Millennials are disrupting industries everywhere, especially banking, with the evolution of technology and convenience.
Citizens Bank recently announced plans to redesign at least 50% of its locations into cafe-style branches and says that it's started to rethink how to make those locations into more of an advice-based experience for customers. Beth Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Virtual Channels at Citizens Bank, joined us on Cheddar to break down the strategy.
Citizens Bank is focused on enabling millennials to access their banking anytime and anywhere. Johnson stressed the importance of mobile but added the bank's branch footprint is still an important medium for meeting customer needs. She added that different branches will be set up differently in an attempt to accommodate as many people as possible.
Johnson discussed how Citizens views trendy apps and digital tools such as PayPal. She said they think about "build, buy, and partner." Citizens already has almost 100,000 customers signed up with Zelle, Johnson said.
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.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
