Private equity firms circle Peloton for potential buyout

Private equity firms circle Peloton for potential buyout

A Peloton Bike inside a showroom in New York, US, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Peloton Interactive Inc. is scheduled to release earnings figures on November 2. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images A number of private equity firms have been considering a buyout of Peloton as the connected fitness company looks to refinance … Read more

What we know about the consumer so far

What we know about the consumer so far

A customer walks through The Home Depot store on February 20, 2024 in Austin, Texas.  Brandon Bell | Getty Images The state of the consumer in 2024 is already taking shape — even before the country’s major retailers begin to report first-quarter earnings, starting with Home Depot and Walmart next week. There are signs that … Read more

Dozens of former employees plan to sue Bowlero for discrimination

Dozens of former employees plan to sue Bowlero for discrimination

Dozens of former employees who say they were fired from Bowlero based on their age or out of retaliation plan to sue the bowling chain after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission closed its case against the company, the attorney representing the claimants said Monday. Bowlero, the world’s largest owner and operator of bowling centers, … Read more

Equinox launches $40,000 ‘Optimize’ membership

Equinox launches ,000 ‘Optimize’ membership

High-end fitness chain Equinox is launching one of the most expensive gym memberships in the world — a $40,000-per-year program aimed at improving overall health and longevity. Equinox is teaming up with lab-test startup Function Health to launch “Optimize by Equinox,” a personalized health program that includes everything from personal training and nutrition plans to … Read more

Ex-CEO Howard Schultz weighs in on Starbucks earnings miss

Ex-CEO Howard Schultz weighs in on Starbucks earnings miss

Howard Schultz, former chief executive officer of Starbucks Corp., drinks from a Starbucks mug during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz weighed in Sunday on the coffee chain’s dismal latest quarterly … Read more

Dave & Buster’s plan to allow betting on arcade games draws scrutiny

Dave & Buster’s plan to allow betting on arcade games draws scrutiny

A Dave & Buster’s location in the Gateway Center shopping complex in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Saturday, March 30, 2024.  Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images Arcade chain Dave and Buster’s plan to allow customer betting isn’t winning over everyone. Software company Lucra Sports announced on Tuesday that it was … Read more

Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy steps down, 15% of staff laid off

Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy steps down, 15% of staff laid off

Peloton announced Thursday that CEO Barry McCarthy will be stepping down and the company will lay off 15% of its staff because it “simply had no other way to bring its spending in line with its revenue.” McCarthy, a former Spotify and Netflix executive, will become a strategic advisor to Peloton through the end of … Read more

Wayfair (W) earnings Q1 2024

Wayfair (W) earnings Q1 2024

The Wayfair app on a smartphone arranged in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Tiffany Hagler-Geard | Bloomberg | Getty Images Wayfair’s sales slid during its first fiscal quarter, but the online furniture retailer reduced its losses after cutting 13% of its workforce at the start of the year, the company announced Thursday.  Wayfair beat Wall Street’s expectations … Read more

Starbucks, McDonald’s, Yum earnings show consumers pulling back

Starbucks, McDonald’s, Yum earnings show consumers pulling back

It’s finally here: the long-predicted consumer pullback. Starbucks announced a surprise drop in same-store sales for its latest quarter, sending its shares down 17% on Wednesday. Pizza Hut and KFC also reported shrinking same-store sales. And even stalwart McDonald’s said it has adopted a “street-fighting mentality” to compete for value-minded diners. For months, economists have … Read more

Yum Brands (YUM) Q1 2024 earnings

Yum Brands (YUM) Q1 2024 earnings

A Pizza Hut store is seen on November 01, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Brandon Bell | Getty Images Yum Brands on Wednesday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that missed analysts’ expectations as Pizza Hut and KFC struggled to attract customers. Shares of the company fell 3% in premarket trading. Here’s what the company reported compared with what … Read more