $40 a share, up from $36. The firm expects URBN to deliver an earnings beat, but thinks market expectations are too high going into the print. I like this company and find this downgrade disturbing.

6. Following a red-hot initial public offering last month, Morgan Stanley on Monday initiates coverage on beauty-and-wellness company Oddity Tech (ODD) with the equivalent of a hold rating and $57-a-share price target. The bank cites “strong long-term revenue growth prospects” for Oddity, but thinks the positives are already priced into the stock’s valuation.

7. Bernstein on Monday downgrades hotel chain Marriott International (MAR) to market perform, or neutral, from outperform, arguing the stock’s short-term upside is limited by its increased valuation this year and a slowdown in the U.S. luxury space. But the firm increases its price target on Marriott to $218 a share, up from $204.

8. Mizuho on Monday raises its price target on restaurant-management-software firm Toast (TOST) to $30 a share, up from $27, while maintaining a buy rating on the stock, following its “very strong” second-quarter results. Baird, conversely, designated Toast a “bearish fresh pick” following its big run of late. The firm has a neutral rating on the stock, with a price target of $25 a share.

9. China’s Country Garden, the country’s largest private real-estate developer, suspends trading of its onshore bonds on Monday, in a sign it could soon move to restructure its debt. Shares are down roughly 17%, weighing heavily on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index. The news is the latest sign Beijing will likely need to step in to shore up China’s beleaguered real-estate sector.

10. Piper Sandler on Monday raises its price target on Club name Coterra Energy (CTRA) to overweight, or buy, from neutral, on expectations for “strong execution across the portfolio.” The bank increases its price target on the oil-and-gas firm to $35 a share, up from $30.

And remember to tune into the Club’s Monthly Meeting on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.

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As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade.

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Couples leverage ‘something borrowed’ to cut wedding costs

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After facing the reality of how expensive fresh flowers could be when planning her own wedding, Della Larca founded Florèal Blooms, her luxury silk flower rental business, three and half years ago from her basement in Butler, New Jersey.

Larca’s business swelled last year, and she recently moved to a larger workspace to accommodate to the growing demand for her product brought by inflation and a backlog of events rippled by the pandemic.

The price of nuptials has continued to grow, with the cost of the average wedding reaching $30,000 last year thanks to steep inflation, according to an annual study by The Knot, a wedding website.

More from Life Changes:

Here’s a look at other stories offering a financial angle on important lifetime milestones.

Sixty-one percent of couples set to marry this year said the economy has already impacted their wedding plans, and the soon-to-be-wed have become savvier as they confront higher costs. Some, for example, are leaning into the wedding proverb of “something borrowed,” and seriously considering renting over buying —especially when it comes to flowers, fine jewelry and even their bridal dresses.

To make sure they’re really snagging a deal, however, couples must take into consideration the quality of the product they’re renting and whether rental requires added labor costs.

“It’s about making sure whatever you’re renting, think about the execution, think about who’s going to have to bring it out, set it up … is that cost worth it to you?” said Jason Rhee, director of celebrations and owner of Rheefined Company, a wedding and special events planner in Los Angeles.

Couples are renting flowers, jewelry and more

Courtesy of Something Borrowed Blooms

Laken Swan and Lauren Bercier founded Something Borrowed Blooms in 2015 after dealing with high costs for their own weddings. Bercier, in particular, suffered buyer’s remorse on her wedding day — after putting down the full deposit for fresh flowers, the blooms that arrived on her wedding day weren’t exactly what she’d had in mind, said Swan.

Unfortunately, the disappointment Bercier felt isn’t uncommon. The fresh flower industry can experience supply and demand issues, Swan said, and prices often reflect the fluctuation of what’s in stock and an event’s proximity to holidays like Valentine’s Day.

Prices for artificial flowers, on the other hand, are not as volatile — and brides are starting to notice.

Florèal Blooms saw an increase in demand in January 2021, when Larca was scheduling 20 to 30 consultations a week. For 2023, the company is fully booked until the end of the year. For its part, Something Borrowed Blooms is currently shipping out enough silk flowers each month for around 1,200 weddings, pacing up to 2,000 weddings per month this fall.

