Loyalty/Rewards Programs
Brazil airline Gol’s new offer for loyalty plan boosts shares
Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA recently made a bid to take over its lucrative loyalty program, Smiles Fidelidade SA, lifting shares of both. Smiles jumped around 20 percent, and Gol, the country’s largest domestic airline, climbed nearly 4 percent as investors reckoned the more generous offer might convince minority shareholders. Gol already controls Smiles with a 53 percent stake and has been trying to buy the rest since October 2018, when it offered minority shareholders a share swap. On Monday, it made a revised offer of both cash and shares, at a premium of about 25 percent based on Friday closing prices.
Retail
Wall Street Reacts To Ulta’s Q3 Beat, Makeup Headwinds Remain A Concern
Ulta Beauty Inc, the cosmetic retailer, reported a third-quarter earnings beat recently, but sales missed estimates by $75 million. Buy-side expectations have come way down on Ulta, leading the company to deliver a surprise earnings beat amid worsening macro and makeup industry environments, Wells Fargo analyst Ike Boruchow said. The cosmetics category continues to decelerate, the analyst said, adding that Ulta acknowledged these headwinds and believes they will persist for a while. Ulta will continue to be a highly debated stock over the short term until fundamentals move in either direction, he added.
Moody’s Predicts Bleak Outlook For Department Stores
CNBC reported recently that Moody’s and Goldman Sachs predict a weak outlook for department stores. Goldman Sachs dropped Macy’s shares from neutral to sell, saying there is a “significant downside” in the company’s stock price. Macy’s shares already dropped about 48 percent to a market value of $4.8 billion in 2019. Macy’s shares were last up about 2.7 percent on Monday afternoon, with Gordon Haskett analyst Chuck Grom telling CNBC that its clear “structural concerns persist” for this group of retailers. The Moody’s growth forecast was slashed for the entire department store sector, predicting retailers’ profits would be down 20 percent by the end of 2019.
Restaurants
Noodles & Company names Stacey Pool as CMO
Noodles & Company has named Stacey Pool as chief marketing officer, effective Dec. 30, the company announced recently. The Broomfield, Colo.-based fast-casual brand said Pool most recently served as senior vice president for corporate marketing at Vail Resorts Inc., the Colorado mountain resort company. This hiring follows the company’s announcement in December that Chas Hermann would be leaving the company as chief brand officer at the end of January 2020. The company had created the position for Hermann in 2018, and he oversaw the company’s marketing menu and culinary strategies.
Innovation
Cadillac’s New Digital Showroom Aims To Get People Into Physical Dealerships
Cadillac is betting that on-demand online conversations with dealers and digital tire-kicking of cars from home can translate into test drives at dealerships. “Cadillac Live” is an online showroom in which customers can have one-on-one video chats with sales agents who are able to demonstrate features and properties of Cadillac cars while answering questions. Customers then can request to test drive the cars at their local dealerships. The site (live.cadillac.com) launched Monday. Melissa Grady, chief marketing officer at Cadillac, says it’s an effort to explore the ways today’s customers might like to shop, as well as a strategic approach to get qualified leads into physical dealerships.