SmileDirectClub and Walmart announced a distribution partnership today, sending shares of the startup up almost 20 percent Monday.
The oral-care company, which calls itself the first direct-to-consumer medtech platform for teeth straightening, announced a series of products available only at the big box retailer Monday morning. However, its signature teeth aligner won't be found in Walmart's aisles.
Some products Walmart ($WMT) shoppers can pick up instead are SmileDirectClub's electric toothbrush and teeth whitening system, plus planned new products like toothpaste and a UV cleaner to sanitize products like toothbrush heads.
SmileDirectClub ($SDC) hopes Walmart's size brings more customer awareness to the startup. The product line at Walmart, the biggest retailer in the U.S., is a "billboard about smiles," company Chief Global Brand Officer Josh Chapman told Cheddar.
Chapman said the company made a "simple-to-use, affordable, premium" toothbrush for Walmart and hopes to turn those new Walmart customers into users of its popular teeth aligners.
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.