It makes economic sense: While the average cost of fresh flowers can come to at least $2,500 per event, you can save as much as 70% by renting silk flowers for a fraction of the price, Swan said.

How brides can dress best for less

Fine jewels are also within the average bride’s reach more than ever before. Brides who lack the disposable income to purchase fine jewelry but would value the experience of wearing one-of-a-kind pieces on their special day may want to consider renting expensive jewelry.

Rental prices for fine diamond jewelry at New York-based jeweler Verstolo range from $275 to $695, for example, and the cost includes insurance.

The same goes for wedding dresses.

While the average price for a typical bridal gown is $1,900 before alterations — an additional but often necessary service that could cost $500 to $700 extra — brides to be could rent a designer dress for the starting price of $2,000, with tailoring costs included, said Miriam Williams, co-founder of Atlanta bridal rental company Laine London.

“This next generation of brides is thinking about experiences over possessions,” said Williams. “It’s only natural that they’re rethinking what their wedding day might look like.”

While these may sound like great deals up front, couples should be sure to vet vendors’ quality controls — how they keep the repeatedly used items in top condition — and ask whether their services require additional labor costs. Otherwise, they could end up spending far more than anticipated.

What to consider before renting

Make sure you think about the execution of whatever it is you are renting, said Rhee at Rheefined Company.

“I think it’s amazing that there [are] opportunities for you to be able to rent things that you may not necessarily be able to afford, but then that’s where you just have to think about doing a little investigation,” he said. “Think about it if there is a person attached to that, or is there a service attached to what you need.”

For instance, Florèal Blooms provides a full team that delivers, sets up and packs up the flowers on the wedding day for a flat rate that’s included in the total cost.

“Quality would be the primary risk,” said Swan at Something Borrowed Blooms. Since you are renting something that has been used before, research past customer testimonies and try to work with companies that seem to pride themselves in quality control, added Swan.

If renting out artificial flowers, consider asking the rental company about quality control practices and whether their total costs include insurance for “wear and tear.”

“If there’s maybe a [flower] that was stained [by] red wine or something else, that particular floral is removed from the arrangement and we add a new floral in its place; sometimes, we’re just freshening up greenery,” Swan noted.

The same goes for bridal gowns and maintenance. Laine London expects “normal wear and tear,” and makes sure to hand-wash and drip-dry each gown after it is returned, as well as to refrain from using harsh chemicals, in order to maintain fabric integrity.

“We’re able to really bring the dress back to perfect condition after every use,” said Williams.

Something borrowed, something … bought?

On the other hand, in some cases it may make better sense to buy rather than borrow.

“You want to buy something that you’re going to wear, and that’s not going to sit in your safe and you’ll pull it out one or two times a year,” said Lauren Grunstein, vice president of sales, public relations and marketing for Verstolo.

Deciding whether to buy or rent is a very personal decision, added Williams at Laine London. She noted that her clients have other reasons for renting, not solely for budget reasons. “They don’t want to deal with it hanging in their closet,” she said, referring to wedding gowns.

However, if you plan to get multiple uses out of a bridal item in the future and you have a budget that supports it, it makes sense to go ahead and invest in that purchase, said Swan.

“But if you’re looking at items that are quickly used or disposed of, or don’t have additional uses in the future, that’s definitely an area that you want to consider renting.”

Correction: Florèal Blooms saw an increase in demand in January 2021. An earlier version misstated the year. Rental prices for fine diamond jewelry at Verstolo range from $275 to $695, for example and the cost includes insurance. An earlier version misstated the range.

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Walmart is bringing ads to an aisle near you as retailers chase new moneymakers

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Walmart is turning more parts of its stores into advertising opportunities. For example, brands can buy a spot on its self-checkout screens.

Walmart

One of Walmart‘s latest offerings at its SuperCenters isn’t a hot new toy, snack flavor or sundress. It’s advertising.

Shoppers will soon see more third-party ads on screens in Walmart self-checkout lanes and TV aisles; hear spots over the store’s radio; and be able to sample items at demo stations.

