Kohl's LA Is Desolate on Black Friday After Starting Deals Early
Retail stores are feeling the heat as many shoppers plan to do most of their holiday shopping online. Alyssa Julya Smith ventured out to Kohl's in Los Angeles on Black Friday to check out what's going on in retail outlets. She found that, at least in the morning, not a lot of shoppers turned out for the doorbusters and in-store deals.
In fact, 59 percent of U.S. shoppers say they plan to shop online this year instead of fighting crowds at the stores. U.S. shoppers spent more than $1.52 billion online by 5 pm ET on Thanksgiving evening, which is up nearly 17 percent from a year ago.
A lot of the slowdown in Black Friday shopping has to do with the "Amazon effect," which also has a lot of brick-and-mortar stores fighting to keep up. Big stores like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Kohls made their big deals available online, and well before Thanksgiving day, so many people are opting to shop from the comfort of their own home.
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
