Rapid grocery delivery splurge will end with purge 30 Apr 2021 The business of bringing alcohol and ice cream to punters within minutes has attracted $8 bln from investors like SoftBank this year. The stage is set for a frantic fight between startups, takeout apps and supermarkets. They will burn much cash in pursuit of uncertain returns.
Capital Calls: Jerome Powell, Shopify 28 Apr 2021 Concise views on global finance: The clock is ticking on the Fed boss’s taper timeline; the e-commerce firm grew even as it warns of a post-pandemic lull.
Capital Calls: U.S. antitrust, Dyal-Owl Rock 21 Apr 2021 Concise views on global finance: Would-be U.S. trustbuster nominee Lina Khan suggests it’s not just tech companies to blame for Big Tech’s dominance; two U.S. investment firms’ planned merger and sale to a blank-check company has cleared a legal hurdle.
Capital Calls: Bank of America, WeWork, Kering 20 Apr 2021 Concise views on global finance: The bank’s shareholders voted against a deeper dive into its impact on racial inequality; the office landlord is taking bitcoin as payment, for now; the Gucci owner needs to run faster to catch arch-rival LVMH.
Czech billionaire’s supermarket raid looks pricey 14 Apr 2021 Daniel Kretinsky doubled his stake in British grocer J Sainsbury to 10%, prompting talk of a takeover. The $7.5 bln chain has thrived during the pandemic, but a reopening economy will mean more competition and higher costs. A buyout would yield mediocre returns.
Capital Calls: Bling deal 6 Apr 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: Signet, the owner of jewelers Zales and Kay, is buying rental firm Rocksbox.
Carrefour makes most of French M&A exceptionalism 24 Mar 2021 After seeing its own takeover blocked by President Emmanuel Macron, the Paris-based retailer is buying Brazil’s third-largest grocery chain. The $1.3 bln price is reasonable, and the touted savings large. Foreign expansion is more appealing than bulking up in slow-growth France.
Capital Calls: Digital art 11 Mar 2021 Concise views on global finance in the Covid-19 era: A blockchain-protected work by Beeple sold for $69 million at Christie's.
UK grocer’s $10 bln LBO just about fits in trolley 4 Feb 2021 The Issa brothers and TDR will put in only $1 bln to buy Asda. The deal makes canny use of generous debt and property markets. Borrowing, while high, looks manageable so long as the gas pump tycoons can manage the triple threat of discounters, Amazon and Brexit.
Couche-Tard may be impulse buyer after French fail 21 Jan 2021 Founders of the minimart empire, blocked from buying Carrefour, have a super voting share that expires in 11 months. After that they’d need investor support for a big purchase like German grocer Metro. The 13% drop in the Canadian group’s stock shows fears of a short-term spree.
Carrefour’s merger blues need retail therapy 19 Jan 2021 The $15 bln grocer’s shares are in the bargain bin after the French executive blocked a deal with Canada’s Couche-Tard. A sale of its Brazil unit could give investors a boost, but leave a rump in a challenged market. Buying Gallic rival Casino is CEO Alexandre Bompard’s best bet.
France’s Carrefour defence targets wrong enemy 14 Jan 2021 Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire opposes a possible $20 bln takeover of the grocer by Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard. He’s right to worry about jobs and supply chains after Covid-19. But a new owner would still need French cashiers, while suppliers are better protected by law.
Canada’s pump giant tries cheeky French till dash 13 Jan 2021 Quebec-based Couche-Tard is eyeing supermarket chain Carrefour. There’s little overlap, but supermarkets may offer the $37 bln petrol station operator a hedge against an electric vehicle boom. The target’s depressed share price means its shareholders are unlikely to play ball.
Stock rewards for all would be valued virus legacy 29 Dec 2020 Woolworths pared manager bonuses so that over 100,000 employees could get a little slice of equity in the Aussie supermarket chain. More companies should follow suit. What’s good for Silicon Valley and Wall Street is good for everyone, starting with frontline pandemic workers.
Corona Capital: Friendly’s and Dunkin’ Donuts 2 Nov 2020 Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Two Massachusetts casual-dining chains change hands, one in bankruptcy. Friendly's found Covid-19 even more unfriendly than did Dunkin' Brands.
Corona Capital: Utah Jazz, Comcast, Kraft 29 Oct 2020 Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Utah Jazz’s owners sign off with a respectable return; Comcast shoots the light out on broadband; and Kraft rides the stay-at-home wave.
Corona Capital: Mixed market messages, Chile votes 26 Oct 2020 Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Global stocks slumped on Monday as Covid-19 cases rose – yet some prognosticators are readying for major stimulus; and Chile has shown that pandemics don’t have to squash voter turnout.
Daniel Kretinsky’s grocer grab has sliver of sense 1 Oct 2020 The Czech billionaire has bought $1.5 bln worth of shares in European supermarkets like J Sainsbury and Casino. Anaemic growth and low margins suggest that’s unwise. But if his targets can slash costs and take advantage of an online boom, his bet may begin to look shrewd.
Corona Capital: Covid-19 tests, Bed Bath & Beyond 1 Oct 2020 Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Diagnostic company Quidel predicts a quarterly earnings bonanza; meanwhile the pandemic turns a struggling retailer into a winner, at least temporarily.
Walmart pays price for late UK checkout 30 Sep 2020 The retail giant may sell grocer Asda to buyout firm TDR and two petrol station tycoons for $8.3 bln. It’s a cheaper and riskier exit than a planned union with peer J Sainsbury, thwarted by watchdogs last year. Online competition, a pandemic, and Brexit have weakened its hand.