Walmart’s push into advertising resembles similar moves by retailers like Kroger, which struck a deal to bring digital smart screens to cooler aisles in hundreds of its stores, and Target, which began testing in-store demos and giveaways, including a recent “Barbie” branded event with Mattel that took place at about 200 stores.

For Walmart, selling ad space to its wealth of existing partners is another way to capitalize on the company’s huge reach and to expand into higher-margin businesses. The discounter has nearly 4,700 stores across the U.S., with roughly 90% of Americans living within 10 miles of a Walmart store.

In the U.S., about 139 million customers visit Walmart stores and its website or app each week.

“When you think about our store, our store footprint and the percentage of Americans that we reach through our stores, we can deliver Super Bowl-sized audiences every week,” said Ryan Mayward, senior vice president of retail media sales for Walmart Connect, the retailer’s advertising business.

The company plans to ramp up in-store ads using its approximately 170,000 digital screens across its locations as well as 30-second radio spots that will be available to suppliers later this year and can target a specific store or region.

And it’s hoping at least one of the new advertising initiatives will be easy to digest: free samples in stores on the weekends.

Walmart plans to sell the demo stations to advertisers and bundle them with other ad formats that can run at the same time to make for a fuller campaign. QR codes at the demo tables will pull up online shopping options, meal ideas or seasonal information.

It tried out the new in-house approach of selling sampling stations in Dallas-Fort Worth and plans to offer the option in more than 1,000 stores across the country by the end of January.

Advertising still drives a small sliver of Walmart’s overall revenue. Its global advertising business hit $2.7 billion in the most recent fiscal year, which ended in late January. That’s less than 1% of Walmart’s total annual revenue.

Yet it is becoming a more meaningful growth engine for Walmart. CEO Doug McMillon said earlier this year that he expects company profits to grow faster than sales over the next five years, driven in part by higher-margin businesses, including advertising.

In the most recent fiscal year, Walmart’s global ads business grew nearly 30% and its U.S. ads business, Walmart Connect, rose about 40%. That’s a sharper gain than the approximately 7% increase in Walmart’s total revenue and Walmart U.S. net sales during the period.

The next frontier

As Walmart and other retailers grow their ad businesses, the store stands as the next frontier. Target, Kroger and others have pushed aggressively into retail media, a buzzy term used to describe marketing to shoppers based on customer data.

That side hustle has become a more substantial revenue stream for retailers, especially as brands look for new ways to reach big audiences. Retail media is on track to be a $45 billion industry this year, up 20% from the prior year, according to Insider Intelligence. The market researcher expects that growth to accelerate in the coming years and reach about $106 billion in 2027.

Yet up until recently, retailers, including Walmart, have largely focused on selling online ads and steered clear of adding digital signs or flashier ads to the places that draw higher traffic and drive the vast majority of sales: their own stores.

Walmart’s Mayward said the retailer has added advertising to stores “in a very deliberate and cautious way” after learning how shoppers respond to online ads.

When done right, he said ads can enhance the experience for shoppers and lift sales. For example, he said, a customer may spring for a sound bar after learning about the product on the TV wall when walking through the electronics department. They may decide to buy a jar of salsa after seeing a video of it near the aisle of their favorite bag of chips.

“It’s a complimentary advertising moment,” he said. “It’s helping you make connections between two different products and decide that you maybe need that second thing.”

Walmart is turning the approximately 170,000 digital screens across its U.S. stores into advertising opportunities. For example, a company that makes a snack or a beauty product can advertise in the TV aisle of the electronics department.

Walmart

According to Mark Boidman, head of media at New York City-based investment bank Solomon Partners, that proximity offers a unique opportunity that online advertising can’t replicate.

“It’s better to reach people with video when you’re aisles apart as opposed to miles apart,” Boidman said.

He noted it’s gotten harder for brands to get in front of large audiences as customers increasingly fracture into smaller groups that watch different TV shows, subscribe to different streaming services or tune in to different broadcast channels.

Plus, he added, they want to more closely track if marketing dollars lead to sales. Grocers and big-box retailers have valuable first-party data that can better measure that, since they can advertise a product and then use a loyalty program or sales patterns to see if it became more popular.

But that additional data can be a double-edged sword. He said companies must respect shoppers’ privacy concerns, too. If an advertisement is too targeted to an individual, they may feel creeped out.

The right balance

With the debut of more in-store ads, retailers risk those privacy concerns as well as backlash from shoppers who may see the ads as unsightly or irritating.

That’s already played out at Walgreens: The drugstore added digital smart screens that flashed ads on fridge doors in many of its U.S. stores. Some shoppers complained on TikTok and Twitter that the doors made it hard to find ice cream, pizza or other frozen and chilled items they wanted.

Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer, who stepped into her role after the deal got signed, didn’t like them either, according to a lawsuit filed last month by Cooler Screens, the company behind the tech. It alleges Walgreens was in breach of contract after breaking off an installation agreement.

The drugstore chain had agreed to install the screens in at least 2,500 stores across the U.S., according to the lawsuit, but Brewer squashed the rollout after visiting the stores and comparing the screens “to ‘Vegas’ in a derogatory way.”

Walgreens disputed Cooler Screens’ claims and said it terminated its contract with the firm based on its “failure to perform.”

Cooler Screens has converted stores’ frozen and refrigerated aisles into places where companies can advertise.

Cooler Screens

In an interview with CNBC, Cooler Screens co-founder and CEO Arsen Avakian acknowledged that bringing ads into physical stores is tricky. But he said stores need a more modern look that allows shoppers to search, sort and discover merchandise like they do online and in apps.

Kroger plans to install Cooler Screens in 100 stores by the end of year and reach 500 by next year. Walmart piloted Cooler Screens technology, but ultimately decided not to expand it.

Andrew Lipsman, a retail and e-commerce analyst at Insider Intelligence, said retailers have to tread lightly to avoid creating the real-world equivalent of pop-up ads.

“There’s a concern of it looking too much like Times Square,” said Lipsman, who previously worked for Cooler Screens and has closely followed retail media.

As retailers expand ads into stores, they can start with lower-risk spots like pharmacy or deli counters where customers may welcome a distraction as they wait, he said, adding that stores have plenty of subtle ads already. Brands pay for prominent spots at the end of aisles or for signs that spread the word about a seasonal snack, discount or new product.

And people have gotten used to seeing digital ads in other parts of the physical world, such as around the perimeter of major sports arenas.

“There’s digital signage everywhere,” Lipsman said. “It’s become pervasive across many contexts. It’s natural it’s going to enter the store.”

Disclosure: CNBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal, is a media partner of Walmart Connect.

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As Macy’s stock struggles, the retailer bets on private brands with more modern looks

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Macy’s launch event for its new private brand, On 34th, also marked one of the first public appearances by Tony Spring (left) since he was named incoming CEO. Spring is CEO of the company’s higher-end department store chain, Bloomingdale’s. He will succeed Jeff Gennette (right) in February.

Melissa Repko | CNBC

NEW YORK — Macy’s, the 165-year-old department store chain, is looking for ways to keep up with the newer kids on the block.

The retailer faces slumping sales, and its stock has struggled in a good year for the market. Now, it’s banking on a wave of new and refreshed private brands to attract shoppers, especially as some flee to popular direct-to-consumer brands, online giants like Shein and Amazon, and big-box players like Target.

On Wednesday, it showed off its newest private brand, On 34th, at its Macy’s Herald Square flagship. The brand, named after the legacy store’s Manhattan location, is made of up of women’s clothing and accessories. The brand is designed for women ranging from 30 to 50 who want modern, versatile and easy-to-wear looks.

The new brand is hitting store shelves and Macy’s website at a challenging time for the company and much of the retail industry. Consumers have cut back on discretionary spending at stores as they’re pinched by steeper grocery bills and rent, while they spend on experiences like concerts and summer vacations. The department store operator cut its full-year outlook last month, after seeing consumers pull back on purchases of clothing and other items.

On 34th is the first of four new private brands that Macy’s plans to launch by the end of 2025. It also plans to refresh some existing labels and phase out others.

Macy’s Chief Merchandising Officer Nata Dvir said On 34th’s debut comes after more than two years of customer research.

“They cared about fit, quality and value and had a tremendous amount of passion around what they were putting on every single day,” she said. “And they deserved better.”

The kickoff event previewed another piece of Macy’s future, too: It marked one of the first public appearances of Tony Spring, since he was named its next CEO. Spring, who currently leads the parent company’s higher-end department store Bloomingdale’s, will succeed Jeff Gennette in February.

Gennette said Wednesday that consumers’ financial stress continues to show up in the company’s sales trends.

Macy’s significantly cut its financial expectations in June. The department store operator, which includes Bloomingdale’s and beauty chain Bluemercury, said it expects comparable owned-plus-licensed sales to drop by 6% to 7.5% for the year. It expects earnings per share of $2.70 to $3.20 for the year.

Shares of Macy’s have reflected investors’ concerns. Macy’s stock was down more than 20% so far this year as of Wednesday. The S&P 500, by comparison, is up 19% this year.

Some of Wall Street’s worries are company-specific, as investors question whether the legacy department store can keep up with shoppers’ changing tastes.

Macy’s has sought to steady the ship in recent years while battered by other fast-changing dynamics. Led by Gennette, the department store kicked off a three-year turnaround plan in February 2020, about a month before the start of the Covid pandemic. It called for shuttering lagging stores, investing in its higher performing locations and stepping up online growth.

Macy’s is leaning into private brands to drive growth. Its newest brand, On 34th, is designed to be both fashion-forward and easy to wear. It ranges in price from $19.50 for a tank top to $299.50 for a leather jacket.

Melissa Repko | CNBC

Private brands are a common way that retailers offer lower-priced and exclusive merchandise to customers. The labels tend to be more profitable, since the companies have direct control, fewer middlemen and scale when making the items. Plus, since the items can’t be found anywhere else, the retailer isn’t going head to head on price with a competitor.

Macy’s sells a mix of private brands and national brands, including Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Levi Strauss. It has about 25 private brands that cut across categories like apparel and home goods, including On 34th.

In the most recent fiscal year, private brands drove approximately 16% of sales. Yet Macy’s would like to get that closer to about 20%, a level that it hit in the past.

But the strategy comes with risks. Target is the poster child of private label success, after hatching and expanding many billion-dollar brands including children’s apparel brand, Cat & Jack, and activewear brand, All in Motion. On the other hand, some investors have pinned the downfall of now-bankrupt Bed Bath & Beyond in part to its expensive and aggressive rollout of private brands that customers didn’t want.

Gennette said Macy’s has been thoughtful about the push. It’s gathering customer input while developing the apparel and even made tweaks in recent weeks while testing the brand with customers at two New Jersey stores. Plus, he added, Macy’s has had years of experience selling private brands with a following, such as women’s apparel brand I.N.C. and home goods brand Hotel Collection.

The company has poached talent from retailers known for strong brands, too, including Emily Erusha-Hilleque, a 23-year veteran of Target, as its senior vice president of private brands. It also hired Bryan Riviere, previously of Gap-owned Banana Republic, Levi Strauss, Lululemon and Nike, as its senior vice president of private brand sourcing, product development and production.

Along with providing fresh looks, Macy’s wanted to step up the quality and fit of its clothing. Over the past three years, it has cut the number of factories and mills that it works with by about half, Riviere said. By working with fewer partners, it has the scale to negotiate better prices, savings to invest in better fabrics and knits and more buy-in from the factories that it works with.

It also worked with a technology company to standardize sizing across all Macy’s private brands. Universal sizing makes shopping less of a guessing game for customers and returns less likely, Erusha-Hilleque said.

On 34th will officially debut in mid-August with about 750 items that range from a basic tank top at $19.50 to a leather jacket for $299.50. Its shoe collection will launch in spring 2024.

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Here are our top 4 stocks and worst 4 stocks to start the second half of 2023

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Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 12, 2023. 

Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Two weeks into the second half of the year, we put together a quick look at the top four performers and the bottom four in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust, the stock portfolio we use for the Investing Club.

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Take a look inside the factory fueling candy giant Mars’ $1 billion ice cream ambitions

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Dove Ice Cream Bars are packaged at Mars’ factory in Burr Ridge, Illinois.

Source: Mars

Candy giant Mars is trying to make a name for itself in a new category: ice cream.

The family-owned company aims for its ice cream business to reach $1 billion in sales worldwide by 2030. In May, Mars tapped executive Anton Vincent to lead its global ice cream business, adding to his existing role as president of Mars Wrigley North America.

Mars faces tough competition to achieve its ambition in the U.S., but the company has been investing into the business. It has spent $50 million upgrading its Burr Ridge, Illinois, ice cream factory and earmarked an additional $20 million for the facility that it hasn’t spent yet.

Mars has also been expanding its portfolio, rolling out new flavors such as M&M’s Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches and Twix Cookie Dough Ice Cream. It used its $5 billion acquisition of Kind North America, best known for its nut bars, to push into plant-based ice cream substitutes.

While summer is still the biggest season for ice cream sales, Mars is also trying to boost business in the fall and winter through a partnership between the National Football League and its Snickers Ice Cream Bar.

Mars aims to grow its share of the ice cream market as part of a broad-based business. Outside of candy and ice cream, Mars also owns a large pet care segment and other food brands, including Combos Stuffed Snacks and Ben’s Original rice.

The bet on ice cream has paid off for the company. In the last five years, Mars’ global ice cream sales have risen 42%. The Dove Ice Cream brand alone grew 12% last year. As the segment grows, the U.S. accounts for more than half the company’s ice cream business.

As Mars injects resources into the ice cream business, the company will find out if its familiar brands are enough to carry it to its ambitious $1 billion sales target.

Mars’ ice cream goals hinge on the old and the new

Mars entered the ice cream category in 1986 when it bought Dove, then known just for its ice cream bars before the candy company expanded it into chocolate. Three years later, Mars introduced the Snickers Ice Cream Bar, now the top seller in its portfolio, followed by M&M’s Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches.

“We don’t have the biggest ice cream brands, but we do believe we have the biggest brands in ice cream,” Shaf Lalani, the U.S. head of Mars Ice Cream, told CNBC.

Today, Mars ranks among the top 10 U.S. ice cream makers by retail sales, according to Euromonitor International data. But it is far outstripped by Haagen-Dazs owner General Mills; Ben & Jerry’s parent Unilever; and Blue Bell Creameries, which is privately owned.

“Mars Inc. ice cream brands face hefty competition, being ranks away from the leading spot in the U.S. ice cream market,” said Carl Quash, Euromonitor’s head of food and nutrition research.

As it tries to make up that ground, Mars’ primary strategy to grow its ice cream sales focuses on reversing what it did with Dove: taking other candy brands and turning them into frozen treats.

“There’s about a 64% crossover rate to people that buy our confectionary products and participate in our brands, which has given us a lot of confidence that we have the right to win,” Lalani said.

Outside of Snickers and M&M’s, Mars’ other candy brands show promise in their transition over to ice cream. Twix Ice Cream is the fastest-growing product in the company’s ice cream portfolio. Lalani thinks the frozen version of the Milky Way candy bar — known as the Mars bar outside the U.S. — has the potential to be its next big hit.

While Lalani said Mars’ existing portfolio has plenty of runway, not all of Mars Ice Cream’s growth will be organic. Acquisitions will also help fuel sales and bring new customers.

For example, Kind’s frozen treats entered Whole Foods a few months ago, adding a new retail chain to Mars’ frozen footprint.

In December, Mars announced it was buying Tru Fru, a startup that makes frozen and freeze-dried chocolate-covered fruit. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Inside the ice cream factory

Dove Bars are dipped in chocolate at the factory.

Source: Mars

Nearly four decades ago, when Mars bought Dove, it also purchased the brand’s manufacturing facility in Burr Ridge, Illinois. These days, the factory is responsible for making all the ice cream the company sells in the U.S., which accounts for 55% of its demand worldwide.

As sales have accelerated, the company has had to invest in the sprawling facility to add capacity and the capability to make new products, such as Kind’s frozen treats studded with nuts. The factory has distinct lines dedicated to the types of products Mars makes: sandwiches, bars and sticks.

Mars’ manufacturing process is largely automated, and workers stand by to monitor the machines. Many of the ingredients come from elsewhere — the ice cream mix and M&M cookies from regional suppliers, the peanuts from Mars’ roasting facility — and they all come together in the Burr Ridge factory.

But it’s a delicate process, requiring precision to balance consistency, quality and the temperature demands of ice cream.

For example, the Snickers Ice Cream Bars feature a layer of ice cream, the candy’s signature peanuts and caramel and a chocolate exterior. Inside the chilly factory, the chocolate has to stay warm enough to melt on top of the ice cream bar, which the conveyor belt then quickly moves through a freezing tunnel, so the ice cream doesn’t melt.

From there, the Snickers Ice Cream Bars move past sensors that detect production mistakes, such as being too large or too small. The Snickers’ peanuts are often the culprit.

The machine swiftly pushes the rejects aside, joining a crowd of fellow outcasts in melting slowly. The floors of the production line are dusted with the chocolate ashes of those that fell short of Mars’ standards. To keep the ice cream bars from melting, the conveyor belt has to move quickly, leaving no time to correct the misfits.

But those that make the cut move down to be wrapped in Snickers’ packaging. Mechanical arms use small vacuums to pick up the Snickers bars without crushing them and place them into wrappers, which are then put into individual boxes and placed in cartons.

New products also bring new manufacturing challenges. For example, Kind’s frozen bars are meant to taste the same with every bite taken, but the chunks of nuts presented difficulties meeting that level of consistency, according to Romain Lepicard, head of the Mars Ice Cream research and development team.

The $50 million Mars spent already largely went toward upgrading the line dedicated to its ice cream bars, which can churn out several hundred thousand Snickers Ice Cream Bars per day. The investment also went toward some other tech upgrades, such as digital screens that will help the facility go paper free.

Mars will spend the additional $20 million investment on further boosting how many ice cream bars the factory can make. The company plans to invest in equipment that will help it make more of the components for the Snickers Ice Cream Bars, such as caramel, plus other upgrades to capacity for the manufacturing line.

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Retailers are gamifying shopping with virtual storefronts to boost engagement, loyalty

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J. Crew virtual beach house.

Courtesy: J. Crew

In a brown shingled beach house tucked behind stalks of reed grass, J. Crew customers encounter a new shopping experience. 

Just beyond a set of wood steps and a wraparound porch, shoppers can explore a series of white-paneled rooms, a boathouse and a secret lighthouse that highlight the brand’s history and some of its most popular apparel. 

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Inside the rooms, shoppers can browse barn jackets, rollneck sweaters and rugby shirts. Outside on the porch, bathing suits are displayed on a clothesline.

While customers can select and purchase items as they would in any J. Crew store, the beach house comes with one key difference: It’s entirely virtual. 

To mark J. Crew’s 40th anniversary, the brand is launching its first immersive shopping experience Friday with e-commerce platform Obsess, which creates 3D, virtual stores for retailers that customers can access from their phones or laptops. 

Derek Yarbrough, the chief marketing officer of J. Crew and Madewell, told CNBC the company is planning a series of events to celebrate the brand’s anniversary. But they tend to be in places such as New York and Los Angeles, which limits the number of people who can attend, he said.

“With Obsess, we were really looking to have an exciting activation that we could execute for a larger audience and reach more of the people who love the brand in a bigger way,” Yarbrough said in an interview. “We really wanted this to be a passport to explore the world of J. Crew … and as the team brainstormed on it, it was a little bit of a no-brainer to take the form of a beach house.” 

J. Crew virtual beach house.

Courtesy: J. Crew

Obsess was launched in 2017 by its CEO, Neha Singh, a former Google software engineer. It aims to transform traditional online shopping into something more immersive, so shoppers remain engaged rather than lose interest as they endlessly scroll for their next purchase. 

In Obsess’ virtual storefronts, customers can create their own avatars. Depending on the retailer, they can also play games that can unlock more content, promotions or other bonuses that keep them in the virtual stores for longer, the company said. 

“What our platform does is it enables brands to create that much richer and more immersive digital experience that borrows the interface from gaming,” said Singh. “Today, the experience is so generic. Other than font and color, there’s really no differentiation between brands’ digital presence, but their physical retail presence is so different. So how can we bring some of those elements into online?”

Virtual storefronts on the rise

Many retailers saw the metaverse, a virtual world that offered another possible platform to sell products, as the hot new technology throughout last year. Many of those same companies have now largely forgotten it, as strides in artificial intelligence have surged to the top of business leaders’ minds a year later.

While the metaverse may be dead — for now — virtual storefronts are growing. Obsess is now powering more than 200 virtual stores that tens of millions of shoppers have visited and bought products in. 

The company’s clients include American Girl, Elizabeth Arden, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Corona, Laneige, Crocs, Coach, Mattel, Maybelline, Johnson & Johnson and even NBCUniversal, among others. 

The virtual storefronts allow retailers to bring a version of the metaverse to their customers, without the need for pricey headgear or other steep barriers to entry.

J. Crew virtual beach house.

Courtesy: J. Crew

“Technology never stops, and it’s going to keep progressing, but it has to be something that’s user-friendly, right? And parts of [the metaverse] are not user-friendly yet,” said Singh. “We launched the company before metaverse was a buzzy topic, and it really was just about: How can we use the latest technology to actually create a better customer experience?” 

When e-commerce was born in the 1990s, Amazon led the way in its online bookstore, which featured a white background and icons of books with text describing them.

Since then, little has changed when it comes to the basic interface of online shopping.

“If you think about e-commerce, the typical sort of interface today, it’s a grid of thumbnails on a white background; whether you’re shopping for fashion, or beauty or home, it’s really all the same,” Singh said. “The interface looks like a database that really hasn’t changed in 25 years [since] it was first created.” 

Gamifying shopping, boosting engagement 

Shoppers headed to J. Crew’s virtual store can access a series of interactive games, including a scavenger hunt and a quiz on catalog covers, where customers will be asked to guess what year they were published. 

Once they go through all the rooms and complete the quests, shoppers gain access to the secret lighthouse.

J. Crew virtual beach house.

Courtesy: J. Crew

“We see actually a 10-times-higher add-to-cart rate if people engage and complete the game. So typically now in all of our virtual stores there’s some element of gamification, and it’s very kind of naturally embedded into the flow of the store,” said Singh. 

“The more interesting you can make the experience and keep people engaged and give them content and give them games, the more they shop,” she said.

Some companies offer discounts or promotions as a “prize” for completing a game, which could contribute to boosted checkout rates. 

Obsess said one of its customers, a luxury jewelry brand, said the average order value in its virtual store was 111% higher than on its traditional e-commerce site. 

However, J. Crew’s Yarbrough said he is most excited about how long the virtual store could keep customers engaged. 

J. Crew virtual beach house.

Courtesy: J. Crew

For example, on American Girl’s virtual store, shoppers spend six to 10 minutes on average per session, which is 1,000% longer than the average time spent for all shoppers on the company’s website, Obsess said. 

One luxury fashion brand said the amount of time people spent in its virtual store was 74% higher than time spent on its traditional e-commerce site, according to Obsess. Overall, introducing avatars increases time spent by an average 73%, and when customers create an avatar, they’re on average 184% more likely to proceed to checkout, Obsess said. 

“In today’s landscape, it’s so hard to not only get but keep people’s attention — you usually get a few seconds,” Yarbrough said. “So, if I can actually get someone to engage with an experience for several minutes or even longer, oh my God, that’s such a rich opportunity to really get someone hooked.” 

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.

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